When do you wear your LO? « Back to Group Discussions

[livelovelaugh]

Wondering when you all wear your babes.  I am in the house a lot still (4 weeks old Tuesday, but my healing is a little slower this time...getting there, but not there yet, and it is hot, hot, hot out, and I am not going to the beach any day soon...you get the picture...still pretty housebound, which is fine :  )  , but LO has been sleeping SO well in his bouncy seat, swaddled up.  If I wear him around too much (he inevitably falls asleep of course) it seems to interfere with those nice naps he is having.  And if I sit down while wearing him he wakes up...

So I am just curious when you think the best times are to wear baby.  I am sure a lot of people are wearing them most of the day...also, what are your favorite slings/wraps these days?  I have a bunch of different ones and am trying to figure out the best one for right now...he likes the ring sling, the Boba wrap..

[CA Country Girl]

My LO loves the Moby.  I have worn her when I want to do chores- dishes, laundry, help DD1 clean her room.  Also, we went out to see a performance DD1 had at the end of a camp, so I wore her then and out to lunch.  Her Dad also wore her when I had to go run an errand, and she slept on him the whole time.  We love the Moby.

[sraplayas]

hi mamas:) hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

i am wearing DS2 almost all day long. my go-to carry/carrier is the newborn hug hold in a stretchy wrap. he loves it! when i'm in the shower or otherwise unable to carry, which isn't much, i give put him in the baby lounger right in the bathroom with me, etc. also, dd loves to hold him, and i actually cleaned out the fridge the other day while she did that in the next room!

i'm really enjoying the stretchy wrap while i can b/c i don't think it will last long, he's gaining fast!

[FaithHopeLove29]

My husband and I both wear C alot - to church, for errands, doctors visits, for walks with the dog, and around the house when he's fussy but he's dry and full and doesn't want to just settle in arms. He still doesn't like his swing or bouncy seat much, so I've been wearing him during the day to calm him and to get some chores done. I also find it convenient to wear him for barbeques and such, I can eat standing up (I have both hands) and don't worry that someone will grab him out of my arms (we're not playing "pass the baby" much yet). We're out and about a lot, all three of us.

I love the Mei Tai, but my mom comments less when I use the Baby Bjorn (a little more mainstream for her). Our mei tai has a hood for sun protection (or food-dropping protection when I'm eating over him) and a bonus - I figured out how to nurse in the mei tai while shopping last week. C hates the ring sling and maya wrap, and I don't love the Moby yet. I have a woven wrap I might try - I think it's the stretchiness I'm not a fan of.

[triple07]

I wear DS a little bit around the house and everywhere when I go out (shopping, walking dog, church, restaurant, etc etc etc). I have a stretchy wrap and a woven wrap but haven't used them. Currently I use a Bamberoo mei tai carrier and I (and babe) LOVE it. It can get a little hot but with the open sides I can 'air" him out a little bit. I would love to know how you nurse in your mei tai, though! I always have to stop somewhere to sit, undo the carrier and then nurse him. Mine has the sunshade, too, and I love it!

[LionessMom]

i have tried to wear baby. first the ring sling bc i thought the fabric would be cooler. makes my shoulder hurt. i thought it wouldnt bc of how small he is but i think i still got the relaxin making a difference at this point. so then i tried the moby but the fabric is too hot and we didnt like it for right now. so then i pulled out the mei tai. i had it on for about 10 min before i realized how hot it was making me. i can not baby wear outside right now. it is way too hot and humid. i will use the mei tai in the stores though with the air conditioning. 

as far as nursing in the mei tai goes. you are just supposed to pull one strap down off your shoulder a little and lean baby over to the breast. it works like that for me but it depends on how the breast lays etc. 

[Nicole730]

I wear her when I am eating and she is not okay being put down, during her fussy time, anytime we are out and about.  So far we have used the padded Maya Wrap ring sling, with baby vertical, and a stretchy wrap.  I love both.

[CA Country Girl]

Spoke too some- DD has started rejecting the Moby as too hot and confining.  I guess I need an open sling- suggestions?

