Babywearing and Baby Carriers

When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to practice attachment parenting. Then, we discovered my baby had a congenital heart defect and I had to keep her calm. To top it off, my husband was deployed to Iraq and I was far from family.

Babywearing became the best way to keep baby calm and allow me a chance to get something done--like eat!

Here are some of my tips, picks, and links for babywearing.

Unpadded:

Zolowear: My absolute favorite! The edges are designed to avoid red marks on those cute, chubby baby legs. Buy the Zolowear Ring Slings. Full review of the Zolowear Ring Slings.

Padded:

Nojo: This is the baby sling endorsed by Dr. Sears. It is a good, basic, padded sling, but does not come in a wide variety of colors. You can buy the Nojo at many popular baby stores.

Sling Ezee: They have the best video on using a ring sling I have seen to date and plenty of fun, funky, and chic patterns to choose from. Buy the SlingEZee Padded Ring Slings.

Baby wraps provide another great babywearing option. This is a long length of fabric mom wraps around her body to form an "X" across her chest. Mom then ties off the wrap with a knot or using a pair of attached rings. Baby is slipped into this wrap in any of the many baby wearing positions, including on the back. At first this is a little more complicated than the ring sling, but soon it will take less than a minute to be wrapped and ready to go. I like the more structured positioning that the wrap provides for longer baby wearing trips.

The wrap is flexible, lightweight, and you can also throw a pashmina over it and always match your outfit (see pic).

Miracle Wrap and Moby Wrap / Moby D:: Widely available and inexpensive. Some parents do not like how stretchy the fabric is on the Miracle Wrap while others prefer it.

Attached to Baby has a great selection of wraps in a wide array of materials and colors.

More picks to come...

• Visit Mamanista! for Babywearing picks and coupon codes

• Attached to Baby
• Along for the Ride
• Nurtured Family

A lot of moms and dads feel more comfortable with a carrier that has more structure. With its straps and buckles, a soft structured carrier seems familiar. It is also very versatile, in the front, hip, and back positions, and can carry a lot of weight.

Two of the most popular SSC on the market are the Ergo (full review) and the Beco (review coming soon).

You can buy both at Along for the Ride. See www.Mamanista.com for a discount coupon code.

There are several types of Asian-Inspired Baby Carriers. Generally speaking, these are soft-bodied carriers that tie onto the wearers with straps.

There are Mei Tais, Podegais, and Onbuhimos.

Two of the leading brands of Mei Tais are the Baby Hawk and Kozy Carriers. Here's a great article comparing these two Mei Tais.

More info coming soon...

These carriers have a hard body and buckle onto the wearer. Many mothers love their ease of use and feel safe with the more structured carrier body. However, regular use can harm baby's spinal alignment. Some of these are also not very versatile. For these reasons, I prefer soft structured carriers.

Wraps

• Video from the Miracle Wrap on how to tie and use a baby wrap for the cradle / nursing, front, side, and back carries.

More to come!

Here are some links with instructions and patterns for making and sewing your own baby carriers:

• Hathor the Cow Goddess's "No Sew Ring Sling" (Comic)

• From The Baby Wearer
• Patterns from Sling Rings
• Links from Mamma's Milk
• Links from Kaboodle