International Babywearing Week

Okay I know I am a little late on this but Sept. 21st-28th is International Babywearing Week! There are numerous benefits to wearing your baby.
It has been said that carried babies-

*get a better view of the world- babies pushed in strollers or in car seats only get to see the adult world at knee-level
*learn more- not overstimulated, but calm and alert, which is the optimum state for nervous system development
*become independent faster- when your baby feels loved and cared for then they are confident and trust that you will be there to meet their needs
*regulate their own physical responses -better motor skills, coordination, and sense of balance from observing you and listening to you
*are calmer - when you are close to your baby you can quickly respond to all of her needs
*cry less -less stress hormones from crying means your baby is happier and more peaceful

In honor of International Babywearing Week, I am sharing our on-going journey through babywearing:

The Snugli... (Didn't use too long since it killed my shoulders & back after Luke got over 15 pounds)



A metal-frame backpack carrier that I hoped would be more comfy (not so much...) But did use for hiking a little bit.

The SleepyWrap... (Loved this for newborn months...I honestly need to learn more ways to tie it now that Charlotte is bigger!)

The Hotslings (Loved front carry position before she could hold her head up well..perfect around 4 months. Also loved the pretty fabric! Now when we do the hip carry Charlotte seems to want to arch her back away from me...not sure why that is!)

And Finally the Ergobaby Carrier (This is my go-to carrier right now and I think it will be useful for quite some time now that Charlotte is getting bigger and even Luke can still ride in it. I didn't have the infant insert so 4+ months is when we started using it. Ergobaby also has a new Heart2Heart infant insert that looks more secure for younger babies to ride in this carrier.)

Babywearing?!?

A few weeks ago, I had never heard of the term "babywearing". In learning how hard it is to handle a toddler and all his needs, along with a newborn who loves to be held, this may just be my new lifestyle! One of my mom's coworkers recently had a baby and has other small children and told her about a wrap-style carrier she uses to keep the baby cuddled and her hands free to tend to her other children. This style of carrier is supposed to be more comfortable for mom and for baby. When checking out websites and other blogs about these carriers, I read about several mom's who refer to themselves as "babywearers". It's supposed to be great for bonding and have other health benefits for baby. Plus the mom's love it! So I bought myself a sleepywrap. It is basically a piece of fabric 5 meters long.... yes 5 meters long!!!... that you wrap around yourself in various ways and tuck the baby inside to tote them around. It was a little confusing as to how to wrap the fabric the right way but I think I am already getting the hang of it. My mom and I have both worn it now on some walks and so far it's pretty comfy and Charlotte falls right asleep in it. Here's a picture from their website... (I have pictures of my mom wearing it but she would probably kill me if I posted them!) Now- walking on the road or in the woods is one thing. Today I needed to go to Walmart and JW was staying home with Luke and I was going to take Charlotte with me. I tried to take her to a store once before thinking she would sleep in her car seat if we kept the stroller/cart moving.... and she screamed until she was held (very embarrassing in a store!). Luckily, that day Aunt Kathryn was with me and she could hold Charlotte while I pushed the cart and got my groceries. Today I would be on my own. I thought I would try the sleepywrap. I managed to get her in it okay in the backseat of the car and she slept wonderfully the whole shopping experience. However, I was not prepared for hundreds of people staring at me and wondering what the #*!! I had strapped to me! Kathryn said in Oregon people were always wearing baby wraps/slings etc. But ummm not in Indiana so much. It does look a little strange I think. I sort of felt like a character in Star Wars with all this fabric wrapped and hanging. Let's just say it caught a lot of people's attention and I was a little embarrassed. A Walmart worker (older man) who was arranging ground beef asked me how I liked that kind of baby carrier and we had a little chat about it! Then a cute little girl with magenta sequin shoes said "Mommy, she has a baby in her belly!"... and other's just stared and sometimes smiled. By others I mean every person I walked past, and Walmart was packed! I get self-conscious easily so it was a little challenging for me to remember all the items I needed, but I managed to get through it! In other news, Charlotte is 3 weeks old! She is already getting bigger and changing so much. She was 8 pounds, 5 ounces and 20.5 inches at her 2 week check up. Those were at about the 40th percentile and the doctor thought she was doing great! She still has somewhat of a stuffy nose from the illness that went around, but the doctor said her lungs sounded good and wasn't worried about it. She likes her baths now and they make her pretty alert but calm. She enjoys tummy time, although I've learned I have to guard her carefully when she is on the floor since Luke doesn't seem to notice her or tries to get a little too close! She cries a little more during the day (that's why JW preferred to stay with Luke and have her go with me!) haha but I think overall she is still a pretty content baby. Luke is cracking us up on a daily basis. The tantrums have lessened and he is acting more lovingly towards the baby so that is nice. I have been taking him out to walk in the woods in the afternoons and the kid can run/walk/jog for miles and never get tired! Here are some recent pics of our adventures!