Category Archives: Babywearing

Hertfordshire based natural parenting groups

Babycare, Babywearing, Birth, Breastfeeding, Cosleeping, Parenting, ,

It is a while since I’ve touched on the subject of finding support for natural parenting.

Ten years ago I found a couple of online groups that supported me – one was a forum that no longer exists and the other was thebabywearer.com.

Over the years I’ve tried different groups online, with varying degrees of success. I’ve dipped in and out of Natural Mamas and Green Parent. But have found difficulties with staying engaged. In one case because of the lack of notification of new topics.

I used to frequent the sling meet group, but now that part of our lives has moved on and the interest is less immediate.

Today though most of my support comes from local natural parenting groups, predominantly Facebook groups. These groups feed into my email or Facebook news feed which I use every day, keeping me engaged and up to date.

I thought it would be useful to have a list of Hertfordshire based natural parenting groups.

Any more to add to the list?

Out and about with little ones

Babywearing, Parenting, Play, , , ,

Over the years we have spent a lot of time outside with our two young children.
Wandering the streets has been a favourite, and playing in public spaces. Street furniture has so many possibilities! If you leave enough time to take things slow there are lots of interesting things for small children around the streets.
We have also enjoyed going to the park or woods, climbing trees and setting up home in the shrubbery. A pushed over pushchair on the pavement makes a brilliant rocket on the way back from the library.
Who can resist puddle jumping or jumping in the autumn leaves – I know none of us can!
Playgrounds have provided a social opportunity and plenty of fun over the years too.
My youngest in particular likes to collect things and each journey outside leaves the possibility for the discovery of treasures – a discarded McDonald toy, a stick, a hub cap (these are particularly popular).
My eldest loves the opportunity to meet people and chat that being outside provides too.

For me the top tips for getting out and about are:

1. Using a sling for a baby – and for a toddler (up to age 4 or 5 with a well suited good quality one.
Baby can see everything and chat with you and other people if they want. And it doesn’t matter how far a toddler can walk because you just pick them up for a bit. I like a mei-tai best – easy for back carries and unlike a wrap there isn’t too much material to drag through the mud. A good soft structured carrier can work well too.
Types of baby carriers
2. Working out a bag(s) that worked for me, and taking as little as possible.
For me this was a large runner bumbag, which I could wear around my waist under the carrier. Children carried their own toddler day sack from very early on with nappy things in. (not the baby ones in shape of animals as you can’t really fit anything else in these). If your child has a tendency to run towards the road then the reins on these might be helpful too.
3. Dress right for the weather
With a bit of research it is possible to find clothes for babies, children and adults that mean that the weather isn’t a problem.
Babywearing – what to wear in wet and cold?
4. Learning not to expect too much.
Children like to potter, and it seems completely against their nature to walk from A to B with getting somewhere as the purpose. For them it is about the journey. So slow down, take your time and you’ll be rewarded by getting to see a familiar landscape in a whole new way.

Babywearing blogs

Babywearing, ,

To celebrate International Babywearing Week – here are some blogs on babywearing.

Why I Love Baby Wearing - Charlotte Kaufman

I Love The Way You Wear Your Baby | International Babywearing Week 2011 - Charlotte Kaufman

Why I love babywearing – Katherine Norman

Benefits of Babywearing – Katherine Norman

Types of baby carrier – Katherine Norman

Baby-Wearing ~ Toddler-Wearing ~ Eleven-Year-Old-Wearing - Rachel Coleman (spotted by Charlotte Kaufman). An inspirational account of babywearing a disabled child. Shows the potential for babywearing for all of us and as a result I have been inspired to make sure I take a mei-tai out with me today for my only 4 year old!

<script src=”http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=111405″ type=”text/javascript” ></script>

 

 

The warm heart of my family

Babycare, Babywearing, Breastfeeding, Cosleeping, Our journey, Parenting, , , , , ,

Reading the latest The Parental Intelligence Newsletter I came upon this article that struck a cord with me – Why African Babies Don’t Cry
by J. Claire K. Niala.

It reminded me of some of the childhood influences on my parenting that I treasure the most. As a child I lived in various countries – most notably for a couple of years in Malawi. It was a time in my life that I loved completely – warm sun, heavy rain, good friends and family all in the warm heart of Africa. It influenced my view of the world and in recent years has heavily influenced my parenting choices.

We had a cook – whose large family was very important to me. Their two year old daughter in particular was the only child before I had my own that I have ever felt maternal about. Whilst we were their her mother had another baby daughter. And between them both they taught me some of the most important lessons for my own parenting.

First – there is nothing strange about co-sleeping – although given a family of 11 people, and two bedrooms you really have no choice. But that normal, happy children co-sleep and it can be a completely normal part of the human condition.

Secondly that toddlers don’t have to throw tantrums. The only times I ever saw my friend cry was if she was hurt or at wash time – now that she hated!

