International Babywearing Week Day 1: Make It Monday!

As we kick off International Babywearing Week, we want to remind you off our upcoming events to celebrate.  We hope to see you this week!


Today we celebrate homemade carriers:
 

 

Carriers for dolls:
 

DIY babywearing clothing:

As you can see, with a sewing machine and a little skill, anyone can create a carrier that will bring enjoyment to his or her family.

Mark Your Calendars! International Babywearing Week Activities

Next week is International Babywearing Week!  Here at BWI of DC-MD-VA we have planned several events to celebrate babywearing.  One thing we have planned is a collection of blog posts.  We are looking for pictures of your DIY carriers, your traditional carriers (ie from around the world), and just plain old enjoying babywearing pics!  Send photos with subjects (DIY, traditional, or fun) to beltwaybwers @ gmail.com and we will include you in next week's posts! 

Awards - there will be awards handed out next week!  Nominations are due by Oct 7th!

Now, on to the events!  

Monday, 10 October - Silver Spring meeting, Silver Spring Learning Center (Atrium) 9:30am-11:30am
                                                      1401 Arcola Ave. Silver Spring MD 20902

Tuesday, 11 October - Take it Tuesday!  Take information about babywearing to your OB, midwife,
                                      pediatrician, LC, chiropractor, whoever!

Wednesday, 12 October - Tysons meeting, Tysons-Pimmit library 10am-noon

Saturday, 15 October - See, Sample, and Swap with Takoma Attachment Parenting 5-6:30pm

                                       Heffner Community Center, Takoma Park, MD

                                       There will be crafts for the kids and carriers available to try for the adults

Sunday, 16 October - Sunday Stroll, Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA 2-4pm
                                      This will be a light hike, the planned route is not stroller friendly
                                      There is a $5 per car charge to enter the park

We hope to see you as we celebrate babywearing!

Real Men Wrap

When my son was born in early 2009, my wife bought a ring sling to wear him in. I liked the idea of
wearing our son, but that was just not manly to me. I searched for something that I felt comfortable
with, and found the Moby wrap. I liked the fact that it looked kind of like I was wearing a karate suit.

Fast forward to 2011, we had our second, a little girl, and my wife discovered wrapping. Who knew there was to much to know?  There are wraps of different colors, textures, weights, some that are $50 and some that are over $1000.  Apparently, my wife must have them all. She sold me on it because it was the one carrier that we could use to put our newborn on our backs. I loved my Ergo and Moby, but they weren’t options for newborn back carries (Mobys are never good for back carries). Anybody who has experienced the rude awakening of the second child knows how hard it is to keep both kids fed and clean. There were tons of things that needed to be done around the house when I got home from work, and I couldn’t really do that much while wearing Callie in the Moby on my chest.

Raagen learned to put our little girl on our back by going to babywearing meetings where I’m pretty sure the goal is for women to convince each other to buy more stuff. Anyway, I noticed that she was wearing the baby every evening during what would otherwise be my time with my little girl. So I decided to learn, too. Of course, my wife was excited because now she needed to buy me my own wrap, a size 7 Didymos Iris.

First my wife taught me how to put the baby in a FWCC (front wrap cross carry) because it was similar to the Moby. Then one day she put the baby in a ruck on my back. I wasn’t too keen on that because I hate having people do stuff for me. So I decided to go to one of these crazy babywearing meetings to learn how to do it myself.

Thanks to a nice lady named Angelique, I learned the BWCC (back wrap cross carry). I have to be honest. It took me about five times wrapping and unwrapping. I wrapped til I had nothing left in me. But I was determined. I wanted to be able to wear my baby while getting things done. It took practice, but I can now do a BWCC and a FWCC. For my purposes, that’s good enough. I want to let the rest of the dads out there know that you too can wrap your baby. And also, your wife doesn’t REALLY need ten wraps.

Editor's note:  Yes, she really does.

