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Monday, March 12, 2018

Baby Carrying Or What I Am Gonna Do Differently With My Second Child



When I was pregnant I tried to imagine and figure out how I was going to manage all the household chores. As my mother passed away a long time ago and other family members work long hours, getting help on weekdays seemed almost impossible. What makes things more complicated is that my  grandma lives with us und she doesn't really eat ordered food and she always has lunch at 12.00. It has been like that for 96 years, so it must be like that for the rest of her life. ( Yes, 96!!!!! Living history)  At the beginning, one of my aunts brought her lunch so that I did not have to be all stressed out. But I knew that it wasn't going to be like that forever, so I had to find a way to have my baby close, to be able to entertain or help him sleep and have two hands free to cook, clean, etc..








Today I would like to sum up the most important infos i would have loved to know earlier. :)
Knit jersey wraps are ideal for newborns for front carrying. Their main advantage is that they are relatively easy to use and  are adjustable to the baby's and mother's needs. As they can only be used in the front, they are recommended to be used with a baby under 7 kilos (carrying a baby over 7 kilos in the front is not ideal for your inner organs). 

Cotton, linen, wool or gauze wraps can be used to carry an infant, toddler or even child in a variety of positions including in the front, the hip or the back. However, when it comes to learning how to wrap the baby, theory is easier than practice. :) But as intimidating as it seems at first, it is not impossible to learn it. 


A ring sling is a one shoulder carrier and they come in different materials.  A pair of metal rings are securely attached to the end of a roughly two-meter-long piece of fabric. The weight of the child in the carrier secures the rings against slipping.  They say it is ideal for mothers who want quick up and down carries. At least, they say. :) To tell you the truth, as for me it was the most difficult to use. 




Meh dais (from Chinese) have a panel of fabric with two shorter straps that are meant to go around the waist and two longer straps to wrap over the shoulder. Some meh dai straps are  padded to make carrying more comfortable. They are relatively easy to learn how to wear and can be used for front, back, and hip carries. Different schools of baby carrying claim different ages and levels of movement development as ideal for meh dais. Just to make sure, you'd better choose it if your baby can already sit safely as meh dais cannot be adjusted 100% to the needs of the carried nd the carrier. 




Soft structured carriers (SSCs) are sometimes mocked to be backpacks with babies in them. Their main advantages are that they are comfortable, convenient and relatively easy to use. Their padded waistbands and shoulder straps are mostly really appealing and these features make them attractive even to men. They can be used for front, back, and sometimes hip carrying. The mainly offer extras such as sleep hoods, front pockets, adjustable seats, etc.

Some SSC manufacturers claim that their products are ideal for carrying infants with the help of a special infant insert but I'd rather you didn't fall into that marketing trap. These inserts are neither ergonomical  for a ewborn, nor comfortable for the adult. SScs are ideal when your baby can sit and stand safely.

As you can see, it is not easy to choose which type to use so I recommend you trying as many types as possible.  The best way is finding a club where you can try and borrow different types of carriers and get professional help.
And here is what I am going to do differntly with my second child:
With A I did not borrow a knit jersey wrap but a cotton wrap which was a mistake as cotton wraps are more difficult to use. Knit jersey wraps are ideal for learning how to wrap. :)

I hope I could help you with these information. Please, let me know if you have used any of the above mentioned carriers and what were your experiences.



XX,



Pippi