Christina's Ruckless Back Carry with a Mei Tai

A real sweet mamma on thebabywearer.com was tinkering around with chest straps while wrapping her child.  She created this way of wrapping her child, and at the same time, I was trying to find a way to wear my son in his mei tai without the straps slipping. Strap slippage has been a problem of mine with wraps, mei tais, pods... I guess my shoulders arent built for babywearing perhaps, but never the less, this has really made it comfortable for me to wear my son in his mei tai. Above is a video I did before I even knew what it was called and then edited it afterwards. Sorry for any confusion.  Maybe sometime when I have a good quiet moment we will re do.  

Like I said this can be done in a wrap as well as it was designed for that!!  

Will it work with all mei tais?  Maybe not, depending on the angle your straps are. My mei tai has angled straps and it seems to be a bit lower on one side, but he doesnt feel lopsided in it. But I think that it also depends on the angle.  Im not totally experienced in the mei tais.  A mei tai with straight straps I bet would rock this carry!!!

snowflakes

This morning we woke up once again to another dumping of snow.  To think yesterday we were in our sweaters only heading to the coffee shop, today, snowpants and winter boots.  But its gorgeous out, oh how gorgeous out it is. 



Zayden watching me sewing his new pod when
he was just a wee lad. 



While digging in my linen closet this morning I found an old friend.  My snowflake podagei I started to make when I was pregnant with Zayden, and then finished while he was literally on my back watching the sewing machine finish the quilted wonder.  While it never was our most comfortable carrier, it is definatly the warmest...and I had forgotten all about it. 

It took a long time to make.  I have never done any sort of pattern like this...not even patchwork really at that time, and to do a snowflake, that was just insane. Its far from perfect, but it really is pretty to us!

So we took it for a spin this morning, no jacket for Zayden because this thing has a sweet layer of quilty goodness on the inside..to be honest, I think it literally is a thick old baby quilt inside.  His little face stuck out the top and he just sat so content back there humming "Veggie Tales" songs and having a good time.  We tried it with a traditional torso carry and that wasnt working out, so over the shoulders it went, which the carrier wasnt designed for, since it has a wide blanket, but it kinda was nice because the blanket part did come over my shoulders adding nice padding.

When it starts to become a "threat" rather than the norm

It comes with a huge lump in my throat that I even have to talk about this.  The days where my third child no longer wants to be worn all the time while we are out.  He's two. I knew these days would begin, because I have seen them come before. But the difference is, with our other children, I was pregnant with the next before the child was done being worn, so I never had this feeling of loss like I do this time. 

Does it seem silly to just feel so absolutly bummed out about my son wanting down to run down the sidewalk with his siblings instead of being up on my back?  In a way I think it sounds so crazy to think this way, but on the other hand..it powerfully sucks. 

I have had babywearing in my life for six years, practically straight.  And now it looks as though those days are over...

Today while we were out I wrapped our son up for a long walk to Tim Hortons and the pet store in our area.  Getting him in the carrier was hard enough.  I knew there was no way that he could walk both there and back so I knew babywearing had to happen.  He seen his wrap and went "NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and took off into the kitchen.  I grabbed our mei tai which has been a hit for him latley and he shook his head a bit less enthusiastically but none the less he was making it clear he wanted to be FREE today.  I got him on my back anyways, and we headed out, after about thirty seconds of complaining he gave up and was content the rest of the way.  On the way home however he was furious and wanted to run with his older brother. So I let him down. 

Sometimes he would start to go up on peoples lawns or near the side of the road.  "Do you want to go up on Mommy's back?"... he would say "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" and behave. I would say "then I hope you are going to stay on the sidewalk then where its safer."

Oh my goodness I am using babywearing as a threat now!!!!!?????????

This is just so depressing for me.  Totally bummed. While I know that our babywearing days arent completly over, face it, I know that playing hard at a park leaves a two year old tired and not wanting to walk, so I know I will get to wear him probably another year at the least... but to be making it a threat? Even just this one time?  That totally bums me out. 

Like I hardly know what it feels like to not have a child "strapped on" to me somewhere while I am out LOL. 

I have a lot of people tell me that I'll manage, and I know I will, and that it is a new journey ahead, that there is far more to parenting than babywearing... that I know too. But when its been such a routine, its going to be a difficult one to let go of. 

Just felt like pouting a little this afternoon while the children napped all cute... covered in a wrap ;)

(Gotta squeeze it in somehow)

Baby Toting - CBC broadcast 1963

This was shared on thebabywearer.com this week and I just had to share it here as well.  It is a broadcast from May 10th 1963 that was aired on CBC about "baby toting"- what many of us call "baby wearing"  today.  Mrs Peterson discusses with host Anna Cameron different way she has learned to wear her baby.  I found it really awesome to watch!


http://archives.cbc.ca/lifestyle/homemaking/clips/15185/


Enjoy! Happy Babywearing!

Agapanthus

I have wanted to share this with everyone since I got it finished, but Im not giving it to the Mom till today so I couldnt post it incase she may have found out. LOL

Its for one of my sons Sunday school teachers and her newborn baby and who couldnt use a free hand now and again right?  

I just love the rich colour of this sling, and the material I am telling you I am just in awe of. Its so nice.  It was a nice find!! 

I am not sure if this Mommy has done any babywearing before, but when I look back at my many years of babywearing I know that there is always a time when it comes in handy

When trying to "name" this sling, I started looking at flowers with a rich colour similar to this, and came up with Agapanthus which is found in rocky grasslands on the southern and eastern fringes of southern Africa



agapanthus flower



Slingin gifts

Lots and lots of babies are being born these past few months.  When I think of what to gift for Mom's, Dad's and babes, I usually think babywearing. 

My younger sister gave birth to premature twins in October of 2010. They went through a lot of illness, struggles, tears, these tiny wee dudes are tough, and are now home with their Mommy and Daddy.  I havent seen them since they were in incubators but this month I have the honor of going to see them again.  Both are around the 10 lbs mark and are smiling and full of joy!

Since they are fighters, and both Mommy and Daddy are avid hunters, I had to do them in camo.

I dont know if I have come up for an official name for them but Im thinking one "Elmer" and the other "Fudd" ???

 Be wary wary quiet, we're wearing twins.....