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Unleashing my inner Earth Mother

16/3/2016

 
Picture

​Lorna shares: 

Now, the other day I got told I looked like an Earth Mother. This for me is definitely one of the best compliments I've ever received. Having finally started to be fairly competent at a back carry with a kanga, I was feeling pretty smug.

My smugness was short lived after a rather sweaty and high tense run in with a woven wrap in a supermarket carpark.

You see, my imaginings of an Earth Mother are a woman of a calm nature; who takes life as it comes, let's her children run free whilst remaining in tune with their every need and obviously carrying a baby around wrapped in some kind of animal hair blend woven wrap at all times. She completes tasks effortlessly whilst gliding around barefoot with her baby on her back every now and again stopping to be mindful of the task at hand, serenely gazing lovingly into her children's eyes.

This woman I am not. To be what I refer to as a 'hardcore' babywearer you need to do it for the love of the carry. I myself am a pretty practical person who will definitely go for the easy option. If the easy option means I use a sling then I definitely do it. If the easy option involves my double buggy I'm totally up for that too. Then there are those days when I feel like I can attempt a little Earth Mother moment.... Hence the carpark incident.

So we arrive at said carpark and its raining. Baby is asleep and toddler is in a pretty serious grump after a badly timed snooze. At this point I think, yeh let's wrap the baby, why not? Well it's raining for one but anyhow I carry on and manage to fashion some kind of hold which vaguely looks like a kangaroo carry. My children are neither a fan of the transfer when they are asleep, so at this point baby is now wide awake and personally I do not find a kangaroo carry conducive to peering around. With a nosey 10 month old this could be an issue. Hey ho, she's in and I'm not dragging my tails in the rain again. Get toddler out and attempt to find a trolley. Decide that of course only one seat is needed in the trolley because the baby is in the sling and the toddler is walking.

Right there, at that moment, that's where my earth mother moment ended. Toddler running off after raiding the free fruit basket at the front of the shop and lobs chosen apple on floor for it to roll under a display, lots of tutting from a nearby old dear. Heaving baby strapped to chest in an inappropriate carry whilst chasing a toddler and pushing a trolley that toddler won't sit in and that has a wonky wheel is sweaty work, queue harassed looking me. I stop. I breathe. I look vaguely serenely into the distance whilst trying to keep half an eye on toddler who is now attempting to pull the heads off the cut flowers. At this moment baby decides she's had enough of the sling. Put baby in trolley and unravel sweaty self from woven wrap. Locate toddler mid snotty nose smear hiding in the clothing rails. Pretend I haven't seen nose smear and continue. Toddler asks to go in trolley. Now, ordinarily toddler wouldn't deign herself to be strapped in to anything. But of course on this day, at this moment it's the perfect idea. Earth Mother persona so far away and replaced by slightly manic over enthusiastic shouty mother. Random items grabbed, trip abandoned, children eating bribery snack of biscuits in the car. Who's looking smug now?

This incident is one of many that on reflection I just should have used the double trolley and bribed my children with snacks like all the other mums in the shop. My attempt to emanate calmness resulted in a high tense meltdown of the grown up variety, definitely not the look and mood I was aiming for. Earth Mother status is still an aspiration of mine but I will take that compliment and rest easy that someone one day thought I was worthy of the title. Thank goodness they weren't in that carpark!

To be fair this same lovely lady was with me the day I decided to shop for toddler shoes and tipped the double buggy upside down with a newborn in it. But that's a whole other story....

Whatever your aspirations of the kind of mother you want to be, there is a woman next to you already thinking you're just that. Or there is one behind you in Tesco carpark thinking 'why doesn't she just use a trolley?'. Either way, babywearing for the love of the carry is definitely not my bag! Necessity is key, whether I'm wrapping with some kind of ancient Yak fabric or a dirty towel from the boot of my car.

Lorna B

Practical Babywearing 

9/3/2016

 
When you're home and it's just you and a newborn baby and a stretchy Babywearing can be pretty straight forward. But when you add into the mix a long walk, shopping, a dog walk, British weather and possibly another child or two, things can get a bit harder. Here are the things I do/did to make baby wearing work in various situations. 

