With babywearing comes a whole other world of questions – like what to wear when the weather gets cold and wet?
Over the last 7 years I have tried a few options.
First of all babywearing beats a pushchair when it is raining. I’ve never been able to push my pushchair and carry an umbrella. But have found that with baby in a sling, even on the back I can just put up my umbrella, make sure the umbrella is over baby (if baby doesn’t want to feel the rain on her face) with the spokes touching her back and off we go. Particularly good are those large, clear dome umbrellas, but we’ve managed fine with a children’s Dora the Explorer one!
Front carry with an ordinary coat
For a little baby on the front I found that just wearing a biggish coat, done up over the front worked great. But as time went on, and we moved over to more and more back carries I needed a new approach.
At first I just tried both of us wearing our coats and then putting the sling over the top. This works great with my mei-tai, but it does lead to the problem of both of us overheating when we go indoors – especially into hot, stuffy shopping centres. On the flip side now I have very active, walking child each having our costs on means that she already has the right clothes on to get down and play outside.
Finally I decided I needed a proper babywearing coat. But which to choose?
I don’t spend or think a lot about clothes and style, but I am very picky. I like anything I buy to ‘be me’. Preferably a bit quirky and in the right colours – bright, strong, clear colours – red, green or purple, but usually end up with the inevitable fall back – black!
A look at the babywearer.com mostly turned up anorak type coats. Not what I was after at all. Then I found three options:
The Äiska Babywearing Poncho. Which I loved the look of, but couldn’t help feeling that it would completely drown little old me.
The MamaPoncho – beautiful, neat but not really a coat.
Very, very pregnant in the MamaJacket
And finally the MamaJacket. This is the one I bought and have worn for several years. It is neat (sizes are rather small), looks good as an ordinary coat, and a maternity one. The only down side is that is isn’t as warm as many other coats. But in UK with its limited deep winter – and lotsof autumn and spring chilly days it is usually fine. Now available in a gorgeous red colour which I would love to have had.
Then this morning I followed a link and found this coat – the MaM Babywearing tunic.  Quirky and at Naturally Happy Slings it is even available in red fleece. Like the MamaJacket it can be worn as an ordinary coat, during pregnancy, or babywearing front or back. Interestingly it comes in three different fabrics – stretchy polar fleece, wool/viscose or a weatherproofed fleece. As I seem to spend alot of time outside standing around in playgrounds the weatherproof version is very tempting, although sadly not available in the red.
Now the question is “Is it too late to buy a babywearing coat?” as DD2 is coming to the end of regularly being in the sling. But then again – it can be worn as an ordinary coat!
One little extra for baby. When in a sling trousers ride up – so leg warmers such as Babylegs or Huggalugs are a great idea. Though we have usually just gone with long trousers on a baby who isn’t walking yet, or high boots on a child that is.
I can also recommend the Baby Bjorn Carrier Cover which I should expect would work on the mei tai front position (not sure about the back)