Eco Child’s Play

Once you know the benefits of babywearing and some general guidelines for babywearing, you’re ready to start figuring out which kind of native-style carrier will work best for your body, your lifestyle, and your baby.

Each kind of carrier has its own pros and cons. Each kind of carrier has certain styles of wearing your baby that it’s the best at, and certain styles that it’s not well suited for.

Your job is to do your own pro/con analysis, deciding which disadvantages you’re willing to put up with to gain certain advantages, and deciding which styles of wearing you’re most likely to use with your baby and which you’re not.

The list of all possible styles of carry are as follows: cradle front, vertical front facing in (baby’s legs are frogged up as a small infant and spread to fit around your waist as an older child), kangaroo front (a vertical carry facing out, in which baby sits in the carrier and tucks her legs in front of her), hip on either side, piggyback.

Here’s what the pouch can do:

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The pouch is a single large loop of fabric that is folded in half along its length–however you wear the pouch, the baby will rest in the fold, as if she’s in a hammock. Although sometimes one pouch can be adjusted for different wearers by using a system of zippers or snaps, in general a pouch is one size and not adjustable in fit.

The styles of wear that the pouch does best are cradle front (good for a newborn, especially), kangaroo, hip, and you can move a child in the carrier to the back of your body for short periods of time–if you’re dealing with a pot of boiling water, say.

To wear a pouch, fan the fabric out over your shoulder area and back, keeping it from bunching on your neck–this best distributes the weight of your baby to allow for the most comfortable fit. Because the weight of the carrier rests on one shoulder at a time, you should switch shoulders regularly. Unless you’re wearing a newborn, generally your baby’s butt will always rest over the pouch’s seam, which in some pouches is the widest part; if you’re wearing a newborn, your particular pouch’s instructions may ask you to place your baby differently for a more shallow fit.

The advantage of a pouch is that it’s quick and easy to use, with no adjusting (other than with adjustable pouches meant to fit different body types).

This disadvantages are that it’s not adjustable–if you want a snugger or looser fit with a particular carry, or want to support a particular part of your body or your baby’s body, this generally isn’t possible with a pouch. If you and your partner have very different body types, or if your body type changes dramatically post-partum, your pouch may become ill-fitting. As your baby grows, the pouch may become too snug for her.

A correctly-fitting pouch is essential to wear your baby safely and comfortably. If it’s difficult to put your baby in and take your baby out of a pouch, it’s too small. If the baby bumps your legs when you’re wearing her, the pouch is too large. If you’re unsure of sizing, choose the smaller size that allows you to wear your baby higher.

Next up? The ring sling.

 

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