A stroller might be able to get to the railing overlooking the Grand Canyon, but from there all you get is a view like a postcard.  While we would love to hike through the canyon, my husband and I are saving that for when the kids are older . . . Possibly moved out.  Today we settled for plunging down into the canyon only a short way.  Enough to get a sense of the immenseness and a taste of the craggy winding way. Here’s a picture of the trail, complete with icy patches:

So David wrapped 2 year old Annabelle in a front wrap cross carry (our 4.6 meter EllaRoo just makes it around them for this carry) and took our seven year old by the hand to help her navigate the icy trail.  I popped Cassidy (9 months) on my back in a Short Double Hammock Carry with my 3.1 meter Inka Storchenwiege  (video below) and threw the kindercoat over us, leaving my arms and hands free for balance, and photography (whichever seems most urgent at any given time).

Wrapping allowed us to get the experience we wanted, and it allowed all three of our little ones to get an experience they wouldn’t have otherwise (like sleeping through the Grand Canyon).  Because, life is for living, no matter your age, and there are endless possibilities waiting to be experienced in every juicy detail!

Last night Barefoot Birth hosted a Night of Babywearing at the Labor of Love birth center in Lakeland, Florida.  I was late, and missed the other carriers being played with, but I brought my big basket of wraps for everyone to play with and Annabelle helped me show the people what we do with them.

It’s always tough to decide which carries to demonstrate as the wrap can be used in hundred of ways, and every mother-baby dyad has their own favorite that works best for them. So I try to pick the ones that are likeliest to work best and come easiest for the most people.

I picked the Front Cross Carry, because it’s easy to pretie and pop baby in and out of, and it’s easy to adjust for nursing.  That made the FCC my favorite newborn carry (and this was a largely pregnant crowd), and it’s still my favorite now that she’s five months old.  The Front Wrap Cross Carry can be easier for a newbie to get snug and tight, but the two advantages I mention to the FCC make it worth practicing a few times until it’s perfect.

Annabelle was desperately hungry, so we demonstrated nursing, and while she nursed we talked about leg positioning, and safe babywearing to ensure your baby can breath.  One of the benefits of babywearing is that your baby is never left unsupervised!

For a back carry, I chose the Rucksack Carry because it’s easy to understand and remember.  Then someone asked for my favorite carry and I demonstrated the Double Hammock Back Carry.   I love the Double Hammock!

Annabelle took a bathroom break and when we came back, we were pressed for a quick explanation about elimination communication, and Belle got a round of applause from the admiring folks.  As an EC’ing parent, it’s always difficult to decide whether to reveal that all babies are able to communicate their elimination needs, or to just accept it when people attribute advanced skills to my baby . . . “Yes, it’s true, she is a genius, a prodigy, and NASA is already working to secure her cooperation for some advanced research projects . . . ”

Then the mommas got to play with the wraps–it’s the best part!

Double Hammock Carry in Neobulle Vert Anis (thank you, Dana)

I finally put up a page for the Double Hammock Carry.  Photo tutorial now available, thank you dear husband for photographing!

I also have a couple of videos:

This one with my god-daughter Aurora, shows a toddler in a double hammock carry.

This one is my newborn in a double hammock (legs tucked in).

I love this carry, which is also called the Chunei Back Carry.  It is easy, secure, gives the baby a view, and my all around favorite wrap carry.  Check out the new instructions and give it a whirl!

And let me know if there’s anything that I need to clarify.  I aim to serve!

