Video :: Babywearing with the Moby Wrap

My turn around time for blog posts is getting a little riduculous over here. We filmed this little video about a month ago and I have just got around to editing it. Let's not even talk about that cloth diaper post that I have been mentioning is coming for ages. Taking care of a baby has really thrown me for a loop and I find that goals and schedules tend to lead to frustration instead of a sense of accomplishment. A go-with-the-flow approach to everything is what has been keeping me happy these days. That sometimes means that there is less time for the things that I used to do (and take for granted!) but more time for baby smiles and giggles so I think it is an ok trade.

Anyways, what was I going to talk about here? Ah yes, babywearing.

A month or two ago (who can really keep track of these things) someone who was registering for gifts asked me what my baby must-haves were. I was thrown off guard and said something about how we didn't buy a lot of stuff and basically just had diapers and some clothes in the beginning. Thinking about it later I realized that I did have at least one must-have item that I should have mentioned. Something to wear your baby with. For me that was my Moby wrap.

I had my mind set on a soft, stretchy wrap in the beginning because as a newbie to babywearing I really liked the fact that with the stretchy wraps you could tie the fabric onto yourself and then just slip your baby in. I was too nervous to try out a woven wrap that needed to be tied up around your baby. All that maneuvering with a tiny baby scared the crap out of me! Side note: I do currently own a very pretty woven wrap and it is much easier to use than I thought but I'm still happy to have my Moby wrap.

Ok, so, I do own a Moby wrap but there are a lot of wraps that seem very similar out there. I have heard good things about Solly wraps and Happy wraps. In case you were wondering I wasn't sent my wrap for free, I purchased it from Barefoot Babies (my favourite baby store) and was shown how to tie it there but by the time Milo was born I had forgotten so I just followed the instructions that came with the wrap.

Milo loved/still loves to be held almost all the time so babywearing has been absolutely essential to me in order to get things done around the house. I also love it for when I go out. Before we leave the house I pre-tie my wrap and when we get to where we're going I just slip Milo in. I can count on two hands the number of times we have used our stroller because the wrap is just so much more convenient and way less bulky. Plus, Milo stays happy longer in the wrap than in his stroller which is a huge bonus.

Milo's first time in the wrap.

I was nervous about starting to babywear until Milo's umbilical stump fell off but I now realize that it wouldn't have bothered it at all. For the first few months when I wore Milo we used the froggy position for his legs so that his legs didn't stick out the bottom of the wrap. Once he hit about two or two and a half months (I can't quite remember) I started wearing him with his legs out. This is the way I will show you in the video. I am not the leading authority on babywearing or Moby wraps but I thought that I would show you what I do because watching a lot of different people do the same thing usually helps me learn better. Here is how I wear Milo in the Moby wrap.

babywearing moby wrap from love elycia on Vimeo.

Music is 'The Final Countdown' by Europe.

Now that Milo is getting bigger I still find the Moby comfortable but there are a few things to note. Since he is stronger and move more I need to keep an eye on the panels to make sure he doesn't squiggle around so much that they start to seperate and leave a gap in the middle. Also, since he is heavier and the fabric is stretchy, it seems that his legs fall out of the 'M' position (legs and bum should make an 'M') more often than I would like. I just make sure the check and adjust them back up if necessary. I have heard from lots of people that these type of wraps start to feel a lot less comfortable once your baby hits about 20 pounds but so far so good comfort-wise. Last time I checked Milo was about 14.5 pounds though so we will see once he hits 20.

So, my pros for the Moby:
- fairly easy to wrap
- can be wrapped without baby in it
- easy to slip baby in and out (this is my favourite part)

And my cons:
- baby can wriggle around and move the fabric a lot as they get bigger

There are so many different, wonderful options out there for babywearing. In the future I will talk a bit about my woven wrap and why I love that one. I know that different people like/are looking for different things in a baby carrier so I highly recommend visiting a local shop with a babywearing expert who can help you find the carrier that is right for you!

If you have anything to add to the discussion please do so in the comments! Have you tried babywearing? What is your favourite type of carrier?

♥elycia

PS. clearly babywearing makes me think I'm the Fonz. What's with all my thumbs?