The Picnic

We had a grand time at the picnic today! Surprisingly, most who attended came from out of town! Not a whole lot of show from the downtown core.No rain, tons of food, a bajillion carriers. Representatives from Newmarket, Barrie Groups, Koala Mamas, Carry Me Close and the North group. Very fun!

The photo shows only a SMALL sampling of how many people came out. This was just who we could wrangle in for a picture.

(Sad update: photo lost in the shuffle of blogs)

Raspberry Rouge Visit

Today, Patricia of Raspberry Rouge (www.raspberryrouge.com) visited with her new stock of Storchenweige, Vatanai and Didymos wraps. Combined with some veteran babywearers who came to visit with suitcases of carriers in tow, it was as though pretty much every carrier style and brand was represented in the room. I found it rather intense and borderline overwhelming! We had a few newer babywearers and little tiny newborns in the room, so it was great to have such a compliment of expertise for everyone to chat, and teach one another some new tricks.

I realized something today on my way home. I was talking with some of the newer wearers and I realized that I identified three carriers as “the carrier” to get if you can only have one. “Three” is not exactly “one”!

So I thought I’d run through why I would suggest any of those three and maybe justify why I contradicted myself. I do feel that if you are wanting to wear, you should find that one good carrier to be your workhorse. The one you always reach for. One that if you’re going for a long walk or hike you can rely on. Then we always need that carrier for quick ins and outs.

I’d say, if you start babywearing at a very young age for your child, then a ring sling is the best investment you can start with. You can buy a good ring sling anywhere from $30+. Ringslings are great to wear your newborn in a cradle carry or a tummy-to-tummy position right from day one. You can use a good ringsling right up until your child is a toddler, or until you can handle the weight, for a hip carry. Or even a back carry.

The one drawback of having a ring sling as your only carrier is that it only facilitates one-shoulder carries. This (for me at least) can get a bit uncomfortable for long periods of time, especially with a heavy babe. I also find ring slings to be the most challenging carrier to learn to use to its full advantage and comfort, and surprisingly, the most challenging to teach.

Next off, my other suggestion is a soft structured carrier such as an Ergo, Beco, Tentoes Click or Angelpack. They are quick to learn, easy to use, partners are generally willing to wear them, and they fit many body types. They offer front and back carry options. Overall, it’s a good choice, especially if you are doing long haul carries with lots of walking involved.

I also suggest mei tais for the same reasons. Generally, soft structured carriers differ from mei tais simply in that they have padded waists and clip buckles as opposed to ties. They also adjust with clips and can be held in their “sizing” as opposed to a mei tai that you adjust on each wear.

And so that’s my Big Three, apparently. I also love my wraps. I think they are truly the most versatile, but recognize that there is a learning curve to master the variety of ties that make a wrap a good option for the “One and Only”. If someone is willing to learn HOW then I would suggest this, by far, as the best option.

Tummy 2 Tummy Video on Ring Slings

How excited am I? Today we previewed the Tummy 2 Tummy video chapter on ring slings from a copy lent to me, and when I got home, Tummy 2 Tummy had emailed and offered Carry Me Close a copy for us to have! How exciting!

The Tummy 2 Tummy video is astoundingly informative and very easy to follow. Its’ not boring at all and gives tips on how to troubleshoot on pretty much every fiddly bit of using various carriers.

I’d say it’s by far the best resource out there. And so imagine my excitement of having a copy for our group to have for keeps.

We had a great afternoon of playing with Beco and Ergo stoft structured carriers, ring slings, a new mei tai from MangoBaby, a Babyspace onbu, and more.

I always have such a great afternoon at Carry Me Close meetings. I really do. I sometimes feel so tired in the morning and have to, what feels like, “drag” us out. As soon as I get there, I am so happy to be there. I have so much fun and it goes by so quickly.

We also have many more carriers soon to be added to the library. We have a recent donation of a CuddlyWrap from Wee Welcome’s Christine. And soon some ring slings from Mobile Mommy, and many others. I cannot also forget the Yule Bears Didymos wrap in size 6 that is on its way to us in the mail!

MangoBaby Mei Tais

Today, Grace of Mango Baby presented her line of mei tais.MangoBaby mei tais have the beauty and asthetic of a traditional Chinese mei tai, yet have some of the comforts of a modern mei tai, such as longer straps and larger body. Grace presented a little of her ethic behind her product, as well as her design considerations.

Everyone dove in and had a go at learning front and back carries. As well as how to use the traditional “twist and tuck” method of securing the mei tai’s straps.

Grace and Shira demonstrated how to safely transfer children of various ages onto the back. I’m a little wimpier and not as practiced and showed the others how to use the sit down method that I commonly use.

I really appreciated the thought and respect Grace puts into her designs. They are very well-constructed and have a deep representation of Chinese babywearing history through both the structure and the designs.

We also talked a bit about other forms of asian-style babycarriers, such as the onbuhimo and podaegi.

Breastfeeding and Babywearing

Today, La Leche League leaders Sarah MacKenzie and Marcia Cunningham of the Dufferin Grove group demonstrated how to nurse a baby in various carriers, primarily a ring sling. They also spoke about the possibility of plugged ducts caused by pressure on the breasts from some carries.

Any carry that applies pressure to the milk ducts of a nursing mother, should not be done for extended periods of time, as this can increase ones likelihood of ducts becoming plugged and a potential for the development of mastitis. Self monitor. When you wrap, use your ring sling or other carrier, take note of where the weight is being carried. Is there any pressure upon the breasts?

Some report issues arising from some carriers applying pressure more towards the armpits, including an Ergo. Of primary complaint would be carriers that tie with a knot over the breasts or a ringsling. You can work with this, by either tying ‘tibetan style’ or with ‘rucksack style’ shoulders. With a ring sling, ensure your rings fall in the optimal corsage placement (in the soft spot by the ball of your shoulder, where one would pin a corsage).

We also jumped into wrapping, ring slinging, playing with BabyHawk mei tais and other troubleshooting of the needs of members who came.

PSA Recall on BabyTrend BackPackCarrier

Another recall…Please click the following link for more information:
www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07138.html

The Amautik and Hip Bundles

Today Jen Gordon of Hip Bundles (www.hipbundles.com) came to the meeting to present the amautik as well as various carriers she carries with her online business, Hip Bundles.

The amautik is the mother’s parka that is worn by women in the Nunavut region of Canada. This beautiful parka is deeply rooted in Inuit tradition and culture and is an everyday item of use for women in the north. Through design, colours and use, the Amautik identifies a woman’s maturity, her geographical place of home and the season.

Although not traditional, a man can wear them too!

We as a group, had opportunity to hear the stories of the amautik, its place within northern Canadian history, and the efforts to protect the amuatik as intellectual property of the Inuit. We also had opportunity to try out both the summer and winter amautiks.

After Jen’s formal presentation and demonstration, we dug into her grand display of carriers ranging from Kozy mei tais, BabyHawk mei tais, Maya Wrap ring slings, EllaRoo wraps, MamaPonchos, Nori jackets, and on and on!

We also made time to work with individual members and help them troubleshoot their carriers that they brought along.

I felt like a kid in a candy store and managed to snag some great deals for the library on a Suses KinderPoncho and a Maya Pouch. As well, a member donated a couple of copies of the babywearing edition of Mothering magazine.

And, as a note:
Jen is a rockin’ person. She’s totally in the know when it comes to carriers, safety and assessing the needs of her customer. I really get the impression that she has facilitated many long-term babywearing relationships between caregiver and child.

I would definitely work with her again and sincerely hope she comes back and visits again!