Awesome NINO meeting

Today's meeting was awesome! There were about 7 or 8 moms, a perfect size group, everyone was on time, and even though we only have the room for 1 1/2 hours, it ran very smoothly! I think it helped that there were no bigger kids running around. That's always tricky in an indoor space.

The topic was structured baby carriers and I have a very nice collection of these as this is my favorite type of baby carrier. For those that don't know, a structured baby carrier has some stiffness to the waist belt and padded shoulder straps and it closes with buckles instead of tying. It is also known as a soft pack.

I had my Beco, Yamo, Ergo, Classic Ergo (sounds like Coke, Coke Classic), Patapum, Toddler Patapum, and Sutemi. There was also a Trekker and repeats of some of what I brought. There are definitely a few additions I'd like to make to round out my collection, but when does it end?

With the new meeting format, we start out by viewing some video appropriate to the topic. With so much amazing babywearing video now available, this is a tough choice. I will make executive decisions for now (more on that later) and simply choose what I think is best. Today, I chose the section on using the Ergo with the newborn insert. There was a mom with a 5 week old in a pouch and I wanted her to see how the structured baby carriers were suitable to her even though her baby was still so little, and also I love the new technique Ergo has with sort of swaddling the infant insert around the baby and inserting the baby like that, so I was excited to share it with everyone. I just had no idea it could be done like that so it's great to spread the word. (Gee, sounds like gospel or something but to me, I guess that is how I feel about babywearing!)

I totally forgot my infant insert, so I had her cheating anyway! She tried the Ergo with her baby upright and facing in and also tried a bit cradled for nursing and it didn't work out for her. She also tried the Beco and it worked out beautifully! It turns out that the longer body in the Beco supported the baby's head so she could actually nurse hands free! She had large breasts and the baby's face was totally smushed when she tried the Ergo. There is a great argument for the longer body of the Beco.

I laughingly asked everyone to send me a written report of their findings after the meeting. I know a lot of people on thebabywearer are hoping for feedback after this meeting. I can only remember so much of what people said, and also, I was putting my Yamo through its paces during this meeting and less hands on for the first 40 minutes or so than I'd like to have been. My daughter fell asleep on the short ride over and I had a huge bin to carry in, so I put her on my back and tried the sleep hood on the back for the first time. I have to say, the Yamo has the best sleep hood out of any of the structured baby carriers. It is always a bit tricky to use a sleep hood when your baby is asleep on your back, and maybe I have just gotten good at it over time even though it's something we rarely do nowadays, but it worked very well. So we made a bit of an entrance with her nicely snoozing back there. Then during the video portion, she woke up a bit and I got to spin her around to the front and demonstrate nursing in the Yamo. The mom of the newborn actually noticed all this even though I was behind her! She'll make a great mom - she's got eyes on the back of her head!

Anyway, on to the chaos portion of the meeting. Only it wasn't chaotic! It seems that everyone got to try on quite a few different baby carriers. The Ergo definitely scored highest marks for comfort across the board. No surprises there. And the Beco definitely scored highest marks for looks. There were only two Becos but I tried to underscore that there are so many unique prints available. The Yamo was second to the Beco for comfort or even a tie. Amanda even forgot she was wearing it! I didn't notice anyone raving about the Patapum but I had the older models. Possibly, the new ones have vastly improved. I haven't actually taken a look at them yet!

There was lots of asking for my opinion, which is something like this: for the comfort of parent and baby, nothing beats the Ergo. The padding around the legs, the darts in the bottom are great features for baby. The cut fits a lot of people really well and it passes the "five minute test" - if a baby carrier is comfortable for 5 minutes, it's my opinion that it will be good for the long haul. That is not to say you won't get any muscle soreness if you are working muscles that have been ignored, but once those muscles come up to speed, it should stay comfortable for the long haul. So for maximum comfort, it is the Ergo for me. For aesthetics, I would say have a look and see what appeals to you, knowing you might possibly sacrifice a bit of comfort but not wind up miserable. I am not wearing my Ergo these days but my husband still prefers it. He won't be caught in the Beco but he will wear the Yamo if there is nothing else around. But he'll grumble about it. He does concede that perhaps he doesn't have it adjusted correctly. I find it wonderful for the long haul but I do concede that the Ergo is even more comfortable for a front carry.

The straps on the Sutemi seemed a bit wide for some women who had narrow shoulders and no one liked it for a back carry because of having to cross the straps across the boobs. I don't know too many women who are comfortable like that but it's a great look for men.

Okay, girls, I am awaiting those written reports I asked for so we can round out this section a bit better!

