Wrapping Out & Public Perception

Shopping with Two Kids

I’ve got it pretty easy.  My big kid is five–a much more cooperative and responsible age than, say, three–and my little kid is only two months old, which means she’s easy to keep track of!

So shopping is not difficult.  I buckle in Annabelle.  Ada buckles in herself.  When we get there, Ada lets herself out, carefully staying near the car, while I unbuckle Annabelle and slip her into my wrap (pretied in a front cross carry).

When we get into the store, Ada rides in the shopping cart and this is the only tricky part!  With a baby wrapped on my front, it’s surprisingly difficult to lift Ada straight up and into the seat.

Out is easy.  If I take the cart to our car, Ada enjoys climbing out into the trunk of our minivan and from there into her seat.  I just hold the cart still.  That is her preferred way but she can as easily climb out of the cart into the open side door next to her booster seat.

If we don’t take the cart into the parking lot, I just turn my back to Ada, and she climbs out of the cart onto my back and slides down.  This is actually not awkward, difficult, or uncomfortable at all.  I should have my husband video tape it sometime to demonstrate!

But getting Ada in the cart is difficult.  I can manage it, by picking her up toward my side so as not to squash her sister, but always prefer to have her climb in without me if she can.  We look for steps, or short walls that give her a boost into the cart.

It would be much easier if I had Annabelle on my back but she is almost always nursing while we run erranhds so for now, we make do.

I’m lucky my big girl is so willing and helpful!

Going Out With a Newborn

I felt great after Annabelle was born (perhaps due to consuming the placenta?) and was eager to go out with her after the first few days. I wanted to show that baby off!

I turned to the front cross carry for a poppable, pretied carry. It is perfect! I tie it on at home and often use it to carry Annabelle to the car when I need my hands for the diaper bag, snacks, jackets, library books, etc. I take her out and put her in the carseat, leaving the front cross carry tied on me. When we park, I take Annabelle out of her seat and pop her into the wrap without retying. I do adjust depending on whether she wants to nurse or not—for nursing I usually wear her in it upright but a lot lower so that her mouth lines up with my breast.

When we get back to the car it’s the same routine—pop her out and into the carseat. When we get home, pop her back in so I can carry groceries, bags, etc.

The front cross carry is often touted as being the much more poppable carry over the front wrap cross carry, but I have found FWCC to also be easy to pop my newborn in and out of. There is one additional pass of the wrap with the FWCC, so that means three pockets to sort out putting the baby into, but this has not been difficult.

However, I eventually settled on the front cross carry as my preferred out and about carry and this is why. First, the knot is tied in the front, so that I am not leaning back on a big old knot while driving. Of course, one could use a longer wrap for the FWCC and bring it around to the front to tie and solve that problem. Second, the FCC is very easy to tie on without your baby, and approximate the fit so that there is little adjusting needed when you do slide your baby in. With the FWCC, I need to have baby in it when I tie it.

Another carry that I love for poppability is the hip cross carry. This one could also be tied on without baby and fit fairly well with little adjustment. However, with a newborn nursing almost constantly, I prefer the discretion offered by the cross carries. A one shouldered carry like the hip cross carry just doesn’t provide adequate cover. I use it for nursing at home, but despite being a fairly unashamed breastfeeding mother, I want more modesty at the grocery store. The hip cross carry is fairly discreet when nursing on the same side that the wrap goes over my shoulder, but when we inevitably switch, I’m feeling too much of a breeze! Nursing in the HCC in a cradle position is fairly discreet, but I prefer the convenience of nursing my baby upright so that she can switch sides and doesn’t need to be taken out to be burped.

Thus, I’m loving my front cross carry for traveling!

Nursing in th FCC While Bagging Groceries (5 wks)