I have fallen in love with wearing my son.
We started our babywearing journey when he was tiny - his acid reflux and dairy intolerance made him often a sad little boy and being held and bounced and walked were a constant need. My mother had given me a Baby Bjorn carrier that I used and a pouch sling. I also had a Moby stretchy wrap I had bought using gift cards from a baby shower. I had a hard time with the pouch sling at first and my son's chiropractor mentioned that this style had been recalled because they were causing suffocation. She showed me how to use it right, but I was so nervous about him suffocating and I wanted some sort of carrier that allowed me to really snuggle him close and the Bjorn was just not as snuggly. I worked with the Moby, but it was so much fabric and with my sleep-deprived, stressed out state I was overwhelmed by wrapping, so only used it a few times. I got online and found that there is a whole babywearing international community! I began to read and learned that carriers like the Bjorn can be unhealthy physically because they do not support a baby's body but instead have babies hanging by their crotch in the carrier. I also learned that that pouch slings like the one I had were dangerous. I knew I wanted and needed some carrier where I could wear my sweet boy around the house and in the store - otherwise he just cried and cried all the time. I was sleep deprived, overwhelmed by how to soothe my little son as we worked with doctors on his health issues, and desperate for some "normalcy". Babywearing was the answer! I talked with my husband and he was supportive, so I narrowed down my options and knew I wanted to start with a buckle carrier (also called a soft structure carrier) in the strain of the Bjorn but more ergonomically accurate to support baby and me. I read reviews and listservs and decided on the Beco Baby Gemini... and love it! It has become a way of bonding and having him close when he wants to be while allowing me to do things at home and makes grocery shopping with him so much easier and, overall, it has just been a great way to have him close to me, to love on him and talk to him about what is going on in the world around him. I love seeing where he looks and then having him lock his eyes with mine and giving him a kiss and explaining this big world. I'm working on getting pictures of us in the various carriers we have. So far, my favorite two are my soft-structure carrier, the Beco Baby Gemini, and our newer Babyhawk Mei Tai that I like to use to wear him on my back. I have a woven wrap and am determined to learn how to wrap, but that's been slower going so we find that carriers with buckles or ties are a bit faster. We also have a Sleeping Baby Productions linen ring sling that is great for a hip carry, but I've had more trouble with the learning curve on that one. We also have a Seven Slings pouch carrier, but it isn't as sturdy as the others, so we don't use it much. I plan to take pictures of each carrier and with us using each carrier in different settings and eventually make a "Bruffey Babywearing" photo book. I have joined the Fort Worth Babywearers and so am finding guidance and support on how to best wear my son and am getting to know some awesome Mamas! For now, I want to share some of the pictures I've gathered over the past 12 months of my son's life.
Moby stretchy wrap (December 4, 2010 - Jacob almost 1 month old)
Moby stretchy wrap (December 4, 2010 - Jacob almost 1 month old)
Moby stretchy wrap (December 4, 2010 - Jacob almost 1 month old)
Moby stretchy wrap (December 4, 2010 - Jacob almost 1 month old)
Baby Bjorn (December 30, 2010 - Jacob about 8 weeks old)
Beco Baby Gemini (December 31, 2010 - Jacob exactly 8 weeks old)
Beco Baby Gemini (December 31, 2010 - Jacob exactly 8 weeks old)
Beco Baby Gemini (March 13, 2011 - Jacob 4 months old)
Beco Baby Gemini (April 22, 2011 - Jacob 5 1/2 months old)
Beco Baby Gemini (April 22, 2011 - Jacob 5 1/2 months old)
Beco Baby Gemini (April 22, 2011 - Jacob 5 1/2 months old)
Beco Baby Gemini (May 24, 2011 - Jacob 6 1/2 months old)
Beco Baby Gemini (worn by my brother-in-law!) (May 28, 2011 - Jacob just over 6 1/2 months old)
Beco Baby Gemini (worn by my brother-in-law!) (May 28, 2011 - Jacob just over 6 1/2 months old)
Beco Baby Gemini (worn by my brother-in-law!) (May 28, 2011 - Jacob just over 6 1/2 months old)
Beco Baby Gemini (May 30, 2011 - Jacob just over 6 1/2 months old)
Beco Baby Gemini (May 30, 2011 - Jacob just over 6 1/2 months old)
Maya Wrap Ring Sling (May 31, 2011 - Jacob over 6 1/2 months old)
Maya Wrap Ring Sling (May 31, 2011 - Jacob over 6 1/2 months old)
Maya Wrap Ring Sling (May 31, 2011 - Jacob over 6 1/2 months old)
Maya Wrap Ring Sling (May 31, 2011 - Jacob over 6 1/2 months old)
Sleeping Baby Productions Linen Ring Sling (June 7, 2011 - Jacob 7 months old)
Sleeping Baby Productions Linen Ring Sling (June 7, 2011 - Jacob 7 months old)
Sleeping Baby Productions Linen Ring Sling (June 7, 2011 - Jacob 7 months old)
Sleeping Baby Productions Linen Ring Sling (June 7, 2011 - Jacob 7 months old)
Sleeping Baby Productions Linen Ring Sling (June 7, 2011 - Jacob 7 months old)
Sleeping Baby Productions Linen Ring Sling (June 8, 2011 - Jacob 7 months old)
Sleeping Baby Productions Linen Ring Sling (June 8, 2011 - Jacob 7 months old)
Sleeping Baby Productions Linen Ring Sling (June 8, 2011 - Jacob 7 months old)
BBSlen Passion Fruit Woven Wrap (June 8, 2011 - Jacob 7 months old)
BBSlen Passion Fruit Woven Wrap (June 8, 2011 - Jacob 7 months old)
BBSlen Passion Fruit Woven Wrap (June 8, 2011 - Jacob 7 months old)
Beco Baby Gemini (July 2, 2011 - Jacob almost 8 months old)
BabyHawk Mei Tai (July 11, 2011 - Jacob 8 months old)
BabyHawk Mei Tai (July 11, 2011 - Jacob 8 months old)
BabyHawk Mei Tai (July 11, 2011 - Jacob 8 months old)
BabyHawk Mei Tai (July 11, 2011 - Jacob 8 months old)
BabyHawk Mei Tai (July 11, 2011 - Jacob 8 months old)
BabyHawk Mei Tai (July 11, 2011 - Jacob 8 months old)
BabyHawk Mei Tai (July 30, 2011 - Jacob 8 plus months old)
BabyHawk Mei Tai (July 30, 2011 - Jacob 8 plus months old)
BabyHawk Mei Tai (August 4, 2011 - Jacob one day from 9 months old)
BabyHawk Mei Tai (September 3, 2011 - Jacob almost 10 months old)
BabyHawk Mei Tai (September 3, 2011 - Jacob almost 10 months old)
BabyHawk Mei Tai (October 31, 2011 - Jacob almost 12 months old)
Sleeping Baby Productions Linen Ring Sling (November 13, 2011 - Jacob 12 months old)
Sleeping Baby Productions Linen Ring Sling (November 13, 2011 - Jacob 12 months old)
BBSlen Woven Wrap (in a double hammock) (November 14, 2011 - Jacob 12 months old)
BBSlen Woven Wrap (in a double hammock) (November 14, 2011 - Jacob 12 months old)
*Not thrilled about picture
BBSlen Woven Wrap (in a double hammock) (November 14, 2011 - Jacob 12 months old)
Love all the carrier pictures
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