Going forward, I am hoping to get some of the regulars to join in as NINO leaders. Any takers? All it takes is getting onto the NINO Leaders forum on thebabywearer.com and helping to plan and run the meetings. So far, the meetings have been quite informal. Definitely taking care of anyone with pressing babywearing issues is always the top priority. Having a topic has really seemed to help keep things focused, and I am not sure what topic to go with next month so I am totally open to suggestions on that. Also, there is definitely a need for more NINO groups to spring up in this area, so it is possible someone might want to colead a few times with me and then start a group either in Miami or west Broward. Both of those areas have a lot of babywearers who don't always want to make the trek to Hollywood.

After the meeting, chatting amiably in the street, we sort of didn't notice some of us were getting parking tickets so that put a bit of a damper on a nice day. Mine was $20. Ugh. And I nearly broke my pinky toe this morning racing around trying to do too many things, so I was quite startled to see what a lovely shade of purple it had turned by the time I got home. I hope neither of those downers has affected my tone too much!

Babywearing with no baby carrier

The other day, I was out to dinner with all my family in town. The parking lot was pretty close to the restaurant so I didn't bother with carrying my daughter in any baby carrier. But after we were mostly done eating, she got bored and took me outside to wander. It was pretty chilly so I had a light jacket on. She quickly tired of walking and I quickly tired of carrying her.

Ah hah! I remembered the wise teachings of Tracy of the mamatoto project!

I wrapped her leggies around me and zipped the jacket under her bottom and found it helped with her weight. This was just as well - we wound up going to the store and getting some water so I had her like this for quite a while.

Would I have preferred a baby carrier? You bet! But this was still better than nothing.

Yamo and Beco and Ergo! Oh my!

Well isn't it just fun to finally have some wonderful choices in the structured baby carrier game? I now own, well, let me see.... A sutemi, a regular and a toddler Patapum, an Ergo, a Beco, and now a Yamo. Do I get some sort of prize?

Each one is slightly different, some are more comfortable than others, but the variety is great as there is now something for everyone.

The Beco has you pull the straps up to tighten it - a great innovation. The Yamo lets you pull up or down! Great for those who can't decide! The Ergo, Beco and Yamo are all convertable to hip carriers. The Patapum doesn't allow that. The Sutemi does but I have never even tried it! The convertability to a hip carrier also gives you another option: to cross the straps. That can mean added comfort on long carries.

What am I missing from my collection? Next month the topic of our NINO Babywearing meeting is structured baby carriers. Is my collection complete?

Now you can see what I see! Oopa videos!

What a treat I have for you! I have been lucky enough to have met Amy Abreu in real life (she's lovely - good looking and nice!) and to have studied her sling technique, but not to my heart's content.

Amy has put awesome sling instruction videos on her Oopa website. I have always been fascinated with how she puts the baby in the sling and keeps her arm in there while she makes the adjustments. I have tried it this way a few times but never quite gotten the hang of the technique. Now, I will be able to study it at my leisure, as will you, and hopefully master and share this technique with others.

Also a treat is just looking at the rich colors and simply gorgeous Oopa silk slings. Better still would be to own one myself but I'm still working on making that happen. Meanwhile, I can imagine touching them and hearing the rustle of the fabric helps!

Baby carriers are like shoes

People tend to get nervous when buying a baby carrier. They research and research and want to get it right! The thing is, it's totally cool to get multiple baby carriers.

Think of it like shoes.

You have to have sandals for breezy days. Maybe flip flops for days you just want quick in and out. You gotta have a nice structured shoe with good support for long walks. Maybe a hiking boot or shoe if you're into that. And of course you need some dressy shoes - you might have to compromise comfort. Everyone owns at least a few pairs of shoes and usually several of each kind of function to go with different outfits, weather and moods.

Let me ask you - how often to your feet change size? Not often, right? So when you pick out a shoe, you know that it will work for you until it wears out, you get tired of it, or styles change (if you care about that sort of thing). But babies, well, they change! Oh, and so do new mamas - they (usually) shrink (eventually).

So the baby carrier that was ideal for the first few months may be awful when your baby hits six months. Or you may have lost so much weight that it isn't a good fit.

Newsflash! There is no penalty for getting another! And another! Yes, okay, they do cost money, but you can easily come by used baby carriers on Ebay, craigslist, the babywearing swap group, or thebabywearer.com. The latter, by the way, is the definitive site for all things babywearing. You will need to create a login but it's well worth it.

So go ahead. Buy a second baby carrier. Or even a third. Know that you can sell it and recoup some of your investment when the time comes.

Question: Is it too late to start babywearing?

Very often, people ask me if it's too late to start babywearing. My generic answer is that if you are holding your child, you would probably be happier with a good baby carrier. As a related question, many people feel that their child is much too heavy to be worn because they have hit around 22 pounds. Let me address that concern first and then get back to thoughts on starting babywearing.

