Summertime Water Fun with Babywearing!

J demonstrates a mesh sling with a toddler in a local lake

One of the trickiest parts of taking babies and young toddlers in the water is that they become very slippery and tricky to hold.  Whether you're at the beach, a lake, the sprayground, or the pool, babies want to be part of our summer fun!

Babywearing can be a lifesaver, both literally and figuratively.  If you have older children that need hands on attention while you also hold the baby, a sling can make a world of difference.  While you always need to be aware of where baby's head is in relation to the water, and you will need to monitor the baby for chill, a sling can allow the whole family to enjoy summer water play.  Front or hip carries are the safest choices for being in water to best monitor baby's airway.  I know sometimes, even with baby on front, I've gotten too exuberant with our play and baby has gotten a mouth full of water.  It's easiest to recognize and remedy errors in judgment when baby is in front of you.  It's also easier to teach water fun like splashing when baby is in front and can see you patting the water.  We want our babies to associate water play with fun, not fear.

A shows us how a sling makes it possible to parent 2 children in the water.  She supervises her older son learning to boogie board while holding her younger son safe out of the waves.

One place I do not recommend wearing near water is on boats.  Babies and children need a Coast Guard approved floatation device on at all times in a boat, and the flotation device will not work properly while attached to an adult.  I love to babywear, and I see how wearing seems like the safest way to keep baby from falling overboard, but if there is an emergency requiring everyone to abandon the boat, you may not have time to remove baby from your carrier and add a proper floatation device.

Now, on to the carrier options:

Ring Slings:



K demonstrates a mesh sling at the beach with her toddler

I loved water ring slings.  I owned a few over my wearing days and they are quick in and out for baby, they dry fairly quickly, and they have a handy tail which makes a fabulous kick board for preschoolers learning to swim.  In general they are made from Athletic mesh (like gym shorts) or Solarweave (a material similar to men's swim trunks).  On the used market you may find some solarveil slings as well.  These materials have the qualities of handling water well, and drying quickly.  The concern of weight distribution is less important when wearing in water that at least comes to the baby's body because the water helps carry some of the weight.

M demonstrates a mesh sling at the beach with her sweet baby.  This shows excellent sun hat usage too!

K uses a mesh sling at the beach

C demonstrates using a solarweave sling in the pool with a 7mo old Z.

Grandma demonstrates a blue solarveil sling in the ocean with a 4mo old baby.

 

A Zanytoes Splash at the pool with a sleeping newborn

Several companies sell water slings.  A couple of our favorites are Zanytoes for the Zanytoes Splash (the solarweave slings pictured).  Comfy Joey,  Beachfront Baby, and Sweet Pea Slings  offer mesh slings in a variety of colors. KoKaDi has recently introduced their own water sling in pretty prints!  As mentioned, several companies once sold solarveil slings, these are available on the secondary market.  Always rinse your carrier after use in water to rinse out chlorine, salt, etc.

 

Wraps

 

Water wraps are great for those needing the symmetrical support of a wrap even when wearing in the water.  These wraps are often made of a stretchy material, similar to a women's bathing suit.  They are lightweight, pack small for your bag, and are simple to use.  Like most stretchy wraps, you can always wrap first and then add baby once you have the wrap prepared.  At one time, water wraps came in only black, but there are wider arrays of colors available these days.  The two most popular water wrap brands are the Wrapsody HDuO and the Beachfront Baby Wraps.

M shows us how to have fun on the beach and still be covered from the sun!

R shows us how to stay covered and cuddle baby at the beach in her water wrap.

P demonstrates for us nursing on the go at the beach!  Sun hats are great for nursing coverage.



Mei Tai and Soft Structured Carriers

There are fewer options in more structured water carriers.  There are some that are good for splashing, being on the beach, but just toes in the water.  But there are not a ton of options for really being IN the water with a carrier.  One buckle option is the Bitty Bean.  This carrier claims it is good for water use with a rinse immediately following.

M demonstrates the Bitty Bean at a local water park!

Another potential option is the WaterTaiTai by KoKaDi.  These are a newer entry to the water carrier market, but they are cute, have 2 shoulder support, and I expect them to be a popular choice for many families.

C shows us how to multitask at the pool nursing in her KoKaDi Water Mei Tai with rainbow dots.

Once water play fun is over, the water carrier can also be useful for after swimming showers.  Or even for your daily showers.  As I said before, wet babies are slippery.  Wearing in the shower can help everyone to feel safe while also getting clean.

