toddler

My 5 top tips for using an onbuhimo

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Since my daughter outgrew our Manduca carrier when she was about two years old, I have used an onbuhimo to carry her. I have found this carrier to be very comfortable for both of us. It has a wider seat for my daughter to support her long legs better and I’m happy that there is no waistband that digs into my tummy.  

Onbuhimo’s are great for carrying your toddler or young child on your back. And because onbuhimo carriers do not have a waistband, it is an ideal carrier for anyone who is pregnant and would still like to carry their older child.

However, sometimes it can be a bit tricky to get a comfortable fit for your onbuhimo. These tips below should help:

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My 5 top tips for using a meh dai

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I have loved using a meh dai for quite some time when my daughter was little. This is such a great carrier if you want the snug feeling of a woven wrap, but also want some of the structure of a buckle carrier. A meh dai can really give you something from both worlds! If you have used a stretchy wrap with your baby and are used to wrapping already, a meh dai might be the perfect progression for you.

Meh dais can be used from newborn babies until toddler. Some meh dais have adjustable back panels to be able to grow with your baby, but you can also get meh dais in different sizes to either fit a baby or a toddler. A meh dai will fit any caregiver and does not need to be adjusted between caregivers. Front and back carries are the most common type of carriers being used with a meh dai.

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My 5 top tips for a woven wrap

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Woven wraps are the most versatile carrier there is and can be used from newborn up until toddler. It doesn’t matter what body type your baby or you are, a woven wrap will always fit. They fit around your baby nice and snug and you can use them for any kind of carry (front, back, side).

However, most parents I meet shy away from woven wraps and quickly put them in the too hard basket. Even parents who have used a stretchy wrap during the first months – and therefore have mastered wrapping techniques -, often want to continue with a soft structured carrier. Assuming, that a soft structured carrier will give better support.

Hopefully, my tips will help to take away some fears you may have and encourage you to have a go at wrapping your baby!

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How can you carry your baby? – Part 3: Back Carry

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It seems like the answer to this question should be straight forward. There are only so many ways how you can carry your baby: front carry, hip carry, and back carry. Those are the three basic carrying positions. But who is each carrying position best for and which carrier can you use?

This post is the third part of a three-part-series about carrying positions. Each post will give you an overview of the featured carrying position and some tips and tricks. You can find the first part of the series here and the second part here.

In the last part of this series, I would like to introduce you to the back carry. Now that my girl is nearly four years old, I am only ever carrying her on my back – not that I do carry her much anymore. I started back carrying her when she was about 8 months old. At that time, it was mainly when I wanted to cook dinner and she would have been in the way on my front. Later I enjoyed carrying her on my back, when being out on walks. This was much easier on my back and she had the advantage of seeing what I was seeing.

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Carrier overview

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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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4 tips how to best choose a carrier

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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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Onbuhimo

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The onbuhimo babycarrier is the carrier I got introduced to last during my babywearing journey. My local babywearing library didn’t have one for a long time (now they do though), but I had heard about those types of carriers and wanted to try one. So, I bought one and then didn’t use it for a long time as I had other carriers at home which I was used to, and my daughter didn’t want to be carried much anyway.

But, when we flew to Canada in May 2019 for our one year abroad, we decided to take the onbuhimo with us as our only carrier. We made this decision mainly, because it the most comfortable carrier with the widest seat we own, it folds up nice and small and it is easy to use for both my husband and me.

Surprisingly, we have been using it a lot during our adventures. Especially, since we’ve been in Germany, where we don’t have a car and need to walk or use public transport.  

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Does babywearing make babies clingy?

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The short answer for me to this question certainly is a big and fat NO!

But then, I don’t believe in anything that makes babies “clingy”. In fact, I don’t like the word in itself. For me, it has a negative feel to it. As if your baby wanting to be close to you is a bad thing and should be discouraged because how on earth will your baby ever become independent?

Well, my own little girl loved to be close to me from day 1 (and hasn’t changed one little bit in the last 3 1/2 years). In the early days she only fell asleep while being held or carried and only stayed asleep in this position too. She still needs me now with 3 ½ years to cuddle her to sleep. And while this can be exhausting at times, I know that soon enough she won’t need me anymore and I will miss those sleepy cuddles.

Me and my husband have carried her most of the time when she was little, but when she started crawling and walking, she became more and more independent. I was sad, when she didn’t want to be carried anymore. Luckily, our current travels in Canada and Germany have allowed me to carry my not so little girl again. Reminding me of those early days of her life – just adding another 12kg to the initial 3kg.

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Meh Dai

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A meh dai was the second carrier I have used with my daughter after I stopped using the stretchy wrap. I remember that my husband and I went to a meeting from our local babywearing library and tried a couple of different carriers. We both liked that the meh dai had some structure to it but was also flexible for different caregivers because of the wrapping.

This was our main carrier for at least half a year, before our daughter got too big and heavy for this particular meh dai that we bought. But meh dais can be used for a long time and I’m currently contemplating getting a toddler meh dai to carry my 3 ½ year old daughter.

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Woven Wraps

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Woven wraps are quite often seen as the type of carrier that only caregivers with a lot of babywearing experience and knowledge use. However, I don’t think that this needs to be true. A woven wrap can be an ideal carrier to start with right away if the caregiver isn’t afraid of a little learning in the beginning. A woven wrap can also be an ideal follow on wrap from a stretchy wrap. If the caregiver has enjoyed the benefits of a stretchy wrap it is not such a big step to learn how to wrap with a woven wrap.

I personally started using a woven wrap when my daughter was about 10 months old and my aunt gave me her woven wrap, which she had first used more then 18 years ago with my cousin and which had been used with countless other babies in between.

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