Slings are your friend
To follow on from yesterday's post 'Where do you find the time?' I wanted to talk a little bit about slings & baby carriers. These are absolutely fab for keeping baby content while having hands free. Babies love to be held and know they are close to Mama, which is great for days when you want to cuddle on the sofa and watch TV, but not so great for days when you want to get something done (see research regarding The Fourth Trimester, babies need time to get used to life outside the womb). Enter stage right: the marvelous invention that is the sling.
When using slings it's important to follow TICKS guidelines (found here):
T - Tight (Keep the sling tight so baby is held close + isn't going to fall out!)
I - In view (You should be able to see your baby's face and airways)
C - Close enough to kiss (You should be able to kiss baby's forehead or head by moving your chin - it melts my OHs heart when he sees me testing this one ;])
K - Keep baby's chin off their chest (to ensure airways are open)
S - Supported back (a slumped baby has a closed airway)
It's also important to mention that to prevent hip dysplasia, baby's legs should form an M shape with bent knees and in an optimum position, their knees will be higher than their bottom. I often see babies in carriers with legs dangling straight down and outward facing before they are ready to be (see In View above) and feel thankful that I know these safe baby wearing guidelines!
Slings are not one size fits all. Newborns have different carrying needs to older babies and toddlers, so you should have a different sling. The most commonly recommended sling type for newborns is a stretchy wrap; this is a long piece of material that holds baby close to your chest and can be tightened or loosened to fit the size of the adult and baby involved. These support babies head while they have little or no head control and provide a natural, safe and warm position against their caregiver's chest. Baby is much safer in this upright position than in a kangaroo style sling which holds baby lying side on. Check the label of whichever stretchy wrap you go for as some have minimum weight recommendations and if you're not sure how to wear it video tutorials are pretty widely available on youtube :)
^Pictured, me wearing baba in a Moby wrap which I bought from a friend second hand.
Honestly, baby wearing changed my life and I wish I'd had the confidence to do it sooner. Isaac is so content (usually!) in a sling and I love being close to him while having two hands free to sew... or do housework... (yeah, right ;]). I've also taken baby to the beach in a sling because who wants to push a pram on sand :l and worn him right into the sea for a paddle; as well as to a few busy events where I didn't fancy maneuvering a pram through the crowds. It's great walking up the stairs with baby safely snuggled to my chest instead of having to wait for elevators or a hand up the step. And let's be honest, we've all taken baby out in a pram and ended up pushing it with one hand and carrying him with the other because that's where he wanted to be!
I also wanted to mention buckled carriers which can be used from 4 months so long as baby has good head control (or earlier with the newborn insert but in my opinion you're better off with a stretchy wrap before then). I find the buckled carrier faster to put on and easier to adjust once on (allowing me to easily breastfeed baby while he's in there) and my husband feels more confident wearing it than the stretchy wrap. We went for the ergo360 but I have heard the Connecta is easier to fasten independently as the ergo does have a buckle behind your neck that can be a bit of an arm twister.
^Dada Bear baby wearing on a recent visit to The Forbidden Corner.
For instructions to make baby carrier sucker pads see my quick projects post.
My next adventure in baby wearing will be a ring sling which are apparently even easier to throw on and off and adjust. Most towns have a sling library where you can go and try out different slings with your baby and see what works best for you and then if you choose to you can hire the slings to save the cost of buying them outright. How great is that? I'd definitely recommend checking out your local sling library and giving baby wearing a try, I found mine to be a really friendly bunch.
When using slings it's important to follow TICKS guidelines (found here):
T - Tight (Keep the sling tight so baby is held close + isn't going to fall out!)
I - In view (You should be able to see your baby's face and airways)
C - Close enough to kiss (You should be able to kiss baby's forehead or head by moving your chin - it melts my OHs heart when he sees me testing this one ;])
K - Keep baby's chin off their chest (to ensure airways are open)
S - Supported back (a slumped baby has a closed airway)
It's also important to mention that to prevent hip dysplasia, baby's legs should form an M shape with bent knees and in an optimum position, their knees will be higher than their bottom. I often see babies in carriers with legs dangling straight down and outward facing before they are ready to be (see In View above) and feel thankful that I know these safe baby wearing guidelines!
Slings are not one size fits all. Newborns have different carrying needs to older babies and toddlers, so you should have a different sling. The most commonly recommended sling type for newborns is a stretchy wrap; this is a long piece of material that holds baby close to your chest and can be tightened or loosened to fit the size of the adult and baby involved. These support babies head while they have little or no head control and provide a natural, safe and warm position against their caregiver's chest. Baby is much safer in this upright position than in a kangaroo style sling which holds baby lying side on. Check the label of whichever stretchy wrap you go for as some have minimum weight recommendations and if you're not sure how to wear it video tutorials are pretty widely available on youtube :)
^Pictured, me wearing baba in a Moby wrap which I bought from a friend second hand.
Honestly, baby wearing changed my life and I wish I'd had the confidence to do it sooner. Isaac is so content (usually!) in a sling and I love being close to him while having two hands free to sew... or do housework... (yeah, right ;]). I've also taken baby to the beach in a sling because who wants to push a pram on sand :l and worn him right into the sea for a paddle; as well as to a few busy events where I didn't fancy maneuvering a pram through the crowds. It's great walking up the stairs with baby safely snuggled to my chest instead of having to wait for elevators or a hand up the step. And let's be honest, we've all taken baby out in a pram and ended up pushing it with one hand and carrying him with the other because that's where he wanted to be!
I also wanted to mention buckled carriers which can be used from 4 months so long as baby has good head control (or earlier with the newborn insert but in my opinion you're better off with a stretchy wrap before then). I find the buckled carrier faster to put on and easier to adjust once on (allowing me to easily breastfeed baby while he's in there) and my husband feels more confident wearing it than the stretchy wrap. We went for the ergo360 but I have heard the Connecta is easier to fasten independently as the ergo does have a buckle behind your neck that can be a bit of an arm twister.
For instructions to make baby carrier sucker pads see my quick projects post.
My next adventure in baby wearing will be a ring sling which are apparently even easier to throw on and off and adjust. Most towns have a sling library where you can go and try out different slings with your baby and see what works best for you and then if you choose to you can hire the slings to save the cost of buying them outright. How great is that? I'd definitely recommend checking out your local sling library and giving baby wearing a try, I found mine to be a really friendly bunch.
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