Thirdly babies don’t have to cry, and the most normal place in the world for a baby is attached to its mother, in a chitenge or what ever other baby carrier comes to hand. The little one is also the only baby I can remember seeing breastfeeding up close.

These special memories stayed with me for years – ready to help make breastfeeding, cosleeping, babywearing and multi-age communities of children seem like the obvious choices for my own children.

Babywearing – what to wear in wet and cold?

Babywearing, ,

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.

Scientist hypothesises that using tools to make slings made us human.

Babywearing, Parenting, ,

Archaeologist and anthropologist Timothy Taylor claims that tools use came before Homo species, that Australopithecines used stone tools to create baby slings to carry their young.

Bipedalism requires baby to have a small brain at birth because of the mother’s small pelvis, but it makes it harder for baby to cling to mother.

“Upright female hominins walking the savannah had a real problem: their babies couldn’t cling to them the way a chimp baby could cling to its mother. Carrying an infant would have been the highest drain on energy for a hominin female – higher than lactation. So what did they do? I believe they figured out how to carry their newborns using a loop of animal tissue. Evidence of the slings hasn’t survived, but in the same way that we infer lungs and organs from the bones of fossils that survive, it is from the stone tools that we can infer the bits that don’t last: things made from sinew, wood, leather and grasses.”

So now the helpless babies can be carried, allowing Homo species to gve birth more prematurely and the baby to continue to develop extra-uterine. Duncan Caldwell also hypothesizes that the sling enabled humans to give birth to more immature babies and develop bigger brains post-natally and that the sling environment also led to loss of hair to combat parasites

http://gizmodo.com/5619821/artificial-ape-man-how-technology-created-humans

http://web.me.com/duncancaldwell/Site/Baby_Sling_Adaptations.html

http://newhumanist.org.uk/2330/slings-arrows

Types of baby carrier

Babywearing, Parenting,

There are many different baby carriers and slings available, with something suitable for every parent’s style. This guide will help you find a carrier to suit you. 

Babywearing is a new skill that may require a little time, practice and often a little help to master, but other parents are always available online and locally to assist. See Slingmeet.co.uk  

Most of the carriers listed here can do a range of different positions and ages – front, back, hip and newborn to 3 or 4 years. 

Success with using them comes down to personal preference, body shape and a little perseverance or help. 

Pouch

A pouch is a tube of material worn over one shoulder to create a pocket for baby to lie or sit in. Great for new parents and newborns because of their simplicity, but less adjustable. 

  • easy to use
  • limited adjustability
  • custom fit – pouch needs to fit you, so probably won’t fit both parents
  • less comfortable for longer periods or with a heavier child

Some pouches are non-adjustable, others have zips or poppers to give more adjustability. 

Ring sling

A ring sling is a rectangle of material with rings sewn in at one end. Worn over one shoulder it forms a pouch in which baby lies or sits and is adjusted using the rings. 

  • versatile
  • very adjustable for exact fit so can be used by different sized adults
  • some learning curve for adjusting using the rings
  • may be less comfortable for longer periods or with a heavier child

Padded ring slings may be easier to learn, but an unpadded ring sling allows for greater adjustability and more versatility.  

Wrap

A wrap is a rectangle of material, wrapped around you and baby and tied. Wraps come in a variety of widths and lengths, and are usually worn over both shoulders 

  • versatile – front, back and hip carries
  • comfortable for long periods and heavier babies or toddlers
  •  very adjustable for exact fit and can be used by different sized adults
  •  more of a learning curve than some carriers

 Stretchy wraps are easier with a newborn, whereas woven wraps are more supportive for a heavier child. 

 

Asian baby carrier and soft structured carrier

An asian baby carrier (ABC) is a soft carrier with a rectangular body and straps, fastened by tying or buckles. A structured soft carriers has buckles and more padding.  

  • easy to learn
  • comfortable for long periods or with a heavier child
  •  one size can be used by different sized adults
  •  great for back carries
  •  more suitable for babies with good head control

The mei-tai  is the most common ABC, with four straps and ties around the waist. 

Framed carriers

A framed carrier has a structured metal or padded frame like a rucksack, padded shoulder straps and a waist belt.

  • suitable for 6 months+
  • back carries only
  • may incorporate storage space
  • needs to fit well to carry weight evenly

A framed carrier needs to fit well in the same way as a well-fitted rucksack. Some models hold baby away from your body, making child seem heavier and affecting your balance. But a well fitted one can be very comfortable for long periods, with a heavy baby.

Benefits of Babywearing

Babywearing,

Benefits

Bonding

The closeness between carer and child in a sling helps bonding. You get to know each other and learn to communicate.
Grandparents, dads, and other family and carers can all carry the baby, developing their own special relationship.

For baby and toddler …

Less stress

Babies are soothed by movement and personal contact. From the safety of the sling they can determine their own levels of interaction with the world.

