SortaCrunchy

To all the slings I've loved before . . .

FIRST and foremost - an editorial correction from yesterday's post: Lis Garrett's newest project is titled Root and Sprout.  I had mislabeled it yesterday and I feel awful about it.  Thankfully, Lis is a kind, gracious, and understanding woman.  And really, it's just the most clever and perfect name.  Sorry for the confusion I may have caused!

Okay, so the second article in my babywearing series is up at Blissfully Domestic and it's got me thinking about all the carriers that I've slung over a shoulder or tied around my waist.  What have we had in our stash?  Where are they now?

The very first was The One We Do Not Speak Of - Snugli.  Except mine wasn't even that nice.  *shudder*  I hung on to this for a while, thinking I would freecycle it or something, but I just couldn't do that to someone else.  I pitched it.  It was not a good carrier, ya'll.

My first real sling was a Lucky Baby pouch.  Loved this one, as it was worlds better than the Snugli.  It was hunter green and reversed to a khaki camo because I was hoping/thinking/praying The Coach might wear D in it, too.  Ahem.  I soon discovered other kinds of carriers and decided a pouch style isn't the best choice for me.  Sold this one to my friend Keara.   

Next in the stash was my first mei tai.  It was from mynestlings and I LOVED it!  It had khaki twill straps with a pink paisley on one side and reversed to purple paisley.  It was the perfect body length for me (I like a short body) and the construction was amazing.  Highly recommend her mei tais, but I've never had one of her pouches.  In the spring of 2006, I got really into fitteds and wool (a cloth diapering system that is arguably the cutest way to cloth diaper and is undoubtedly the most expensive) and I sold this to fund my new addiction.  *sniff sniff*  Wish I had hung on to it.

Then I decided it was time to try a ring sling.  I had borrowed a padded one from my sis-in-law and BOY did that not work for me.  Around this time, my friend Shannon was making and selling them, so I bought a CassieBeanie Ring Sling and I still use it!  In fact, my hometown friends have probably seen AJ in it recently - it's the cute pink plaid with the turquoise rings.  Simple and effective.  Love it.  Shannon doesn't make these anymore, but I am sure she could give you more info on the pattern she used.  Here's a little  twelve month old D in it:

I think around this time I also tried a wrap.  I found a Simple Piece Of Cloth wrap on a FSOT board.  Too complicated.  Maybe I'll try again someday.

Since I loved my first ring sling so much, I decided to splurge and get a "luxury" one.  I went with a Chicken Scratch Ring Sling because I just loved Laura Jane so much!  (And evidently LJ doesn't own Chicken Scratch anymore.  Did not know this.)  My first CSRS was the fun and chic Light Brights (and, um, they've raised the prices a bit since my purchase . . . and why shouldn't they?  These are awesome slings!  but I want you to know I didn't splurge *that* much).  THEN, not a month later, I won another CSRS in a drawing!!  It's called Lady Marmalade and it's her signature denim with an orange and cream toile-ish accent fabric.  I don't see it in her collection anymore.  Anyway, Light Brights was also sold to fund my fitteds and wool habit, but I still have Lady and yes, hometown friends have seen AJ out and about it in recently, too.  LOVE these ring slings!  Amazing construction and the fabrics she chooses are just so . . . hip!

Oh, hey!  I found a pic of Lady in my photobucket:

Gotta take a breather.  I'm getting worn out!

Okay, after that I got my heart set on a Napsack Baby.  I LOVED the design of this mei tai and HAD to have one.  The Coach indulged me for Mother's Day.  I waited and waited for my name to come up on the list (do they still have a wait list?  I don't know.  It's been almost two years now.) and carefully chose my fabrics.  It finally arrived and it was LOVELY.  Except just one thing bothered me - the straps were SO long.  Sold it to fund my Ergo.

Loooooooooooooooooooove the Ergo!  (ours is the organic denim) Love, love, love it.  I wore Dace in it tons and AJ is in it every day, at least once a day.  Could not live without it.  I want another soft-structured carrier, but I don't need one.  This one is pretty much the only thing I need.  I just wish it didn't showcase my mommy belly with quite such striking definition.  Oh well - the quality of life it brings me is totally worth the unflattering.

