Why I don’t think you should buy a baby carrier before your baby is born…

June 4, 2019June 2, 2019Leave a comment

I love that babywearing has grown in popularity over the last few years! I see so many parents absolutely loving snuggling their little ones while getting stuff done… and it’s fabulous. But one of the downsides of this growing popularity is baby carriers are now on almost all must have lists of things to buy before the baby arrives. And here is a the catch: carriers (particularly buckle carriers) fit a bit like jeans – different brands and different styles fit different bodies. In fact it’s worse than jeans because as well as needing to fit the parent it must also fit the baby, and fit how you want to use it, fit your lifestyle and fit the personal preferences of your little one! All of which is almost impossible to tell before baby is born because it’s very difficult to try a carrier on when you have a bump in the way and how can you know how you are going to use it or what your baby’s preference is going to be before they’ve even entered the world?

You just can’t. Fun fact – more than 60% of my clients are people who purchased a carrier before their baby was born and then were really dismayed to find that it didn’t work they way they thought it would. Maybe it was a carrier that advertised from birth but in reality doesn’t work well until more like 8 weeks, maybe that it turned out not to fit them well, or holds baby only in x position but baby prefers y position or maybe its a case of the carrier is absolutely fine but the instructions and YouTube videos were so bad they couldn’t figure out how to get it comfortable but a few tweaks and a different method for putting it on has made all the difference.

The key here is to learn from this – babywearing is AWESOME but it needs to work for you. The best way to see if a carrier works for you and avoid wasting your money is to try it with your baby and for that your baby needs to be here.

But “I want to wear my baby right from day 1” I hear you cry! Yes! Yes I do want you to be able to do this too… So here is my advice. Don’t buy a buckle carrier yet, but do invest in a newborn specialist sling! Or better still rent one. Something like a Stretchy Wrap or a Caboo. Or if you don’t like the idea of one of these a Ring Sling, a Woven wrap or a really specialist tiny buckle carrier like the Izmi Baby. These are fab options that work right from day 1 and fit a huge range of people. They can be tried on and learnt in advance as they offer a much more flexible fit. And they don’t cost the earth to purchase, and in fact you needn’t buy one of these at all as Sheen Slings and many other Sling Libraries offer long term loans on Stretchies, Caboos and other newborn specialist slings which can save you from needing to buy something that you’ll only use for a few months. So you can save your money for the big investment sling once your baby is a couple of months old and is here to try on with.

-Madeleine

9 Ways to Wear a Close Caboo

April 21, 2019April 10, 2019Leave a comment

The Close Caboo is an excellent and very popular newborn specialist baby carrier. I have blogged before about its pros and cons and compared the different models available. Here I wanted to focus on what you can do with it! Most people only ever use the Caboo in one way. The one and only carry that is shown in the manual that comes in the box. This is a carry that works for most, but not all and even those it does work for sometimes another carry might be a nice option from time to time. While the manual shows only one, there are more suggested on the box and more on their website and even more that are possible according to individual needs.

In fact I can do 9 different carries with a Close Caboo! And I am sure this is by no means an exhaustive list but rather a comprehensive starting point for you to get creative and find options that work for you! Let’s take a look at each in turn:

#1 Double Cross Carry – aka the normal one, the one in the manual. The key features of this carry are that the carrier goes on with logo upright on your back, rings and the side and baby’s legs straddle the cross at the front. The material is then spread so it supports from knee to knee and shoulder to shoulder on both sides and the tie on 3rd layer completes the carry.

This position is one that works for most adults and most newborns. It works best for babies in the ‘fourth trimester’ (newborn to 12 weeks). Babies older than this can often grow out of this position developmentally – often finding it too enclosing when they start to become more awake and more naturally inquisitive (at this point one of the hip positions below can work better). Smaller, more curled up babies and those who are born prematurely may prefer not straddle the cross (if they do not yet open their legs this wide) and for these babies position #2 is usually a better option. Likewise there are other positions that change the fit for the adult below.

#2 Double Hammock Carry – Very similar to the first carry, this main difference with Double Hammock is simply that baby sits on the cross rather than straddling it. Carrier goes on exactly the same way for the parent and feels broadly the same for them, but for the baby both legs go through both straps. The material is then spread so it supports from knee to knee and shoulder to shoulder on both sides, and twists at the shoulder helps keep the top of the carry snug and face clear of material. Finally the tie on 3rd layer completes the carry.