[livelovelaugh]

I got my slings/wraps from Etsy this time around (cheaper)...one I like, and DS likes, is by AnandaBaby...it's a really lightweight woven cotton ring sling.  Love the material, super lightweight...DS fits in it really nicely...I got a white one for when we are out in the sun...
 

[KristaDJ]

I spend most of my time sitting and nursing the baby. I have a stretchy wrap, a woven wrap and a ring sling and keep trying them but they don't work for long. She won't go in the ring sling at all, she screams no matter what. I can wear her and nurse her in the stretchy wrap if I hold her head with my arm but it is hot and she won't let me transfer her to being upright in it. I can get the woven wrap tied around her if she falls asleep and I can get her on my chest so that is how I wear her most of the time when I wear her but it's usually just once a day for 30min or so since she can't nurse in it at all and I have to take it off to get her out. I've been trying to wear her after breakfast for her morning nap but she won't stay in the wrap the entire time. She will wake up and cry and try to straighten her legs and them fall back asleep when I take her out. For most of her naps she is in my arms or sleeping on the couch or in my son's arms while I try to get things done real quick. All of her awake time is spent in someone's arms. This is the second baby I have tried wearing and it went this way last time too :-/ 

[FaithHopeLove29]

Originally Posted by triple07 

I wear DS a little bit around the house and everywhere when I go out (shopping, walking dog, church, restaurant, etc etc etc). I have a stretchy wrap and a woven wrap but haven't used them. Currently I use a Bamberoo mei tai carrier and I (and babe) LOVE it. It can get a little hot but with the open sides I can 'air" him out a little bit. I would love to know how you nurse in your mei tai, though! I always have to stop somewhere to sit, undo the carrier and then nurse him. Mine has the sunshade, too, and I love it!

For me, I just kind of shifted DS so he was off-center a bit, and adjusted so he was the right height for nursing. It wasn't perfect (if my breasts were still sore like in the first few weeks, I never would have tolerated the latch or how he was on and off frequently) but I wasn't super excited about sitting on a bench in the middle of a mall trying to nurse. Just me being weird I think. Worked in a pinch! :)

[wanderinblues]

i'm still figuring out when and how often i can wear DS. i have a stretchy wrap, a mei tai that i made and an ergo with the infant insert.

around the house, it's usually the stretchy wrap because i like how i can pre-tie it and pop him in and out. also, it actually holds his head in place while he is asleep so i feel like i can be truly hands free, and it has the lowest profile so there is not so much out in front of me. it can get rather hot though and my back will start to hurt a bit if i use it for too long.

the mei tai i have been using for grocery store trips with a car (though i'm not crazy about the ends dragging on the ground when i put it on) short outings, and putting him in around the house/yard when i don't want to take the time (read: can't put him down long enough) to tie the wrap. the mei tai is the coolest of my carriers, the quickest/simplest to put on and the most versatile. i really love it.

the ergo has been great for longer trips out of the house, around town and when i have to go on the bus, ect. it's very comfortable and the insert is actually pretty neat too. i can take him out of the carrier, leaving him in the insert and can put him down wrapped in it which he seems to like. the insert does make him hot though and i don't feel like i can use my ergo on hot, sunny days.

i wear him 2-5 times a day i would say, either around the house while i try to get things done, or to get him to sleep so i can possibly put him down for a bit. i also wear him whenever i go out of the house because we don't have a car so i am usually on the bus. right now he is in the ergo and has been for about an hour and a half. wearing him puts him right to sleep so i will either leave him on me for his whole nap (mostly when we are out and about) or pop him out and put him down to finish his nap while i putter around and quickly do things i can't do with him in front of me (like unload the washing machine).

[LionessMom]

Originally Posted by wanderinblues 

the mei tai i have been using for grocery store trips with a car (though i'm not crazy about the ends dragging on the ground when i put it on) short outings, and putting him in around the house/yard when i don't want to take the time (read: can't put him down long enough) to tie the wrap. the mei tai is the coolest of my carriers, the quickest/simplest to put on and the most versatile. i really love it.

you can tie it on and leave it tied in back but not as tight as you need it when wearing him. then after slipping him in from the top you pull the straps tight and retie them. it keeps them from dragging on the ground and in the dirt, mud, or snow. 

also i was recently told by a local babywearing pro that even newborn babies need to have legs out of the wrap. they reccomend tying a ribbon around the bottom of the mei tai under where baby's butt goes. it makes it so baby's feet can be out of the mei tai. i tried it and i like it alot. i didnt feel like baby had his feet squished and he stayed upright instead of dropping down and sticking his back out, even though i had the straps going across his upper back to hold him in right. 

