Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Babywearing a newborn

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is Wordless Wednesday: Babywearing Photos! Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!



Continuing last week's collection of newborn photos…


Trying out the new mei tai (sew your own!)












And the Sleepy Wrap






And very pleased with myself for following the wrapping instructions in the Storchenwiege manual





Babywearing allows us to:


cook food (note that Mikko must sit whenever possible)


eat food



without making a mess


eat out


breastfeed on the go


play with Mikko


go on adventures


get things done around the house


get things done in our business


and, most importantly, attend pirate festivals.
















Read more about different baby carriers and babywearing, complete with pictorial how-tos, in my Natural Parent's Guide to Babywearing!








You'll also love this week's photos about being Ecologically Responsible over at Natural Parents Network! Go see Mikko in our shared garden.



Here are more posts by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.



Find sites to link up your Wordless Wednesday post
at my super-cool collection of Wordless Wednesday linkies,
and let me know if you have one to add.
You can also link up a thumbnail from your post below!






This linky list is now closed.

21 comments:

melissa said...

Ooh, I love all of these, but have to agree that being able to attend a pirate festival is probably the most important thing for any new parent ;)

Thank goodness for babywearing!

MomAgain@40 said...

Stunning photos! You are totally rocking it!
It is such a precious time and being able to hold them close for longer just make sense!

Apple said...

Beautiful family!! I love the fabric on your mei tei. It's pretty! :)

Isadori said...

Lovely pictures! I'm really looking forward to wearing my 2nd son when he arrives in a few months... I was wondering if you could recommend a sling for breastfeeding in. We were planning to get a wrap (maybe a Moby) but it looks like you're feeding in a mei-tai? We've been using a Beco with our toddler since he was 1 but we didn't particularly get on with our newborn sling (a Closer carrier) so I'm a bit at a loss... Thanks!

Gaby @ Tmuffin said...

Lots of babywearing this week! I posted about babywearing in the shower. :) Love the Mei tai, and love that hubs wears it even though it is floral.

Isadora: I can't really nurse a baby who is upright; I prefer when they are laying down. For my second child, a woven wrap was indispensable. I could nurse while running errands without anyone noticing, and I could wear baby on my back early on (important when you're chasing a toddler who always wants to be picked up.)

Lauren Wayne said...

@Isadori: True confession: I'm kind of sucky at breastfeeding while babywearing. I do best when it's in an upright position, like in a mei tai or the Ergo, but that means it's easiest when the baby's a bit older and can hold his head up to latch on. But! Anktangle has a post on this very topic today if you want to pick her brain: Meals On-the-Go

Unknown said...

Wow, your Storchenwiege is gorgeous! (And you already know I love that mei tai.) This is really such a fun collection of photos! I love seeing papas babywearing, and now I'm feeling nostalgic for the days of babywearing with a napkin tucked under my chin like that. Daniel had several Thai rice noodles dropped on his head when he was an infant!

Lauren Wayne said...

@Gaby @ Tmuffin: Funny that you mention the hubs & floral combo. I actually made another mei tai first that was a neutral khaki with an interchangeable panel so I could put some pretty fabric in but then switch it out for my husband. Like, seriously went to great lengths to make the most gender-neutral carrier I could. And then I said, Screw it, I'm making a pretty one, too, just for me, and I made this one with the floral Asian-inspired fabric, and a patterned flannel on the inside. And dang it if he doesn't wear it all the time anyway! Serves me right for worrying. ;)

Savvy said...

Oh I really wish Ember would let me carry her around in one of these. My other children were perfectly happy breastfeeding in a sling. Shes my last and I keep reminding myself I'm going to miss this, but I definitely have sling envy!

Good Girl Gone Green said...

I love all your baby wearing pictures...they are great!

The Happy Hippie Homemaker said...

You make the most beautiful Mei Tais! I can't believe you made one with interchangeable panels!! I'm so intimdated by even the thought of sewing a mei tai!

I really need to start putting a napkin over Emi Lou's head when I eat. With her crazy, thick hair, it really a mess when I drop things on her head!

How do you get your little guy on your back like that? Does your hubby help? Do you know if there's somewhere online to find instructions for wearing an infant on your back like you do??

Momma Jorje said...

Visiting from Natural Parents Network!

It looks like you're very fond of your new Mei Tai! And the fabric seems perfect for an ASC, too. Lots of great photos, thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Awww, so sweet! It seems like forever since mine were that little...

Aloha! Mrs. Marine
& the Tiny Troops

Jessica | Cloth Diapering Mama said...

OMG...I love all your wraps and carriers!!! and I love that the whole family is involved and wearing floral patterns.....A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! Gotta love when dad's wear the babies...

p.s. you look awesome!

Diana Stone said...

I love these. It's amazing all the ways you can wear a baby and still have a life. :)

Can I ask you (and this is no way meant to be a snarky "omg what are you thinking" comment) but I've read several places about not putting a baby in a carrier that makes their legs stretch around you (like an Ergo) until they are around 10/12 lbs? I see you have and wondered if you found it worked well and was comfortable? I would have loved to do that with Bella but was always afraid of hurting her after I read that.

Lauren Wayne said...

@The Happy Hippie Homemaker: I do have my husband help get little babies on my back. I know some people are amazing at doing it on their own, but I'm too nervous about it until they have better head/neck support. (It's even easier once they're toddlers and can cling to you as you get things settled!)

mei tai back carry
ring sling back carry
wrap back carry

Newborn back carries:
Newborn Carries
Secured High Back Carry with a newborn video Part 1
Part 2

The best tip for a back carry, particularly with a newborn, is to go much higher than you'd think. Aim for having the baby kissing the back of your neck or peeking over your shoulder. And keep an eye on a little baby (with a mirror or a spotter) to make sure airways aren't obstructed. Good luck! :)

Lauren Wayne said...

@Diana @Hormonal Imbalances: Actually, I don't make the baby's legs stretch around me until they naturally do it. In the mei tai for now, his legs are curled up in the froggy/fetal position, because that's the only way they go without my feeling like I'm pulling them out of alignment. For instance, the Ergo says to use their infant insert and put newborns tummy to tummy with the legs in. I don't know about different weight minimums — I just keep the legs tucked in until they naturally unfurl. (My first baby weighed almost 12 lbs at birth, so I shouldn't go by that :) ) I find the tummy-to-tummy position with the legs in is comfortable for both of us in the newborn months — it's the same position you'd carry a newborn in without a carrier; only you're just putting a carrier on top to help with the support. That said, Alrik's currently ~14 lbs, so I do have to put some support under his bum now (the mei tai strap or a wrap cross), much as you'd use your arm the same way.

Once they have longer legs and looser hips, their legs start naturally curving around you as you carry them, and that's when I start poking their legs out the sides of the mei tai or Ergo. (The legs can stick out earlier with narrower seats, such as a wrap or ring sling, that don't force the legs far apart.) Hope that all makes sense! That's just my personal experience, by the way — a babywearing expert might have something more/better to say!

The Happy Hippie Homemaker said...

Thanks so much for the links! I especially love the one of the babywearing daddy :)

Faythe said...

you have a beautiful assortment of carriers. my oldest son wore their 1st a lot, but I never saw any pics with him carrying the youngest... I like the pirate pic, that bandana looks like a good way to keep the sun off his head all the time! ~Faythe @ GMT

Renee said...

beautiful pix! love that dad wears baby too!

Anny said...

I'm so glad my children aren't the only ones who have to wear napkins on their heads at dinner. :)

Gorgeous pics.

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