Oh, and also, I've raved about our Mei Tai Baby.  Really loved this when AJ was a newborn, but she does NOT want to face inward anymore, so it doesn't get any love these days.  I have finally learned my lesson about not selling carriers you love, so this will stay in the stash for baby numero tres.  Here's the print for our MTB:

Wow.  That's a lot of carriers, and yet I know many have stashes that make mine look minuscule.

What about you?  What carriers and slings have come your way?  What did you love?  What did you hate?  I REALLY need to know for my future articles in this babywearing series.  Tell me all about your stash in the comments - or, better yet, write up your own post and link me up!  I seriously need reader recommendations and if I choose to use your feedback, I'll link to you on Blissfully Domestic!

 

API Speaks!

(Yes, it's nearly one in the morning and I really am up this late blogging.  Short story made long - AJ is still sick, and now has a croup-y cough (not real croup, mind you, just a croup-y cough) (can you do parentheses inside parentheses?  Anyone know?  I guess I just did.) ), and she also has a nervous mama who doesn't like the sound of all that wheezing and would rather just sit up and doze with her all night than toss and turn and worry in bed until morning.)

This more-than-normal amount of time being invested in some intense nighttime parenting reminded me that I've let nearly a week go by without mentioning the exciting news that Attachment Parenting International has introduced a new blog: API Speaks! 

How awesome is this?  I've had the gorgeous opportunity to meet so many wonderful AP mamas through online connections.  I look forward to hearing from more of them at API Speaks.  In fact, I already have a couple of favorite articles:

* Remember our recent discussion on wearing the new baby?  Check this out - Dr. Maria Blois will be writing feature articles twice a month at API Speaks and her first article is on wearing a newborn.

AND

* I am loving Scylla's article Spare the Crib, Spoil Thyself as it speaks to exactly why I am an AP mama!   

Think you might like to contribute to the AP community by telling your story at API Speaks?  I do believe they are open to submissions right now and you can find their guidelines here.

Do you have a favorite AP resource (either online or off) that has encouraged you in your parenting journey?  I would love to hear about it! 

SortaCrunchy Recommends: Wearing the new baby (and beyond)

I'm feeling babywearing vibes from all over today!

First of all, I saw this post at Adventures in Babywearing wherein Stephanie has created a fab babywearing bloggers blogroll.  Next, I got an email from the wonderful company that started me out in wearing Baby Dacey - Lucky Baby.  (Who wants 10% off a new Lucky Baby sling?  Enter code LUCKY17 at checkout and voila!  10% off your next purchase today through March!)  Thirdly, my sister was telling me about her friend whose three week old son cries and cries unless she is holding him.  Oh my yes, do I know what that is like.  I told my sister her friend needs to get herself  sling!

All of this serves as motivation for me to finally publish a post I've been meaning to get written since my friend Megan (FriedOkra) asked me for my recommendations a while back.  A long while back.  Sorry, Megan!

Megan's question:
I need your ponderous, careful input about slings vs. wraps for newborns. What have you used and why? CAN one really get the right sling/wrap and learn how to NURSE baby in one? Ever?

I don't know about ponderous or careful, but I am always more than happy to share my experiences!  I wrote a bit about my general babywearing recommendations back in November, but wearing the newborn is an art in and of itself.

I didn't know about babywearing (beyond the Snugli) until D was about five or six months old, so I don't have a ton of newborn babywearing experience.  I have been wearing AJ since she was born, and I will be happy to share what worked for us in the earliest days and weeks - a ring sling.  My personal favorite is my Chicken Scratch ring sling, but there are a ton of wonderfully made and gorgeous unpadded ring slings on the market.

I like ring slings because they are infinitely adjustable and versatile.  I wore AJ in the tummy-to-tummy hold when she was a newborn and switched to the hip carry when she was six or eight weeks old.  A ring sling should last you on into toddlerhood, making it a great buy if you can only afford to have one carrier in your stash.