Posted by: Jermaine

Wearing Through Chronic Back Pain

I’d always hoped to wear any baby we were blessed with, but when the ligaments of my pelvis over-loosened to an extreme degree at 24 weeks pregnant, and I began living in near-constant pain, I wondered if it would work out. My medical team all assured me that my body would heal itself shortly after delivery, so I kept on figuring out which wearing options were best for our family.

While I was interested in soft-structured carriers, namely the Beco Gemini, the idea of wrapping really enticed me. I loved that woven wraps were amazingly beautiful and versatile from infancy to toddlerhood. When Baby Boy V was born, I was armed with a stretchy Moby Wrap and a Neobulle woven wrap.  I wrapped baby for the first time at about thirty hours old in a Moby.

To the surprise of all, instead of my pain getting better after V was born, it got worse and worse as the pain spread from my pelvis to my lower back, upper back, shoulders, and neck.  Life became consumed with thrice weekly chiropractic visits, weekly physical therapy, and a battery of doctors who didn’t quite know what to do with me.

Holding baby in my arms would exacerbate the pain, but what else is a new mom to do?  I quickly discovered that when I wrapped V, it distributed his weight across my shoulders and back and made carrying him around bearable.

After a few weeks, I decided to pull out my woven wrap to see how that compared to the Moby. It was trickier to get snug, but it felt so much more supportive. After getting some pointers at a Babywearing International of DC-MD-VA meeting, I discovered that I had less pain wearing V in a woven wrap than pushing him a stroller which required me to hold my arms in an uncomfortable position. I realized that a very snug pocket carry acted as a back brace, plus having baby so snugly next to me gave me an emotional boost, an important thing when dealing with chronic pain.


Because the Moby is stretchy, it has give in every direction and felt like it was pulling away from me. In contrast, a woven wrap only stretches slightly on the diagonal so it can get scrumptiously snug and conform to every inch of baby and me to provide unparalleled support. I wish I had started with a woven from the beginning!
The carries that are best for me have three things in common: they are symmetrical, have a pocket, and use a spread-out cross-pass. If that sounds like a foreign language to you, you are not alone. It sure did to me! Come to a meeting and ask for help, but in the meanwhile, take a look at my two favorite carries that do all three of those things, the front wrap cross carry and double hammock back carry with a cross-pass front.  





My medical team members are in agreement that supportive, symmetrical carries in a wrap are not contraindicated. Most of them were not familiar with wrapping, but extended their approval as they learned more. It is still unclear if my body will ever heal completely, but I should “graduate” from physical therapy right after V turns nine months old!  I am so glad that I found a way to care for V in a way that allows me to parent in the high-contact way that is important to our family while helping my body grow stronger. 

Posted by Pamm

Mei Tai Tying Tips

I often hear, "My mei tai is awesome, but sometimes the straps feel like they are slipping off my shoulders."

So, I put together this photo tutorial with some alternatives to the traditional "backpack style" straps.

1. Cross in front:

This can be uncomfortable for moms with larger breasts and can cause problems with clogged ducts if you are prone to them.  It is my husband's favorite way to tie though.

2. Chest Belt

This works just like a chest belt in a wrap if you are familiar with wrapping.  After bringing the straps over your shoulders,tie a half knot before heading back around.

3. Tying Tibetan

Take shoulder straps over and around like regular backpack straps, then instead of tying in front, cross one over your chest and thread through the opposite shoulder strap.  Repeat on other side.  If your shoulder straps are not long enough, you can untie the waist and do this with the waist straps instead.  That can be a great option for pregnant mamas to get the straps up away from your tummy.

Then tie (sorry, this pic it TOTALLY out of focus, but you get the idea).

 4. Or you can twist

Twist down the center of your chest until you get to a spot you feel comfortable taking them back around to tie off.

No matter what tweaks you use, don't give up on your mei tai until you've exhausted all of the possibilities for comfort.