This position can feel better for a very new baby. Particularly smaller babies or those born early. Or simply those that love to sleep really curled up. Sometimes for these very tucked up babies it can feel wrong to try to tease them apart to get one leg either side… instead using the double hammock variation allows them to remain very tucked up and doesn’t change their position at all and doesn’t open their legs any wider than they would by themselves. This is a position I teach regularly to parents of babies born early, or parents of babies who have low muscle tone. Not every baby needs it, and some who are born at term just prefer it anyway. Or at least for the first few weeks and then they might progress to using the Double Cross carry instead. Again like the double cross carry this position works best for the 4th trimester/newborn position.

#3 Seated sideways – In this position baby literally sits sideways in the sling. The carrier goes on the same way, and distributes the weight the same way for the adult but again what has changed is how the baby sits within the carrier. In seated sideways baby sits at a 90 degree angle to the adult within one layer of the sling with their legs together sticking out of the sling, and then the second layer comes up and over the legs to support baby’s back and to close the gap, and finally the 3rd layer completes the carry.

Because baby is not chest to chest with the parent and instead has no pressure on their chest or tummy at all this can be a great position for babies with reflux, or any baby where pressure on these areas might want to be avoided (i.e. post surgery or for any other reason). It can also be a great position for babies who simply don’t seem to like the chest to chest position, or find the double cross or double hammock positions too confining. Or for those babies who simply seem to just want to have a better view! Seated sideways allows babies to see their care givers faces better and see outwards a little better – while still giving plenty of support – hence it can great option for babies who are starting to want to look out more but maybe aren’t ready for a hip position yet.

Or simply any baby who just needs a change of position (because lets face it we all like to change our position from time to time to stop us getting too stiff!). This position is also one of the best options for a baby who is wearing a sleeping bag or sleep sac! Generally it’s pretty difficult to put a baby in a sleeping bag in a sling but because the legs are together and stick out to one side, Seated Sideways is one of the few positions that does work well with a sleeping bag.

Seated Sideways can be used right from newborn for as long as it is still comfortable for you and baby – as long as care is taken to ensure baby is upright within the sling and that the sling is tight enough to keep them upright and to keep them from slumping. I do like to stress that it is key to ensure baby is upright, because when upright their airway is protected by supporting their head and neck in a neutral position, while if more horizontal/cradle it is more difficult to ensure this neutral position and there is an increased risk of baby adopting a chin to chest position which can restrict airflow. But as long as baby is seated up right and sling is well-adjusted this can be a fab position for any baby.

#4 Upside Down – This position completely changes the fit for the adult. Turning the carrier upside down doesn’t alter baby’s positioning, but will feel very different for the parent. Specifically, by putting the carrier on upside down the rings are now at the parents shoulders rather than under the arm at their sides.

So why might you want to wear the Caboo upside down? A small number of parents find the rings dig into their sides. I should stress that most parents don’t notice the feel of the rings at all but a small number of parents do. It really depends on body shape and where those rings end up on you. For most, the rings sit at the parent’s side over a relatively fleshy part of their torso and as such the parent doesn’t notice them at all. But for a few parents, often those who are particularly petite the rings come more to the front of their body and maybe sit over the ribs or less fleshy part of their body and dig in. For these parents the solution is simply to turn the Caboo upside down. This gets the rings off the ribs and up onto their shoulders where they feel more comfortable. It is worth noting that while this position does tend to work really well for more petite frames, it doesn’t work as well on broader or longer torsos because having the rings at the shoulders constrains where the cross sits on your back. On a more petite frame this will still be mid back whereas on a longer or stockier torso it will be higher up on your back and this maybe less comfortable.

Another advantage to wearing the Caboo upside down is it changes the direction in which the sling is tightened: loose material is moved upwards toward the rings and then pulled downwards through the ring. Compared to moving downwards and then pulling forward when wearing the Caboo the rightway up. Many parents find moving loose material upwards more intuitive and thus find tightening easier in this position.

Finally, it’s worth noting that the Caboo can be used upside down to acheive either a double cross carry (as shown in the photos) or a double hammock carry – depending on how you thread baby’s legs. Either position for baby works equally well in combination with wearing the Caboo upside down.

#5 Double Cross Carry Shifted to the Hip – as the name suggests this position is really similar to #1 Double cross carry the only difference is the fabric is simply shifted over towards the hip first and then baby placed in the fabric now off to one side near the hip.

