Babywearing a Newborn: My Favorite Carriers

Welcome to the June 2013 Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival: Babywearing

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival hosted by Authentic Parenting and Living Peacefully with Children. This month our participants have written about babywearing. We hope you enjoy this month’s posts and consider joining us next month when we share about anger.

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I loved wearing my little squishy guy. It was pure bliss! I definitely those days of him being teeny tiny. We still love to babywear at 11 months but today I thought I’d share my favorite carriers for that precious newborn period.

Baby Ette Cotton Gauze - A Little Bit of All of ItBabyEtte Cotton Gauze Wrap

This was my hands down favorite way to carry my wee newborn. He was born in July so it was hot, hot, hot! The BabyEtte Cotton Gauze Wrap is very breathable, thin and lightweight. It is the very first wrap I ever wrapped him with and the first wrap I had ever used. It’s perfect for someone still learning because it is very thin and easy to tie up. Seeing it still gives me that nostalgic feeling of carrying my tiny baby. They are inexpensive as well so a total winner in my book!

Moby WrapMoby Wrap

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Moby Wrap. This is probably one of the most well known and loved ways to carry a little squish. Since it is stretchy wrap, it is very moldable and forgiving if mama doesn’t quite know what she’s doing yet. I love how soft it is, like wrapping up in a lovely soothing blanket. It is divine to wrap up in in the winter months as it keeps you both cozy and warm, but this also means it gets stifling hot in the summer months unfortunately. Good news if you’re on a budget. It’s insanely simple to make one of these yourself.

Baby K’tan

Baby K'tanI loved how secure the Baby K’tan felt, and it became my go-to for chores around the house. It’s a neat concept of a wrap without the wrapping which is great if you’re brand new to babywearing. The learning curve is a lot less than a wrap but you still get the delightful cuddly closeness a wrap provides. Once you get the hang of it, you can even hold your baby while putting it in which is something I can’t ever quite manage with a wrap. We got hot in this in the summer as well but they also have a Breeze version which solves the summer heat dilemma.

IMG_3795Ring Sling

I utilized my padded ring sling quite a bit in those early days with my baby. This is a quick off and on type of carrier and you can get a nice, secure fit pretty easily with a little practice. Tummy-to-tummy is the way to go with a ring sling and a newborn. I also had a Maya Wrap for a short time as a rental and really liked it, too. I used this when I knew I’d be taking him out and in a lot and didn’t want to fool with having to rewrap something.

Mei Tai

A mei tai is an excellent carrier for a tiny babe. You can
Freehand Mei Tai Review - Carry Me Baby Carrier Lending Serviceroll up the waist to get it as short as you need it and you can cinch in the waist as well to make the seat as narrow as you need. Some people can even manage a newborn in a back carry with a mei tai although I didn’t feel comfortable enough to attempt it myself. I had a rental of a Freehand Mei Tai in my son’s newborn days and once I figured out the Lexi twist, I loved it. What’s great about Mei Tai’s if you can get one for a song to get you started babywearing even on a tight budget.

Beco Gemini

While there are several fantastic soft structured carriers on the market, the one I like for newborns is the Beco Gemini. Beco GeminiI absolutely loved the fact that the bottom folds in and snaps so those wee little legs can comfortably be out. No need of any insert, just a very slight modification to the carrier that is incredibly simple. I was pretty smitten when I got the chance to try the Gemini out with my tiny guy and if I were to have another baby would most likely snatch one of these up.

Babywearing Shirt

No doubt you’ve read the benefits of skin-to-skin with your newborn. VIJA Designs has a whole line of Kangaroo Care Shirt from VIJA Design - A Little Bit of All of Itingenious babywearing shirts that are designed specifically for you to have your baby skin-to-skin with you. I could walk around the house with my newborn nestled skin-to-skin with me with one of these and it was divine. This is one of those things you should buy for mama’s baby showers. It is just an incredible way to get that close contact while still giving mom both of her hands back. I really loved it. These shirts are only good up to about 15 lbs but totally worth the investment in my opinion.

Those are all my favorite carriers for that super special sweet newborn period. What are your favorites?

 

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APBC - Authentic Parenting

Visit Living Peacefully with Children and Authentic Parenting to find out how you can participate in next month’s Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival, when we discuss anger!

 

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be live and updated by afternoon June 28 with all the carnival links.)

 

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