Baby Carriers and Slings

Emily J. Jacques asked:

Babywearing is developing an ever-growing following as parents learn about the advantages of keeping their babies in-arms as much as possible. These advantages include:

* enhanced bonding between parent and baby,
* hands-free carrying, and
* reduced fussing from the baby.

However, when a mommy or daddy goes online to search for a sling or other baby carriers, confusion may be the unfortunate result. There are many types of such carriers, such as rebozo-type slings, ring slings, mei tais, wraps, and pouches. Which one to choose? How do you know which will be right for you and your baby?
In order to make the best decision possible, you should ask yourself these following four questions before purchasing any kind of baby carrier.

1. Will it be comfortable for the baby? Many newborns prefer to remain in a fetal position while being carried, which is easily achieved with mei tais, pouches, slings, and wraps. The commercial baby carriers-which can be found anywhere baby items are sold-require the baby to sit up with both legs separated and hanging out. Therefore, although some newborns will tolerate those, they are better for older babies.

2. Will it be comfortable for me? If your baby is born small-say, under eight pounds-any kind of wrap will do at first, as you will barely be able to tell you are wearing your little one. But when Baby starts growing, or if s/he is born with above-average weight, certain kinds of carriers will definitely be more comfortable, especially if you have back pain.

Wraps, along with mei tais and similar carriers, will ultimately be more comfortable to use for a baby over ten or fifteen pounds (depending on your stature and physical strength). The reason is that these kinds of carriers distribute the weight equally over both shoulders.

3. Under what circumstances do I plan to carry the baby? If you plan to carry your baby most of the day, a more versatile carrier is in order. Here again, wraps and mei tais fit the bill, as they enable you to wear the baby in front, on the side (for babies who can sit up by themselves), and on the back.

If you plan to use the carrier only to soothe (say, during the fussy hours of the evening), or for bonding in fits and starts throughout the day, any kind of sling will do.

4. How easy is the carrier to use? A mei tai takes only a little bit of practice to learn how to use and tie up, both for front and back carrying. Pouches and ring slings are also user-friendly. However, a wrap requires a bit more time and practice to learn the front carry, and you should only attempt to learn back-wrapping if someone is there to help you the first several times.

Babywearing is a great way to bond with your baby while freeing up your hands to do other things. Lurk on babywearing forums and search websites that sell baby carriers in order to compare and hear other people's experiences. Then make the investment that will bring both you and your baby joy.