A BUNCH OF KEYS: Close to my heart

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Close to my heart

I'm a big fan of baby wearing. It all started when I was introduced to the Hug-a-Bub (a wrap sling for those of you that are not up with the lingo ;)) at the very first ABA meeting I went to. There were a couple of people there who were wearing their little ones in a Hug-a-Bub and when they started talking about how comfy and easy it was to use I was sold! The next week I went out and bought my own one.

The funny thing was that I had actually turned up to this particular meeting wearing Jacob in a baby-bjorn type sling. I was so proud of myself! It wasn't until after I started using the Hug-a-Bub that I realised just how uncomfy the baby bjorn style carriers are and how bad they are for baby and Mum. After only a little while I would get a sore back from carrying Jacob in this type of carrier. I also couldn't sit down properly (well done to those of you who CAN manage to sit with these on!!) and it was just so fiddly to put on - so many clips and buckles!

And so our journey with the slings began...I can't say I was an avid baby wearer when Jacob was little. I much preferred to put him down to sleep if we were at home. But when out it was awesome for settling him in (he was one of those babies that would cry and cry!) It gave me the confidence to manage his crying. We used the Hug-a-Bub until Jacob was about 6 months old (when he got too heavy!)

Once Jacob was older we decided to get an Ergo. The Ergo was invaluable. Especially as Jacob didn't start walking until he was almost 19 months (and he wasn't a fan of being in the pram!) We used the Ergo for quick trips to the shops, for long walks and to get him to sleep in while we were out.

Jacob, in the Ergo, on a walk to the Lake near us

When Esme came along we continued to baby wear. Being the second child, the sling got a bit more use than with Jacob. It was great when I needed two hands to help Jacob with things and Esme was (mostly!) happy to be carried. I started using the Ergo with her a lot sooner than I did with Jacob as she was a big baby! We continued to wear Esme until she demanded some independence!

Esme, in the Hug-a-Bub, when she was a couple of months old.

Now Gideon is here and we are continuing the trend with him. During my pregnancy with him I knew that I wanted to baby wear a lot more and I knew that I would need to so that I could attend to the other two kids and get things done. I'm proud to say that Gideon has rarely been out of arms in the 7 or so weeks he has been here! There just seems something so inherently right about holding him close.

The Hug-a-Bub was a bit of a life-saver in the first few days after Gideon was born when Chris and Esme ended up with gastro and I had to take charge! I just popped Gideon in and he slept soundly while I continued to do what needed to be done.

I've also recently discovered the ring sling which I love (that's what inspired this post!) I've had it for ages but was always a little scared to use it until the Hug-a-Bub had to have an emergency wash and I had nothing else to use.