As far as nursing a baby in a sling?  Well, I've never been able to, but I also have oversupply issues combined with overactive letdown in the first six weeks of breastfeeding.  I have heard tell of plenty of mamas who have been able to nurse their babies while wearing them.  I'm just not one of them.  I would bet perusing the archives at TheBabyWearer forums would be helpful to anyone wanting to get tips on how to do this.  Also, I bet the mamas at your local La Leche League or Attachment Parenting International meetings would be able to give hands-on help.

Megan asked what I have used, so that's my recommendation based on actual experience.  There are many, many women who love a lightweight wrap for newborns.  The Moby is a particularly popular choice.  I've never worn a wrap, mostly because all the fabric is a little intimidating to me.  Wrap fans tend to really, really love their wraps, so there's got to be something to that.  Honestly, if I didn't already have a mei tai, I would have probably preferred a wrap.  My mei tai allows me to be totally hands-free, and I would imagine a wrap is the same way.  I think it is particularly important to have something you feel good about needing to do very few adjustments with your carrier if you have more than one child in your care.  The only drawback to a lightweight wrap is eventually baby will be too heavy to wear in it, so you'll have to choose a new carrier.  (and when I say lightweight, I am not thinking of the super gorgeous, heavy duty, woven wraps like Storchs and Didys!)

If you are able to get more than one carrier, I cannot tell you enough how much I love our Ergo.  Unfortunately, I hear rumblings that Ergo's business practices have not been so great lately (particularly to work-at-home parent businesses), so my glowing review of the Ergo is a little hesitant now, but I seriously could not survive these days without ours.  AJ spends a lot of time riding on my back in it around the house.  It makes my life so. much. easier.  There are lots of soft-structured carriers (also known in some places as buckle carriers) on the market today.  Here's a sampling at Attached to Baby: Buckle Baby Carriers.  (Personally, I am drooling over the Beco Butterfly!)  A buckle carrier is definitely a carrier that will take you far past infancy, so if you have some extra money in the budget or a doting grandma-to-be who wants to indulge you, I highly recommend one of these type carriers.

I'd love to hear from ya'll!  What was your favorite baby carrier for the newborn stage?  Did you find it was a good carrier for beyond infancy?  I'm always looking to increase my babywearing knowledge.  Please share!

SortaCrunchy Q&A #3 - Choosing a baby carrier

I need more coffee, ya'll. Or more sleep. Somethin. I am so sluggish these days! I feel awful that I am not making my bloggy rounds to see what everyone is up to this fine week. I am just plum worn out. I hope to be up for more socializing very soon . . .

In the meantime, my next SortaCrunchy question is from Elle of A Complete Thought. (VERY insightful and informative writer, by the way. I highly suggest you check her out!) She asks, "I was a baby wearer as well. I loved the soothing aspect for both mama and baby. What benefits would you discuss with a new mama debating whether to Bjorn or sling?"

It's funny, just this very morning at playgroup day at the gym, a mama asked me this question!

Let me start by saying that babywearing is one of those practices that I was sorta forced into by my lovely high needs oldest daughter. She just would not lay in that stinkin' infant car seat (we call it the bucket) while I grocery shopped, and it all it took was one trip through the aisles with her precariously clutched against my chest with one hand while I dragged the cart with the other for me to decide I had to find a better solution. I had registered for a Bjorn, but never received one. I'm a (wo)man of means by no means, so I had to settle for a cheaper knock-off. It worked okay . . . for about a month. Then my shoulders started to ache within fifteen minutes of wearing Jabba the Baby (D weighed fourteen and a half pounds at two months and eighteen pounds at four months!), and by the time I had made my rounds through the grocery store, I would be close to tears.

Again, I knew I had to find a better solution. By sheer chance miracle, I saw a post on my mommy message board about Lucky Baby pouch slings. By this time, D was five months old and could easily ride on my hip, so I ordered one, and my love for babywearing began!