This carry is good for fairly young babies who still need a fair amount of head and neck support but are starting to become more interested in the world and want to have a better view of what’s going on… or at least while they are awake! It can be a tricky age … where baby fusses to get a better view but they aren’t yet developmentally ready to go into a full hip carry carry or to forward face. So this position, which still has all the same support for baby can be really useful for those couple of weeks while their neck strength plays catch up to their noseyness levels!! It’s also a good option for adults with weaker backs because it is still is a two shouldered carry (most hip carry’s are one shouldered only) so it still spreads the weight across both shoulders and across the back evenly. So the adult doesn’t usually feel more strain on one side than the other despite baby being on one side.

#6 Hip Carry – More of a true hip carry than #5, the carrier goes on sideways across one shoulder with baby on the opposite hip.

This carry is a great option for slightly older babies who have reasonable head control and have gone through that developmental leap from a sleepy newborn into the “nosy, must see everything” baby phase! This is often the age many parents move away from the Caboo as they start to find baby gets frustrated with too much material near their face and an obstructed view in the standard double cross carry. The hip position usually solves all this frustration by giving baby a much better view while still feeling secure and supported. In fact, assuming baby does have good head and upper torso control, they can even have their arms out, which again can make this carrier much more fun for them while they are awake and alert. Generally this position works best from about 4 months (give or take) for as long as it is still comfortable for the parent.

#7 One Shouldered Front Carry – While most parents prefer a 2 shouldered carry, there are sometimes circumstances where this is non ideal – shoulder injury, weakness on one side, etc. Or even temporary factors – maybe you slept funny last night and now have a massive crick in your neck and can’t stand having weight on that side… or maybe you sat out in the garden and managed to sunburn on shoulder… either way you’ll be alright in a day or two but still need to use your carrier in the meantime. In any of these circumstances it is useful to know that the Caboo can work just as well as a one shouldered carrier.

To do a one shouldered carry you simply slip one shoulder strap under your arm instead and then retighten the carrier as need. For the baby the carry is much the same as positions #1 and #2. And much like both of these positions, this carry works really well with newborns as it’s a really snuggly comfortable position for baby.

#8 Torso Carry – Continuing on the theme from #7, it is also possible to do a “no shoulders” or Torso carry with a Caboo. For most parents this is nowhere near as comfortable as the standard double cross or double hammock variations… BUT on just a handful of occasions I have met a parent with terrible neck pain or shoulder issues that mean any pressure at all on their shoulders is unbearable. And on these very rare occasions a torso carry was the answer.

Additionally, without any fabric on the shoulders, the Torso carry is a lot cooler for the parent than other positions so great for those absolutely boiling days (or great if you’ve got absolutely terrible sunburn across your shoulders and/or back). This is a position that can work well for newborns and older babies alike. It works particularly well for babies who don’t like any fabric anywhere near their face!

#9 Twin Carry – last but not at all least the Caboo can actually be used as a tandem carrier to carry newborn twins! This carry works best for twins under about 8 weeks (give or take depending on their size), and gives them a lovely snuggly carry which helps ease their transition from the womb by providing closeness not only with their parent but also with their twin – with whom they are used to spending the last 9 months closely nestled to!

Babies are positioned similarly to how they are in carry #1 but instead of sitting astride the cross, each baby straddles one of the two straps only and then the final layer acts to close the gaps and provide overall support and stability to the carry. You can also use the Caboo upside down to carry twins too, and some parents find this easier to tighten.

All in all the Caboo, like many baby carriers on the market, offers a huge range of flexibility and the possibilities go much farther than a manual ever does. I hope this helps inspire you to have a play with your carrier and try new carrying positions and find the things that work for you. Whether you have a Caboo or another carrier entirely, this is something a Sling Consultant can help you with – help you assess your needs and see if your carrier can meet them. See if there is a way to use that carrier differently to get more out of it.

-Madeleine

Fornessi “Carry Me” stretchy wrap Review

October 24, 2017June 6, 20183 Comments

I have been so excited to try the “Carry Me” stretchy wrap by Fornessi because its made from 100% modal. While I have tried a great number stretchy wraps made from cotton, bamboo viscose and even one made from Tencel, I’d never even heard of Modal until a couple of weeks ago. So I was really intrigued to learn more about it and what its like as a stretchy wrap.

