How shallow should I be?

My youngest is going to be 5 in about 2 weeks. And for the last few months, she is requesting to go in a "carrier" every morning. Before bed, she often reminds me that she wants me to scoop her up and pop her in a baby carrier first thing in the morning. I usually oblige (so long as I haven't twisted an ankle or anything like that).

She likes pink. I do too. But my absolute favorite baby carrier is my Ergo and it's a few years old.

Should I get myself a pink Ergo, now that there is one available? Is that totally nuts?

On the other hand, if I'm going to get a new Ergo, why not try out the Ergo Sport that everyone is raving about? I'm super curious about the fit and extended padding and all the nifty new features.

Oh but this is so silly! She's going to be five! I don't need any new baby carriers!

Hip Carry in a Soft Structured Baby Carrier and other ramblings

Finally! A photo of my improved method for using an SSC for a hip carry! I've been meaning to take a photo of this for freaking ever but until you guys nag, I don't tend to get to things. (More on what I got nagged - oops I mean I offered - to do today later!)

This hip carrry method is described on The Ergo Lady's Tips & Tricks section but I never had a photo before. Someone said they couldn't understand my ramblings so voila! A long-overdue photo! Now that I've learned a thing or two about PhotoShop, like, how to extract the background (which in my place is comprised of a whole mess of kid stuff that basically looks like clutter but isn't to me), I can just have my older daughter stand on a chair and do the honors.

For those of you that are keeping track, the Ergo pictured here is doubly new. Not only is it the very latest style of New Generation Ergo Baby carrier - so it can't lose its chest strap (among other enhancements), it's also Brown (chocolate)! And organic! I just got these in today and they were so worth the wait.

The other thing I did today was try my older daughter, who is over 70 pounds, in an Ergo and a Beco XO. Field research for someone who has a special needs child who is over 40 pounds and she's trying to figure what would work best. The Ergo was definitively more comfy for us both. No, Ergo doesn't recommend wearing 70 pounds, but they used to recommend the carriers up to 65 pounds, so you know they are tested higher. When a child is in a baby carrier, there are extra stresses that must be accounted for, so the carrier is not suddenly going to break at 66 pounds.

I suspect that the reason they backed off that recommendation was twofold. First, you just are not going to enjoy lugging much more than 40 pounds or so so unless you have to, it's really time for a stroller if your child won't walk. Second, their limbs are so long that wearing them is just awkward. But have I done it? Guilty. For example, this spring, my older daughter got a splinter during a hike. She absolutely needed carrying and it is still easier with a baby carrier.

The Ergo Lady Gets a Facelift!

I've been working on and off over the past few months on a facelift for The Ergo Lady. Then I had some nasty computer issues and nearly lost everything. I am slowly recovering. Tonight is the initial version of the renovated Ergo Lady website. The focus is more on information and more will be coming soon. All the information will be generic to most or all Structured Baby Carriers.

Feedback is welcome! Gorgeous Ergo Baby Carrier photos are also welcome!

The Ergo Lady needs incoming links!

I just did a little poking around and it's just as I'd hoped; people love the hard work I put into creating the Tips & Tricks on http://www.the-ergo-lady.com.
but when people get an Ergo Baby Carrier and blog about it, they always link to the manufacturer's website.

I'm asking you to spread the love! Send some links my way! Blog about your Ergo and the great experiences you had with it. And if you got any benefit from http://www.the-ergo-lady.com, then blog about that!

Thanks!
Ellen

New and Improved Ergo Baby Carrier

I've been sitting on some Ergo Baby Carrier news for a few weeks now but it's safe to spill the beans now. I didn't want to say anything while I still had inventory that wasn't affected. And in fact, some of my inventory is not affected. But first let me share the news!

The Ergo Baby Carrier has had some great improvements.

1. The chest straps are now permanently attached to the shoulder straps with a runner and will keep the chest strap in its desired location so it won't need readjusting each time the carrier is taken off or put on. These straps are dyed to match the carrier for a cohesive look.
2. The hood straps are shorter and snap directly on to the shoudler straps.
   
3. The hood has elastic to provide more length due to the shorter straps and will cup around the baby's head.
4. The D-ring is now just for personal use. It's great to hook a Haba toy clip.

These changes are not yet in the instructional DVD so don't get confused.

What does this mean? Well first of all, no more worring about losing your chest strap. If you want to do a hip carry, you will not have to take the chest strap off for fear of dropping it somewhere when you unbuckle the chest straps.