G catches a shower before hitting the pool at a local rec center

Hope that this helps you find a carrier that will work to keep your whole family comfortable during water fun!  And take pictures so that next year when I ask for water wearing pictures, you all have some to share!  I love to see where you wear on your summer vacation.  Thank you to all of the members who shared photos for this post.

It's HOT!

IT’S HOT
by Shel Silverstein
It’s hot!
I can’t get cool,
I’ve drunk a quart of lemonade.
I think I’ll take my shoes off
And sit around in the shade.

It’s hot!
My back is sticky.
The sweat rolls down my chin.
I think I’ll take my clothes off
And sit around in my skin.

It’s hot!
I’ve tried with ’lectric fans,
And pools and ice cream cones.
I think I’ll take my skin off
And sit around in my bones.

It’s still hot!

This poem is often what comes to mind when people ask about wearing in the heat.  To some degree, you can do a million different things to try to make wearing cooler, but at the end of the day, on a 95 degree high humidity day in DC, strapping a little heater to yourself isn't going to make you cooler.  I consider this my personal reminder system to take regular water/nursing/bottle breaks for you and baby.  It is also a good reminder that breaks in the shade or AC are a good plan.  Baby in a stroller is just as hot, but you might be less aware because YOU aren't as hot. So, no matter how you transport baby, when taking baby out on a hot day, pay attention to hydration and sun exposure for both of you.

There are some things you can do to mitigate (but not eliminate) the heat.  Some people find that it is helpful to use a mei tai or soft structure carrier.  They seem to allow for a little more air movement between parent and baby.  With twins you can wear both a mei tai AND a soft structure carrier!

 

Some prefer to use a mei tai or SSC that has a mesh panel or is made from a tech fabric like a  performance nylon or with a mesh interior for increased air movement. 

 

A few such carriers are even labeled for use in the water!

 

Some wearers have found that exercise cooling towels can bring a little relief on a hot day.  These work through water evaporation, but apparently once wrung out they don't get you wet.  Many put these between themselves and an older baby or toddler, or between the child and the carrier.  I don't recommend putting it against a small baby, but you can still drape it around your neck for cooling.  You can see K has one hanging out from between them.  Even a low tech wet wash cloth can be used, but you'll feel much wetter... I'd reserve that for an all day festival where you're going to feel wet and gross no matter what.

 

One popular brand of the high tech towels is Frogg Togg, but many have found cheaper versions at discount stores.

 

Other wearers prefer to stick with the comfort of wraps on a hot day.  They feel the support of a wrap overshadows any minor increase in warmth.  However, certain carries can feel cooler on a hot day.  Single layer carries can relieve a little heat, especially if you dress baby in little to no clothing. In general, as long as baby is big enough for back carries, most people find back carries to feel cooler than front carries. 

 

 

 

When working in the house or garden, you can even remove your shirt.  A double hammock carry can be done shirtless to give you the least extra layers.

 



 

Another carrier style that is popular in the hot summer months is a ring sling.  It is one layer of fabric all the way around and it can come in a variety of fabrics including linen and a mesh that works in the water or out.  This can be a great option for a newborn that isn't ready for back carries.

 

 

Whenever possible, it's a good idea to help keep baby out of the sun.  Large sun hats (with a chin strap) are a great option.  Some families use an umbrella as a parasol, but another option is a carrier sun cover.

 

 

Finally, when all else fails, get wet!

 

 

 

And when you're finished in the pool, that water sling will help get a slippery baby showered off!







Other accessories that can help with cooling include those little personal fans or a misting bottle (or those combo fan/misters).  Hopefully some of this will help with making babywearing a great way to transport baby to every summer activity your family wants to enjoy!

Fun in the Sun and Spray!

In May we found out about the new sprayground that was  opening at Lee District Recreation Center. On a whim, we decided  to go. My family includes my husband Jermaine; two-year-old AJ; three-month-old Callie; my sister-in-law Sha-Nae; my four-year-old niece Kyaria, and their grandparents.

When we first got the the sprayground, Callie was asleep so I let her sit with her grandparents under the tent in the shade. Once she woke up (5 minutes later, of course), we didn’t want Callie to miss out on the fun. We’ve always been the family that likes to do everything together so I never want one of us to miss out on something just because of the baby. I knew that it would be an awesome time to have a water sling, but I hadn’t ordered one yet. At first my husband Jermaine just held her and put her feet in the sprinklers. She hated it. So then I just decided to go ahead and wrap her so that she would feel nice and snuggly and close to  Mommy and wouldn’t be so scared of the water. I decided to use my Easycare woven wrap because it’s so thin in the heat and not that long (~3.7m) so it would be easy to wrap out in public. I put Callie in a kangaroo (front) carry because so that it would be easy to cuddle and nurse her and ease her fears. It turned out to be awesome. Callie jumped and was a little scared the first time that the water hit her in the wrap, but being so close to me made her calm down pretty quickly.