Most babies, especially breastfed babies, have a similar pattern to weight gain. You can see from the new World Health Organization Growth charts that at around 6 months, weight gain begins to taper, and it tapers more rapidly at around 12 months. So many parents watch their babies gain very rapidly in the first 3-5 months and immediately assume that they will have huge toddlers that will be impossible to clothe or pick up. Generally, this is not the case. And in the rare instances where it is the case, you pretty much have to deal with it because babies still need to be held, and a very good baby carrier such as the Ergo Baby Carrier or a Wrap will help you be more comfortable. I ask you, do you want to support 30 pounds with your arms, or strap the weight onto your body? And for you moms that say you are simply too petite to practice babywearing, again, I ask you, do you find yourself lugging your baby around and pushing the stroller with the other hand? You will be surprised how much easier it is to babywear with a proper baby carrier.

So, back to the original question, it's definitely not too late to start babywearing. If you're carrying your baby anyway, a well designed baby carrier, like the Ergo or the EllaRoo Mei Hip will support him just how you are holding him except hands free. Or on your back so he's out of the way.

If he's not used to being worn, the thing that is important to remember are that you can't stand still. So many people put the baby in the baby carrier and then stand there and say, "He doesn't like it," and conclude that it's not going to work for them. Um, babies aren't all that different. It does take a bit of work. My older daughter couldn't stand to be in a carseat if the car wasn't moving, so I planned my whole route around where I could go right on red! It's just the stuff we do to keep our littles happy. The same for babywearing; you have to at a minimum rock, bounce, or sway, and even better is to pace, or, best, go outside and walk! Once the baby gets used to it, they settle down, but even now, when I pick up my 2 year old, I bop pretty hard for a bit if she's fussing.

For babywearers, the party must go on!

I've just come from a first year birthday party. Of course, most of the guests were moms with babies. Most of the moms knew at least a few other moms, so it was a great opportunity to socialize.

After an hour, maybe a little more, the moms divided into two camps. Those that had to go because their baby had to take a nap, and those that stood up and put their baby in a baby carrier because their baby had to take a nap. The first camp said their goodbyes and was gone within a few minutes. The second camp continued their conversations standing, swaying, maybe bouncing a little. The party went on.

A few from the first camp noticed and were interested in the contraptions. I let one try my Ergo. I wonder if it will appeal to her. Her first thought was to wear the baby facing out. I let the other moms handle explaining that you can't do that. It does seem a shame that the popular Baby Bjorn got everyone thinking that was the way to wear a baby. She very quickly tried a baby carry and could see the wisdom in that so maybe she'll come around and find she gets to stay at parties in the future!

Not babywearing is so limiting!

Ergo Pet Carrier

I took some great photos of my daughter wearing one of our kitties in the Ergo Baby Carrier. And she also got some great shots of me wearing our larger cat, who's 14. Both cats thoroughly enjoyed modeling. I was actually surprised at how well they took to it. Later, I found the old guy napping on the Ergo.

This would work great for small dogs, too.

Ergo Baby Carrier Instructions

I am so proud of myself! I have a long way to go but I have made some great progress updating the Ergo Baby Carrier Instructions page. I've added some tips that come from all my experience with the Ergo and some tips that my customers have shared with me. If you've got a great tip, share it with me!

Babywearing and The Ergo Lady

They say to do what you love. It has taken me my whole adult life to get here but I have found my bliss. I teach babywearing and sell the best baby carriers.

What the heck is babywearing?

Babywearing is the best little secret of parenting. Babywearing means just what it sounds like: using a baby carrier, your little one is secured to you like part of your outfit.

Babies who are worn are right up with the action, seeing whatever mom or dad is doing, so there is no need to fuss or complain of boredom or discomfort. No need to run away to get some attention. Since little one is so close to mom or dad, she’s getting constant physical contact and is secure. Need to nurse? The snack bar is open! Tired of nursing? Baby goes on mama’s back or on daddy.

Babies can tend to get disorganized after too much stimulation or when they get tired. Babywearing gets them sorted right back out.

My favorite reasons wear baby

• I have 2 children and need to tend to the older
• Sometimes I like to eat. Babywearing enables me to have free hands so I can prepare food.
• Travel is so simple with a baby on your back and no stroller to check.
• Strollers can’t go on gravel, up stairs, on sand or in some places like museums.
• It is difficult to get strollers in and out of the car, especially if you are holding your baby.
• The baby fusses while you’re struggling with the stroller.
• The baby demands to be picked up anyway and then you only have one hand to use to push the big heavy stroller.
• When you are in someone’s house and it’s not child-proofed, having a baby carrier will save you.
• Sleepy babies want to be held.
  
