Wednesday 19 November 2014

Babywearing (photo added)

I was really looking forward to babywearing before AJ arrived. It sounded like it would suit my personality and lifestyle and would be great for the baby as well. A few weeks before AJ arrived, Mr. Turtle and I went to Babes in Arms and tried a couple of carriers. We wanted something that would  work for a child at various ages and that both of us could use. We tried one carrier with buckles (I forget the brand) and the BabyHawk Mei Tai. We liked both but ended up getting the Mei Tai because it was simpler and seemed like it would be easier to use around the house, which is the first place it would be needed. (We won't likely be taking AJ on hikes in the mountains this winter - but may invest in the buckle carrier in the spring).

Anyway, once AJ was here it took a couple of weeks to work up the confidence to use the carrier. It is actually easy to get her into it; I did it on my own the first time and have since. But I felt  insecure about it, for various reasons: I can't seem to tie a proper square knot behind my back, so I worry about the knot slipping; I worry if AJ has a proper head position, if she should be sleeping in the carrier, if she's uncomfortable or in pain if she fusses while in it. So for the past week she'd only spent a few minutes in it at a time.

Yesterday AJ went to her first event: And adult community band concert where her dad played in one of the bands! We thought this would be a great first event for her because it is a relaxed setting and it was also a chance for people we know to meet her (I played in several bands up until this September. I'm hoping to return to band in January.) AJ did great. She was not fazed by the people or the noise and seemed to like the music. She also had 2 sets of grandparents to attend to her. Everybody had a good time.

When it was time to put her to bed a few hours later though - different story altogether! Perhaps she was overwhelmed by all the new experiences or perhaps it had nothing to do with that and she's entering a "fussier" stage at 3 weeks. But when I tried to put her in her sleep sack after feeding, she started to wail. It wasn't her usual grumpy complaining cry either; it was almost a pain cry. She was also very squirmy which made it hard to hold her. Poor AJ seemed to be utterly miserable no matter what I did. Finally, more out of desperation than anything, I got out the Mei Tai and put her in it. I remembered that she always seems to fall asleep after a few minutes in it. AJ did relax in the carrier and doze off, especially when I walked around the house. I had her in it for maybe half and hour, and despite being tired and worried I thought, hey, maybe I got this! Unfortunately the minute I tried to put her back into her bassinet to sleep she screamed and screamed. Took another half hour and a feeding to settle her.

This morning I noticed that AJ wanted to be held a lot, so I tried the carrier again and she was happy in it. I had her in it long enough to tidy up a little, put dinner in the slow cooker, and fix some breakfast. I put her in the bassinet to nap while I ate (I don't like to eat with her in the carrier; I worry about dropping or spilling something on her). Luckily she did not fuss in the bassinet this time!

So I am feeling more confident with the Mei Tai now, although less excited about long stretches of night time crying! I got a few photos of her while I was wearing it. Any feedback from others who do baby wearing? Does it look OK? I always worry about head position/breathing but she had space under her chin and seemed to be breathing easily.





16 comments:

  1. What a cute mei tai! I have been using a stretchy wrap for Pickle which allows me to 'secure' her head against my chest but am waiting for my mei tai to turn up in the post. I'm no expert, but it looks okay to me. This site has some good pictures of how a new baby should be positioned inside any carrier and at the bottom there is a link to the TICK safety guidelines. I do recommend joining a babywearing group if there is one near you. I've met some lovely people through mine.

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    1. Thanks! appreciate the website. They actually show baby being worn quite low; everything I've read says they need to be higher. I did pick up a couple of good tips from the internet, like folding over the bottom of the mei tai to shorten it.

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  2. Yay for babywearing! I love it at 17 months still :)
    I would work on transitioning her from the mei tai without waking her up. Takes some practice but if you're able to make it work you can then transfer her from the mei tai to her crib to sleep. I usually left the carrier "on" Sawyer, just leaned over the bed or whichever surface I wanted to put him on, undid the buckles and stood up. Also there is a Calgary babywearing group on Facebook. I'm in it, have never made it out to the meetings yet but they do meet regularly and let any member try out their carriers and help them with any questions they have.
    We mostly use our Tula for hiking and it's always worked great. I'm sure your Mei Tai would work too.

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    1. Thanks, good ideas. I did join the FB babywearing group, but there doesn't seem to be much activity on it recently. Maybe I'll try posting a message and see if anybody answers.

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  3. Hooray baby wearing!! I want to get a few carriers so I can switch them up. There are a bunch of tutorials on YouTube I've watched, and the main advice seems to be chin up and close enough that you can kiss the top of their head. Good luck! It sounds awesome :)

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    1. yes, I always make sure I can kiss her head - she gets a lot of kisses LOL! she seems happy enough in it (most of the time) so I'm probably just paranoid (surprise) but that's how it is with anything new. Looking forward to hearing about your experiences with babywearing one day!

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  4. So sweet, cuddled up against you. :) I wore my daughter quite a lot ... I managed to figure out a wrap with her, so I could feed her in it, too. But she, like AJ, also wanted to wake up when I put her down. I think it's easier to put her down in a mei tei than in a wrap ... it'll take practice, but you'll get it! (And thanks for coming over today.)

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    1. I find it pretty cool when people can feed the baby while in the wrap. I can't quite get my head around how that would work (although there is a way to tie the mei tai on the side - maybe that would work) but then I haven't even tried bf-ing without my nursing pillow (pillow is soooo comfortable). I guess there is still lots of time to try new things!

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  5. She looks great to me! I love baby wearing, don't know what I'd do without it!

    Paloma was super fussy weeks 3-8, but 9 times out 10 the carrier soothed her. Like the commenter above, I even nursed while wearing her in my wrap. Do you swaddle A while she's still awake? I am so impressed! I always waited until she was passed out and couldn't resist and then I'd swaddle her super tight!

    I'm so happy you are enjoying baby wearing. It's a little awkward at this stage, but it gets easier as they get bigger.

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    1. thanks for the comments and feedback! I'm glad to hear the viewpoint from someone experienced! We swaddle AJ when she's sort of awake, but she's very good at wriggling out - has been since birth. She likes to have her arms free so often we'll leave them free since if they are tight she will start wriggling to get them up to her face. We have the velcro swaddlers and many times I've woken up to the sound of velcro ripping apart as she wrestles out of it LOL. At least we know she's good and strong.

      Your comment on Paloma being fussy from week 3-8 fits with what I've read. Great timing as Mr. Turtle is just trying to finish up a graduate course lol. So far she's not constantly fussy though, just occasionally.

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    1. Thanks! I have another one from today I want to add too hehe!

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  7. I love your carrier! SB tends to fall asleep in the wrap, too, but then often wakes up when I take her out, unless she's really deeply asleep. I worry about her position and particularly her head's, too, but the instructions say this tie is ok from birth on, and she seems to be fine :)
    She has been getting fussier too though, and from what I read it is normal. Have you heard of "The happiest baby on the block"? It seems to have a special recipe for how to calm fussy babies. Will let you know if it works ;)

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    1. It sounds like our experiences with fussiness are similar to many peoples. Good to know that we are not alone. Yah, we have the happiest baby on the block book and the dvd, though I haven't had time to watch/read. Mr. Turtle is good at remembering the 5 S's; I can never seem to remember things like that. Probably a good time to review it!

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  8. best tip I have heard is that you should be able to kiss the top of their head easily while they are wrapped in! enjoy! i enjoy baby wearing and would do it even more if i didnt have two! my husband likes the convenience of it too so sometimes we wear one each!

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    1. thanks! I guess I should probably stop worry so much since I always have the head within reach! that's awesome that you wear one each.

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