Sunday, September 30th
10:00am to 4:00pm
Earl Bales Park (at Bathurst and Shepperd)
Meet at the picnic tables between the playground and the War Monument (tall pointy monument).
To get there by TTC, take the subway to Shepperd station. Then, take a Shepperd bus westbound to Bathurst Street, and walk south on Bathurst on the east side, past the apartment buildings, until you get to the park.
You can find a map and RSVP on our Meetup event listing. 
Carry Me Close is still going strong! We are meeting happily in Dufferin Grove park until we find a new home. Our members are diligently working on this!
We’ve had lots of interesting meetings in the past month, and tons of new members. Many having just bumped into the group at the parkPresented were the general facts about post-partum depression. I urge EVERYONE reading this blog to please visit this resource: http://www.oursistersplace.ca/pdf/OSP-Postpartum.pdf
Also discussed was the emotional ride we as mothers and fathers have faced since becoming parents. We discussed our coping tools.
We looked at the ways babywearing has helped us deal with the difficult side of parenthood, as well as how babywearing can be a TRIGGER for some people, excerbated by attempting to learn a new skill during an already challenging time.
Please join with me and send loving vibes, good wishes and prayers to the mamas of faith of the Informed Parent, while they try to ascertain direction.
In the meantime, this leaves Carry Me Close displaced. It took us a long while to find the ideal location at the Informed Parent. And here we go again!
While we search for the next best thing, we will temporarily meet at Dufferin Grove Park on Tuesdays at 1:00pm, by the children’s play area.
We decided to maintain the time and day of our meetings, as we have developed a loyal and regular membership of those who CAN attend at that time and until we find a location and HAVE to switch timing, we would like to remain as consistent as possible.
Today, our new co-facilitator Starr, did an overview of soft structured carriers (SSCs). She presented the definition of an SSC, and described various brands such as the Yamo, Beco, Ergo, Tentoes Click, Angel Pack, and Patapum.
Starr also demonstrated how to do a front carry and a back carry.
As a group we also discussed ways to carry a newborn in a soft structured carrier.
SSCs were unanimously voted as the quickest, most comfy two-shouldered carrier.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)
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.
