Cloth Diapering: Wipes Solution & Diaper Cream Tutorial

So, this is sort of a random post among my babywearing series, but since I was making some of these, I decided I might as well do a post on it.

In addition to babywearing, we cloth diaper. I finally convinced Brett last week to switch to cloth wipes as well. Why not, since we're already doing laundry? As I become more conscious of the chemicals present in so much of the stuff we use on our kids, I also become more determined to get rid of those chemicals! Using cloth wipes is a perfect way to get a few more chemicals out of the house.

Double-layered fleece wipes. There are 164 wipes.

Babywearing: Older Babies vs. Younger Babies

One of the main things I hear from moms about babywearing is this: "Oh, I used to wear my baby in the Moby, but then they just got too big/heavy/etc." Yup. It happens. :) Thankfully, babywearing has something for everyone! In this post, I'm going to briefly go over what I think works best for the younger babies, and what works best for older babies. Obviously, this isn't a comprehensive guide, but it's a start!

Important note: for clarification, a "younger" baby to me is a baby no more than 15-17lbs who may or may not still be working on head/neck control and needs additional support. An "older" baby is typically over 17 lbs and does not need assistance to support the head.

The Cursed "Crotch Dangler"

I said I would dedicate a post to this, and here we are. Crotch danglers. Baby Bjorns, Snugglis, and Infantinos are the most common. This is one of my soap-box issues. There are 4 main reasons why I really hate these carriers: 1) overstimulation of baby, 2) possible damage to the normal development of baby's hips & spine, 3) uncomfortable for parent, and 4) limit of uses.

Let's explore those a bit more, shall we?

Babywearing: Pouches

At last, the final post in this series on carriers! I saved this one for last because, to be honest, I'm the least familiar with it. This is the only type of carrier I do not own, nor have I ever used one. But I DO know that many women love them and swear by them! I use the terms pouch and pouch sling interchangeably, because it is a sling, but it's also a pouch. So! What's a pouch sling?

Babywearing: Ring Slings

Slings are different than the carriers I've already covered. The main difference is that the sling is worn over only one shoulder. A ring sling is a long piece of cloth that is threaded through a pair of rings, which you use to adjust the size of the sling. They come in a variety of fabrics, colors, and patterns. You can have them padded or unpadded (I prefer unpadded, as it's much easier to adjust an unpadded sling). They're also pretty customizable, because you can add pretty fabric to the tail, or a pocket, or a zippered pocket.

Peanut as a tiny girl cuddling in the ring sling. Note that the sling had slipped off my shoulder, so this is not actually being worn quite right.

Babywearing: Mei Tais

No, this post is not about adult beverages. Mei Tai is pronounced like this: may tie. Don't ask me where the name came from, because I just don't know. But I adore Mei Tais. (Starting to notice a pattern here?) A mei tai is sort of the step between a wrap and an SSC. It has a square body, sort of like an SSC, but it has long ties instead of buckles. Like this:

Me and an 8-month-old Peanut doing a front carry with our BabyHawk Mei Tai

Babywearing: Soft Structured Carriers (SSCs)

This is the newest type of carrier that I've tried, since I recently purchased on on a swap board. I had heard great, raving reviews of these, and I've been wanting one for so long! So, ta da! Here it is, my Ergo!

My devastatingly handsome husband, Brett, wearing our 14-month old Squishy.

Babywearing: Woven Wraps

In the previous post in this series, I highlighted stretchy wraps. In this post, we'll talk about woven wraps. Again, this is a wrap because it's a long piece of cloth that you wrap around your body and tie. Woven wraps are not stretchy. They're woven pieces of cotton, linen, silk, and even cashmere (or a blend--cotton/linen is popular). These wraps are workhorses. Why? Well...

Babywearing: Stretchy Wraps

Stretchy wrap. Sometimes referred to as a Moby, because of that particular brand's popularity. It's one of the easiest to find in stores (other than the abominable Baby Bjorn).

Stretchy wraps are so named because, well, they're stretchy. Shocking, right? And they're a wrap, so named because you literally wrap them around your body. Because of the stretch factor, these make a fantastic carrier for newborns and small babies. They're also great because, since they stretch, you can tie the wrap on before you leave the house, and then just pop the baby in and out of the wrap as needed. Incredibly simple. Small learning curve, since it is a wrap, but really, quite simple.

Babywearing: Overview

Topic like this are so huge, it's really impossible to cover everything without an extremely long, uninteresting, information-overloading post. So I'm going to break it up, which will hopefully help it to be a little less daunting. This post is a (very) brief overview of babywearing in general.

What the heck does "crunchy" mean?

So, what exactly does it mean to be "crunchy"?

It includes a wide variety of parenting and lifestyle choices. Some people are definitely crunchier than others. I'm not, like, super-crunchy, but I've got a definite crunch going on. In my mind, parenting is all about doing what is best for you and your family, and that includes factoring in convenience and your comfort zone.

How it all started...

How I started down my crunchy road of hippy-ness is kind of a long story, so I'm gonna try really hard to keep it short.

It took us a while to get pregnant. Brett doesn't really like to admit it, but it took us almost 2 years to get pregnant. (My issues, not his.) It was really hard on me, especially emotionally, because I knew I was supposed to be a mother, and it just wasn't happening. After several rounds of drugs, we finally managed to conceive. During my quest to get preggers, I happened upon a certain website called Babycenter. I've always loved message boards, so I pretty immediately loved this site. Through it, I started to become aware of some parenting choices/styles I hadn't heard about before.

Introducing....

...my new blog!

I've been thinking recently about my gradual trend toward being a crunchier mama, and I wanted to start posting about it. But I figured my personal blog wasn't really the best fit--I doubt that most of my family is really interested in this stuff, so now they, and other followers of my personal blog, have the opportunity to read this, or to ignore it. :)

I'll be getting a few posts up slowly. I want to sort of introduce the beginning of my "crunchy" journey, because I'm a writer, and everything needs context!