Not so long ago, I had a consultation with new parents to a preemie baby. When I went to see them, they were just a few days out of hospital. Their beautiful daughter was still so tiny and loved to curl up with her legs up really high. But she was also very sleepy and content. The perfect baby for practising babywearing for the first time.
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Ring slings are my favourite type of carrier! They are great from newborn up until you don’t want to carry your baby on your hip anymore. It can be a bit tricky in the beginning to learn how to use a ring sling, but once you know what you are doing it is one of the quickest carriers to put on!
I certainly didn’t fall head over heal in love with it right from the start. First, I started off using my ring sling like a hammock, instead of my baby being upright (this was early days for me, and I did not know what I was doing!). A few months later I went to my local Babywearing group and they showed me how to wear my baby safely in the ring sling. But for some reason it wasn’t comfortable, and I quickly gave up. Another couple of months later, I tried the ring sling again and this time my daughter was big enough to be carried on my hip. This was way more comfortable for me and from then on, I loved using the ring sling for short carries around the house, while cooking dinner or while going shopping.
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First, I would like to say that I do not have any personal experience with wearing twins in a carrier. However, I did recently complete further babywearing training and one part of the training was about babywearing with twins. We had a mother at the training who shared with us her own journey of wearing her twins and how to successfully carry both of her babies at the same time.
I have found this very inspiring and would like to share my new knowledge in the hopes that there will be parents of twins who would love to carry their babies.
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When you first start looking at babywearing and the options of carriers you have, it can feel rather overwhelming! I get that. And I’m here to help you narrow down your options and give you confidence in your choice of carrier.
You may have been told about a specific carrier or even been gifted one. This is great! But you may not be quite sure if this is the right type of carrier for you. Only because a family member or friend have found one type of carrier to be great, it doesn’t mean that this will also be the perfect carrier for you and your little family. And that’s ok.
After I’ve been busy the past weeks writing in-depth articles about each type of carrier. I think it is about time I write an overview for those who just want to quickly see the difference between each type of carrier to help decide which carrier might be best for YOU.
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These last few weeks have been crazy for my little family and me and I’m guessing that it is not much different for you! In the last three weeks we were in Spain (to visit friends), spent our last days in Germany and decided short notice to fly back to New Zealand before borders were being closed. Once back in New Zealand we went straight into self-isolation and watched New Zealand moving swiftly into lockdown within a week.
And here we are now. Lockdown for 4 weeks or possibly longer. And even though this time may seem a little tricky with a three-year-old, I think it is nothing compared to becoming a new parent. Because this is the time when you would need support from family and friends the most. Someone, who just comes around and drops off some pre-cooked dinner or someone, who answers your countless questions.
I have been wondering how I may be able to help those of you out there who are pregnant, have a newborn or a baby. Are you thinking about buying a carrier (once this is possible again), and are simply overwhelmed by the number of different carriers that are on the market? You are not the only one!
Usually, my first reaction would be to advise you to find a local babywearing group or library or a babywearing consultant where you can try different types of carriers, before you buy one. But right now, this isn’t possible. And in fact, for lots of parents who live rurally this will never really be an option. Therefore, I have written down a few tips that may hopefully help you in finding a great carrier.
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When I was pregnant with my daughter, I went to a friends’ house. She showed me a ring sling that she had used with her children made from a beautiful light fabric and asked me if I wanted it. At the time I wasn’t quite sure how and if I would use it, but I couldn’t resist this gorgeous carrier.
A few months later after my little girl was born, I gave the ring sling a go, but couldn’t quite work it out how to use it properly. So off I went to my first babywearing meeting and the lovely volunteers there helped me to position my baby correctly. However, for some reason it felt uncomfortable and I put the ring sling to the side.
Then Summer came and my stretchy wrap was getting too hot to wear. I reached for the ring sling again and luckily this time I was able to position it comfortably. From then on, this ring sling became my favourite carrier to use for quick carries and in particular around the house.
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Shortly after I started volunteering for my local babywearing library, I also started to hold babywearing talks (mini workshops) at different mums and bubs groups in the region. I love sharing my passion with other new – and not so new – mums, but I’m also aware that lots of mums have been thrown into this whole babywearing thing without or with only very little information.
Besides talking about different styles of carriers and safety guidelines that should be followed, I love to share some tips that I have discovered or learned. Often it is those little tips that are remembered and give new confidence to the mums on their babywearing journey.
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