Baby Wearing with Style and without Back Pain?
If I had it to do over again, I would give “baby wearing” another try.
When my daughter was an infant, I couldn’t wait until she was big enough to go in the black Baby Bjorn Original Carrier I had which I thought was very stylish.
I loved using the Baby Bjorn carrier at first, but I stopped using it for a few reasons. It was a bit akward at times. My daughter usually fell asleep in it when we went for a walk. So it was great for those times when she was having trouble sleeping. Except that I could never get her out of it without waking her up.
On the Baby Bjorn Carrier, the side latch has to slide into the slide latch groove (see the wearing instructions here). That’s easy enough when the carrier is empty, but I had a to do a fair bit of manhandling to get her out of it.
Another disadvantage is that when she got to be over 12 pounds, it hurt my back to carry her—maybe because the Baby Bjorn Original Carrier has no lower-back support.
I was curious about baby wearing which is basically getting a really long piece of cloth and wrapping it around yourself and your baby. There are different ways to do it. Some look like slings; some involve a lot more cloth. I visited a few websites that instruct you how to use them and how to tie them, but I was always nervous that they wouldn’t be secure.
Well, I just saw The MetroWrap which is being marketed as “the most secure and comfortable child carrier on the market. Its unique design incorporates an age-old technique for carrying your child with the fashion demands of today’s world. The MetroWrap™ is the perfect way to bond with your child, enjoy your freedom and look chic while doing it!”
They look very secure, and they have the best instructions I’ve seen anywhere for how to put one on. You can see the step-by-step photos here . I’m quite taken with the Bling styles, but I can’t see spending the $129.99 it costs to own one. I might just go out and buy a really long piece of cloth. Now if I got one as a Baby Shower gift, that would be another story.
Links
I looked around for other parents’ reviews confirming the back-pain issue, and it looks like it is pretty common. Here are some interesting articles I found.
7 Things to Look for When Buying a Baby Carrier or Baby Sling
I thought that men might not suffer from using a baby carrier, but it seems I was wrong.
Does This Baby Carrier Make My Manboobs Look Big?
ERGO Baby Carrier - The Indispensable Tool for Our Trip