• The bond is so much closer when you touch your little angels a lot.
• You really can nurse hands-free and get other things done. I did not believe this with my older daughter. Believe it.

Things to look for in a Baby Carrier

A well-designed baby carrier, such as the Ergo Baby Carrier, is comfortable for the parent and baby and ergonomically correct. Some of the baby’s weight is supported on the wearer’s hips and some on the shoulders. The baby’s legs should, in general, be together for the first few months. An exception to this is if the baby has hip dysplasia. At around three months, when baby naturally chooses this position on her own, her legs should be open. Some experts have expressed concern with the growing trend of baby carriers that have baby supported mainly by the crotch. There is concern that this can lead to hip dysplasia. Anyway, I am certain that I would not like to be suspending dangling by my crotch. Also, small babies should be worn facing the parent. They are simply too vulnerable to be facing out, soft belly to the world, as it were. When worn facing in, they can still see plenty of what is going on around them, but they can check in with mom or dad and connect whenever necessary and hide if required.

Where to learn more

You can learn all about the Ergo Baby Carrier from TheErgoLady. You can learn about babywearing either online at thebabywearer.com or find a group that meets you by looking up your area on the NINO website, ninenineout.org.
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By Ellen Sandoval, Babywearing Consultant and Babywearing Educator. Ellen owns and operates SoBeBabies.com, Inc and TheErgoLady.com and works at home with her two lovely girls underfoot.

Picky, picky!

My daughter just turned two! I know! Can you believe it? And lately, I've noticed she's so particular about her positioning when I wear her in the Ergo. If I try to put her on my back and she's not in the mood, she protests and wriggles. If I try to put her on my front, and she was in the mood to be on my back, same thing! She's even requested a hip carry a few times. Adorable!

The good news is she is once again more willing to be my model. For at least her first 16 months, I could use her to demonstrate any baby carrier and any position in my NINO babywearing meetings. Then she started having too much fun playing with the other kids and didn't want to be interrupted. Now, when she seems me playing around with my Reborn doll, she usually decides she'd rather be picked up.

Babywearing in the news

It's great to see the growing trend of stories about babywearing in the news. I hate to be too terribly picky but in this story, the mom is pictured with the Maya Wrap sling and it's just not looking quite perfect to my uber critical eye. This is a perfect example of how most people wear their babies. Please don't take offence at my critique. This is meant not in a spirit of picking but rather in a spirit of helping people understand that babywearing isn't meant to be difficult. So let me preface my critique by saying that with our older daughter, my husband and I did not know how to babywear very comfortably so we suffered (with grace) for 18 months before we discovered wraps. With my second, I am loving the Ergo baby carrier for it's simplicity and consistent comfort.


The shoulder isn't quite spread enough to be comfortable and will have a tendency to ride up to her neck. And the part where the baby sits isn't quite right - ideally, the baby's knees should be higher then his tush so he can't straighten his legs and fall right out the bottom. Now, I bet what happened is that the camera crew rushed the mom a bit and she herself wasn't thrilled with how this photo turned out because she didn't want to look like it was too difficult to position baby correctly.

There is a learning curve to any baby carrier and at first, it can be intimidating to do in public because making adjustments to get it just right might make it seem like you don't know what you're doing. Many is the time I left baby in a painful position because it just seemed to be taking too long and people were staring. Nowadays, I know what I'm doing so this is no longer the case but if I do find something wrong, I take the time to fix it.

If this nice mama showed up at one of my NINO babywearing meetings, or oh heck, even a park near me, I might walk up to her, introduce myself, and ask permission to make a few adjustments. As I learned from Tracy of Mamatoto, wearing your baby is an art that will be lost of we don't take the time to help each other, one on one.

So, what's a NINO babywearing meeting like, anyway?

Yesterday, I ran a NINO babywearing meeting at Delicious Organics. It was the first meeting I'd held there. I am trying something new: since I lost my previous meeting space, I would like to have the meeting some place that is convenient for me but where people will want to come. And it has to be a good space for the meeting. I am still figuring this all out. Next month, we're meeting at The Goddess Store (more on that later). So the meeting has been at a new location each month. It's a chance as well to promote a local business. I should have mentioned before the meeting that Delicious Organics has a wonderful selection of affordably priced wooden and classic toys.

As usual, uber-cool beautiful babywearing mamas showed up with their babies and young children to hang out, connect, snack, and hey, maybe even share tips about parenting and babywearing!