IMG_20170930_132719_607 It arrived in probably the most beautiful packaging I’ve ever opened, and inside was this absolutely gorgeous pink wrap. I am not normally a pink fan but I will make an exception here – their “Piglet Pink” is absolutely beautiful and Rachel and I have had so many positive comments while wearing it out and about. In fact in the 3 weeks its been here several clients have picked it out and asked to hire it…! Its been a real shame to have to say, I am really sorry that one isn’t mine to hire out. They come in a range of ultra-chic up to the minute shades, all of which are quite different to the normal blacks, greys, and dark blues that stretchy wraps most commonly come in.

Looks aside what does is it feel like? It is very thin and very light. It feels super soft and smooth but pretty strong considering how thin it is. It feels cool to the touch. That sounds a bit weird but think like a swimming costume or gymnastics leotard … cool to touch and won’t make you over warm while walking, getting on with jobs etc. I have to say I really like this as I am very prone to over heating, especially while wearing my daughter.

How easy is it to wrap with? Like most stretchy wraps its pretty easy once you’ve got the hang of it and done it a few times. Ease of wrapping with a stretchy wrap all comes down to the stretch. In general wraps that stretch in 2 directions (both vertically and horizontally) are much easier to get the hang of than wraps that only stretch in 1 direction (vertically only). The Fornessi is a 2 way stretchy, however, it stretches more vertically than it does horizontally… so more like a 1.5 way! Consequently, its a little stiffer than brands with true (equal) 2 way stretch such as the Hana Baby, Boba or JPMBB. This is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself but it also has very little “ping” back. A true 2 way stretchy wrap can be stretched outwards to give more space as your putting baby in and then “pings” back around baby and giving a characteristic bounce as your walk. The Fornessi doesn’t have much elasticity, which means it is more supportive as baby grows but means the window between too tight and not tight enough is a little smaller. And I mean only a little smaller … its still very easy to use and still a much much wider window than 1 way stretch brands (such as the Moby, Liberty, ByKay etc), and thus much much easier to use than these. Plus the lack of ‘bounce’ compared to others is certainly something I appreciate while walking with my 9kg 10 month old! In fact considering how thin it is, I was pretty surprised by just how supportive this wrap is. Deceptively strong! While I would say stretchy wraps are best from birth to around 4-6 months, the Fornessi is certainly strong enough to continue used to around a year if you have a baby like Rachel who likes to take her daytime naps snuggled in!

The real selling point of this wrap, compared to others on the market is the fabric its made of. Modal is a semi-synthetic fibre made by spinning cellulose extracted from beech trees into a fibre. The resulting fibre is a type of rayon/viscose – an artificial silk like fibre. Its a good choice for a stretchy wrap because like silk it is soft, thin, strong, has natural elasticity and heat regulating properties. But better still it has serious ecological credentials… beech trees can be grown sustainably and the solvents used to extract the cellulose are used over and over and over in a closed loop system which means very little wastage and no disposal of potentially harmful solvents. Which means this fabric has a much smaller ecological foot print compared to cotton or bamboo viscose. Interestingly, Tencel is also produced from wood pulp via the same process, resulting in a very similar fibre that shares the same advantages.

So its not at all surprising that the wrap I’d say the Fornessi Carry Me is most similar to is one made from Tencel – the Lillebaby Tie the Knot. When compared to cotton wraps, both are very light and thin (two of the lightest and thinnest wraps currently on the market), and very strong. Both have this “1.5” directional stretch, but the Fornessi is more stretchy than the Lillebaby and consequently a good bit easier to tie. And while both are soft, the Modal fabric of the Fornessi is not as slippery as the Tencel of the Lillebaby and thus is much easier to physically handle.

The one thing I don’t like about the Fornessi wrap is its width. It is too narrow. At 50 cm its one of the narrowest stretchy wraps I’ve ever encountered. Added to this it rolls up at the edges which makes its functional width even narrower – you lose a cm or two at either side giving a functional width of only 46/47cm. The advantage of a narrower wrap is there is less fabric to deal with when tying, which can make tying a little easier. But the disadvantage is there is less to spread out over baby and across the parents shoulders and backs. I found while wearing the Fornessi, I kept unconsciously picking at the material in an absent minded attempt to spread the material out further. Having tried wraps ranging in width from 50 to 70 cm, I find a functional width of 55-60cm to give the best of both worlds in this regard.

