Are woven wraps and other baby carriers worth it??

No preamble, the answer is a huge, resounding YES!!

Note the time. It is currently 3:23am on a Sunday morning that I thought would be a good shot for me to make it to church - on time even. I can't tell you how huge that is for me.

Alas, those prospects have blown out of the water with this:

I kind of ruined things tonight (last night?) - but unintentionally!! I was sooo tired nursing Curtis before bed that when we switched sides, I figured we'd nurse side-lying so I could catch some zzzz's. He eventually fell asleep and then I fell asleep... then he woke up! So I nursed again.. this happened 3 times. No dice on him staying asleep.

I transferred him to the Pack n Play to fall asleep on his own, which he has done before, but I think the sleep he had before gave him enough energy to STAY UP.

That was at 1:10am.

45 mins later, he was not a happy camper. I go up to pick him up, he's ready set to play. Haha.

Let's nurse to sleep again, shall we? Um no. 15 mins later and he's drowsy but going nowhere towards Lala Land. And I have laundry to do. Lots. Like, "let's catch up from the 3x we tried earlier this week" lots.

Enter, Didymos Latte Wool Indio.

I quickly pre-tied a FCC (Forward Cross Carry), my most used carry because I can easily pop Curtis in and out. I unzip the lower half of his sleep sack and pop him in.

He's happy! The squeals start, the squawks pierce, I shush as I gather up the laundry load. All through the loading and my small admin tasks while waiting for the load to finish, he's pretty awake, throwing his head around, observing these basement surroundings like an Asian tourist in Vegas.

That pic above was taken at 3am. I was starting to give up. We swivel a few times while I repeatedly sing my made up song about sleeping* (6/8 time really helps!), tuck his head into one of the cross passes and... he starts to blink more slowly. I begin typing this post. Why not? I need to kill time.

People, he fell asleep by the time I typed "STAY UP" (how ironic!!). And yes, that can happen with a swing or a drive-around or using your arms to jiggle around or rock or carry or whatever. But what I was able to achieve with a wrap is:

1. He felt assured and comforted. In a swing he *may* have felt like a ditched him, which has happened before with my older 2, and then I'd have to find another solution anyway.

2. I could constantly monitor him. I knew how he was doing and could adjust what I was doing to help him get to sleep, or realize it was all futile and continue on with other things, knowing that my walking around would also help calm him down anyway.

3. I could get up and do things. No, it's not the same with a baby strapped to you, but I love that I can monitor him *and* do the laundry at the same time. I don't have to go over and check, run up if he starts crying, or whatever. I can take care of him right away.

4. I was able to keep him in an ergonomic position without concern for his well-being. I know that swings have been used but swings are also NOT to be used as sleep aids.

5. I didn't have to use up gas and drive around, or get out in the cold (or heat, if it were summer). Basically, I could achieve the same thing a drive-around aims to do without the cost of gas and a possible late night crash because I'm tired.

So are baby carriers worth it? Most definitely. And this doesn't even cover how it helps with my sanity during the day.

Babywearing wins, indeed.


*If you really want to know, the lyrics to this song are all in Cantonese and can be used with almost any simple melody that comes out as you say them.  One you could try is "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", but almost any song with a swing will do. I'll note the lyrics in Cantonese then include an English, uh, translation. Version. That's it, version. In case these may help thousands of other tired parents around the globe.

Cantonese:

Fun gao-gao, fun gao- gao,
Fuuuuun gao-gao,
Fun gao-gao, fun gao-gao,
Fuuuuun gao-gao.

Fun gao-gao, fun gao- gao,
Fuuuuun gao-gaooooo,
Fun gao-gao, fun gao-gao,
Fuuuuun gao-gao.


English:

Sleep baby, sleep baby,
Gooooo to sleep,
Sleep baby, sleep baby,
Gooooo to sleep.


Sleep baby, sleep baby,
Gooooo to sleeeeeeep,
Sleep baby, sleep baby,
Gooooo to sleep.

Baby Wearing Part 3: Woven Wraps!

So... my baby has been born! It's been 4 weeks now and I've had the chance to use my wraps with my littlest one. Because he's still so young, tho, there are only several carries I can do with him, and I've only tried a few of them myself.

But I've been able to take pictures of me with him in the wraps! So here are some of them. And the next post we'll talk a bit more about woven wraps and hopefully answer a few questions about them, such as "Why are they so expensive?" and "Why do some people (like Ada *ahem*) have so many?"

