Baby wearing saved my sanity.

On more than one occasion! When I was pregnant with my second baby I discovered wrap style carriers and knew this was something I wanted to try once she arrived, already having a 2.5 year old I figured anything that allowed me to be hands free or settle a grumpy newborn would be worth its weight in gold. I searched and searched and finally settled on the gorgeous Neobulle wrap carriers woven in France. It was a struggle to find any woven wrap stockists in New Zealand so my plan to make these available to other parents was a natural one, and many other families in NZ now benefit from these wraps every day.

Once Tilly was born (4 years ago) she was a ‘colic’ baby….. so I spent many hours shhhing and jiggling up and down the hallway only for her to suddenly drop off to sleep, both of us exhausted.

I found putting her in my wrap meant if she was struggling to have a nap in her bassinet or it was time to prepare dinner and it coincided with nap time and I didn’t have time to sit patting her bum I could pop her in the wrap and sometimes it would be less than 5 minutes before she was fast asleep.

I could easily get her to have an hour and a half nap while snuggled in the wrap. If she woke with a hungry tummy I could adjust the wrap and allow her to breastfeed while in the wrap, and leave me to continue whatever I was in the middle of.

I continued to wear her until she was around 2.5 years old and I was pregnant with my third baby! Out and about my favourite carry would be a double hammock carry, which is a secure back carry and pressure is taken off the shoulders by having a pass across the chest as well. With the arrival of Fergus, having a 5 year old and a 2.5 year old already, I found my reliance on the wrap increased hugely. Fergus had huge reflux issues, the associated sleep problems and (at 6 months) we discovered he had a dairy intolerance of some sort. So, Babywearing became a daily occurrence.

While he was a newborn I favoured a simple FWCC (front wrap cross carry), this is perfect for newborns who love having their legs tucked up in the froggy position. It can be partially pre-tied so when you get to school/supermarket/mall you are already halfway there, just pop baby into the pocket and cross the wrap around baby and tie behind your back. Easy! The motion of you walking and the gentle beat of your heart will send your little bub off to sleep in no time.

As Fergus got older and more nosey we moved onto some back carries, often it was a quick rucksack carry. This can be a bit of a learning curve but its really worth learning and perfecting back carries if you intend on wearing your toddler as they want to see what’s going on and on your back they get a perfect view! Admittedly we didn’t venture into back carries with Fergus until we got the reflux under control, it was too messy before that.  

My go to back carry is a Double Hammock, the same as I used with Tilly and as Fergus was a lot heavier than her it was more comfortable for me to have him up on my back out of the way and he was comfortable enough to fall asleep if we were out during his naptime. Another bonus is going grocery shopping and having the wrap handy for my husband. He could wander around beside me, having a baby cuddled up in the wrap while I concentrated on the shopping. It was perfect bonding time for Dad and bub, and meant I had one less thing on my mind and could concentrate fully on food 

 A huge selling point for me when considering wrap carriers was the huge variety of carries you can do, the internet is FULL of tutorials and videos and there are probably too many to mention. You just need to get comfortable with a basic front carry to start with and then you can progress to a hip carry if it interests you. And because there are so many varieties of each front, hip and back carry there is always one that will suit you personally so don’t give up if you find one a little uncomfortable for your body type. 

Once you feel comfortable wrapping your baby you can start to practice some back carries, and feel the full benefits of hands free Babywearing.  It is something I recommend to all new parents, as it genuinely promotes bonding – happy baby equals happy parents. And you cannot deny the fact you can continue to get those jobs done whether out and about or in your home, is a huge positive for any busy parent.

To celebrate New Zealand Babywearing Week I have all Neobulle wraps on sale with the biggest discount I’ve ever done, these wraps become a part of your essential items for baby and an investment worth making.

Do you have a baby wearing story to share – love the Neobulle – leave a comment and tell us your baby wearing experience, others love to read – so don’t be shy!