All in all the Fornessi Carry Wrap is a lovely thin, soft wrap that works brilliantly from newborn to 6 months and maybe even a year. Its an great choice for anyone expecting a summer baby, anyone looking for a stretchy that may last a little longer and for the environmentally conscious. Cost is at the higher end of the stretchy wrap market at £59, but this does include free next day delivery. For more on how this wrap compares with other stretchy wraps see my full comparison article.

-Madeleine

Winter Babywearing! … the hows and whats of figuring out how to leave the house in the cold and the rain!

October 16, 2017October 16, 2017Leave a comment

Autumn has definitely hit… so its not at all surprising that parents are starting to ask me about how to combine using their carrier with going out in increasingly cold and wet conditions!

When choosing how to dress baby the first thing to consider is that most carriers counts as 1 layer for your baby. As a general rule the NHS and the NCT all recommend your baby wears one more layer than you – so its nice and easy to remember that when using a sling or carrier the extra layer is provided by the baby carrier itself. I say ‘most’ carriers… if you have a particularly thick or warm carrier or are using a thick infant insert (such as the infant insert for an Ergo 360, Ergo Original or a Tula etc) then this maybe more like 2 layers.

IMG_20170910_191725_171 The second thing to consider is where baby goes relative to your layers – under your coat or over your coat?? In general, unless you have a confidently walking toddler who will be alternating a lot between walking and being carried, it is better to have baby close to your skin and then put layers around you both. By having baby close to your skin, you’ll intuitively know if the baby is too warm or too cold because you’ll feel it, and your body will subconsciously respond to raise or lower your skin temperature accordingly as well as consciously signalling you to adjust your own layers. Amazing, huh?!! Additionally, by having layers around you both, when you do come in out of the cold it is really very easy to remove layers from baby without waking them up. Finally, by having baby close to your skin you are both able to more efficiently heat share, so efficiently in fact that you’ll most likely both need 1 less layer just from each others body heat! I love babywearing in winter because its like walking around with your own personal hot water bottle tucked into your coat!

When putting layers around you and baby start with both you and baby in indoor clothing only. They don’t need a big snowsuit or bulky jumpers and these will again make it harder for you to intuitively gauge their temperature and efficiently heat share with them. Plus its harder to get a great position and fit in a sling while wearing bulky clothing.

Then protect their extremities – any parts not covered by the sling. Think hat for their head and socks/tights/booties to keep feet and lower legs warm. Slings can often cause trousers and leggings to ride up so its often worth thinking about tights under trousers, leg warmers or long socks to compensate. My personal favourite solution are JoJo Maman Bebe’s slipper socks simply because they stay up and stay on the feet while keeping them warm (and because I am a sucker for a rainbow!). For the crafty among you – my mother in law also made us some amazing knee high sling socks using this pattern. She also adapted it to include a drawstring to help keep them on after we lost the first pair she made!

Next add layers around both you and baby. There are so many options for this! Ranging from free, low cost all the way to specialist coats. Here are some ideas to add warmth;

Raid your wardrobe – knit cardigans, larger coats, maternity coats can all work well. Raid your partners wardrobe too!
A sling cover – waterproof and with ties designed to easily attach to a carrier or sling, these are an easy way of keep baby warm while working with your existing coats etc. There are a number of brands but we really love the Bundlebean which folds up small and costs ~£30.
A coat extender – simply works with your existing coat to add a panel for baby. We have a ZipUsIn and I love the joy on peoples faces when they test it out and find this simple low cost thing fits with their current coat! They cost ~£30 and there’s a handy guide on their website to ensure you buy the right one for your coat. Even better these are also available in Boots so if your anything like me and have boots points you’ve forgotten about it might be an even cheaper option! Alternatively, if you are feeling crafty you can knit your own coat extender using this pattern. Or even simply tuck a blanket around the baby carrier and then pop your coat on as normal leaving it open. Not as waterproof but certainly cheap and cheerful!
The most elegant but of course most expensive solution is to purchase a specialist babywearing coat. When my march born son came along I decided against this, as I felt it was a vast expense for something that I wouldn’t use much. I mean he was a summer baby and I’d only carry him for a few months right? Hmmmmmm… turned out I was so wrong, I carried him regularly for 3 years and went through 3 winters. In particular, I really struggled keeping him and I warm while carrying on my back and I hated carrying over coats as it was so bulky and uncomfortable and I always worried he was cold. Just before Rachel was born my normal coat was in dire need of replacing and so I caved and bought myself once of these wonderful coats as I now knew that I would get the use from it. The other reason they appealed is that most also can be used as normal coats too, so hopefully can still be used for many years to come. These coats come in a wide range of styles to suit all tastes and bodyshapes. Brands I would recommend include Mamalila, Wombat&Co (review here), Angelwings, Lenny Lamb, and Lileputi. These are all brands that either myself or a close friend have used, loved and offer good quality and flexible use. There are also a number of cheaper more budget brands such as the Verbaudet coat or the Bonprix maternity coat but be aware that these coats don’t offer back carrying functionality, so while cheaper than those listed above won’t last as long and may prove to be a false economy in the end.

