How To Be Hands Free - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[BumkinsMum]

Originally Posted by GoGetumTiger 

  We have dogs, and they're lickers.  . 

So are ours. Just wait 'till you have a toddler running around with a messy face, then they wont leave 'em alone!!  Hey! Great way to save on baby wipes!

[sky_and_lavender]

For me the first time around, I was a hard core baby wearer. A wrap (a moby) for the first few months, and then a baby k'tan. I tried a ring sling but never mastered it. I have back issues, and having her weight distributed across both shoulders seemed to work better for me. I'm also in favor of the floor. My babe was one who wanted to be held all the time, though, so the floor was of limited usefulness for the first long while.

Last time, I got a borrowed Ergo when my daughter was over a year old. Loved it! A friend is going to give me her Beco, which is Ergo-like, but makes it easier to get them on your back. I never mastered a back carry with my first baby, but plan to this time around, just because I need to be more active and want to keep the housewife duties up at least a little better this time. (Last time I was such a mess!)

If this baby is one that doesn't mind being put down, I will probably get some kind of bassinet or something for the kitchen while I'm cooking sometimes. Or maybe not. Not sure how I'll feel.

[dayiscoming2006]

Sky and Lavender, with a bit of practice, a back carry isn't too hard to do. 

[littlegreenlady]

I only had one dog and he was little and old. I also did the baby wearing thing a lot, though in the beginning I couldn't really get the hang of it. 

We had these massive gates that we put up to separate one big room in the house (to keep the dog out) They were technically dog gates for a german shepherd size dog. They have doors so you can get in and out (cause you can not step over them). I cleaned my floors every day with a swifter (with home made wipes to save some $) I didn't leave the baby on the floor much in the beginning, but by the time he was ready for tummy time it was nice to have this one big clean room that was dog free.

I also had one of those bouncy/vibrating things. My husband went out and bough one late one night cause we were desperate to get some sleep and the little guy needed constant motion to sleep. We never used the vibration part, but would take turns bouncing him while we laid down and dozed a bit :) This was also useful for taking showers, and eating meals if there was no one else to hold him. Also though I wanted to hold him all the time, I discovered that he just needed to be put down sometimes and have his space. 

As far as carriers I used a wrap while he was little and got an ergo later on. I found the ergo really easy to use for getting him on my back though a wrap was nice if I wanted him high up enough to see over my shoulder.