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!

Yesterday Anna and 2 week old Naomi came to tell their birth story.  There is so much to learn from every birth story I hear, much to celebrate and sometimes to mourn, and every aspect is immensely educational.  Anna told the story of a serene birth which was not “under control”, because birth never is, but in which no one felt the need to try and control it and as a result things went smoothly and beautifully.

Anna and Naomi

Anna and Naomi’s story lead to a discussion of midwives and unassisted birth.  Also a discussion of pacifiers and whether to use them.

Lindsay had questions about her baby’s irregular nursing patterns.  Tawny works with La Leche League and helped her out with her questions.

Lindsay and Capri

I wanted to know whether it was appropriate to start feeding 5 month old Belle, and if not, how to keep her away from the food and drink she is so enthusiastically after!  We discussed Baby Led Weaning.  Thanks Susan, Tawny, and everybody for input on that!

Belle looking for something to eat.

We discussed placentophagy–consuming the placenta after birth–different methods and benefits, worldwide and historical traditions, sharing our own experiences as well as what we’d heard from others.

I’m sure there was more but I wasn’t taking minutes.  I did, however, have a fun babywearing session with Lindsay, Anna, and Julie!  We did a nursing FCC–tied our babies on, lowered the wrap, and, “One, two, three, nurse!”  Gives new meaning to “nursing on demand.”  Julie wanted to learn a fast, easy back carry, too:

Rucksack Carry in Elsa EllaRoo

Dana and Jocelyn in a Reinforced Rear Rebozo Rucksack (RRRR) in Neobulle Vert Anis

Short Wrap Front Carries:

• rebozo
• abbreviated or short Front Wrap Cross Carry
• Kangaroo

Short Wrap Back Carries:

• Rucksack
• Reinforced Rear Rebozo Rucksack

If you’re thinking about adding a short wrap to your stash, experiment with these carries with your long wrap.  See which ones you like best, then measure how much extra wrap you have to see how small you can go!  I like a wrap around 3.5 meters for most of these carries.  Of course, a rebozo is perfect for the rebozo carry, which can be worn front, hip, or back!  Rebozo (under 3 meters) is also long enough for the Reinforced Rear Rebozo Rucksack–a real sturdy short carry!

“I just had a question about using a wrap here in Florida. My daughter is 12 weeks old and loves being in the wrap, except she sweats so much! When I take her out she’s soaked in sweat, and I was just wondering if that was ok? Is there a better blend of fabric recommended for the intense heat we have here in Florida?”

Timely question, and I wanted to address it for everyone.  I’m in Florida too, and this is what I do with my five month old:

• often she is naked or in diaper only inside the wrap.  Honestly, I don’t dress her for shopping, the park, or anywhere, when we go out in the Summer.  She’s a baby, and she can get away with it!  The exception is if I think she’ll get too much sun and I want to cover her skin.  When in the wrap, I often put a hat or scarf on her with no clothes since the wrap is covering her.
• I keep her hydrated with plenty of nursing.  Water isn’t necessary for the exclusively breastfed baby.
• I often use carries that put fewer layers of fabric over her.  For front carries, the kangaroo carry or the abbreviated FWCC put only one layer over the baby.  The front cross carry is very similar to the front wrap cross carry, but with only two layers instead of three.  The front wrap cross carry itself can be used with the crosses bunched on either side of her and only the one layer over her body.  A rucksack is the perfect cool back carry for mom and baby.
• I tend to use an airier wrap–gauze is the thinnest, coolest wrap and the EllaRoo wraps are also much cooler than most of the popular German Style Woven wraps (such as Storchenwiege and Neobulle), and I find myself reaching for one of these during the hot months.
• Sometimes I use a shorter wrap so there’s less fabric around both of us.  A shorter wrap can be used for a rucksack, abbreviated FWCC, hip cross carry, and some other great Summer wrap jobs.  It’s nice to have the option of different sized wraps.

She and I get soaked with sweat all the time in or out of the wrap.  When I nurse on the couch I have to peel her off me afterward!  And any mom who uses a carseat or stroller can attest to how hot their babies get in those.  Just make sure she is peeing normally, her soft spot isn’t unusually depressed, etc.  All the usual precautions for Florida!

Front Wrap Cross Carry with straps bunched for fewer layers.

Abbreviated Front Wrap Cross Carry--short wrap tied under the baby's bottom instead of in the back.

Rucksack Carry

3 year old Back Wrap Cross Carry (LaRae EllaRoo)

1. In a crowd–so you don’t loose each other.
2. On a nature hike, across a creek.
3. At the zoo, after a long day.
4. At the beach, when you think it’s time to leave and he doesn’t.
5. In a parking lot, when your hands are full.
6. Anywhere, when your little one is feeling sick or vulnerable.
7. On an errand, when you’re in a hurry.
8. Away from home, at naptime.
9. Wherever you are when there’s a hurricane, fire, or earthquake and you need to get your family to safety.
10. At an event where you have to be over three feet tall to see what’s going on.

4 year old has a snack at Busch Gardens: rucksack in Mary EllaRoo

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

Mama, you made my day!  And the invite to our babywearing group is always open if you ever make it closer to Dunedin!  Wednesdays at 11am at the Labor of Love.

Reinforced Rear Rebozo Rucksack

Reinforced Rear Rebozo Rucksack

Front Cross Carry

Front Cross Carry

Today I experimented with a rucksack.  I found that I could do the entire carry, bringing the straps over and under the legs, while my 7 week old baby was very low on my back.  Then a few bouncing tugs on the tails hiked her up to my neck.  Voila!

I’m so good, I even had it together to make a video!

Not so good that I’m getting the video uploaded today, but it is coming soon, and I’ll add the link to this post.  The video is dedicated to Dana, whose baby outgrew this problem before I solved it.  Sorry!

The fact that the wide wrap is excellent for big kids to is a bonus–talk about one wrap for an entire childhood!

My photographer (Ada, aged five years) took these photos showing Annabelle after we wrapped up, and after she fell asleep (8 minutes later).

Neobulle Rucksack 9:25am

Neobulle Rucksack 9:33am

Since her head fell sideways instead of forward against my neck, I reached up with both hands to pull the top edge of the wrap higher behind her head and I did not have to retie anything:

Pulling the top of the wrap up for head support

Sleeping and Supported, 5 weeks old