Green Options

It’s not too late to get your baby on!  This week celebrate the love and closeness with your baby and wear him or her often. Studies have shown that babies who are worn tend to cry less, sleep longer, and eat better. It has also been found that parents who wear their babies are more likely to be content which in turn equals a relaxed baby.One huge benefit of babywearing is being hands-free. Babywearing allows for tasks to get done around the house while keeping the baby comfy and secure.

There are many different types of babywearing options. From slings, carriers, wraps, a piece of cloth or handmade they all have the same outcome. A happy baby and happy parents! Babywearing can br so much fun. Having your baby close to kiss as often as possible and being able to snuggle so closely all while- hiking, bowling, mini golfing, exercising, bike riding, grocery shopping, some house chores or just a simple walk is what makes babywearing enjoyable. It’s worth the investment. The fact that I’m able to move around and be hands-free with a toddler makes the day so much less intense. Both of my sons from birth loved to be worn.

Stylish, practical babywearing with a message, and a real contribution to mother-friendly childbirth advocacy.

Moby Wraps, one of the most popular stretchy wraps for babywearing, is currently selling a custom-designed model sporting a “Born Free” butterfly logo, from the makers of The Business of Being Born (that’s Ricki Lake in the promo photo, along with the film’s director Abby Epstein).

A portion of the proceeds from sales of this wrap will go to support the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, an organization now in its second decade.  CIMS seeks to promote evidence-based maternity care, and states their mission as follows:

The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) is a coalition of individuals and national organizations with concern for the care and wellbeing of mothers, babies, and families.  Our mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs. This evidence-based mother-, baby-, and family-friendly model focuses on prevention and wellness as the alternatives to high-cost screening, diagnosis, and treatment programs.

So you’ve decided to try babywearing — perhaps you’ve read the Babywearing 101 series, or Baby Essentials That Aren’t, here at Eco Child’s Play.  As a green-minded parent, you may now be wondering what options exist for slings and carriers made of organic and eco-friendly fabrics.

You might be pleasantly surprised.  From small-business WAHM handmade slings, to big-name brands, there is a wide selection of organic baby carriers out there to choose from.  Whatever style of carrier you prefer, organic options in natural colour-grown fabrics and vivid naturally-dyed colours abound.

Here is just a partial list, to help get your search started.

Okay, so we’ve talked about the Benefits of Babywearing. We’ve noted some General Guidelines for Babywearing. We’ve also so far discussed two types of native-style baby carriers, the pouch and the ring sling.

Next up? The wrap!

Remember that we’re evaluating each carrier based on its own pros and cons. Each carrier has its own style for wearing your baby, each carrier looks very different, and each carrier may feel very different on your body and to your baby.

All the possible styles of carry are this: cradle front, vertical front facing in (baby’s legs are frogged up as a small infant and spread to fit around your waist as an older child), kangaroo front (a vertical carry facing out, in which baby sits in the carrier and tucks her legs in front of her), hip on either side, piggyback. These mimic ways in which you might carry a baby in your arms, and thus tend to be pretty comfortable and ergonomically correct.

So far we’ve talked about the benefits of babywearing, some general guidelines for babywearing, and the pros and cons of the pouch.

Next up: the ring sling.

The ring sling tends to be the go-to babywearing carrier for most babywearing parents. It’s very adjustable and fairly versatile, but its learning curve is less than some of the other baby carriers we’ll be discussing.

The ring sling is, basically, a long length of fabric with two sturdy rings sewn into one end.

Once you know the benefits of babywearing and some general guidelines for babywearing, you’re ready to start figuring out which kind of native-style carrier will work best for your body, your lifestyle, and your baby.

Each kind of carrier has its own pros and cons. Each kind of carrier has certain styles of wearing your baby that it’s the best at, and certain styles that it’s not well suited for.

Your job is to do your own pro/con analysis, deciding which disadvantages you’re willing to put up with to gain certain advantages, and deciding which styles of wearing you’re most likely to use with your baby and which you’re not.

The list of all possible styles of carry are as follows: cradle front, vertical front facing in (baby’s legs are frogged up as a small infant and spread to fit around your waist as an older child), kangaroo front (a vertical carry facing out, in which baby sits in the carrier and tucks her legs in front of her), hip on either side, piggyback.

Here’s what the pouch can do:

In Benefits of Babywearing, I told you about the real benefits to a baby of being worn for the majority of the day by a caregiver.

And no, I didn’t even go into some of the most awesome benefits–the fact that native-style baby carriers are portable, convenient, and cheap, and the knowledge that by babywearing, you never have to be one of the dozens of couples I witnessed one afternoon at the Louvre, my own eight-month-old snug in her ring sling. The Louvre really isn’t that accessible, friends, and watching all those parents attempt to lug all those HUGE strollers up and down all those HUGE flights of stone staircases? Well, not only did it look dangerous, but it looked like it sucked. Big time. I took a lot of joy in bouncing right past those miserable families, my own delightful burden slung on my hip.

There are some general guidelines that can make babywearing a safe and enjoyable experience for you and your child:

Guilt. Augh, the guilt.

Many of us practice some form of natural parenting. Many of us choose breastmilk, cosleeping, babywearing, and whole foods for our babies and families.

But lately, I’ve noticed that something is lacking with a few vocal members of the attachment parenting community. Empathy. Yep, that’s putting yourself in another’s shoes.

You don’t have to agree. You don’t have to sanction. But it’d be nice if some APs would understand that it’s not as easy as popping a baby on a breast or in your bed. Life is not the same for everyone out there. Our experiences are different. Our reactions are different.

And until the Attachment Parenting community isolates the elitists, it will be hard to gain ground.

Open any pregnancy or baby book, and you’ll find that list: the baby essentials, the things you absolutely cannot live without.  While many accessories are easily recognized as frivolous, certain items are truly indispensable: the basic necessities for life with a baby.

Or are they?

In this weekly series, we’ll be looking at several baby essentials that really aren’t.  They may be useful in certain situations, but if money or space is tight, or if you’re just looking to simplify and reduce consumerism and waste, here’s how to get along just fine without these so-called “essentials.“

In Part 1, we questioned the crib.   Part 2 bemoaned the bucket.  Part 3 scrutinized the stroller.  Part 4 ditched the diapers.  Part 5 scrubbed the tub.  This week, let’s bust the brain boosters!

Open any pregnancy or baby book, and you’ll find that list: the baby essentials, the things you absolutely cannot live without.  While many accessories are easily recognized as frivolous, certain items are truly indispensable: the basic necessities for life with a baby.

Or are they?

In this weekly series, we’ll be looking at several baby essentials that really aren’t.  They may be useful in certain situations, but if money or space is tight, or if you’re just looking to simplify and reduce consumerism and waste, here’s how to get along just fine without these so-called “essentials.“

In Part 1, we questioned the crib.   Part 2 bemoaned the bucket.  This week, let’s scrutinize the stroller.

Is it possible that I’m too furious to type?

No, that’d be a dream come true for Motrin. Let me give you a transcription of Motrin’s online advertisement. It’s after the jump and I’d have to advise any mother who has ever worn her baby to have a good stiff drink before you read.

Because you are going to be furious, and I think we all know that a pissed off group of Mommies is (and should be) terrifying.