help with my maya!

[Glittergal]

i'm so excited we have a babywearing forum!

lately my maya wrap has been killing my back and i can't figure it out. i should say it hurts for more than 30 minutes use. we've been using it since birth, mostly in the kanga carry. i think dd must have had a growth spurt lately because all of a sudden she is one heavy little mamma (maybe 16 lbs?). but i know many of you have even bigger babies and use MW sucessfully. so i can't figure it out...the cap is pulled over my shoulder, ring is high, baby is high and i can pull her quite tight. no twisting...sooo is it the position or am i just not so strong for my growing little one? i can't seem to make the wrap tight in the hip position. anyone have any ideas?? i my maya and don't want to give up on it but my back gets so tired and sore.

oh another question. dd LOVES to suck on the MY - she wraps it around her hand and sucks like crazy. this is fine except it bleeds all over her clothes and i can't get the staining out. we have the purple, which isn't supposed to be one of the high bleed ones and i've washed it on cold, etc. anyone else have this problem?

thanks in advance!!

[stafl]

I found that it just takes a good bit of practice to figure out the best way to use a sling. For me, my back will absolutely kill me if I don't have enough fabric pulled over my shoulder. If any of the weight hangs from my neck, it's a disaster!
I also carry my littlest one backwards from the way the mayawrap instructions say, with her head towards the rings.
Now that she's a bit older, she likes to be facing outward instead, and I just keep her upright with her head supported by my cleavage.
So my suggestion is to experiment around and see if you can figure out something that works better for you. Make sure you are standing up straight, too!

[Artisan]

I have trouble with this too, and it's not the sling. Your back can only handle so much -- just do what you can.

[darkpear]

For the hip carry, make sure you have the bottom rail up under baby's knees (but not bunched), her knees above her butt level, and the top right under her arms. Also make sure you switch shoulders often enough.

My back started to kill me with the Maya Wrap when my daughter passed a certain weight also... we still use it, but now that she's bigger I definitely like the Ergo better.

[Glittergal]

hmmm, i never switch shoulders! thats a good idea, dd is always on my left. for the hip carry, where are the rings supposed to be? i feel like i can't keep them high and then dd sort of flops foward and is hanging in an awkward unstable sideways position

[abigailvr]

You've gotten some good tips, but I just wanted to say that I think the kangaroo hold gets uncomfortable after a certain weight. There's just something about the way the baby's weight is in the sling and how that pulls on your body that just can't handle that much. Maybe it's time for a new carry!

About the bleeding: I haven't had experience with that, but I got this information from Maya Wrap when I bought my sling:

If there is any dye transfer, you may try to set the color by soaking the wrap in water to which you have added 4 Tablespoons of white vinegar and 4 Tablespoons of salt. Salt can corrode the finish on your rings, so please protect them. Soak for a couple of minutes, remove from the water and allow to line dry. If it is still bleeding, rinse until the bleeding stops. Hot water or using a steam iron can re-activate the dyes and could cause more bleeding.

I wonder if the warmth from your babe's mouth is "re-activating" the dyes like they say.

Hope that helps!