The meeting space was definitely tight, but by the next time we meet there, they will have a bigger space ready for us. It was still quite a good meeting there because there were a load of toys to keep the kids entertained and, well, delicious organic snacks available! A few moms took advantage and did their shopping after the meeting and I know at least one mom will be ordering her groceries delivered and telling friends about it. I love the synchronicity of that; we needed a space to meet, they offer the space and get a few new customers. All things in life should have that natural feeling. I never fully understood the naturalness of the win/win concept when I was a single pre-kids adult working in big offices. Funny how more things make more sense to me when the work is of my own choosing.

I was thrilled that Amy of Oopa Slings came. I had met her at one of my earliest babywearing meetings when my younger daughter was a tiny newborn and I was so impressed with her knowledge of slings that I was inspired to give them another shot and take more time learning how to use them. Yesterday I was not disappointed with her in any way even after 18 months of study!

Amy had a selection of her amazing slings with her, including a chocolate/pink number that I'm still thinking about though I only admired it from afar, as well as
a whisper of fushia that I tried on and loved the feel of. I didn't realize it would feel so freeing to wear such a thin fabric.

As always, everyone chatted and talked about lots of babywearing issues during the meeting. One mom of two, near and dear to my heart because she has a variety of baby carriers, was lamenting the fact that her 3 month old was getting to big to nurse in her New Native Pouch. Well, I was thrilled to have my new weighted Reborn doll. While her real baby peacefully napped, I asked her to show me with the doll how she was nursing. In the past, I would have described what to try and then she'd either have had to wake her baby or wait until baby woke up. Then when baby really just wanted to peacefully nurse, she'd have to be fumbling around trying to learn a new skill because of the limited time of the meeting. Baby would probably be frustrated and screaming. Since I had the doll, she was able to use that. So she put the doll in the pouch with the doll's head by her (mama's) shoulder where the pouch rested. You'd think that was a natural way to nurse in a pouch or sling (baby's head at the high end), and it is, but it will only get you so far, as she'd quickly realized. By showing her with the doll, there was no anxiety or urgency. I moved the doll's head to mama's other side, popped the doll's legs out at the bottom, and viola! Nursing on the other side. She (the mama) had a big ahah! moment! (Baby was still sleeping but maybe she had an ahah! moment as well.) A short time later, her real baby woke up and mama popped baby in the pouch to try it out but now had the muscle memory of what to do. Then we were able to troubleshoot. I find most babies don't like their head's constrained by a baby carrier unless they're asleep so I suggested just leaving baby's head out and supporting it with her hand or in the crook of her arm. Then, after nursing, the options are to pop baby's head in if she falls asleep, or put her vertical in tummy to tummy if she stays awake, or just reposition her as desired. I just bought her 3 more months in her New Native!

A pregnant mom came as well. Come to think of it, that's only the second time that a preggie has come to a babywearing meeting. She had met me at an Attachment Parenting meeting and wanted an overview of all the baby carriers. It did take a while but I was able to show her most of the options. She had surfed my website but there is nothing like seeing them in real life!

Kathy, the owner of BabysAbode.com, a cloth diaper company, was there as well with sleeping baby on her back in the Ergo Classic. She and I have started reaching out to pregnant moms a bit more by doing an intro to Attachment Parenting, babywearing, and cloth diapering talk at the Hollywood Birth Center. Again, the Reborn doll comes in handy as he can be used to demonstrate the diapers and babywearing.


Another friend I was thrilled to see was supermodel Enith and her two lovely girls! Enith did my website and runs her own online scrapbooking business. Enith is wearing her younger daughter in the cranberry Ergo Baby Carrier.

Amy and I got a chance to talk shop a bit. I often forget how isolated I am in my chosen field. While it's true that I can chat online with virtual friends who are babywearing aficionados like myself, I rarely get to talk with someone in the business. She tried out a prototype EllaRoo lightly padded sling and asked me my opinions on the pros and cons padded rails. And I watched her in action as she taught the finer points of sling wearing to a Maya Wrap wearing mama. I am looking forward to practicing her technique and using her tips.

Everyone was definitely curious about the new My Baby Nest Carrier. In fact, Annie, owner of Delicious Organics and mom of four, wears her newborn baby in one but she is camera shy!

Elizabeth, yoga teacher, who used a sling with her older daughter and now uses an Ergo Baby Carrier with her newborn, had fun trying out a few baby carriers including an EllaRoo Wrap. Wraps are definitely amazingly comfortable and versatile but I think she's sticking to her Ergo. By the way, Elizabeth prefers to use the Ergo without the newborn insert and has done since very early on.