1. How to carry everything else? Babywearing/over the body bags 
Taking a baby anywhere, even for a short trip, normally means taking a change of cloths or two, nappies, wipes, snacks, drinks as well as all of your normally things (keys/phone/purse...). To store all of this and still be able to carry it I use over the body bags. You can even get baby wearing specific bags which can be made of (possibly matching) wrap fabric and often feature extra long adjustable straps. 

2. Quick slings/carries
As your baby leaves the squishy newborn phase and gradually enters "interested in the world baby" and "busy toddler" phases we are often asked for slings or carries which are super quick to put on or tie and don't drive you mad as you need to let your toddler come up and get down over and over again! So my favourite wrap carries for bigger babies and toddlers are a Kangaroo carry (front carry, done with a size 3) and a reinforced ruck (back carry done with a size 4). I also love love love a good ring sling. One which is sturdy and supportive and tightened well can be a fantastic option for a baby who wants to look around a bit more and a toddler who wants to be up and down. Buckles too are really great for when you want something super fast and easy. The most popular buckle carriers in the library at the moment are the Tula's (they come in standard size - from about 3/4 months and a toddler size) and then the Sleepy Nico. 

3. Weather 
When the weather is mild it's easy to baby wear without too much thought. But as soon as we have lots of rain, or heat, or the very cold baby wearing can be harder. It's not impossible though. I've written about the heat here and the cold here. Remember that each layer of the sling counts as a layer of clothing and that simply buy being close you and baby will be warmer. So layers of clothing (or in the heat a lack of them) are crucial to be able to control baby's temperature. My favourite weather flexible carrier at the moment is the Moby Aria which has a handy mesh panel for the summer and then a button on warmer panel for the winter. Genius! 

4. Storage of slings
Where to keep your lovely sling(s)? My day to day sling lives over the banister at the bottom of the stairs! I would recommend if you have buckles keeping them inside rather than left in your car so that there is less of a fluctuation of temperature which can make the plastic of the buckle more brittle. For a wrap it's great to store it braided especially if it is new and in need of softening as this will help, and it looks super pretty!  

5. Washing of slings
Most slings are pretty easy to care for (with the exception of a wrap with something like wool in it). For most buckles, following the manufacturers instructions and washing at no higher than 30 using a gentle washing liquid and NO fabric softener, with the buckles closed together is best. For a wrap, again check the care label (some fabric wraps need special care) and NO fabric softener or anything with optical brighteners in it. Line dry flat and a gentle steam iron will bring it back to full softness. 

6. Shopping bags - how to go shopping?
I gave up clothes shopping in actual shops when I had my second baby! But that may not be the most helpful advice! Lots of baby wearers use shopping trolleys to carry the shopping around in while still being able to baby wear. 

7. Tandem baby wearing 
It is possible to carry two children at once. Careful thought as to which slings to use and lots of practise and it becomes a very handy thing to be able to do. For example if you have two newborn twins options are both in one stretchy, or in two ring slings. When they are bigger (6 months) one on the front and one on the back in to buckle carriers or even two wraps (or one) is also very doable. If you have a newborn and a toddler it is also possible to tandem wear. Smallest baby on your front and then the bigger toddler on your back. Carol is a magician at tandem wearing so if you would like some help come along to a sling meet and she can help you! 

8. Most flexible sling 
Sometimes you need different slings for different reasons. For example, if I was to go for a long trek I would use a sturdy buckle carrier or a long wrap. But if I knew I was going to be doing lots of ups and downs I would use a ring sling. However, if you asked me what one sling could "do it all" it would be a woven wrap. A size 6 is my base wrap and means I can do a front wrap cross carry, a double hammock back carry and also a study hip carry. A buckle which has straps you can cross over such as a Manduca and a half buckle or a Mei Tai can also both be used as front, back and hip carries. 

And finally...squats! 
We want a sling to provide good head, back and neck support for baby at all times. That being said I wouldn't recommend bending over and forward to pick something up with a baby being worn either on your front or your back. Instead get practising your squats! 

For more information come along to a sling meet or book a 1:1 Consultation! 

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