To get back to Elle's question, the biggest benefit, in my opinion, to choosing a non-structured carrier instead of a Bjorn-style carrier is that you will be lucky to get six months of wear out of a Bjorn. A non-structured carrier (pouch sling, mei tai, wrap, ring sling, or soft structured carrier) will take you well into toddlerhood. I was wearing D in our Ergo right up until I got pregnant with AJ. Certainly, any new mama may want to choose the more mainstream and widely available Bjorn and it will work fine while the baby is little. But if she is already planning to spend close to $100 on a carrier (or someone is buying one for her), I highly recommend researching non-structured carriers as an alternative.

(Side note - there are some concerns about structured carriers having some negative impacts on a baby's development or possibly contributing to hip dysplasia, but this would generally only happen if baby were worn for hours on end for several months in such a carrier. Interestingly, there is evidence that a non-structured carrier will contribute positively to a baby's developing spine as is evidenced by this article.)

My personal recommendations, you ask? I will tell you my two very, very favorites are the above-mentioned Ergo and our Mei Tai Baby. Neither of my girls have liked be worn in the cradle carry which is a popular way to wear newborns in a pouch (like Lucky Baby or Hotsling) or ring sling (like Maya Wrap or Taylor Made). Both the Ergo and Mei Tai Baby allow me to wear them upright which is the three of us seem to prefer. I prefer the Mei Tai Baby over the many other makers of mei tai carriers because 1)it has the adjustable bottom which makes it easier to wear newborns and 2) you have the option of ordering one with removable panels so when you tire of the print, you can switch the panel out for a totally new look! So, those are my favorites, but there is great big (overwhelming) world of choices out there.

Again, returning to Elle's question, here's what I would advise a friend who is looking into buying a carrier and wants to go a different route from a Bjorn. (JB and KM, this is for you!)

1) Register for an account at TheBabywearer.com. Once you have registered there, you have access to the plethora of carrier listings and reviews. HUGE help.

2) Sign up for a Paypal account. If you decide to buy a brand new carrier and want to shop from a parent-owned business, there are some who can only accept payments from credit cards through Paypal. You can link your Paypal account to your checking account as well which works out nicely if you are paying cash for your new carrier.

If you decide you want to buy a used carrier, you will most likely need a Paypal account to pay the seller. More on that in a second.

3) Start browsing stores that sell carriers. There are many. Many. Many. Attached to Baby is a great resource. Fox Den Lane is another good one. Then there's Mamas Milk.

Readers - where do you like to shop for carriers? Who would you suggest?

Browsing these stores will give you a good idea of what style of carrier you might like and how much they run brand new. If you are buying new, then you may just find the carrier of your dreams while you are window shopping one day!

4) I have only purchased a few of our slings brand new. I am a bargain hunter and hate to pay retail when I can find it for less somewhere. Two places you can shop for gently used slings are Ebay and the For Sale or Trade Forum at thebabywearer. Ebay - ehhhh. I am not a good Ebay shopper and never seem to get quite as good of a deal as I think I am going to. If you are a good Ebayer, maybe you will have more luck than I have had. I prefer the FSOT forum.

5) If you are shopping the FSOT forum, it may be intimidating at first because most every listing will use abbreviations. What you can do is use the "search forum" feature to search only for the specific carrier you are looking for (for example, do a search in that forum for "hotsling").

If you are going to buy from FSOT, make sure to read through the stickied post called "FSOT rules and helpful hints."

Speaking of abbreviating, I should wrap this up. (Get it? Wrap?)

Here's a neat blog I just stumbled across as I was preparing this post - will have to check it out: The Baby Carrier

Would love to hear from anyone who wants to share their babywearing favorites! I am always up for some babywearing chit-chat!

Labels: attachment parenting, baby, babywearing, NaBloPoMo

Good stuff

I have thought and pondered for the past 24 hours on a clever, witty post title for today. You can see about how well my brain is operating right now!

Anyway, these are thirteen things that make me happy these days:

1) My Avent Isis breast pump

2) Lansinoh ultra thin breast/nursing pads (yeah, the wool ones didn't work out as well as I had hoped)

3) Lansinoh cleanse and condition wipes for the breastfed baby

4) Mei Tai Baby

5) Ultimate Swaddling Blanket (pink mod circles!)