But first, pictures. =)

Didymos Lisca Natur, size 5;
3 hours after birth in the hospital 

Didymos LIsca Natur, size 5;
Front Wrap Cross Carry (FWCC)

Didymos Sole Occidente, size 6;
Front Wrap Cross Carry (FWCC)

Didymos Shades of Blue, size 5;
Front Cross Carry (FCC)

Didymos Emerald Turquoise Hemp Indio, size 3;
Semi-FWCC with slip knot

Didymos ETHI, size 3;
SFWCC w slip knot

Didymos Teviot v2, size 4;
SFWCC with sling rings

Didymos Teviot v2, size 4;
SFWCC with sling rings

Baby Wearing Part 2a: Healthy Baby Wearing

Before continuing on about my journey on baby wearing, and specifically with woven wraps, I thought I'd share what healthy baby wearing is.

There are many more carriers out there than even 5 years ago, or at least they are more widely known. The internet has definitely expanded the reach of markets across the globe, and fans of Tula, Beco, Ergo and Kinderpack have been posting pictures of themselves with their babes and the carrier with the print they oh-so-love.

But there are still some people who are risking their baby's health when carrying in certain ways. This is a touchy subject, as many informed parents wonder if they should ever approach another parent who may be wearing their child in a less-than-optimal position. On one hand, baby wearing is great so perhaps we should leave well enough alone. On the other hand, many of us say that if we were informed by another well-meaning parent, we would be grateful!

So, my passive-agressive way is to blog about it. =P Not like I know anyone who does so incorrectly anyway, but if you're baby wearing and unsure about the position, or looking to start and are learning the ropes, this post is for you.

WHY WEAR A BABY?

Firstly, why wear a baby? We can leave them in a stroller or put them in the crib or bouncer... but we all know there are many, many moments when babies just want to be held. And that's natural! They were in a small, cozy, dark space for so long and all of a sudden projected into a loud world with their limbs flailing. For at least the first 4 months, they will want to keep being in a place which simulates the environment they were in for 9 months. That's understandable, isn't it? Even after they get to know the world as we know it, there's a lot to take in and learn, and being near us, their parents, is a refuge.

Here is a post by Babywearing International which gives the benefits of baby wearing. Here are my bullet points of the page:

Happy Babies - they like being held! Great for colicky babies
Healthy Babies - being physically close helps baby regulate own physical responses, especially premies/special needs
Confident Parents - learning to read cues
Loving Caregivers - babies come to recognize their caregivers
Comfort and Convenience - can go about chores and tasks more easily

HOW TO WEAR A BABY?

You can refer to the poster above as provided by Health Canada, or you can learn to remember your TICKS!

Tight
In view at all times
Close enough to kiss
Keep chin off the chest
Supported back

Further explanations on the TICKS poster below. Click here for a link to the full version.

Note: "Supported back" used to say "Supported straight back" (emphasis mine) but for a baby, a curved back is more natural to their growth. Keep that baby's spine curved!

Kristen sleeping in the Moby while I eat... something. LOL.
But note the TICKS!

DANGERS TO BABY WEARING?

Here is what Health Canada has put up as warnings. My own thoughts in italics below each point taken from that page.

Serious injuries and deaths can occur when:

• the wearer trips and the baby falls out of the sling or carrier
• Falling out can also happen to babies in a stroller, and particularly to babies who are in infant seats precariously placed on top of grocery carts. I've seen so many babies balanced that way, and so many kids not strapped into their stroller and pretty much falling out! I don't see how a sling or carrier is more dangerous.
• the product malfunctions or its hardware breaks
• This can happen - and has happened - in strollers as well. This is, however, why it is SO important to get a high quality carrier. Woven wraps are not simply "another piece of fabric" or a table cloth or a bed sheet. I'll get into it in another post but there is much more care that goes into a woven wrap and soft structured carriers!
• the baby falls over the side of the sling or out through the leg openings
• Which is why learning how to use the carrier properly is necessary. As I mentioned before, I've seen babies and older children practically falling out of their stroller due to manufacturer's lack of foresight (Graco had a tray without a middle piece to meet the stroller so kids - unstrapped, mind you! - would slip right down and through) or simply due to parents not buckling their children in. No one has cried out "Danger!" on strollers.
• the baby is positioned incorrectly, causing suffocation against the product's fabric, the wearer's body, or their own chest
• I refer you back to the TICKS! Along with that is keeping the child's legs in the "M" or "frog-legged" position, which will be discussed below.

So what does unhealthy baby wearing look like? Tune in to my next post! And before you think I'm judging, I'll be posting up pictures of my unhealthy baby wearing. Most times it's just a matter of learning the correct way. Not all carrier manufacturers will tell you the right way to carry, just the right way to use their product. So let's all learn and promote healthy babies!