Just before my son was born, I purchased a stretchy wrap made by Maman Kangourou. I specifically wanted a wrap, and it was the most attractive and appealing brand in the only store I thought to go looking for baby things at the time... 'Babies 'R Us'. It's the same basic idea as a Moby, but as an added bonus it has a pocket on the front panel to stuff cloths, pacifiers, and just about anything you need while going about your business wearing your baby. It's also made in Canada... a big plus for me.
I've used it almost every day from doing housework to working at my computer as he snoozes comfortably. Not only is it a staple of attachment parenting concepts, I can get a lot more done when wearing him because he is happier to be with me than not.
My son is a big boy. At just over 3 months he is 24 inches long and weighs nearly 17 pounds. We recently decided to try the wrap while shopping. I decided I definitely prefer carrying him while shopping instead of using the stroller. He's still too wobbly for the seats in shopping carts, and the stroller just doesn't have enough storage to get a full load of groceries. I've tried using my Mommy Hook to dangle a basket off of, but that too is awkward because the handle is long and flat and the basket tilts to the right or the left.
For the first time, I was unhappy with my stretchy wrap. After walking around the huge Costco store for a bit, the wrap started to stretch out too much, and my son was not as secure as he was when I placed him in it. His weight and the up and down movement was pulling on the fabric and causing the hold to loosen up to much.
I have also learned quite a bit more about Babywearing than I knew while pregnant. One of the best resources I found was the information and forums over at http://www.thebabywearer.com/.
We were given a couple of used carriers of the Babies 'R Us variety before our son was born, and we had by this point tried them out. One was a very dated Evenflo carrier ( of questionable safety), and the other an Infantino Snuggli carrier. The Snuggli wasn't bad but it had way too many buckles and straps to fiddle with every time we put it on. Neither my husband or I were happy with either of them. I was almost turned off from soft structured carriers altogether.
Mei Tai's and Soft Structured Carriers Inspired By Them
After researching various slings, wraps, and other styles of carriers, I narrowed down my search to two styles of carriers: a Mei Tai or a Soft Structured Carrier based on the Mei Tai style. A Mei Tai is a simple Asian baby carrier that has been used for centuries comprised of four long straps attached to a square panel. Similar to a wrap, the idea is that the baby is secured to your body with the square panel by tying the four straps around your shoulders and waist.
There are several Mei Tai manufacturers including handmade styles by WAHMs (Work at Home Moms) to established brands such as the Babyhawk Mei Tai. Several soft structured carriers have been based on the Mei Tai design, including the Ergo Baby Carrier, another product I was interested in largely because of its' simplicity in design as well as the thoughtful accessories built into the carrier like pockets, pouches and a hoodflap to keep sun and wind off of baby.
The same Diaper Shop that let me try a variety of different diapers before buying them also has a Carrier Loan program with a variety of slings, wraps and carriers to choose from. They also carry both the Babyhawk Mei Tai and several varieties of the Ergo. I decided to try them both, starting with the Babyhawk.
The Babyhawk Mei Tai
I love this carrier because it is so simple to put on, and folds up nicely to fit into a diaper bag or even a large handbag. The best feature is the neck support, which makes this carrier great for doing work around the house when you have to bend over quite a bit. It took my guy a little getting used to as he's familiar with being in the lotus position against my body in the wrap, and having his legs spread apart is a new way to be carried.
If he was smaller he could have easily into the carrier in the lotus position, which would have made this a great carrier right from infancy. I didn't get a chance to try a back carry with him in this, but because of the neck support I can see that this is something we could do as his head is still a bit wobbly on his neck at 3.5 months old.
One thing to note is that the standard Babyhawk strap size is intended for average framed women (up to size 12) and smaller framed men. If you are a larger framed lady, or you will be sharing this with your husband who is taller than 5' 8" and has a waist larger than 38 inches, you are going to want to opt for the larger strap size in order to do all of the tie styles (which you will need to do for larger babies).
You can either buy one of these "As Is", or you can custom design one yourself on the Babyhawk website at http://www.babyhawk.com. Shopping for one of these things is just as much fun as using them! You can pick from a variety of front and back pattern styles, add pockets, a toy ring and a hood for baby to your Mei Tai.
The Ergo Carrier
When it was time to turn in the Babyhawk I was certain that I had already made my decision on which carrier to buy. When I got home and unraveled the Ergo in all its' padded canvas glory, I was skeptical that I would like it as much as the simple, compact Babyhawk. I adjusted the straps as I was shown by the shopkeeper to fit my frame (which is still a generous size 14 three months after giving birth with an above average bosom due to breastfeeding). The waistband fits me at the most let out setting, but it would not fit around my husband who is a large 6'2" man who also gained a few sympathy pounds during my pregnancy. To remedy this problem here is a waist extender available for the Ergo.
I put the Ergo on in the Front Carry position, and followed the instructions to put my baby in the carrier. As a first-time Ergo wearer, I had to try this a couple times until I had the straps adjusted comfortablly and securely. Once I did... I was immediately sold. This thing is comfortable! I'm also thrilled that once you set the strap mechanism, provided someone else doesn't use it you will only ever have to do up two buckles to secure your child, making it even quicker to put on than the Babyhawk.
This is also the only carrier that I would be able to breastfeed in due to the position of the baby and the maneuverability for me. I managed to do it a couple times in my wrap, but not without a lot of fussing. The fit in the Babyhawk was just too tight for me to do this in.
The thoughtful safety features on this carrier are well designed, including a safety loop by the waist buckle in case the buckle comes undone while you are carrying so baby won't slip out or off.
Although there is no head support, there is a hood that can be secured with snaps to the carrier frame that can be used for light support ideal for sleeping. As such, I wouldn't use this carrier for an infant without their Heart to Heart Infant Insert until your baby can hold their head up themselves, which my son has only been able to do for a couple of weeks. I would have liked to try the infant insert if my baby was younger and smaller.
What Did I Decide To Do?
Although I'm not finished with my stretchy wrap and it will still give me some situational use, I am definately going to get another carrier for activity based carrying like shopping or working around the house. I know for certain that I will be buying the Ergo. I can see us getting use out of this carrier for the next two years. I would also also like to pick up the Babyhawk for carrying in my purse, around the house tasks and earlier back carries. It all depends on cost, and carriers at this level aren't cheap!
0 comments:
Post a Comment