6) Short hair

7) Halloween costumes

8) Pink (the color, not the singer . . . although I am sure she is quite lovely, too)

9) The Tyra Banks show (never watched it until I was up with AJ and found our local Fox station shows last week's episodes at three a.m. She's great company at that hour!)

10) Best nursing bra ever

11) Mums (fall!)

12) My artist

13) Baby smiles

Don't forget to come by tomorrow for the return of Bit O' Crunchy giveaway!

Labels: Thursday Thirteen

The pride, the fall, and what would you have done?

The Lord, in His mercy, sent some cool winds our way today. Rather than packing up and heading to the library for toddler storytime, I decided to pack up and take both girls to the park for the first time by myself. It was really a gorgeous morning and our town playscape was surprisingly empty. I snuggled AJ up in our trusty mei tai (which is quickly becoming my very favorite baby accessory!) and off we went, the three of us, to climb and dig and chase and explore.

D made friends with two darling sweet ones, and I was sitting in the shade by the sandbox, quietly congratulating myself. I mean, this "life with two" thing - it's not so hard, right? I have friends who have shared how difficult it was to get out of the house at all with two, and yet I pack up both girls and go somewhere with both of them most every day. It gets tricky, but really, it's not that bad. And with this being the most difficult and stressful football season The Coach and I have gone through together, I am doing this parenting thing - for the most part - on my own.

So yeah, I was sitting there feeling pretty darn sassy.

A mom I recognized from gymnastics and storytime sat down beside me and we were chatting away about our lives before kids and what plans the future held for life after the youngest heads to kindergarten. D approached us with a bucket full of sand. Wet sand. She started swinging it at me (the way we swing cups of water in the bathtub) and said, "Splashy splash!" I took the bucket from her and oh-so-gently explained that we don't do splashy splash with sand, only water. And only in the bathtub. I returned to conversation with the other mommy, fully unaware that my gentle correction was not sitting well with princesa D.

In a span of time I am here to tell you was far shorter than the blink of an eye, D scooped up a fistful of wet sand in her sweet little hand and threw it right at me. Wet sand went everywhere! It covered my face, my hair, and worst of all, my sweetly sleeping, utterly innocent bystander one month old AJ. I mean it COVERED her. There was sand in her hair, in her eyes, and in the little folds of skin under her neck.

The fact that this transpired not only in public, but in full view of another parent is a testimony to God's Hand of protection on D. I was royally pissed off. And I sure didn't feel quite as sassy anymore.

Honestly, I was so stunned, I didn't know what to do. I stood up and told my mommy friend, "I am so sorry, but we have to go now!" She was kind and gracious and assured me that her toddler had pulled some such stunt on another occasion . . . I can't remember what she said exactly because I had to focus all of my physical, emotional, and spiritual energy into not just flipping out on D.

As it turns out, life with two . . . yeah, it's sorta hard.

I dragged D out to the car and attempted a quick clean-up. I told her several times that we were leaving the park because she had made a very bad choice, and that it was hurtful to Mommy and AJ for her to throw sand on us. I gotta tell ya, friends. She didn't seem bothered, let alone remorseful, for this in the least.

And so here is where I am soliciting advice from you - new moms, old moms, not-yet-moms. Keeping in mind D is two years, eight months old, what would you have done?

Labels: parenting a toddler

And her nest? It was feathered . . .

*big, huge sigh of relief*

Well, sweet friends, as I sit and type, I can rest in the knowing that if Little Sister decides to surprise and delight her hot, tired, and cranky mama by arriving early, at least we have things prepared for her.

I can assure you that the very fact that we are mostly ready for her to be here will certainly guarantee that she will stay put until the appointed day (September 5th - have I mentioned that lately?). Oh, sure, there are a few odds and ends on the list to be completed (such fun treats as cleaning out and cleaning up my car and making a trip to Sam's to stock up on some household stuff), but for the most part, I feel satisfied in where things stand right now.

And speaking of lists, I wanted to share a few things I have come across in the midst of my nesting craze that I think are pretty neat. (It seems nesting and spending are synonymous in my vocabulary these days. It's shocking, really, the amount of moolah I have dropped on Little Sister . . . perhaps already anticipating and overcompensating for Middle Child syndrome?)