The sleep hood is going to be so much easier to use. It's now easier to find the runners and much easier to exactly match because you just snap the sleep hood right onto the shoulder strap right where you can easily reach. And when the sleep hood is not in use, you don't have to "put it in park"; I was forever running around behind Ergo wearers and running their sleep hood runners through the D-rings and snapping the runner back to itself. I call this position "park" and it means that the runners are not dangling around and getting in the way. These days will be behind us soon!

Has anything else changed? No, not as far as I can tell. It's still the same high quality baby carrier we've grown to know.

So, the colors that are not affected are the organic denim and the blue with cranberry lining. Everything else is the new version. If you received your Ergo in a box, you can rest assured that it's the latest and greatest version. Enjoy!

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!

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!

The Ergo Lady

If you know me at all, you'll know I'm obsessed with the Ergo Baby Carrier. I use mine all the time and have since my 2nd daughter was around 7 months old. In fact, within a few weeks of getting mine, I incorporated and decided to sell them! It took me a few weeks because I didn't catch on to how to use my Ergo Baby Carrier immediately and was intimidated by it at first.

My daughter is turning 2 tomorrow and we're still going strong with the Ergo Baby Carrier. I continue to use it every single day as does my husband. I love it. That said, I have just launched a 2nd website dedicated to this wonderful product. Locally, I am known as "The Ergo Lady" (or maybe it's "That Crazy Lady" but I'm not choosing to hear that!) so guess what my website is called? You guessed it! Have a look at The Ergo Lady and watch it grow. There will be more photos, more information, more videos, more, more, MORE!

The Classic Ergo vs the New Generation Ergo Baby Carrier

Well I got my Classic Ergo back at long last from a friend who'd borrowed it and I can finally compare the Classic and New Generation Ergo Baby Carriers with authority.

First thing I'd like to say is WOW! The New Generation Ergo Baby Carrier got it right! My initial impression when it came out was that it was more comfortable but I was so new to the Ergo at that point that it was hard to quantify for sure all the ways in which it had improved. Now, after a year of using the New Generation Ergo Baby Carrier, I can honestly assess the Classic Ergo.

I realize there are comparisons all over the place and charts and such but this is important stuff because there are old reviews kicking around of the Classic Ergo that people will take as definitive and the product has improved so dramatically that it is well worth noting what's better about the New Generation Ergo Baby Carrier. And this is quite possibly a work in progress as I just used it for only an hour or two. As I learn more, I will add to this blog.

The first thing that bothered me is that the waist strap on the Classic Ergo has, for average waisted people like myself, 2 elastic bands that you have to run through if you don't want to have it flapping around in front of you and looking silly. The New Generation Ergo has one elastic near the buckle which is much simpler. Nothing dangles.

The second annoyance is that the chest strap is not fixed to the shoulder straps. So getting the chest strap closed involves holding baby with one hand and getting the chest strap to the correct height before fastening. I don't miss doing this maneuver, especially for back carries.

The next thing I noticed was that the buckles are actually not as good as they used to be. The Classic Ergo had some kind of tab on the buckles under the arms that allow you to loosen it much more quickly. If you are a fan of SoBeBabies, then you'll know all about my technique for closing the chest strap behind you when wearing the Ergo on the front. But I used a back carry to start off.

The next thing I noticed was that it wasn't as comfy for a back carry. Baby was in, everything was adjusted, but it just wasn't thta comfy. As I recalled, when I got the New Generation Ergo Baby Carrier, it was more comfy under the arms. This was not my imagination. The shoulder straps have most definitely improved and it feels better. With the Classic Ergo, I felt a bit choked and poked by the straps.

As I wore baby a few minutes, I felt myself getting tired back muscles in a way I am not accustomed to. As time wore on, I was definitely not feeling that comfortable.

I doubt my baby was as comfy as she is normally because the body of the Classic Ergo is narrower. When I felt behind me to see how it was supporting her tush, it wasn't coming nearly as far up her legs. She's a toddler now. It just can't feel comfy to have little legs dangling down instead of sitting in a nice deep pocket.

After my errands, I popped baby on the front. Yikes. This is definitely not comfy in the Classic Ergo. In fact, it felt awful immediately. I have gotten quite used to this position in the New Generation Ergo Baby Carrier and I was shocked at how horrible it was in the Classic Ergo because it's great in the New Generation! One reason for this is that the body of the New Generation Ergo Baby Carrier has darts which automatically create a pocket. On the Classic Ergo, the waist strap was not flush against my body so most of the weight of baby was dangling off my shoulders. Very tiring. But also, I felt quite constricted.

That's it for now. This post may get revised as time allows.

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.

If you could design the perfect Ergo, what would you change?

Calling all New Generation Ergo Baby Carrier fans: If you could change anything about the Ergo, what would it be? Anything at all? Color? Measurements? Features? What would make it absolutely perfect?

