Babywearing 101: Pouches

Those of you that have been around me over the last 1.75 years have had the opportunity to learn more about babywearing. For those of you that haven't, babywearing is simply wearing your baby in a carrier. Liam HATED his stroller with an intensity reserved by most people for devices of torture. He was okay with it as long as it was moving, but the moment I took that stroller into the BX (a store on base) or the post office, he screamed like crazy, and I always ended up holding him with one hand and pushing the stroller with the other hand. I had done some research when pregnant and learned about the various benefits of babywearing, so I figured I'd give it a try. To learn more about the benefits, go here: http://www.thebabywearer.com/index.php?page=bwbenefits#Benefits

My very first carrier (besides the Baby Bjorn) was a Hotsling pouch. Pouches are the easiest carrier to learn to use, and nowadays you can buy Hotslings even at Target. The hardest part about pouches is buying the right size. The first pouch I bought was WAY too big. The 2nd pouch I bought was a little too big, but is perfect to use with Liam now (since he is so big these days, it fills up the extra space in the pouch). Liam loved pouches, and spent alot of time the first few months in them.

You can carry your baby in several different positions in the pouch and use it for a variety of ages. The pictures I have show this. In the 1st picture (ignore the dust on the mirror), Liam is 2.5 months and is in the classic cradle position (this was my black sling that was too big on me, so if you buy one, it should be shorter on your body). Liam loved the cradle position for sleeping, and while it looks uncomfortable to us, babies love being curled up like that. Ben, however, HATES the cradle position, so if your baby hates that position, you might want to try the other positions. The 2nd picture shows Liam in the kangaroo carry at 3 months. The kangaroo carry allows the baby to see outward, but they must have good head control to use that position. The 3rd picture shows the hip carry with Liam at 11 months. I have a solarveil pouch to use in the pool, which is much better than trying to hold onto a slippery wet baby! The 4th picture shows Liam at 21 months and 30 pounds in the tummy to tummy position. That is right, I can still put Liam in a pouch at 30 pounds, and it is much more comfortable than holding him on my hip.

Liam prefers to walk these days, so he doesn't get worn as much anymore, but he did love it as a baby. Nowadays, babywearing is a survival skill for me as Ben does not want to be put down, but I need use of both hands to interact with Liam.