My new carrier dilemma solved itself when I came across a darling adjustable Mei Tai Baby on the for-sale-or-trade forum at thebabywearer.com. I cannot wait to try this lovely out with LS and will be sure to post action pics for everyone.

I could not decide what to do about the nursing pads (reusable or disposable?), so I got some of each. A big ol' box of trusty Lansinoh disposable pads and a set of Imse Vimse pear shaped wool pads. (I really wanted to try the LANA wool pads that Noah so highly recommends, but I just couldn't quite make that big of an investment yet. I would need the medium size in the Ekstra style, so that adds up. I may still get some, though, if the Imse Vimses don't work out.)

Let's see, what else? Oh yeah - I discovered these really great nursing bras, at Ebay of all places! YES nursing bras may very well be the best of the bunch I have tried so far. I'm of the larger-chested tribe of mamas and no underwire bras (nursing or otherwise) usually just don't meet my needs, but I am loving the design this mama has put together. I ordered one to try (I mean, for $17.99 including shipping, what the heck?) and loved it so much that I ordered another in the next size up to get me through those first weeks/months of nursing a newborn voluptuousness . . .

I've gotten newborn cloth diapers and covers galore and I can't wait to share my experience with you as we begin that journey. I love the idea of a newborn swaddled all in cloth from her sweet-smelling head down to her tiny, tiny toes.

And speaking of swaddling, I was thrilled to see new designs available in our family's very favorite swaddling blanket - the Ultimate Swaddling Blanket. D's is the very sweet but very basic lavender dots print. (To this day, that blankie goes with her most everywhere. Such a Linus!) I decided to be a little more bold in choosing for Little Sis, so I picked out the Pink Mod Circle print this time. Fun!

Lots of things swirling about and cluttering this mama's mind these days . . . I hope to get them posted, if for nothing else than to be a record for me to look back on and remember one day. Thanks for your patience during my brief sabbatical. I look forward to catching up with everyone soon!

Labels: baby, babywearing, breastfeeding

And so she made some lists . . .

Seth Godin recently wrote that "the mistake most blogs and books make: they are about the writer, not the reader."

Last month, I shared with you that I try to keep my audience in mind as I write and post here at SortaCrunchy.

But today I am going to be selfish and post some totally me-centered stuff just because I big fat want to. So feel free to skim on by if you feel so led, but I do want to say I am posting this publicly because I welcome advice and feedback and suggestions!

We are now staring down the barrel of less than one month until Little Sister's delivery. (Scheduled c-section date is September 5th.) As I panicked mulled this over yesterday, I found it very theraputic to make some lists. Helps me feel a little more, oh I don't know, centered? In control? It at leasts organizes my thoughts and helps me break free of this pervasive sense of denial which hounds me . . . denial that in less than one short calendar month, the SortaCrunchy family will be a Party of Four.

Humor me.

TO DO:

* wash and sort all of Little Sister's diapers
* figure out some kind of organizing solution for the cloth diapers that are slowly taking over the nursery (D's and LS's combined)
* find all the parts to my trusty hand pump and figure out what parts need to be replaced
* make appointment with our pediatrician to go over delayed vax schedule
* go over birth plan choices with my OB and clarify what hospital procedures will allow for (Can I have one arm unstrapped to hold her for a minute after she is delivered? Can she be with me in recovery? these kinds of things . . .)
* write thank you notes from LS's shower
* wash newborn clothes
* get a haircut
* pack hospital bag

TO BUY:

* more infant prefolds and small covers
* button-front pj's for Mama for the hospital and home
* at least one more decent nursing bra
* Lansinoh
* breast pads - cloth or disposable? Would love to hear feedback on what worked for you!
* more post-partum pads
* snacks for the hospital bag
* Mei Tai? Which one? I am to the point of having anxiety dreams over this one. Of course, I want an uber-cool, uber-chic BabyHawk, but the Budget Mistress within is balking at the price tag. But a Mei Tai will definitely take us through toddlerhood, isn't it worth the investment? But couldn't I find a fully functional Mei Tai for less somewhere? And so goes the circles of debate in my mind. DEFINITELY open to feedback on this one, mamas!