While not all of these ideas are waterproof, those that aren’t can always be used in combination with an umbrella. In fact, given the unpredictability of the British weather, I highly recommend always having a small compact umbrella in your change bag just in case.

-Madeleine

Furry Snuggles Guaranteed – the Wombat&Co Wallaby v2 Babywearing Coat Review

October 3, 2017October 2, 20171 Comment

20170920_142458 First sign of Autumn always brings a flurry of questions about keeping warm while babywearing and so I was so excited when Wombat&co kindly offered to let me try out the new version of their Wallaby coat. Even more excited when the box arrived on my birthday!

The first thing that stood out as I unpacked the coat – was just how soft the faux fur lining is. It is lush. Over the two weeks I had the coat, literally everyone I encountered ended up stroking it and commenting on just how soft and luxurious it is. Really snuggly to have around you and baby. And the outer doesn’t disappoint either. Waterproof, sleek and everything you’d expect of a good quality well made coat.

IMG_20170923_230640_378 The second thing that stood out, was just how warm it is. This coat is WARM! Super snuggly and extra warm. In all honesty, it is too warm for London in September. I did get out a few times with it but particularly while wearing my daughter I was roasting. However, this isn’t a criticism at all because it is still pretty darn mild in London this year… so I took the Wallaby up to Derby with us for the weekend. Here, several degrees cooler… the Wallaby was perfect – kept me nice a cosy while standing around waiting for fireworks on a brisk hillside! So I’d say this coat is a great choice for the coldest months, or for late Autumn to early Spring if you live somewhere a bit cooler than London and its weird micro-climate that makes it 2-3’C hotter than anywhere else in the UK. In fact I found myself wishing I’d had this coat back when I lived in New York and winter meant walking to work in temperatures of around -10’C!

I love that this coat presents the wearer with plenty of options – the Wallaby can be worn as a normal coat (with the panel zipped out) or as a maternity or babywearing coat with the panel inserted. The panel can be inserted in either the front the back thus accommodating both front and back carries.

20170920_173940 Being able to use as a normal coat is a huge draw for me as it means it will still be useful when I am no longer carrying my children and, more immediately, that I don’t need to swap coats on a day out if I set out wearing our our daughter but my husband carries her home. Nor do I need a separate coat for the rare baby free evening.

And when wearing the Wallaby as a normal coat, you’d have no idea it was designed with babywearing it mind. It looks clean, simple and sleek and is well designed to keep you warm and dry. From the soft ribbing at the sleeves, to the deep fur lined hood and huge amazingly soft snuggly fur collar. Both the hood and the collar attach via poppers so you can wear one, both or neither depending on your own personal taste and how warm or dry you need to be. Additionally, the coat can be cinched in at the waist to give a more fitted look if desired. I love how these features all mean that you can personalise this coat to fit in with your own style and preferences.

For the other 3 modes, you add the panel into the mix. Its great that the same panel can be used for maternity and babywearing – you simply alter the panel to the right shape using the drawstring toggles at the top or bottom. The advantage of having just one panel that can accommodate either a bump or a baby means that you don’t risk losing the babywearing panel while using the coat as a maternity coat and visa versa you don’t risk losing the maternity panel before your next pregnancy while wearing your current baby. The disadvantage, however, is that you only have 1 panel.

So if you do get pregnant again and want to still use this coat while back carrying this coat – as it comes – can’t accommodate both without a second panel. Likewise tandem carries (for twins or siblings) require a second panel. While not on their website, Wombat&Co state that additional panels can be purchased from them by emailing them directly and these cost £20.

