Baby Wearing aka Our Lifesaver

I had never really heard of babywearing until I was pregnant.  I had seen the popular Baby Bjorn but that was about it.  Different carriers were recommended to us and I thought maybe they might be useful on a long hike or outing.  Today, we wouldn't get through the day without babywearing. Not only do we have a carrier but we have three!

Now its pretty laughable my lack of knowledge was.  Now I'd even consider myself a bit of a baby wearing snob.  I am pretty picky about my carriers and now tend to cringe when I see a baby dangling in a
Baby Bjorn or laying down in one of those sling wraps.  I am always checking out other mama's carriers and will be the first one to ask if I don't recognize it.

Babywearing is so much for us.  First and foremost its the fastest way to calm Mara down.  She loves to be worn and immediately settles when she is put in a carrier.  She usually will  look around a bit but then settles in for a little snooze.  It also promotes attachment.  She loves to be near us, smell our scents and hear our heartbeats.  I love holding her but sometimes it can really do a number on your back and arms.  Bring in the carrier!

Its also super convenient.  Both Josh and I can throw her on our back or side and quickly bring her where ever we're going.  I don't know if you've ever lugged one of those infant car seats around but man are they heavy.  Add a diaper bag and a purse and yeah its hard.  Its so much easier for me to wear her, leaving my hands free, then grab whatever else I need.

We have three carriers.  When Mara was really little I used the Moby Wrap almost exclusively.  The Moby is a jersey fabric that wraps around the parent.  Once on baby just slips inside and is cuddled against the parent's chest.  This was perfect for a newborn because it was a longer wear wrap.  Once you got that thing on you didn't want to take it off or the baby out for a bit.  The downside of the wrap is its made of jersey fabric.  Really after Mara hit 12 lbs I didn't feel comfortable carrying her around in this.  It just stretched too much.  I felt like she was between my knees.

The Moby

Our Ergo is the other carrier we've had and used the longest.  We knew we wanted this carrier from the beginning because we thought it would be great while hiking and outdoors.  Not only does the Ergo do great when we're out and about its great around the house too.  We never bought the infant insert for it (because we had the Moby) and Mara started riding around in it at about 1.5 months.  I just put her legs in fetal position and went from there.  At three months she was finally big enough to ride with her legs out and at four months we started wearing her on our backs.  To say that this carrier is loved by all is an understatement.  Mara loves to be able to see from her perch on our back.  We love how easy it is to wear and get on.  This is normally our go to carrier for all things long.  When we're out and about, traveling, hiking, trying to get her to nap we use it!

Out for a walk

We recently picked up a third carrier, the ring sling.  This is my all-time favorite carrier.  Our ring sling is a woven wrap that has been converted to a sling.  Its so easy to just grab and throw in the diaper bag, then whip out when we get somewhere.  This sling is also perfect for breastfeeding.  I've almost abandoned my old nursing cover for this.  I much prefer to just flip the excess fabric over Mara and go about my business.  Mara doesn't easily fall asleep in this wrap but for the most part I'm not looking for her to fall asleep in it.  My favorite part of this wrap is its just like carrying her on my hip without actually having to carry her!

Sleeping in the sling (a rarity)