When I first found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to baby wear. I think it is a natural way to care for your child, a wonderful bonding experience, beneficial to baby in many ways, and is a wonderful way to get things done!
My sister gave me a moby she had that she never used with either of her babies. When Stella was a month old, I broke it out and learned to use it before my mom left. It was pretty easy and I quickly fell in love with it.
Wearing Stella in the moby around the house:
After a couple of months though, it got very uncomfortable, and I thought it was because I wasn't wrapping correctly. I found a local babywearing group here in Dallas, and through this group, babywearing has become a passion. Not only have I learned so much and gotten so much better, I have found community with it.
At my first meet up, playing with some wraps:
Babywearing in public (Costco) for the first with with one of the group loaner wraps:
I find that women who babywear tend to be like minded, which is nice. Maybe not in everything, but in the grand scheme of parenting babies/toddlers, we tend to have a lot in common with parenting ways.
The first meetup that I went to, I quickly learned why my moby had gotten so uncomfortable - it is stretchy material. Enter the world of woven wraps! Woven wraps have been around for centuries, and for good reason! They are AWESOME!!! There are so many ways to carry your baby with them, they are supportive and VERY comfortable!
There are different sizes (lengths of the fabric), which make using them awesome, because for quick errands, I love my shortie to just pop her up and down, yet for long jaunts (hello Costco!), I use my longer one where I can spread more passes making it more supportive.
There are also different blends of fabrics. Cotton, hemp, bamboo, linen - oh, my!
My first wrap was a Kokadi Kakadu. Size 5. 100% cotton. I love this wrap so much, and I think I am about to sell it, because now that I have gotten better with wrapping, it is too long. I will be sad to see it go, but it needs to go to a home where it will be loved and used to carry another sweet baby. I just don't grab it anymore because it is too long.
Using my wrap in public for the first time, at the mall in Highland Village:
Our weekly Costco trip:
Shopping at Northpark on Mother's Day:
Taking an ice cream break at Dairy Queen in downtown Philadelphia:
Hanging out at the house:
I then bought an Oscha Marina, size 6, 50% cotton, 50% linen. I didn't like this wrap at all. Pink is just my color and unless its pink, or bright/pastels, I just wont reach for it. So, I used it a couple of times and then put it up for sale or trade and ended up trading it with a mama in Washington.
In the Chairman's tent at the Byron Nelson:
The wrap I traded my Marina for was a Girasol Mors, a Ukrainian Exclusive, size 2, 100% cotton. This one is a "shortie" and I am in LOVE with it! It is so awesome to have such a short wrap for quick jaunts. I also love it, because I bought some rings and I can make it into a no-sew ring sling. And using a ring sling makes it easy to nurse on-the-go and/or hands free!
Nursing in our living room:
Asleep after a new mom's class at church:
Asleep after an afternoon with my old co-workers:
In this brutal Texas heat, babywearing can be H-O-T!! The best fabric for heat is linen, so I set my eyes on finding an Oscha Irish Linen in Blush. It is a size 4 and 100% linen. It is my favorite! So much cooler and more breathable than cotton. (Of course when it is 100+ out, nothing is cool!)
Trying it on in my closet as soon as it arrive from the postman:
Walking the dog around the neighborhood:
I love love love babywearing and I am so thankful for all the women in my life who have taught me the ropes of it all, and who have become dear friends. I am also thankful for all the women who have put how-to videos on you tube - what an awesome learning tool! Now that my little chunky money is 22+lbs, wraps have saved me from having to hold/carry her which is getting hard to do these days!
Next up: sell the Kokadi Kakadu and get a Tula. I think The Architect would rather wear her in a soft structured carrier than a wrap - esp a pink one. :) (He is a good sport though and wears her when we are out and about. He loves it too! Just not the pink pink pink!)
Ahhhh happy memories! I loved my Moby wrap and I had another that I can't recall the name of (now I wish I'd written a post like this!). I still have the Moby and can't bear to get rid of it (but will probably pass it on to my SIL when she gets pregnant). My husband even wore it a few times too :) Great daddies :)
ReplyDelete