Regulates systems

Contact with an adult helps newborns regulate their temperature, breathing, and heartbeat.

Breastfeeding

You can breastfeed discretely in a carrier.

Physical development

The movement associated with being carried develops babies’ balance and muscles.

Communication

A carried newborn can see your face, and gets more experience of language, facial expressions and body language.

Cry less

Babies who are carried and responded to quicker have been found to cry less.

Stimulates learning

Carried babies spend more time in the quiet alert state required for learning. A babe-in-arms can observe the
world. Touch, has been found to stimulate the growth of brain cells.

For you …

Freedom of movement

A baby carrier gives you greater freedom to move around than a pram or pushchair. Easy to move up stairs and through small spaces, making shopping, public toilets, and public transport easier.

Reduced postnatal depression

The physical closeness and a happier baby can also help mothers suffering from postnatal depression.

Hands free

A baby carrier can give you back your hands, allowing you to get on with the things you want to do.

Comfortable

A well chosen baby carrier distributes your child’s weight, allowing you to carry them for longer periods at a time, and as they get heavier. Most carriers are suitable up to 16kgs, 3 or 4 years.

Exercise

A baby carrier makes taking exercise easier. The associated health benefits are numerous and include promoting bone density to protect against osteoporosis, reducing risk of heart disease and boosting the immune system.

Avoid unsafe ‘bag’ slings

Babywearing,

A major US brand of baby carrier or sling – the Infantino SlingRider has been recalled after the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued an advisory regarding baby sling safety.

The babywearing community have been warning about the inherent dangers of one type of sling – ‘bag slings’ for several years. Bag slings have a deep pocket that forces the baby’s chin onto its chest, blocking breathing and have been linked to 14 deaths by suffocation of very young babies in the US over the last 20 years. Excess fabric envelop the baby in fabric, covering the face. M’Liss Stelzer, a registered nurse and babywearing expert looked at oxygen saturation of infants in SlingRider and was so concerned that she repeatedly warned Infantino.

Other examples of ‘bag ‘slings to be avoided, include Premaxx baby bag, Munchkin cargo sling, Boppy carry in comfort, Lamaze close comfort and Wendy Bellissimo sling.

What to do if you have a ‘bag sling’

If you have or are given a bag-style sling please do not use it, sell it or give it away. Destroy it by cutting it up so that it can never be used.

Safe slings

There are many other slings available - shallow pouches, ring slings, wraps, soft-structured carriers and mei-tais that are safe for use with your baby so long as you follow the guidelines on correct positioning.

Although pouches and ring slings may look similar, ‘bag’ slings have a deeper pocket and the shape of the bag forces the baby into a dangerous chin to chest position. In a true pouch or ring sling the pocket formed by the fabric is far shallower, the sling is positioned high on the user’s body, and the baby’s face should be visible and close to the sling wearer’s face at all times.

Using a sling has many benefits for parents and babies. They are even used skin-to-skin in kangaroo care to help premature babies breathe better and regulate body temperature. They decrease crying, help with breastfeeding and bonding.

Safe positioning:

As with any baby equipment it is important to use your sling correctly. You should keep your baby snug to you, close enough to kiss her head, with her chin clear of her chest to avoid any constriction of her airways, and her back fully supported. Her nose and mouth should be free of any obstruction.

When you’re wearing a sling or carrier, don’t forget the T.I.C.K.S.

  • Tight
  • In view at all times
  • Close enough to kiss
  • Keep chin off the chest
  • Supported back

Illustrated safe positioning guidelines

Other positional asphyxia risks:

Infant car seats, strollers and badly designed chairs all carry the same risk to young babies. Although 14 babies have been reported as dying in slings in US in the last 20 years, a three period saw 16 die in car seats not involved in car accidents, and nine in strollers. Where ever your baby is it is important to ensure that he has a clear airway and is not chin-to-chest.

Other sling safety tips

Although generally safer than carrying your baby in your arms – you won’t drop your baby if your arms are tired or you trip up – it is important to be careful however you carry your baby.

  • Don’t do any activity that shakes your baby
  • Use a car seat in the car
  • Avoid activities with an increased risk of falling as you would when pregnant
  • Be aware of objects that your baby may bump into or be able to reach.
  • Use an appropriate sling for your baby’s age
  • Dress your baby appropriately for the weather bearing in mind that the slings forms a layer.

When learning to use your carrier practice with a doll or teddy first. Try with your baby when you are both happy and relaxed. It is also helpful to get another adult and a mirror to check your baby and sling, and practice over a bed. Take extra care when learning back carries. You can check your baby when out and about using your reflection in windows.

Get help:

Contact your local babywearing group through Sling Meet, www.slingmeet.co.uk, to find out more about different slings and safe positioning. Always remember to read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Links:

babyslingsafe.com
slingmeet.co.uk
TheBabywearer.com
babyslingsafety.blogspot.com