Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Wear Your Baby

I wonder how long this sewing bug is going to last. It's pretty extreme when combined with the self-sufficiency my mother taught me. Now I must hand-make everything. It is useful for baby gifts, though.

For a while I've been trying to figure out which baby carrier is best(bjorn, sling, wrap) , and I've decided that I'd rather have one of each, especially now that I can make them. They are especially helpful for baby #2+ when you have a toddler to chase and chores to get done. Here are my opinions about each.

Sling
. My dear sister lent me her New Native sling when Eli came. I loved how simple it was and how small it folded to keep in my bag. It's perfect for tiny babies, especially if you want to bring them out in public. Babies are tucked away from strangers' grimy fingers. (Can you tell, week old Eli's in this picture) Your hands are totally free and it's easier to get around without bulky car seats or strollers. It was also handy when I wanted to trade sleeping Eli off to Brian, he just stayed asleep in the pouch as we pulled it over my head and onto Brian. For being so great, the sling does have a couple of cons. First, your shoulder will hurt if you wear it for a long time and when the baby gets bigger. And they are sold by size, so not adjustable. I still want one for the first few months and wearyourbaby.com even has easy plans to make one from a snug-fitting t-shirt. Here's a free pattern and instructions to make one from the fabric of your choice.

Bjorn- These adjustable, daddy-friendly carriers are comfortable at any stage, I sometimes stick Eli in his still. It is a more bulky in your bag, but lets your baby look in or out. Similar in style, without the patented buckles and such, is the Mei Tai. It is more versatile and comfortable in that you can also carry your baby on your back. Here are some simple and here are some detailed plans to make one yourself.

Wrap- My new must have. I'll admit I was scared when my sister offered me hers and never took it. It's just 5 yards of fabric 20+ inches wide that you wrap in different ways to make a carrier. I knew the sling was a new idea for Utahns when a girl at church said I should carry a jug of water on my head too. I wonder what she would have said about the wrap. The Moby Wrap has to be the most versatile, comfortable baby carrier out there. There are at least 11 different holds, including hip and even twins (instructions for which are on their site). You can buy one for $40 or make your own. I was super excited to go to Joann's today to get 5 yards of cotton knit (jersey, like stretchy T-shirts are made from) to make one myself. My sister is always years ahead of me.

Now comes my main reason for this post. I know some people having babies and would like to know who would like a wrap (since they are kind of a statement). Don't be shy, anyone with a baby sometime in their future (Ashley, Anna, Sarah, Leilani, Shannon, Annette, Esther, Kim) make a comment (sling or wrap) and I'll keep it in mind. I'm too practical and have to give gifts that people love and use daily, so no pressure if there's no interest. I'm also dreaming up things to applique on to mark the center, like a leaf, cute animal or something. Plus I'd better learn to wrap them before giving them away.

10 comments:

Leilani said...

oooh, nice post! You can make your own bjorn-style carrier? Awesome! Thanks for reminding me that I have to finish the wraps that I started. I was making one with the rings that you can adjust and the stretchy one. I think I'll try and make the one you can tie around yourself too. I guess I ditched them because Will got too big to carry. Wish I lived closer so we could have sewing parties :( Soooo glad you have a blog.

Anna said...

I love this post. hmm....I like the sling idea and the wrap...kind of crazy, but cool.

We need to get together and sew, how are the diapers coming?

sarahflib said...

I fell in love with these types of baby carriers when I was in Germany. I swear, all the women there wear wraps or slings of some sort. You could always pick out the Americans because their baby carriers would have all these buckles and bars and looked way more uncomfortable. So yeah, I've been a fan of this sort of thing for a while, and I think it's great that it's becoming popular in the U.S.

My mother-in-law made me a Maya Wrap that I'm excited to try--it's a ring sling. Is it similar to the New Native one you were describing? Because that sounds so handy. I also just got a moss-colored Moby wrap off KSL for quite the deal. It was only used once or twice and it looks perfect.

On to your real question. I really, really like the idea of having a Mei Tai carrier as well. They look awesome and it might be nice to do less wrapping sometimes. And I also wouldn't mind a wrap in another color. Something I couldn't justify getting myself since I do have one, but it could definitely be fun to switch the colors, especially if I'm wearing this thing as much as I imagine.

Sorry for the long answer . . .

Helena said...

That's great. Sounds like everyone's ahead of me.

Sarah, I think I saw that one on ksl and didn't want to go to provo. Glad you got it. No, the new native is more simple, less fabric than the maya, no ring.

Leilani, wish you were closer. We'd be hanging out so much and Bryant would toughen up Eli.

sarahflib said...

So maybe something like the New Native would be even easier to use than the Maya. By easier, I suppose I mean quicker to put on and take off and easier to fit in a diaper bag. Sounds really cool.

Esther said...

Cool stuff, I didn't like my carrier too much. I'll have to look into one of those next time.

So, tomorrow would be fun to get together, or we could do it Tuesday if that works better.

Shannon said...

As usual, I am very impressed with your skills. I have a bjorn, but got it a little late with Curt and didn't end up using it much, I think a sling would be awesome, I'm really excited about Charlie too. Maybe we need to come and visit-Curt will be really excited-he won't even have to climb under any cars to see him....

Anonymous said...

I like your new sewing project...you are so creative and ambitious. I especially like the sling. Let me know how your new project turns out.

Anonymous said...

Just an "old lady" comment...the first time I saw a sling was at Kim's reception (the caterer had one for her baby, remember?) Anyway, I remember thinking how handy that was for her that night and how cozy for the baby! Then when Eli was born, I was really impressed at how protected he was. "Back in the day" we just hauled our babies in those big, awkward carriers. These are such a wonderful idea, and so simple! Helena, we must visit about a serger!
Love you lots!

Anonymous said...

That wrap looks so comfy. I will probably invest in that one day.