In March, we'll be meeting at The Goddess Store. They have a really interesting calendar of events including belly dancing, drum circles, and classes for kids. This is one of my favorite stores on Harrison Street, with fun affordable items for Goddesses. I'm really looking forward to the meeting space. We're meeting in a spacious room with hardwood floors and a huge floor to ceiling mirror. It's great to be able to see what you're doing when you're trying to learn a new carry and the kids will love this space too. I hope Carmen is cool with us playing with the drums that are used for the drumming circles. And everyone can explore Downtown Hollywood afterward. There is a coffee shop with comfy couches around the corner which is probably where I'll be heading after the meeting.

I love it. Again!

Woo hoo! I wasn't going to open the package. Heck, I wasn't even going to order any. But then, I thought well maybe they'll be nice. So I went ahead and ordered 3 of the organic denim Ergo Baby Carriers. And the box collected dust. I was swamped with work and forgot about them.

Luckily, a friend asked me a question about them. Are they soft? I told her that I hadn't even taken one out of the package.

"Ellen", she said to me, "you have to try the thing!" Yikes! Of course she was right. So, reluctantly, off came the packaging.

And wow! I really love this thing! It is very stylish looking. I didn't actually expect to like it. It is also super nice with the lining the matching navy color so the hood blends in beautifully. It's my new favorite.

I have gone ahead and ordered some more and as soon as I can, I'll make another order if it's not too late. These are only temporary so I don't want to run out too quickly!

Product Review of the Hippy Chick Hip Seat

Cool name. For the name alone, I had to have one of these! Unfortunately, they are not available in the USA so I had to go to eBay UK. And unfortunately, I overpaid. Apparently, Walmart stocks a very similar hip seat product.

I like the cool olive color. Very trendy. I like the simplicity of the product. You put it around your waist and close the buckle. What could be simpler than that?

But it didn't work! I contacted the seller because there were no instructions and was advised to put it on my waist, not my hips, and fasten it fairly snugly. Well, I am never a fan of things fastened snugly around my waist but in the interest of giving it a fair shake, I went ahead and did this and tried it with my baby. Now, keep in mind that I have some lower back issues so I am pretty specific in my needs in a baby carrier but also a great test case for a product offering the wearer balanced support.

This thing still threw me a little off to one side. If I went really tight, it was better but just too uncomfortable for me. I can't walk around like that. And also, the seat part sticks out so far, I feel really ridiculous with no baby on my hip. Lastly, since baby is not in any way strapped in, she didn't want to stay on the seat and for me, a large part of why I use a baby carrier is so my baby will stay put.

Still, I could see this being useful. At home, I do a fair bit with baby on my hip so why not have her sitting on this Hippy Chick Hip Seat and take a load off? Well...my arm is needed anyway to hold her there so why not keep building my bicep? No, that's not right; it is best to not do off-balance carries. But this just didn't help enough.

Give me my Ergo baby carrier any day!

A month of life in the Ergo

If you were going away and could only take one baby carrier with you, what would it be?

I just evacuated Florida for the entire month of September to avoid hurricanes. I traveled alone with my 5 year old and my 15 month old and 2 carry-on pieces of luggage. I can't bear checking luggage because something always seems to happen to it and anyway, can you really imagine trying to collect luggage with a toddler and another child to keep track of in New York City?

My baby is now a bit of a runner. Everything requires fine planning; I need to get to the airport early enough so I am not stressed but I certainly can't be hanging around there too terribly long with a toddler. Having just made a solo trip with both girls to Massachusetts, I know her threshold for being in the Ergo on public transportation is quite long, so long as I'm on the move and it's interesting. An airport terminal is pretty boring.

Sure enough, about 5 minutes before I could board, she got fussy and I had to keep moving to keep her happy. I wanted to board first because I didn't want to be shuffling in a slow line with her on my back. Once I got on the plane (Jet Blue - they are so helpful), she was fine. I mean, she was all over the place, on my lap, on the floor, but she stayed put, thank goodness, and mostly napped on my lap once we took off.

I didn't want to risk public transportation on the way to my mother's place so I took a taxi. What a mistake. The idiot driver didn't give me a moment to get the carseat strapped down securely. I was flopping all over the back of the cab as was the baby and he simply would not pull over. I finally had to give up and just do the best I could so we didn't both get killed. I have a Costco travel baby seat which weighs only 4 pounds and I don't think she was very impressed with it. My older daughter I put in her booster seat which is just a seat base so it's very portable as well.

During our stay, we used a stroller for local trips and tried to avoid taking it on subways and buses. It is really quite a pain to get up and down subway stairs with a stroller banging upside your leg. On the days I was without it, I felt totally free and relieved. Of course, carrying a baby all the time does become quite tiring day after day when you're not used to it. I admit that I lost 5 pounds over the course of the month because of a combination of carrying my baby all the time and also the fact that in the city, you wind up walking about 2 miles a day. Some days we walked 4 or 5 miles but on those days I took the stroller and had my older daughter on a Buggy Board on the back. So I was still getting a workout pushing her.

