Wearing Owen

New parents have a lot of choices and methods they can choose to employ. Food, sleep habits, waste disposal, even methods of interaction. In the case of the last one--there's the differing levels of babywearing, which can be a component of attachment parenting, or simply a means of transportation. Most new parents do end up getting a carrier of some sort, with Baby Bjorn being the dominant name in carriers, but I was attracted to some of the other benefits that proponents of baby wearing claim. Even if some of the outcomes aren't provable, it was something that felt right. Afterall, everyone likes to hold the baby. What is odd, though, is that when I was looking into this, I felt like we'd be on our own here because outside of a BB here and there at ultimate, I've seen very few carriers amongst friends, but that may be more a function of lack of events in which they'd be required.

We got a hotsling in late March, which allowed Owen to be held cradle style, and keeping Joanne's hands free. The sizing gave us some hope that we'd both be able to use it, but it didn't quite fit me, and since I only tended to have Owen in small chunks of time, it didn't seem necessary to get a sling just for me. In retrospect, Slinglings might be a better deal, as you can get 3 for the price of 2, though that might be more of a commitment than new baby wearers might need.



The sling generally worked pretty well, though it took Joanne some time to become comfortable with putting Owen in and knowing he was in right. Then, when she was used to that, Owen was too big for cradle style, and was ready for a front facing position, which resulted in his feet being squeezed up to his face. There are additional carrying positions, including a hip carry position, but the sling may be close to retired since we finally got a more adjustable carrier.



Meanwhile I spent time researching other more dad-friendly carriers, ie not wraps--mei tais and soft structured carriers were the primary styles. In function, they are largely the same in their positioning. The key difference is that mei tais are entirely fabric, while SSCs have buckles. Since this was more of an interest to me, I got to largely pick what I wanted. I had ruled out a good chunk of SSCs like the Baby Bjorn (or some of their models) because of the hold type--the idea to suspend Owen from just the crotch just seemed... uncomfortable. I guess there's some research that it can also affect spinal development. I was more interested in a carrier with front and back carries in a froggy style--with the legs splayed out around the carrier's waist. This shifts the baby's weight to not just the spine, but to all of the butt and thighs.

The initial leader was the Ergo--very popular as the Bjorn alternative, but it struck me as very bulky, particularly for AZ. It just seemed hot and heavy. The next consideration was the Patapum. Very Ergo-like, but it looked a bit lighter, and it was up to $30 cheaper. Still, I never quite pulled the trigger. After becoming a member of The Baby Wearer forum, I came across mei tais like the Babyhawk and the Connecta. The Connecta was especially interesting because it is in between a mei tai and an SSC. It is the highest rated SSC (since it has some buckles, it is categorized that way), and it even comes in a solarveil fabric, but Joanne didn't see a carrier as being worth $120 (it is made and shipped from the UK.

We ended up getting the Action Baby Carrier, largely from comments that it was a very light weight and cool. Although it was new to the market in May, the same company has made other well received carriers, so I finally pulled the trigger about two weeks ago, buying it from McKinley Kidz, even though the Patapum was a little cheaper.



The first reaction we each had was how comfortable it was. Owen's not that heavy yet, but neither of us found it a strain at all--the hip belt works well to distribute the weight. He hasn't been in yet for more than 30-40 minutes yet, but in that time, the only discomfort has been a little heat. I've taken him out once because of it--more to prevent him from getting upset than my own discomfort. Joanne had Owen fall asleep in it once. I also put him in today when he was a little upset, and he calmed down pretty quickly--maybe even faster than if I was holding him. In the pic above, his arm looks trapped, but it's just restrained. The other one is free, and he's OK with that. We haven't used the back carry yet or taken it out on any adventures, but that will change Saturday when Owen & I go to pick up our co-op order. Not too adventurous, I know, but we're breaking him in slowly to the excitement that is our lives.

Oh, that's right. Owen is the excitement in our life.