Pregnancy & Parenting After Infertility

To celebrate international baby wearing week I've invited Julianna (cl-jgteach) to the board to answer any questions you may have about baby wearing.

I tried a few things with Brooke, they didn't work well, I finally discovered a sling with Nathan & really liked it, there are so many more options now.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have!

 

Hi everyone! I just wanted to stop in real quick to introduce myself. We're about ready to head out to the in laws. ;)

I'm Julianna and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I learned about babywearing (beyond carriers like the Bjorn) when my second one was born. There are so many options out there and I'll talk about them at another time. But if you've ever used a Bjorn-type carrier, then you'll know it's *OK* for the first couple months, then it hurts. I've worn my 5 year old in the carriers I use. Food for thought. :D

Take care and I'll come back and chat soon!

I wanted to give you all a run down on the different types of carriers there are.

There are wraps, ring slings, pouches, mei tais, soft structured carriers, framed backpacks and podegais.

Wraps - long pieces of fabric that wrap around you and baby. There are two basic typs, stretchy and woven. With in these two categories there are different "levels". Some stretchy wraps are stretchier than others. Some wovens are super thin, other thick. Each offers a different amount of support. Stretchy wraps are great for newborns, but they wouldn't offer enough support for an older/heavier baby. (examples you may be familar with: Moby, Didymos)

Ring slings - These, like wraps, are made from different materials so offer different levels of support, but they all have fabric that feeds through two rings and go over one shoulder. (example: maya wrap)

Pouches are similar to ring slings, but with out the rings. Pouches need to be fitted. A wrong size can cause a lot of discomfort (if baby is worn too low, etc). (example: peanut shell, hot sling)

Mei tais - have a panel of fabric with four straps coming from the four corners. The bottoms ones tie around your waist while the top ones go over your shoulders and can be tied in different manners. (I can't think of any examples)
Podigais are like mei tais, but with out the straps that go around the waist. (I can't think of any examples)

Soft Structured carriers - These are similar to mei tais, but the shoulder straps buckle instead of tie. (example: ergo)

Framed backpacks - these are the type you might picture someone using to go hiking in. (example: kelty kids)

Thank you for sharing, I had no idea that there were so many different types, I know it took me quite a while to find the sling I used with the kids so I could buy it for DH's cos (who had a baby girl yesterday), the choices...

You said you used one with your 5 yr old (if I remembered right) which one was that?