The Lake County Babywearers and Chicago City Slingers have merged to create a broader chapter of Babywearing International!
Visit our new site Babywearing International of Chicagoland.
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The Lake County Babywearers and Chicago City Slingers have merged to create a broader chapter of Babywearing International!
Visit our new site Babywearing International of Chicagoland.
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My baby was the one you could hear from down the hall. Doors all along the hallway of the Mother-Baby Unit shut as the nurse brought 5 pounds 2 ounces of scrawny, screaming irritation back to me once again. After a physically uneventful but emotionally draining year, I was completely unprepared for a premature birth, forced labor and botched delivery. Apparently baby was not ready, either.
Marion Scott is wife to a patient man, mother to four youngsters and designer of the CatBird Baby Pikkolo. A babywearing pioneer of sorts here in the area, she’s been wearing her babies intermittently for the past ten years, well before many slings were readily available on the market. She is the liaison for Babywearing International of Chicagoland, our local babywearing group. I’m proud to call her a babywearing mentor and friend.
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I’ve decided to talk about wraps on Wednesday from now on! Everyone who knows me, knows that I love woven wraps! To me they are the most versatile of all baby carriers. The same woven can take you from wearing a newborn all the way through toddlerhood. With one long simple piece of cloth, you can carry your little one in a variety of different positions.
Buying your first woven can feel overwhelming. There are lots of different brands, different fabrics with all different patterns and colorways. Then they also come in different sizes. I’m going to take some time today to explain the different brands, materials, etc.
First sizing, all wovens come in a variety of sizes, the common sizes range from a size 2 (2.7meters) to a size 7 (5.2meters). The average sized adult can use a size 6 for all carries. Here’s a chart from Didymos to explain the sizing more http://www.didymos.com/index.php?s=groesse
Next are the different brands. I’ve tried atleast one of each of these different brands, so I’m talking from my own personal experiences.
Didymos– Probably the most popular of wovens out there right now. German made Didys come in all different fabrics anything from all cotton, linen blends, hemp blends, cashmere, and silk. They come out with lots of limited editions each year so they are highly sought out.
Natibaby-This is my favorite brand. These are made in Poland and come in all different fabrics as well all cotton, linen blends, wool and they are the only woven company to use bamboo at this point. Natibaby wraps tend to be wide, which make for great toddler wraps. I’ve owned lots of Natis and all of them have been super soft.
Storchenweige– Storches come in stripes and the diamond weaved Leos. Both are amazingly supportive and will work perfectly from newborn through toddlerhood.
Ellevill-These come in a couple of different patterns, they have a great texture to them and they are thin to med in thickness. They are one of the most beautiful wraps in my opinion.
Hoppediz– These all cotton wraps are super supportive and wrap amazingly well. They come in lots of different colorways and break in nicely (I’ll talk about breaking in another week). The light Hopps feel like they are made from linen, the regular line Hopps are pretty thick and great for the cold weather. They remind me alot of the Storchenweige stripes. Older Hopps are thinner and can be amazingly soft and floppy.
Girasol– A favorite among many! Giras come super soft and flannely feeling. They are another one that are perfect for newborn snuggles but also strong enough for toddlers. These all cotton wraps come in lot of beautiful rainbows of color.
Neobulle– Made in France these wraps are on the thicker side, they are soft and wrap really well. The all cotton wraps come in a variety of colors and stripes. The organic ones are super soft and break in very easily. The regular ones take a bit of work to get them soft.
Vatanai-These are on the thin side and work extremely well for the warmer temperatures. I find them great for newborns and good for toddlers if you’re using it in a double carry like a Double Hammock or Wrap Cross Carry. They are extremely soft and come in a variety of beautiful colors
Colimacon & Cie– This french made woven is a lesser known brand, they are less expensive but are high quality. They are very soft and almost feel like a well worn pair of jeans feel. I’ve owned the turquoise one and the color of it is stunning.
BBSlen-These are one of the widest wraps out there. Because of this, they are great for toddlers. They are of medium thickness and take a bit of breaking in, but soften up nicely.
Another thing to take into consideration when purchasing your woven, is the material it’s made out of. The majority of them are made with 100% cotton. Some of the brands like Didymos and Natibaby have other cotton blends. Here are some of the pros and cons to them
all cotton– durable, easy to care for (machine wash and can be thrown in the dryer with low heat) basically an all around great wrap. Come in thin to thick
linen blends-these are usually very supportive, easy to care for again, can be of all different thickness
silk blends– I’ve never owned one but the ones I’ve felt are extremely silky soft.
hemp blends-Didymos has hemp blends they are supportive, med-thick and easy to care for
wool blends-Didymos and Natibaby have wool blends. These can vary greatly some are extremely soft and cushy, while others are more dense and can take awhile to become soft.
Hopefully this will help when you are looking at the world of wovens. They vary greatly but there is one thing they all have in common. They will allow you to carry your baby, be hands free and help create an everlasting bond.
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My 13-month-old baby boy’s chest rises and falls, rhythmically against my back as he slumbers while his brother and I collect leaves under a gentle autumn afternoon sun.
It’s been a long day, and Baby E., who is teething has needed extra mommy-care since he woke in a grumpy mood. I’ve been holding him nearly all day, and he’s refused his normal naps and sleeping, leading us further down a path of grumpiness and crying jags.
