To say Lucy enjoys being worn is an understatement. She requires it. There are periods throughout the day when she will fuss and cry, so I will nurse her. She’ll eat her fill and throw another fit. So I’ll walk around with her. That does no good and eventually I realize she is asking for the sling.
Lately I am skipping the middle step and when she fusses after a feeding I immediately reach for the sling.
There is just something about being snuggled tight against mommy and away from the noises of her brother and sister that instantly calms her and puts her to sleep.
Her favorite carriers are the Sleepy Wrap (which is pictured to the left) and the ring sling. My favorite to put on is the mei tai since it is so quick and comfy for me. But turns out Lucy doesn’t fall asleep in it as quickly and finds it uncomfortable. And while I know my Beco Butterfly 2 carrier has an infant insert, I have not tried to wear her in it yet. I think once she is holding her head up she will like it more – if she doesn’t like the Mei Tai what makes me think she’ll like a soft structured carrier?
So I wear her, multiple times a day.
It saves my sanity because I don’t have to listen to her scream and cry. As she relaxes and sleeps on my chest, my emotions calm down too. And if there are clothes to hang up in the closet, those get tackled! It is one of the few chores I can do that puts her to sleep.
It saves me time because she falls asleep so quickly! Oh my goodness, it is funny sometimes. That really frustrating thing is when she doesn’t fall asleep super quickly. That is when I start pacing the floor and rolling my eyes. These times are not so good for my sanity. But eventually she does fall asleep, 95% of the time. And those 9 times out of 10, I am relieved – no exuberantly happy – that all it took was a quick wrap and walk and she was out!
And boy does it save my muscles. I have tried to walk around the house carrying her when she is crying to be held. My arms are dead in the first 10 minutes. She is a hefty 11.5 pounds and growing fast. The Sleepy Wrap is such comfy material and when I put it on correctly, it distributes her weight evenly. The ring sling? Not so much. It does not save my muscles as much as it just gives me a free hand. I don’t use my ring sling for long periods of time.
Ethan HATED any type of sling I tried with him. However, I didn’t have a Sleepy Wrap, but I did buy one to use with Cole. I really hope he likes it!
Yup! I hope Cole likes the sleepy wrap. It is Lucy’s favorite. She tolerates the ring sling, hates the mei tai and I haven’t even tried the beco. Good luck!
Chari, it is sooo helpful to have with an active toddler. I hope Cole likes it too! 🙂
I’ve tried my Beco with Mayer (who is smaller than Lucy) and he doesn’t like it. I was surprised because he isn’t a fan of swaddling, so I figured he would prefer it.
I have 2 slings and I use one, but don’t find it as comfortable for me. My cousin loaned me a Moby wrap and thank goodness she did! I am back at work full time now. Pumping is super painful for me, so I have Mayer with me all day. If it weren’t for the Peanut shell or Moby, I wouldn’t be able to. I am still trying to figure out the art of breastfeeding from a carrier. I have a Moby D and the front panel isn’t the same stretchy material. Maybe that has something to do with it.
I can’t wait to try wearing both Tate and Mayer. Wearing Tate really helps with his behavior when we are at the store. Although I wore him in the early months, I have missed wearing him since being pregnant!
I still have not been able to breastfeed in a carrier except for the one time I was able to nurse in the ring sling. That was a shock to me when I succeded! Good luck Sarah, it takes practice nursing in a sling, but I am sure you’ll get it 🙂
Yes, I know exactly what you mean about using a carrier. I never used one with my first and after trying several with Liam I now can’t even imagine how I made it without one before. lol! We used a Moby Wrap when Liam was younger and it was great since it kept him nice and snuggly. Once he gained head control we started using the Belle Baby carrier, which is similar to an Ergo, since he could face outward. He loved it and is always, always happy when he’s in there instead of the stroller. Plus, it’s so much easier on my back and to deal with my 3 yr old at the same time! I love my Belle Baby carrier.
The carriers were especially great at the beach. I couldn’t imagine running up and down the beach after Josiah with a 20lb baby in my arms. I would have died, for sure. lol!
I’ve heard great things of the Belle Baby carrier. I will check it out for sure. I love my Beco. Soft Structured Carriers really are amazingly helpful when you are running around aren’t they?
I never got used to the carrier I had. It wasn’t too comfortable. I used to wheel DD around in her stroller in the house, or just carry her…. she is still hanging off me like a monkey 3 years later.
I always got SO much done when I had Isabella strapped to me! I WISH I had something like this when Evan was a baby, that kid NEVER wanted to be put down! Oh well, you live and learn. 🙂
Yep, I know exactly what you mean about using a wrap carrier. i do the same with mine – but it’s one of those that is already wrapped for you ( Baby K’tan) so it’s easy to throw on with crying baby. Is a life saver. i keep Megan in it for hours. I hope there is nothing bad about letting them sleep on your for so long.. 🙂
Babywearing saves my sanity too! My son is very clingy. Now at 10mo he’s not as clingy but he’s very attached for sure! I have a sleepy wrap and we used it so much in the beginning it was very comfortable. I also have a catbirdbaby pikkolo (two actually) Its very comfortable and very easy to nurse it. Its the first carrier I ever figured out how to nurse in. The way the buckles were placed made it very easy to adjust to nurse in and get him to the boobie quick! Which is always a plus. I also LOVE my babyette ring slings. I’ve got three of them YIKES! I’ve got the water ring sling that I have worn in the pool and the shower. I’ve got the basic ring sling and its great because I can just toss it in the washing machine when it gets dirty. I also have the duponi silk sling. Its very pretty just a bit harder to wash because you can only spot clean it. But it works wonderfully.
I use the sleepywrap for my 3 week old. He was born six weeks early, so he really NEEDED the closeness that the wrap gave. Plus, I have a two-year-old, and so it allowed my preemie to be close to me, and still be active with my older son.
(It also relieved some anxiety about him being able to keep his temperature up…..)
Baby wearing is just sweet- it’s intimate, bonding, and beautiful. You are so cute together snuggled up 🙂
I love my bjorn, but my son never really liked any of them.
I’m glad you found something that’s working for you.
I was terrible at tying a wrap. I watched videos and everything. I need a hands on tutorial.