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!

Product review of the Sutemi baby carrier

I have finally laid another worry to rest. I love my Ergo Baby Carrier more than any other carrier but I've always wondered about the Sutemi. I was able to lay my doubts to rest after I purchased one for testing. Don't get me wrong; it's a great carrier. But compared to the Ergo Baby Carrier? No way. I had a lot of issues with it.

If you wear it on your back, getting it on is tricky. In fact, it doesn't come with instructions! It says that only those experienced with back carries should attempt it. I can see why; this is not the carrier to learn with. Because this carrier crosses in front, in order to get baby on your back without help, you need to unfasten both straps. Then you need to reach back and find the correct strap and cross it over yourself, and buckle it on the opposite side, all the while holding baby. My baby sits still so it is fairly straightforward but this is not a beginner maneuver!

Another issue with wearing it on the back. If you cross the straps above your boobs, it kind of chokes you. If you cross them below your boobs, it certainly lifts and separates. I can see why most women are not comfortable with this look. Plus, either way, it feels like a mastitis risk. The Ergo Baby Carrier and Patapum Baby Carrier just don't seem to squash the breasts. I guess it would be great for men to wear this on the back with no boobs to get in the way.

I don't get quite why but it made my shoulders feel tired right away. The Ergo Baby Carrier and Patapum Baby Carrier straps seem to sit right to my shoulders. These straps seemed to float and I just couldn't get a tight cinch. And the more I tightened, the more my boobs were squashed and lifted and separated.

And the last issue with wearing it on the back is that there is no sleep hood. What if baby falls asleep?

On the front, it was still not all that comfy. It's fine but somehow the straps aren't fitting my build. I have slightly sloping shoulders so maybe this is specific to me.

And I really didn't care for the logo. It sits right on the shoulder instead of somewhere like the baby's tush and it looks like a Red Cross logo or something. It is just so darned red!

Yea! Ergos with solid lining

Yippie! The other day, my new shipment of Ergos arrived and I was pleased to see that the lining and sleep hood is solid. I wasn't too thrilled with that critters print. I know some people like it but I was never crazy about it. So yippie! Check out the old lining on my web page: http://sobebabies.com/babywearing.htm

I will be putting pictures of the solid lining up some time in October. I am making changes frantically for the next week and then I'm off to New York for a month with the girls while my husband holds down the fort alone for a month! I can NOT wait to meet up with the NYC babywearing crowd. They are so active. Maybe I will learn a few things from them so I can get my local group more stirred up.

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!

Baby Wearing 101

So you've got yourself a baby. And you've got 2 arms. And whoa! How come you never ever get to use your arms anymore 'cause they're always filled with baby?

Is the solution really to just be able to put baby down? 'Cause baby sure doesn't seem to think so!

But those dishes!

Okay, let's start at the beginning. If you still dont' believe you ought to wear a baby, go read When to wear your baby for a few ideas on why baby wearing is for you.

Now, let's start at the beginning.

If your baby is a little-little, you can get by with a sling, or (shudder) that other front carrier you're using. I'm not going to name names but I will say that the sooner you get your baby out of that thing, the better. It's not doing baby's hips any good. Check this article out if you don't believe me: http://www.continuum-concept.org/reading/spinalStress.html.

So a sling will do but a wrap is nicer.

And best of all is a soft front/back carrier like Ergo Baby Carrier or the Patapum Baby Carrier. What's so great about these? Well you get your baby off the ground, hands-free, and it's ergonomically correct for you both. I suffer from back pain and yet I can still carry my baby on my back for hours. Because a lot of the weight is supported on my hips, my shoulders never tire. Actually, this is a bit of a miracle because I've worn traditional frame backpacks and frame-style baby carriers and found them so bulky and heavy but also they caused a lot of neck pain. With the Ergo or Patapum, that issue just doesn't exist for me. It's a streamlined carrier that is simple to use with no pain!

Now, some of you are simply sick of having your baby on the front but don't feel comfortable with a back carry yet. But you still want your arms back. That is when a hip carrier comes into play and I have found the Ultimate Hip Carrier! The reason I recommend this carrier so highly is because slings throw your back out of whack and other hip carriers with waist supports do not have a comfortable shoulder support system. This is the only hip carrier where the shoulder strap spreads out and cups the wearer's shoulder, so the weight is distributed evenly. A plain old strap will ride up to your neck. To compensate for this discomfort, you might try wearing the strap on the outside of your shoulder, but that's not a wise move. It will pin your arm to your side and you will always have to be adjusting it. A strap that cups the shoulder and stays put is the way to go.

If you're like me and my friends, you'll switch around between a few carriers. After all, do you only have one pair of shoes?