Wearing Your Baby – Resources

There are a lot of resources out there for babywearing, which can be overwhelming to someone first trying to learn about it. Here is some of the best information that I have collected during my journey.

Babies are meant to be held. Holding your baby frequently will not cause them to become clingy or dependent as they grow, despite what others might try to tell you. It will not cause a delay in your child’s ability to walk.

The Benefits of Babywearing

There is a great list over at the Peaceful Parenting blog, but as far as the biggest benefits that I personally observed/experienced:

• Content Baby. There was no doubt that Goober was the most comfortable snuggled up to his mama.
• Infrequent crying. Goober was always right there, so early on, he could indicate hunger by rooting to nurse. We had lots of physical contact, so his need for physical closeness was met. And since he was right under my nose, poopy diapers were all noticed more or less immediately.
• Free Hands. This was vital in some of the early days. When Goober was born, my husband didn’t have a job that provided vacation time – which meant any time he took off was unpaid. He missed about 3 days of work, and my parents visited on my husband’s first day back. We don’t have family terribly close by (1 1/2 hour drive to closest family), and same goes with friends, so I was on my own. Do you know how hard it is to feed yourself several times a day with a newborn who wants to be held all the time and wakes upon being set down? Do you know how hard it can be to be willing to put that new little one down long enough to forage for food??? Using my wrap, I became a master of eating with Goober snugly nestled against me.
• Skin to Skin. Goober was born in the summer. It was hot and humid out, and we had a crappy air conditioner in our front room – only the bedroom was comfortable. I took the opportunity to just wrap him against me – him in just a diaper, and given the day, I was either in a tank top or shirtless.
• Mobility. Especially with living in the city and riding public transit, I found that wearing Goober was loads easier than traveling with a stroller in tow. It DID mean that we didn’t have a “cart” to carry our diaper bag when we were out and about, but it also meant not getting hung up on the bus trying to get small tank in and out. It meant not having to wait for elevators. It meant not having to worry if we were walking a less-than-perfectly-paved path. It meant getting a bit of extra exercise. It also meant not having to push a stroller while carrying a baby with no interest in said stroller, or pushing a crying baby in a stroller – both of which I see too frequently.
• Easy to Clean. My 5 carriers (1 stretch wrap, 2 woven wraps, 1 buckle Soft-Structured Carrier, and 1 pouch) can all be tossed in the laundry – super simple!

Types of Carriers

There are several main types of carriers – which are sometimes called different things depending on where you look.
Some of the basics:

• Wraps (Also called slings)
  • Stretchy Wraps. Stretchy wraps are typically used for newborns and younger infants. These should NOT be used as a back carrier – front carries only! YouTube has great examples illustrating why here and here.
    • Examples of Stretchy Wraps: Moby Wrap, Boba Wrap
  • Woven Wraps. These can be used for a number of carries; front, back, hip. Wovens are by far my favorite, because they give you a  custom fit, as you can tighten it or loosen it as needed – and there are a variety of ways you can tie it. On the downside, they have one of the biggest learning curves. What I found especially helpful was that my first woven was a lightweight one (my Bali Breeze), as this allowed me to feel everything better, and learn how to tighten my knots before moving onto my thicker Girasol wrap. The downside to the thinner wraps is that they are less forgiving; if you don’t tie it just right on your shoulders, you can really feel it dig in – you’re less likely to feel it as much in a thicker wrap (but, bonus, this means that you learn how to do it properly, right?). The one downside to wovens is that there aren’t many comfortable carries you can just pop little one in and out of.
    • Examples of Woven Wraps: Storchenweige, Gypsy Mama, Girasol, Hoppediz (all can be viewed on Pinkletink Baby), Didymos
• Ring Slings
  
  • Ring slings are made out of fabrics similar to woven wraps (I’m not aware of any stretchy ring slings, but they may exist?). Unlike wraps, though, these aren’t tied to secure them; they are held in place by (drumroll….) rings. I have very limited experience with ring slings. I have tried on a few from other babywearing mamas, and have found them to be comfortable. They’re great for a carrier that allows you to pop baby in and out quickly. The biggest trick/learning curve to ring slings is learning how to adjust them to get a good seat. Ring Slings can be less comfortable for carrying heavier infants/toddlers, since it is a one shoulder carrier.
  • Examples of Ring Slings: Sakura Bloom
• Mei Tais
  • Mei Tais have a rectangle piece of fabric that supports the child’s bottom & back, with straps of fabric coming off this to tie it on. Many of these can be used for infants and toddlers, and can be used for front or back carries.
  • Examples of Mei Tais: BabyHawk, Mei Tai Baby
• Soft Structured Carriers (SSC)  (Also called a buckle carrier)
  • There are a large variety of SSCs to choose from. These are similar to Mei Tais, but are buckled, rather than tied. Like Mei Tais, these can typically be used for infants and toddlers.
  • Examples of SSCs: BabyHawk Oh SNAP!, Ergobaby, Boba
• Pouches
  • Pouches are a circle of fabric that goes over one shoulder, similar to how a Ring Sling would sit. The difference with the pouch is that these aren’t usually very adjustable, as it’s a fixed amount of fabric stitched together in a circle. These can be used for newborn, front, or hip carries. I have a Seven Sling (which I got at the cost of shipping and handling, as they frequently seem to be doing special offers). I used it a few times when my son was between 8-18 months, but I found that for the most part, it put a lot of the weight on the top of one shoulder. It was handy for trips to the grocery store (though I could say the same for my wraps using a front carry as well). The pouch would have been handier when my son was smaller, and so I’m holding onto it to see how well it works next time around.
  • Examples of Pouches: Peanut Shell, Seven Slings

NOTE: Tested weight limits might vary from brand to brand of carrier, and may be lower than what is typically found for a particular brand of carrier (example, the Baby Bjorn I had only went to 10 or 15 lbs). Make sure you check for this information when deciding on a specific carrier.

In-depth Guides on Baby Carriers:

• Carry Me Away
• Comparison Chart of Carriers (from BabyWearer.com)
• BabyWearing Basics (from Boston Babywearers)
• Wraps (from BecomingMamas.com)

Additional Resources

• The BabyWearer.com – Probably the single most comprehensive resource I found. This is a forum, so sometimes things can be hard to find, especially when you first get there. But the wealth of knowledge I found there when I had questions about carriers and in getting connected with some local babywearers was great.
• Wrap Your Baby – This site provides an easy resource for how-to guides for different carries. When I wanted to try a new carry, I usually went here first.
• Sling Rings – for converting a wrap into a ring sling
• Buying a carrier online? Check for Deals at RetailMeNot, just type in the URL of the page you’re looking to buy from. You can find many major retailers on this site (I use it a lot when shopping for clothing!)