I learned some great tips for wearing the Ergo during my stay. I'll be putting these on my website. One tip is for wearing the Ergo on the front. In order to get the chest strap closed behind you, loosen one shoulder strap a lot and then close the strap with ease behind you. Then simply tighten the shoulder strap. The same applies to the Patapum Baby Carrier.

On the way home, I took public transportation all the way from New Jersey to JFK airport in Queens. It took a lot of doing and I did have a few choice words for the New York MTA subway stop at which the PATH dropped me off as there was no access for someone carrying babies and luggage but mainly, it went quite well, due, in no small part, to the Ergo freeing me up to be able to carry my 2 carry-on bags.

Think about that for a second. I was able to travel from New Jersey via PATH to the NYC subways to the Air Train and through stairways and elevators and across streets and bridges all without my husband's help and with my baby on my back. I could not have managed this without the Ergo. I would have had to take a taxi and that one ride would have cost more than the Ergo! Plus, how would I have negotiated the airport without the Ergo? I would have had to gate check my luggage and then worry about it and deal with entertaining 2 children while I waited for my bag to show up. No thanks! This was such a breeze!

By the way, now that I'm back in Florida, of course the hurricanes are not cooperating with my plans and keep coming. We lost power for a few days after Hurricane Wilma and I had to climb the stairs in my building many times. I'm still feeling the Ergo love as I put baby on my back and hauled up whatever supplies we were able to find on foot since there are no gas stations open and we were not willing to use any gas just in case we had to evacuate due to FPL warnings that power might not be restored for a month. Whew! If you're panting from reading that sentence, you should have heard my breathing at the top of the stairs!

The Ultimate Hip Carrier

Well it's official! I am feeling the love! I have been waiting six
years for the Ultimate Hip Carrier and I finally have it! It is not
only gorgeous, but it is so
comfy and easy to use. I have never been a huge fan of slings because
they just feel too heavy after about 10 or 12 pounds. But by
transferring some of the weight to the hips, I'm not feeling like I
have to carry such a huge pull on my neck, shoulder and spine. The
shoulder strap is wonderful. It's so easy to adjust and it doesn't ride
up my neck like the Walking Rock Farm baby carriers that I used years
ago. I even contacted that company with my suggestions years ago and
while they were extremely nice, they never fixed the issue. I tried
taking my carrier apart and replacing the shoulder strap but I'm just
not that handy a seamstress! I am so thrilled with the redesign of the
EllaRoo Mei Hip baby carrier. It is, without a doubt, the Ultimate Hip
Carrier!

Product Tester Review of The Hip Daddy (not available yet)

Today I got to try a new baby carrier (to be released in a few weeks). You'd think that after 6 years of babywearing, I wouldn't get excited every time a package with something new arrived. You'd think. But I had high hopes for this baby carrier and I will say right now, I was not disappointed. And that is saying something because I have been waiting for a product that met my specific requirements for a hip carrier for nearly as long as I've been wearing babies!

These are the areas I have been looking for:

Comfortable - Four thumbs up. Even though it appears deceptively simple in design, it is comfortable all around. The waist strap does not dig in but rather transfers weight to my hips. I was concerned because it is not very structured. I am pretty sure I'm wearing it correctly - I have the waist band flipped down so it creates a pocket for baby to sit. To be honest, I had to take apart the entire carrier the moment I got it so I could wear it black side out and there is a possibility I misunderstood how it was supposed to be assembled. I used to do sports that were heavy on the whole threading straps through buckles thing so I am pretty good with it but it can be tricky and instructions would be helpful. Regardless, I am happy with how I am wearing it. At first, I didn't even realize that the shoulder support opened up to form a cap for your shoulder. When I wore it closed, it did not ride up into my neck, which suprised me and attests to the lovely soft cotton that was chosen for this part of the carrier. The clever way it opens up to cap the shoulder means that only a minimum of padding is required for comfort. Rather, comfort is achieved simply by spreading out the weight.

Stylish - I quite like the batik material but I still chose to put that on the inside and wear basic black. I can have just a flash of color showing where the top folds down or I can choose to flip this bit to the inside and have a completely black carrier. Nice. I have a cat and the black fabric does not appear to be overly furry which is important; for some reason, the darker the fabric, the more it attracts fur in general. This was a good choice of material in that it is quite soft but not too magnetic.