Now I’m selling Bali Baby Breeze–the most beloved gauze wraps on the market.  So here are some tips on enjoying your BBB wraps this Summer:

• Use gauze wraps with multi-layer carries–the thin fabric will leave you feeling much cooler even in layers, and the thin fabric can be uncomfortable in single-layer carries.  I stayed comfortable hiking in 90 degree weather with my BBB wrap in a Double Hammock Carry last weekend.
• Wrap carefully to avoid uncomfortable pressure points–the thin wrap can dig in if not spread and tightened well, but it makes a dream of a wrap job when you take the time to tighten all across the width of the wrap evenly.  A thin wrap can provide a very close, comfy wrap job that doesn’t budge as you and your baby wiggle through your day.
• Lighten your load by leaving your big diaper bag in the car and carry only a few essentials in the pocket sewn into the tail of your Bali Baby Breeze.  No straps or bags will mean a cooler walk for you.  That pocket could also carry your water bottle.
• Enjoy how small your Bali Baby Breeze wrap folds (or wads) up when not in use.  Stuff it into the built in pocket in the tail or the matching bag it came in and watch it fit easily into your diaperbag.
• Pretend not to notice the looks of appreciation as you sport your stunning batik wrap out in public, striding confidently past onlookers like a cool, casual movie star!

Bali Baby Breeze Alice

If your son is going to want to go up and down a lot, I recommend the Rucksack Carry, as it is the fastest to get up and down.  It is also great for the Summer with only one layer of wrap over your toddler.  This is the one I used when we were at the zoo when Ada was two and three years old.  Her legs would get tired so up she’d go.  A few minutes later she’d see something interesting and down she’d come.  A few minutes later she wanted to be carried again…

The Rucksack can be done tied around the waist, which is the fastest and easiest method for me and I demonstrate it with a toddler in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58nFvouWcfE&feature=player_embedded

The Rucksack can also be tied Tibetan style which you can see if you scroll down to the bottom of my rucksack page: http://www.wrapyourbaby.com/rucksack.htm

Or the Rucksack can be done with a short wrap (rebozo), and simply tied under your child’s bottom, instead of brought back around to the front to tie.  This way there is nothing going around your waist and you have less wrap to carry while your toddler is not up.  Here we are with a Rucksack tied under the bottom at the zoo when Ada was two:

For longer wearing, say if you expect him to stay wrapped up for a hike, a grocery trip, or if you expect him to fall asleep, a multi-layered carry might prove more comfortable in the long run.  Whereas the rucksack Carry supports your child with one layer of fabric, other carries that wrap around your child more than once often feel more supportive for a heavier child.  Try one of these:

The Double Hammock Carry is my favorite with a little baby, but it is extremely supportive with a bigger child as well.  The weight of your child is spread across your entire torso, waist, and both shoulders.  In this video I demonstrate the DHC with a sleeping toddler:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-QqZms9Qw

The Back Wrap Cross Carry is also very supportive, but the child may ride lower on your back, and not be able to see over your shoulders.  It’s great for a sleeping big kid, and I demonstrate it with a four year old girl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx_7rpzmDwY

Front Cross Carry with Mary EllaRoo

Current favorite carries are:

• still the Front Cross Carry (FCC) most often and anytime we go out because she is still nursing a lot and it is still the easiest to adjust into nursing position, and simplest for popping in and out of as we drive from errand to errand.
• still Double Hammock Carry (DHC) for a back carry because it is just so easy, solid, and comfy, and I can do it with the same size wrap that I want with me for the FCC
• DHC’s shorter cousin the Reinforced Rear Rebozo Rucksack (RRRR) because it’s even faster and simpler than DHC with the same sturdiness and a great high back carry for hot weather since it can be done with 3 meters

And I think maybe I’ll play with some hip carries today and keep you posted!

Verdict?  It was fine.  Spreading the wrap across the torso is kind of silly, though, because the wrap is bunched up from under baby’s legs as it comes around your torso, and the spreading isn’t going to be tight and supportive as it is with the standard double hammock where the wrap comes around your torso above baby’s legs and is already spread wide and flat.

I didn’t find it uncomfortable or saggy with my little baby, but I doubt it would hold up for long with a bigger child.

The front of the modified Double Hammock Carry tied with a half knot.

You can see that the wrap crosses between her legs like a Back Wrap Cross Carry.

The wrap comes from under her leg to spread out over my chest.