Babywearing faves
(and by that, I mean the simplest kind with no-frills, minimal tying, and awesome cuddly time with baby)
When I was at Tiki Port with a friend this past weekend, she asked me about babywearing. It made me realize a couple of things:
-We’re definitely past that stage now… and it already feels so long ago!
-There are a few strategies I’d love to repeat in the future. (No, not preg right now.)
Babywearing was definitely one of my favorite things about the newborn/infant phase. It was great bonding time since Livi was always close to me, and it also gave me a set of free hands.
Sometimes I’d wrap her and just sit lounge on the couch with her snuggled up to me, and listen to her tiny snores. Best ever.
Tom and I wore Liv until about 6 months ago, and finally packed away the Ergo. I still carry Liv around often -my right bicep is bulging for isometric bicep curls all day- but I think she’s mostly done with babywearing. Last time I put her on my back in the Ergo, she asked me to get her down. She likes to be up, down and exploring 🙂
(Or wrapped up in my hoodie)
I thought I’d share some babywearing faves to spread the word for future mamas and also create a reminder for myself. Details like this can be forgotten -I already have no clue how often I pumped and it was a huge part of life for 6 months- so I thought I’d post it here on the Family page.
1) Newborn: Baby K’Tan. We ordered the organic cotton version and it surprisingly comfy and supportive. I wish I would have bought one size smaller, since it can stretch out a little. I liked the K’Tan better than the Moby because it required no tying -easy to bring on the go and slip on before taking Liv out of the carseat- and was extremely comfortable for both of us.
2) Infant: BabyHawk. I loved this Mei Tai because it also had minimal tying, and I could also wear her on my back. (Back carries are appropriate when the baby has proper head control and can sit up on their own.) They have gorgeous colors and patterns, too.
3) Infant – toddler: Ergo! If you are expecting, lurk Zulily like it’s nobody’s business. They have awesome deals on Ergos (usually around the holidays) and Costco sometimes carries them, too. Ergo carriers are built for the long haul and are a fantastic investment. With the infant insert, Tom was able to wear Liv from the infant to toddler stage. It was a little too big on my torso initially, but as Liv grew, I really appreciated the structure and support. It also has an awesome flap to shade baby’s head from the sun and a large pocket to stash wallet essentials.
So there ya go: my three faves! Even though we had three very different carriers, there’s an entire world of babywearing that I didn’t fully explore. t subscribe to a babywearing group on Facebook, and am always blown away by the various types of ties and fabrics for woven wraps. I started to get into it for a little while, but was kind of intimidated. The good news is that many babywearing supplies (especially the woven wraps) can be resold at nearly purchase price. I also feel like they pay for themselves quickly; I used them almost daily for two years and have also lent them to friends now that we’re not using them.
Fellow mamas: any awesome wraps or babywearing tools that you love? What’s something you’ve already totally forgotten since giving birth? 🙂
xoxo
Gina
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I totally wish I got on the baby wearing train sooner. I didn’t start wearing my daughter in the Baby Bjorn until she was a few months old (I had a different carrier before that, and it was such a pain to figure out, I didn’t even bother).
Now I see my good friend tying TWINS to herself (and she is suuuuper petite).
Inspiration for the future.
I loooove my ring sling. I go to babywearing meetings and it’s just incredible to learn about everything. I bought 5 different kinds of carriers before my baby was even born! The ring sling is what we reach for the most though
So precious!! I will definitely be using these someday far in the future!
Love my BECO carrier. Very similar in design to the Ergo, but able to do the front carry, forward-facing position in addition to the hip carry, back carry and inward-facing front carry. Really easy to tighten/loosen, and great back support.
This came at a great time, as I’ve been doing some wrap investigating for our upcoming #2 addition! With my now 16 month old, I had an Ergo (and actually just sold it because I didn’t like it very much- black sheep here) and a Bjorn that I only would use on seldom occasions do to all the stories about hip disorders that can apparent occur. I never used wraps though, as I just held him all the time! However, with #2, I am definitely going to need some free hands. Plus, I’ve heard there are so many benefits to baby wearing, especially in the first 3-4 months. Glad to hear what you said about the Baby K’Tan! I just watched a You Tube video for the Moby, and feel like I’d spend 20 minutes just trying to get it tied on!!
At first I thought this was going to be a toddler style post! That would be a fun idea 🙂
The Beco Gemini is amazing! It’s like the Ergo, but you can wear baby facing out as well as in, back and hip. I know outward facing isn’t the most recommended, but that’s how my first baby preferred it. Plus, they come in tons of cute patterns!
Thank you for this! I’m bookmarking for later. I’m 8 weeks and just beginning to look at all the options. There are SO many! Appreciate the info 🙂
Yes! I need this! I’m so excited to wear baby! I can’t wait to have him against my chest all the time!
Even though my girl is 1.5 y/o, I still would like to get an Ergo. We have this other brand carrier (Petunia Picklebottom) and I’ve only ever used it a handful of times because it puts SO much pressure on the shoulders. Wish I had done more research before buying it! An Ergo might still be worth it though, especially if she could get more than a handful uses out of it! haha
Thanks for this post, Gina!! You’re the best! All this baby stuff is a little overwhelming for a first time mom and hearing your opinion (and others in the comments) is so helpful! Thanks!
Babywearing is about to safe my life haha. I have no idea how anyone manages a toddler and a newborn without wearing the baby!
I loved my K’tan when Tripp was tiny and then moved to the Ergo. Once I got pregnant, I couldn’t wear the Ergo anymore and wraps intimidate the crap out of me, so I went for a woven ring sling. No tying involved, but its made of the same material as woven wraps so it carries a lot of weight. Tripp broke that in during the early months of my pregnancy but now prefers not to be worn. I’m excited to wear the baby in the ring sling!! It seems much less cumbersome than an ergo + infant insert so I’ll probably use that for a good while….AND you can nurse in the ring sling. Can’t nurse with the infant insert.
We even got Tripp a doll-sized ergo for his baby and he LOVES wearing his baby doll around. Its probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
I used a travel Ergo with my infant and loved it until I wore her while hiking. It was far too unbreathable and it made both of us hot, and she was getting dehydrated. We didn’t want to stop hiking, especially during our last summer in beautiful Alaska, so we looked around and found the Onya. It’s very similar to the Ergo but made with the same materials used in day packs and hiking back packs. After hiking with it once, I decided that it was worth every last penny of our investment. We nearly doubled the mileage of the hike we did with the travel Ergo, and neither me or my daughter overheated. Additionally, I didn’t have any neck/shoulder discomfort, which is a fairly big deal, since I have nerve damage there and almost anything touching that area causes pain. The Onya can be worn several different ways, which allows for both me (almost narrow shoulders, smaller frame) and my husband (quite tall, very broad shoulders) to both use it.
I just bought a Boba Air. It is this awesome, affordable, compact carrier made
with breathable fabric and perfect for travel. It weighs less than a pound and accommodates babies/kiddos from 15-45 lbs. Only downside is it doesn’t have padding so it’s meant for more short term use. We’ve used it only once – 90+ degree temps and a hot-blooded Geiger boy don’t really make for the best babywearing conditions.
I registered for (and received) a cheapie Mei tie style one and we’ve only used it a few times – it was a lifesaver when he was like 2 months old though and would not nap!
Now of course Target clearanced out their grey Ergo down to $60! But I just bought the Boba.
Tula!!! Ergonomic like the Ergo but waaaaay more fun patterns! It is also super easy to adjust the straps yourself while babes is in it.