His big brother, G., has waited as patiently as a 3 year old can wait for attention of his own.
“Look at this biiiiig red one, mommy!” he exclaims. “It’s perfect.”
I squat down next to G. and examine a large Maple leaf that had freshly tumbled from the branches.
“You’re right!” I proclaim. “It IS perfect.”
He plucks the leaf from the cement, puts it in his bag and off we continue down the sidewalk in search of more leaves for our tree project.
As Baby E. quietly snores on my back, G. and I converse about autumn and why we have seasons and how Illinois is so verrry, verrrry far from the equator, which tends to make Illinois verrry, verrry cold in the winter.
A lull in conversation allows my mind to wander as G. bounds down the sidewalk seeking more leaves.
I feel Baby E.’s soft breath and teething-induced drool making a little patch on back damp.
And I feel grateful — grateful that he’s so snug and relaxed pressed against my body even as we merge recklessly into toddlerhood.
I’m comforted by his comfort.
But the reality that grips my heart, sends it soaring into the soft blue sky comes when G. retreats from a pile of leaves, grasps three fingers on my right hand and says, “Mom, I love having leaf walks with you.”
His face is brimming with love.
nd I think to myself, so often we talk about the benefits of babywearing for the child being worn and the person wearing him or her.
But how often do we talk about the many moments babywearing affords the little bigger one who walks alongside of mom, who can easily slip his little hand into one of her free ones so they can walk together?
I love {big fat mushy, overflowing love} the compelling stories my friends shared with the Chicago Tribune reporter who came to interview our Lake County Babywearers members at our International Babywearing Week event — stories of how babywearing eased post-partum depression, helped dad reconnect with his daughter and allowed a working mom the ability to bond with her little man after a long day’s work.
Babywearing boasts such powerful benefits; the Tribune story powerfully highlighted those extraordinary stories.
And parents need to read those stories because they showcase how to be attached caregivers.
But I think the every day, seemingly simple stories of babywearing benefits need a space, too.
So while I know it’s not newsworthy that G. and I went for a walk and connected on a gorgeous fall day, I just wanted share it anyway.
Because sometimes it’s those simple moments that end up changing a really small but important part of the world. And a small but really important heart.
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The LCbabywearers are in the Chicago Tribune. A reporter came to our IBW week event this past Sunday and talked to several of our moms. Enjoy the article!
Baby-wearing: Chicago-area group touts benefits of baby-wearing – chicagotribune.com.
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Came across this blog today, and take a look at the new Ergo coming in Feb 2011.
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In honor of International Babywearing Week, I’ve decided to ask members of our group to describe what babywearing is to them in just one sentence. Babywearing is alot to my family and me; it’s helped us through colic, medical procedures and sleepless nights. Most importantly, it helped build a never-ending bond between my little guy and me.
“Babywearing has helped us become confident, attached parents and has helped us raise confident, attached children.” – Allison
“Babywearing is a whole new part of my life; it’s give me that closeness with my 3rd child that I didn’t think was possible while taking care of our other two young children.” – Casey
“Babywearing helped us become the confident, attached parents we hoped to become and has aided our daughter in learning amazing things by being involved in normal day-to-day activities.” – Sara
“Babywearing is an integral part of my life, allowing me to physically and emotionally connect with both of my children despite other obligations.” – Alisa
“Babywearing gives us the opportunity to be together despite the many demands of being a work-from-home family.” – Corry
‘It means I can attend to an active toddler and fragile newborn at the same time.” -Loralie
“Babywearing helped make us into the attached kind of parents we so desperately wanted to be and aided in shaping our little ones into compassionate souls.” – Hyacynth
“Babywearing has transformed our parenting style and has allowed us to easily comfort our children, meet their needs, accomplish daily tasks, and especially allowed us to more easily travel, camp and hike.” – Heather
“Imagine the easiest, safest, most natural way to nurture a young child – that’s what babywearing means to me.” – Karen
“Babywearing allows us to actively engage our children in outings, adventures, and daily activities without being bogged down by a stroller.” – Megan
“Babywearing has helped us meet many of our children’s needs without putting a stop to our lives.” – Colleen
“Babywearing has not only allowed me to get chores done while comforting my children but has aided in forming the close bond with my children that I never thought was possible.” – Kate
The other day I was reading a post on facebook that asked this same question, and my favorite answer came from the owner of the store SweetPickles. She described to me the heart of babywearing by saying,
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Stay tuned for more updates on an exciting IBW event hosted by the LC Babywearers
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No matter how gently you treat your carriers they are made of fabric and are not indestructible. They can tear or fray just like any other fabric item, but with a carrier a tear can be dangerous. The best way to prevent potentially dangerous tears is to regularly inspect and test your carriers for signs of weakness.
I found out the other week ago, that one of my carriers stitching was starting to come apart and that it wasn’t in very good shape. Thankfully, this was pointed out to me by a fellow babywearer as I hadn’t really paid attention to the stitching on it before.
I came across this blog post today and thought it really is a great idea to test our carriers every so often. This is important, whether you get a used or a new carrier, always test it first.
http://beltwaybabywearers.blogspot.com/2010/01/testing-your-carriers.html
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