My next task was getting AJ to have some fun. He *hates* water so he was literally hanging on my leg
at first. I had to act excited and jump through some fountains to get him to warm up. Eventually, he
started having fun as you can see in the pictures. He really liked the water table and the steering wheel
on the boat.

I also had my niece to chase around. She likes the water much more than my kids so it took all of us working together to keep up with her. Having Callie wrapped made entertaining and keeping up with the older kids so much easier.

When I needed to nurse Callie, it was pretty easy although I did make the mistake of wearing a shirt that wasn’t the best for nursing (Sean Taylor jersey – go Redskins!). I slid her down in the carry and sat in the shade for a few minutes and nursed. By the time that we finished nursing, the kids were tired and it was time to go. The carrier also helped make herding everyone and everything back to to the car a lot easier.

We had a blast on our first trip to the Lee Rec Sprayground. I was able to help my husband chase the kids, and Callie was able to be a part of everything. At the end of the day, I just hung my wrap up to dry, and it was fine in the morning. I still decided that I would get a water sling for our next trip to the sprayground so that it would dry fast, and because my Easycare is my car wrap, and I always like to have it ready to go.  We've been back a few times this summer, and the water sling has definitely come in handy.

Posted by Raagen

Wearing in the Water

Pools across the area opened this weekend, and mamas who gave birth during the previous year discovered that babies are really slippery in the pool.  If this is your second child, you discovered that holding the baby or getting the baby to sit in one of those boat things doesn't leave you the ability to hold/help your older child(ren) in the water.  What to do?  Avoid the pool all summer?  With the temps soaring over 90* this week, a summer without the pool sounds awful!  So, how do you take your kids to the pool without losing your mind?  We can help!

Water carriers can be an excellent way for mom and baby to enjoy the pool.  There is a wide variety of water carriers available on the market, so lets explore them:

Ring slings:
Nearly every sling maker has a water sling in the works this summer.  However, there are plenty of options around on the used market as well.  I love a ring sling for the water.  I find the weight on one shoulder isn't such an issue when the water is helping to buoy up the weight.  The easy of getting in and out is nice for slippery wet babies.  My older kids also like using the tail as a kickboard.  The tail can also make a nice sun shade when needed.
Fabrics are varied - solarveil is a popular choice from the past few years.  Unfortunately the fabric was discontinued and at this point these are only available on the used market.  This is very light and airy and offers the sun protection of about a t-shirt by the way it was woven.  Some describe the fabric as scratchy though.  Jeanne demonstrates:

Solarweave - This fabric has a UPF40 coating.  It is smoother and would remind you of men's swim trunks.
These can be found new from Kalea Baby through Zerberts or on the used market from Zanytoes and other vendors.

Mesh- This is the fabric that seems to be becoming quite popular for water slings.  Many vendors haven't quite gotten their fabric in yet.  TaylorMade has been using it for years though, so they have some in stock.
Don't Heather and her little one look happy?

Wraps
For all around support which may be more important for parents with injuries, or who just need symetrical carries, a wrap can be a great water choice.  Water wraps can be DIYd by purchasing either bathing suit fabric or athletic mesh from the fabric store and hemming or surging the edges.  Water wraps can be purchased from Wrapsody Baby, or from a variety of WAHMs on Etsy.
This one was DIY'd by Pamm.

Pouches
There are a few pouches made of a mesh that works well in the water, like this one:

But Angelique has hit on an ingenius solution.  She bought a cheap regular pouch from a consignment store.  She paid $3 for this Hotslings pouch and doesn't care if it gets faded or ruined in the water.

As you can see, there are many options for water wearing.  A couple safety notes... ALWAYS pay attention to where your little one's head is in relation to the water.  Sometimes while playing with an older child, you can get a little deeper than you mean to and a rogue wave can get in baby's mouth.  This doesn't take the place of closely monitoring your child, it just gives you free hands while you monitor your child.  Stay safe, and have a super fun summer.  Send us pics of your summer adventures while babywearing!

Finally, go "like" the International Babywearing Conference 2012 Facebook page.  We are in the process of planning for this major event next summer.  You want to be involved, it's going to be awesome! :)