Hold Me, Mama!
Do you have a kid that just needs to be held? I do. Miss Reese is going through a stage where being put down is not an option. Fine with me. But I need a carrier. I don't mind lugging her around with me as long as I can get other things done.
I started off with a sling from Seven Slings that I got for basically free and now I know why they were giving it away. The thing is a total piece of crap. The baby is smooshed and uncomfortable and, quite frankly, the thing felt so unsecure. Here's Miss Reese in it seconds before melting down. I think she was four weeks old in this picture, and she's a peanut. Can you imagine what a full size baby would have looked like in here?
{ by the way, how sexy is my outfit? and my hair? you know you're jealous }
Dang, that picture makes me look tired. A little too *real*. Anyway, after the Seven Sling fail, I broke down and got a Moby. After a 20% off BRU coupon it cost me like $30. Not bad. Reese-Puff loves being in the Moby. She fights the wrap for about 90 seconds and then literally passes out. We've tried the newborn hug hold and the kangaroo (her favorite).
My beef with the Moby is that it's cumbersome. There's a whole lot of wrapping and twisting and tying. Inevitably as soon as I'm all wrapped up with one baby, the other will wake up to nurse.
My other beef with the Moby is that it doesn't provide a lot of head/neck support. I am able to use the material to snug the babies' heads down to my chest, but if they are awake they fight being snugged down. I don't have a picture of the whole wrap, but I did catch this on "mommy cam" for the husband last week.
The one thing I love about the Moby though is sleeping with a baby strapped to my chest. I don't have to worry about him or her rolling off and we can both nap peacefully. Plus the cotton is snuggly and warm for both of us.
With our last well baby we found out the kiddos cleared 8 pounds. The magic number needed to break out the Baby Bjorn. I have two that have been collecting dust in the basement and I was super psyched to give them a try. Both babies fit in the Bjorn perfectly and it's super easy to use. So what's the problem, right?
Well the darn thing is a pain in the shoulders! I carried Ryan around all day in the Bjorn and it wasn't easy. Then when Joe got home from work we took the babies for a walk and I held Reese in the Bjorn and Joe pushed Ryan in the DSNG. We walked about a mile and a half and my back was killing me when we got home. Considering she only weighs 8 pounds and he's barely 9 pounds, this is only going to get worse. But I love how easy the Bjorn is to use.
{ before our walk yesterday }
So I'm going to return Bjorn #2 and get something that is more supportive and easier to wear and I'm looking for suggestions. I'd like something that can be used now, so the bottom weight limit needs to be at least 8 pounds. I plan to use the carrier at home when I'm alone so I can get stuff done around the house during the day. I'll also be using it to run errands solo and for things like the farmer's market and other outdoor walking spaces over the summer, so I'd like the replacement carrier to be comfortable for long hauls and breathable (if that's possible).
Right now I'm researching the Ergo and the ergonomic Bjorn. The ergonomic Bjorn looks good, but the minimum weight limit is 13 pounds which, for my kids, makes it unusable for at least another 2-3 months.
Do you wear your baby? What worked for you? Anything that I should stay away from altogether? Thanks ladies!