Posted by Ann Marie

Babywearing at the Museum

The museum is one of those places babywearing is really ideal.  Most exhibits aren't designed to be seen from stroller height, and strollers tend to be difficult to maneuver in the crowds.  One thing to keep in mind, most art museums forbid back carries, this isn't an insult to babywearers, it is an insurance thing to make sure your little bundle doesn't bump or grab priceless art.  Front or hip carries are acceptable.

First of all, we have to get to the museum.  Babywearing is fantastic on public transportation.

Once you arrive at your destination, there is lots of fun to be had and things to explore:

Sometimes you even find yourself blending in with the display

And when it all gets to be too much, it's time for a nap before heading home

So get out there and enjoy the fun and experiences available to you and your kids at museums.  You won't regret leaving the stroller at home.

Museum Photos taken at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and the Virginia Children's Museum in Portsmouth, VA.

My Nanny Wears Me Too!

Ever since I was very little, I have loved holding babies. Awake babies, sleeping babies, even crying babies. I loved to hold them all. So naturally, when time came for me to start babysitting, and mothers offered me carriers to wear their children, my reply was "Yes, yes YES!". Unfortunately, in the beginning, all of the mothers I sat for had Bjorns, and so that is what used. I found them rather uncomfortable most of the time, but I would much rather wear the baby then not, so I just dealt with it. Finally, a mother I knew had an Ergo. I had seen her wearing it a couple of times, and I was really interested in it, as I had never seen anything like it. I kept asking her questions about it, and one day while we were at an event together, she offered for me to wear her little one in it for a while. (Thank Heaven for that sweet Mama!!) Just a few minutes after putting it on, I was in love with it! It was beyond comfortable compared to the Bjorn, and the baby was snuggled right up next to me, so she fell right asleep. I wore the baby around for almost three hours that day, and was sad when I had to take it off so the mama could head home.

 After a little bit of "hinting"  (I would leave the Ergo homepage up any time I was on the computer... for an entire month!) to my parents that I wanted an Ergo, finally, I received it for my birthday. To this day, that was probably the best birthday gift I have ever received. I immediately started using it while I babysat, and a few months later I got a regular nanny job with a family.

As a nanny, I perform many of the daily tasks mothers perform (this includes, cooking, dishes, laundry, cleaning, etc.) And  of course, wearing children while doing these tasks (as most of you know) makes them so much easier. It also has created a special bond between me and many of the children I watch. Most of the children I nanny for absolutely love to be carried, and a lot of times as soon as I walk in the door they children will ask to "ride on Miss Rebekah." I also wear to comfort them, whether helping to distract them from a parent leaving, or if they are just having a bad day. Baby wearing also helps me when I take the children on outings. I know that small children will be safe when we are out, because most of the time they will be strapped to me. I also know that I will then have free hands to push strollers or hold hands with older siblings that like to walk. I remember one particular day when I took five (yes, five!) children to the zoo. I could not have made it through that day without my Ergo. The two year old, (who was the youngest) was on my back nearly the entire day, which allowed me to also push the double stroller that was carrying two other children and lots of stuff! The two year old had a bit of a cold that day, and wasn't feeling too good. Because I was wearing him, he was able to nap as much as he wanted, whether we were in a stroller friendly exhibit or not. I can give examples of countless other times when a carrier has saved the day. Whenever I forget a carrier, I always end up needing it! I have learned to keep a carrier on me at all times, even if I am not planning on nannying that day. 

 

I bring my Ergo and Maya Wrap with me every where I go. One of the mothers I worked for mentioned in her letter of reference that I had my own carriers. Now anytime I meet a new mom she will read the letter and say "oh? You do! That is soneat!" I have found the most mothers are thrilled that I will wear their children, in fact I have even helped some moms choose and buy carriers for themselves. Babywearing has become a part of who I am, as well as something that I have come to rely on anytime I nanny.

The very best part about babywearing is the fact that I can return the children to their parents at the end of the day, knowing that I have given them the absolute best care I possibly can, by keeping them safe, and providing for all of their needs. And that is worth the world to me.

Posted by Rebekah
Photos used with permission from parents