I'm taking about all those ring slings, pouches, wraps and bouncy bjorn things you see babies carted around in these days. You'd think their mommies and daddies didn't have two perfectly able arms, for chrissake. And every time I see a newborn slouched and smothered in one of those things, his mother beaming to be hands-free, I can't hep but wonder if the poor thing can even breathe.
The truth is, I'm terribly jealous.
To say that my arms are tired today would be a gross understatement. My right wrist is so taxed that I can barely pick up my coffee mug, much less my 11-pound baby. But so far, babywearing has alluded me. And, in addition to my sore arms, shoulders and wrists, I feel guilty that my baby remains unworn. Because you see, babywearing is not just for cell-phoned-addicted mommies. It evidently offers numerous benefits to your baby as well.
My friend Kristen gave me my first babywearing device, a sling she'd used for her two small children. It is a cream-colored organic cotton New Native sling, size small. I was ecstatic to receive it. The first time I attempted to use this thing, Isaac was two weeks old, and I dropped him into the cradle hold, as explained in great detail on the product's website. His little head slumped onto his chest. Risk of possible asphyxiation! I thought to myself. Every 17 seconds I was spreading the fabric to make sure he wasn't turning purple. After 10 minutes of constant checking and rechecking, I pulled Isaac out of that thing and put it away in a drawer.
Several other carriers were to join it.
My friend Fran got us an Ergo baby carrier off our registry at Baby's Bottom Line., an online store of "eco-friendly baby products." This carrier is rumored to the the creme de la creme of baby carriers. The Cadillac. I was stoked.
Like the New Native sling, it was not immediately apparent how to use this thing. Fortunately, I quickly discovered a whole lot of folks have enough time on their hands to share their favorite Ergo wearing techniques with the world on You Tube. Unfortunately, I learned that without purchasing an additional product for $25, the infant insert, this carrier is useless until your baby is about four months old and can hold his or her head up. Into the drawer it went.
Sometimes, its best to not go straight for the Cadillac. Sharpen your teeth on the tried and the true. Like a Honda, for example.
Or a Pinto.
My good friend Helen has two small children, and plenty of sense. So when she gave us her Baby Bjorn, which I'd heard could be used with a newborn, I just knew we'd be wearing our little bundle of joy in no time. After all, I see newborns bobbling around town in them all the time and they always look to be happy as little clams.
My husband Brian gave it a whirl one night when Isaac was particularly fussy, and bouncing on the birthing ball with Isaac weighing heavily in his arms was getting old, fast. Ten minutes later, Brian's free hands were turning the pages of a book while our baby was cooing himself to sleep against Brian's chest, strapped on by our Baby Bjorn.
That would be the first time. And, that would be the last time.
See, the next day we visited Isaac's doctor, who put the kibosh on our Bjorn bliss. Apparently, carriers like the bjorn that rest the baby's weight solely on their crotch before their spine is more developed can affect the development of the spinal curve and possibly lead to spondylolisthesis (slippage of the vertebra). Into the drawer went the Bjorn.
My last hope was the Moby Wrap, a device often seen worn on moms who drive Volvos and sip soy lattes while walking around Seattle's Green Lake. It's crunchy chic, and simulates the womb as the baby gets wrapped up like a burrito against your chest. Being a vegetarian Volvo driver myself (albeit a 20-year beater), I decided to give it a try.
We purchased our Moby for $40 at a local birthing and baby store called Birth and Beyond. The saleslady helped me get it on and try it out - not with a doll but with my actual baby. The Moby is not something you just grab and slip on. It's actually just a long piece of fabric that feels like a t-shirt, and there are several ways you can fold it and configure it to support the various ways you can wear your baby with it. Let me just tell you that the ease of folding, wrapping and tying the Moby in the store, with a sleeping baby and the saleslady's expert assistance, was nothing like the real-life experience of trying to get this thing on at home to soothe a screaming infant. Nothing. While this carrier has not yet made it into the drawer, it is seldom reached for.
So here I am, sitting with Isaac cradled in my lap, wrist splint and all. I'm waiting for his spine to be developed enough for the Bjorn, his head to be held up enough for the Ergo, and my confidence to build enough to put him in the New Native sling. And I'm dreaming of the day when I, too, can join the ranks of hands-free mommies everywhere and wear my baby!
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