And so that's that. For now. Thanks for bearing with my all about Megan indulgence.

Labels: baby

Bit O' Crunchy, August 3rd: POUCH SLINGS

This week has certainly been full of downtime, though not in the way I expected. Kicking this tummy bug has proved to be quite daunting, but I am feeling pretty hopeful that I am on the upswing. Finally.

I started feeling a bit nostaglic this week as I began to get serious about shopping for a few things we need for Little Sister. Thankfully, we have a wide array of baby gear and sweet girl clothes, but one thing I would really like is a new baby carrier. This got me thinking back to our first "real" carrier . . . a pouch sling.

I say "real" because my first foray into babywearing involved the unfortunate purchase of an Evenflo Snugli. I am sure these work wonderfully if the baby you are wearing doesn't top out the scales past the one hundredth percentile at each well-baby visit. D did. The Snugli was not a good choice for us.

By the time D was 4 months old, I realized I had a high-needs baby on my hands. She wanted to be carried all the time, everywhere. A friend of mine on a parenting message board posted about how happy she was with her recent Lucky Baby sling purchase, and when I began to investigate, I knew I had found what I was looking for. And so a Lucky Baby pouch sling became the first "real" carrier in our babywearing stash:

July 20, 2005 - who can believe it's been over two years?!

POUCH SLINGS - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

1) Pouch slings are sized. This means you will need to take careful measurements to get the best fit. A pouch sling that doesn't fit right will be uncomfortable for you and for baby.

2) Pouch slings are either padded or unpadded. The Lucky Baby (and pouch slings from mynestlings, another favorite company of mine) are unpadded. A very popular pouch sling that is padded is the Hotsling. These have a light layer of padding around the edge to allow for a cushier fit around baby's legs. Hotslings have become so popular, you can even find them at Target!

3) As long as you get a pouch sling with the right fit, I think these are a great "starter" sling. No ties, no buckles, no rings . . . just a simple design that has lasted through many eons of mamas needing to wear the baby. This is also a sling that could feasibly last you from infancy to toddlerhood, and the price point for this style of carrier is reasonable for those who are working with a tight budget.

Looking forward to questions and comments!

Labels: babywearing, Bit O' Crunchy

Babywearing photo tag!

I'll tell ya what . . . this moving business is seriously interfering with my computer time! I can't say nearly as much as I want to! As I am packing, I have written countless posts in my head and feel quite confident they will have disappeared by the time we settle in to the new house. *big sigh* Anyway.

Sweet Friends Lori and Shannon have posted pictures for Whitney's photo tag of babywearing, and I wanted to get one quick picture up while I have just few minutes!

My favorite picture of D being worn is this one:

This is one of my favorites of many babywearing pictures because the sling I am wearing is a CassieBeanie Ring Sling, made by my Sweet Friend Shannon. (Yes! I know the shoulder desperately needs to be ajdusted. It was one of those off moments!) We have had a lot of slings come and go in the ol' stash, but this is the only one made by someone I know. It's the perfect length and perfect fabric for us. I still carry it in the car for "just in case" even though it has been a long time since I could get D's long ol' legs to fit in.

I got hooked on babywearing because D refused to lay in her carseat carrier while we grocery shopped. (Think of that unique newborn shriek little ones can let loose with when they are not happy, and that is what I mean by refused!) One trip through the store with her in one arm and pushing a cart with the other was enough to convince me we had to find a better solution. My very first ever carrier was an Evenflo Snugli. *blush* Then a friend in an online community posted pictures of her wearing her son in a Lucky Baby pouch. Just one look . . . that was all it took . . .

Right now, our carrier stash is pretty sparse. I have an Ergo (on loan to a friend), our CBRS, a Chicken Scratch Ring Sling, and a WAHM made pouch (can't remember where I got that one). Before Little Sister arrives, I would like to get a Moby for those newborn days, and then I will have to have another Mei Tai.

Fun tag, Whitney! Thank you!

Labels: babywearing