20170921_162511 While front carrying my daughter, I liked how high the panel reached on her and I liked that you can close the neck of the coat with poppers if you’d like to, or even employ the huge faux fur collar to keep extra warm. Although as it was September and still fairly mild I mainly just work the neck completely open. But I could see how this coat would really keep us both warm and the wind and rain out in the cooler and wetter months to come. One thing I didn’t like as much was that this coat doesn’t come with a hood for baby. There’s a lovely big hood for the adult, but nothing for the baby. While the panel does reach up very high, Rachel’s head still got a little wet on the one day we went out in rain. And I seriously regretted not thinking to pack a hat for her.

I also wasn’t a huge fan of the pockets. They are probably big enough but the main problem for me was that they fasten with a single popper. This popper sits right over where Rachel’s feet were so I simply couldn’t do up the pockets without pressing down hard on her feet. Without being able to do the pockets up I felt like my phone or wallet might fall out if I sat down (or be susceptible to pickpockets). For me I’d either prefer deeper pockets so that my phone felt less likely to fall our or better still pockets of the same size but fasten with a zipper.

For back carries, I found this coat the easiest to get on and off of any I have ever tried. They key to this is that you can undo the collar at the back of the coat … giving a very wide opening that allows you to put the coat on almost as normal without trapping babies head. With other babywearing coats I have always found it pretty tricky to line up the head hole and the child without getting into a bit of a mess! The Wallaby is so much easier! And as the collar can be easily closed with poppers once the coat is on, you don’t get a cold back either. Win.

20170923_115040 Finally a word on the all important sizing. I am a size 16. Well my top half is probably a 14-16 but I usually err on the side of size 16 for coats in case I need to wear layers underneath. They sent me a size 12 – it was a bit snug on me but by no means too snug. I think their size 14 would be perfect for me. Based on this I would say their sizes run slightly on the bigger side. Thus, if like me you are a bit between sizes err on the side of the smaller one. Also if like me you allow a size up for wearing jumpers under coats…. this coat is soooooooooooo warm you’ll never need to wear a jumper under it, unless you are going to the Arctic Circle or somewhere similar, so you can feel free to size down! Sadly though, Wombat&Co don’t currently offer these coats in a huge range of sizes – at the moment just UK size 6 through to 14. I am told they do also offer a size 16 but this is currently sold out. As someone who is a size 14-16, I find having to buy the biggest size available a bit disheartening, and considering that the average UK dress size is a 16 – there will be many who are simply not catered for in the current sizes offered. I really hope this is something that Wombat&Co will look into further and offer a more realistic range of sizes in the future.

All in all the Wallaby is a really lovely, toasty warm coat that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone. Currently priced at £156.90, it isn’t exactly cheap… but as this coat is well made and very flexible in its use, it should last you years and so I am sure would be worth the investment. And men needn’t feel left out either – Wombat&Co also make a babywearing coat for men – the Bandicoot.

-Madeleine

The Facts about Forward Facing

August 31, 2017October 1, 20175 Comments

Carrying babies forward facing (looking outwards toward the world) is something I get asked more questions about than anything else. So many different questions on this topic. The reason is simple – there is a lot of conflicting opinions on this and even more conflicting information. A disturbing amount of this information comes from articles originally written by carrier manufacturers who either did or didn’t make forward facing carriers and was motivated by marketing. Very very little of it has any evidence to back it up. So its no surprise that often parents are left pretty confused about whats best for them and their child.

So here are some of the questions I am asked and the facts to be aware of when deciding whats best for you and your little one;

Is forward facing dangerous? Nope. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest forward facing your baby is in anyway dangerous, so long as they are developmentally ready and awake. These carriers have all undergone safety testing – they simply would not have passed if there was evidence that forward facing could harm your baby.

Rachel aged 7 months in the Ergo 360

The better question is – Is forward facing comfortable? While not remotely dangerous, its hard to get as comfortable position forward facing verses facing inwards. Both for your child and for you. For your child this is simply because the forward facing position in most carriers offers less support. Less support for their legs, less support for their neck and upper bodies and as their backs are against you they are often slightly flattened out verses how they’d be either in arms or facing toward you. None of this is dangerous, nor even uncomfortable in the short-term but but if worn for longer periods they might start to become less comfortable over time. Think of it a bit like being in a rock climbing harness, completely fine for short periods you wouldn’t want to be in it all day every day.