Spine straight - The wearer's spine should be vertical; the wearer should not need to cock a hip out to the side. I am able to adjust the carrier so that I can walk naturally and stand as I please and feel my spine is in perfect alignment. What makes it possible to adjust this carrier so perfectly is the fact that it can be tightened easily both on the front and back. The shoulder pad is rather small, but baby can be moved a little forward or back and by tightening or loosening the front or back strap, it is easy to keep the shoulder pad right on the cap of the shoulder, nice and snug.

Can be used on either hip - I've worn it on both hips. It is very straightforward.

Well-made - all the straps are 2 inch webbing. All seams are well-stiched. The toy rings are a great touch! My daughter loves them and I haven't even put toys on. While I was rethreading it, she kept hurling herself at me, trying to get back in! It was totally irritating (the whole spacial aspect of rethreading buckles requires all my concentration and being hurried doesn't help) and totally cute!

Cool - I can't believe how breezy and breathable the cotton is.

Light weight - there is nothing to it! It weighs mere ounces! I am going away and was only going to take one carrier. Hah. This one won't take but a corner of my suitcase.



Issues/Concerns:
The instructions say to put the waist strap on the waist. I believe shoving it down a bit and tightening across the hip bones is going to prove more comfortable; if I wore it on my natural waist, I'd feel ill.

Threading instructions with a diagram would be helpful for those of us who choose to reverse the carrier.

I am very tall. I have no idea how it will work on someone shorter but I'll try to find out.

I would much prefer a buckle attachment for getting in and out of the thing. Since it is reversable, this would require the buckle be on both the front and the back. I have tried two methods for putting it on. First, I was in such a hurry that I didn't read the instructions so I just put the whole carrier on and then slid baby in from the top. This worked fine but would not work with a baby over a certain height as their legs would be too long. So I tried the recommended method as well, which is to sit baby in the carrier and then lift the very loose straps up and over baby's head and your head. It's tricky! My husband didn't like this maneuver either. Possibly, it's one of those things that just becomes second nature with practice. For now, I felt like I was messing up my hair and slouching and ducking and still the straps needed more lengthening to get over my head. And then, once there, are so long that it takes a lot of fussing to get them short enough.

My baby is 15 months and rather slender. I will have to see how it works with both smaller and larger babies. I am concerned that it would be tiring with a very heavy baby.

Wearing my baby makes me sane

I am not one of those mamas that can stand to chase a toddler. I just can't do it!

My older daughter spared me that in two ways. First, she never ever wanted to be put down, so I wore her pretty much all the time or held her in my lap. And second, she never could stand to not be in complete physical contact with me so running away wasn't an option.

I knew even from pregnancy that I wouldn't be so-blessed again. That's one reason I made it a point to wear my second daughter a lot. At times when I was going out to the car and could just as easily have held her in my hands, I always made a point of putting her in a wrap or Ergo baby carrier.

The result of my efforts is that she doesn't expect to get to run away and I am not always chasing her. She is quite calm to ride on my back.

My husband doesn't always wear her and lately, I've noticed him chasing her all over the place when we're trying to get somewhere or get home.

In short, I'm thrilled that my life is made so much easier because she is content to be worn and view the world from up high.

Traveling alone with a baby and a kid, AKA I love my Ergo baby carrier

I just have to share this story because it's so amazing to me. Amazing in that it was no big deal! When I had just one child, I couldn't have, in a million years, dreamed of traveling alone with her. I couldn't have managed her and all the stuff. We always had a carseat and a stroller to carry the carseat and luggage piled on top of that.

Fast-forward to my recent trip to visit friends. My husband dropped me off at the airport and off I went with my 5 year old, my baby on my back in the Ergo baby carrier, and 2 carry-on pieces of luggage. That's it!

I always get really stressed out about going through the security checkpoint and this time was no different. But putting the luggage on the rack to get x-rayed was no big deal. My shoes went into a plastic bin. They insisted on xraying the Ergo but I just walked through carrying my baby, got her on my back right away, slipped my shoes back on, and off I went with my two daughters. Honestly, it was a breeze.

But that wasn't the end. Getting on the plane was so easy with my baby safely on my back, directly behind me. My daughter wheeled her luggage so I felt very free with only one piece of luggage to handle. As baby was behind me, stowing my own luggage was a breeze. Same thing when we landed.

The friend who was picking us up wasn't able to meet us when the plane landed and there was no way I was going to hang out in a major airport for hours so I took public transportation. Had to, really; I had no carseats. I wound up taking a bus, train, trolley, train, and another bus. It took about an hour and a half. The baby snoozed in the Ergo on my back, hoodrest up, and arrived refreshed. I could not be more thrilled to have pulled that off. Much more relaxing to keep moving than to try to keep track of a toddler in an airport and luggage and my older daughter. What a nightmare that would have been!