[wanderinblues]

thanks for the tip for the straps, i will try that.

that's interesting about their legs being out. Reuben has been protesting the mei tai recently, maybe that's why. he just doesn't seem comfy. same with the stretchy wrap: i always tucked his legs up and in but lately he just freaks out when i put him in it. this morning i tried the wrap with his legs out and he was totally relaxed, even though he was awake. usually when he is awake, he hates being worn. so legs out it is i guess.

[sraplayas]

that is super helpful info about legs going out--thanks!

has anyone worn their lo on their back in a wrap yet?

i'd like to do this but i'm nervous!

[FaithHopeLove29]

I thought back carries were for after they can sit on their own? Maybe thats' only true for certain carriers (I think I read it on the Ergo instructions)?

[Nicole730]

I have a wrap waiting for me to try a back carry, but I am nervous!  My baby is two weeks, so I might wait a few more weeks before trying it.  I want to do it for sure though, I have only done the ergo in the past for back carries on older babies, so I really want to try ist with ansmaller baby.  sorry for the typos, I am on mmy tablet and the words don't keepup with my typing and it is a PIA to fix them.

[livelovelaugh]

I returned my Boba Wrap because the material was just too stretchy.  Could not get it snug enough even with a newborn.  I like the Etsy ring and pouch slings that I bought, but he seems to like the newborn hug hold that a wrap provides, as do I.  Love that back in the womb feeling!  I remembered my Baby Bjorn the other day and got it out (my other kiddos were not interested in it at all as newborns), and he LOVES it.  I am so surprised.  He just loves being right there.  I can get stuff done during dinner while he is in there, though I am already noticing that it is harder to put him to sleep at night when he gets that "nap" at dinner!  He is doing 7 hours stretches at night, so I am trying not to mess with that!  Anyway, I might get a basic Moby because the wrap is firmer since you fold it and it is not as stretchy...will have to just keep trying!

[sraplayas]

per the back carry---i saw a video on youtube (wearyourbaby, i think) where the mama showed wearing her very-newborn babe on her back. i was surprised.

i carried DS2 today in a sort of newborn hug hold with legs out and found that at the end of 2 hours my shoulders ached. i'm wondering if we are ready to switch to a woven (i used a stretchy wrap)? DS is approaching 11lbs. when is a good time to switch over?

[butterfly_mommy]

I tried getting DD on my back the other day and I failed. DS was about 4 mons or so when I started wearing him on my back in the wrap. I don't have very flexible arms so I find it hard to get the wrap up over baby when they are small. if you are nervous you can wrap while on your knees on the bed or have a spotter. There are some great newborn back carry vids on You Tube.

I am not wearing DD at home very much as I have a small house and well find it impractical to get anything done with her on my front. I am trying to get the back carry going so I can cook while wearing her. I wear her mostly in the ring sling as I keep that in my car and pop her in whenever I get out of the car to run errands visit my grandmother at the hospital drop/pick-up DS at camp, go to the movies, etc. I throw the Mei Tai into the bottom of the stroller and put her in that when she is no longer happy in the stroller when we are out and about in the neighborhood I have wore her in my gauze wrap up at my moms and I wore her in the Moby wrap the other day when I took DS by transit down to a kids event. It was much cooler that day and I wanted to be able to pop her in and out easily and be hands free. I can not nurse in the wrap as my boobs are too big and low. I can nurse in the ring sling and Mei Tai but not while walking as I need to support my boob and kinda position DD but the carrier does help to position her. I am not wearing DD as much as I wore DS at this stage as it has been crazy hot hear and I am not enjoying baby wearing a newborn in the heat and poor DD keeps getting heat rash where ever her skin and mine come in contact and we sweat :( I have been using my pram style stroller a lot and enjoying it. DS didn't go in a stroller at all till he was over 4 mons old and then it was only the odd time my mom had him out.