For you the parent, forward facing is less comfortable as it puts the child’s centre of gravity further away from you. We load bear best by holding weight high and tight to our own centre of gravity – when baby is inward facing the weight is held very close to our centre gravity. In contrast, when facing forwards baby’s weight is held slight away and thus feels heavier and puts more strain on the parents body. Again not a problem for shorter periods, and worth listening to your own body and reading babies cues when forward facing to ensure comfort levels on either side aren’t exceeded.

Is forward facing better for my child’s development? Nope. Again there is absolutely no evidence to support this at all. I completely understand why people might think this would be the case, forward facing allows the child to look out and therefore perhaps ‘gain a better view’. However, there is no evidence that this is helpful to a baby. In fact there are several lines of research suggesting parent’s facial expressions are key in infant learning. This is called ‘social referencing’; in new situations or experiences babies look to their parents or primary caregivers and watch their reactions first. I.e. when someone picks up my daughter she immediately looks at me, if I smile she smiles and is happy to be held. While if she can’t see me or I don’t smile she immediately cries. She is using me as a touchstone to reassure her in this new situation. Similarly as she begins to eat solid food, if I am eating it, she wants to eat it…. if I am not eating it, she has no interest! Looking to our parents and watching their facial cues is an evolutionary driven imperative, it allows the infant to judge if a situation is safe or dangerous. I.e. if my daughter reaches for something and I look alarmed … she knows its dangerous. It also helps babies determine what is important/interesting, i.e. say she is looking at a new toy she also looks at me – am I looking at the toy? Do I find the toy interesting too? Thus when holding or wearing our babies its important for their learning that they can see our faces. When facing out they can’t, they don’t need to see our faces all the time so its fine but this idea that perhaps facing out is better for learning is certainly false.

Its also worth noting that in a well fitting inward facing carrier where baby is able to turn their head easily, they should still be able to get a really good view of the world. And its worth considering how good a view they need – how well can they actually see? Its interesting to note that while their eye sight is developing rapidly, children don’t generally reach full adult 20:20 vision until somewhere between 3-5 years of age! In fact babies lack the ability to see in 3D until depth perception starts to develop somewhere around 5 months.

When can I start forward facing my baby? When a) they have excellent head control and upper back strength and b) they are big enough to comfortably fit the carrier you have for them.

I prefer to explain this in terms of developmental markers rather than age because different babies will reach this sooner or later than others, and its more important that babies have reached this developmental stage than arbitrarily be over a certain age. The reason they need excellent head control and upper back strength is simply because when forward facing the carrier is unable to provide any head support. And because they are facing outwards their head and uppermost torso isn’t even supported by your body either. So they need to be able to hold these up for themselves. And its it needs to be rock solid – I remember my daughter went through a distinct ‘nodding dog’ stage where she could mostly hold her own head but she looked a little bit like one of those nodding dogs. No nodding dogs!!… we need rock solid.

Comfortably fitting the carrier you have for them is different between different brand carriers. Some are bigger than others, and so the baby needs to be older/physically bigger before they can be used in the forward facing mode compared to other smaller brands. Rachel and I are working on a full comparison of the forward facing carriers in the library, which will include more information on this… But what you are looking for when trying carriers on is that baby is not over extended – that their backs are not really flattened out and over extended in order to look over the panel and equally their in a good sitting position with legs not over spread or conversely under supported. When trying carriers on trust your gut – does baby look comfortable or overly straightened?

Tom at 10 months old in the Lillebaby Complete, making friends at the Chinese New Year Celebrations in Trafalgar Square

How long can I forward face my child for? Several manufactures suggest a time limit for forward facing. This is something I find fascinating, because babies are all different and they are different on different days! Some days my children would have been happy forward facing for an hour, other days they’d have got fed up of it after 5-10 minutes. So far better to read their cues than work off an arbitrary time limit. And it really is arbitrary because as far as I can tell, unlike the limits set for car seats which were set based on research and understanding of optimal infant positioning, these are suggested not based on any researched or evidence but in response to articles written by companies who didn’t make forward facing carriers and were suggesting that it was ‘dangerous’. So the companies who did make forward facing responded by suggesting it was ‘safe’ so long as under an arbitrary time limit.

Confused? I know I was! So what cues are we looking for in deciding how long to forward face your child on any given day? Babies enjoy forward facing best when they are wide awake and at their most playful and alert. So we are looking to time around this phase, and as mentioned how long this phase will last will be different on different days! We are then looking to turn baby inward before they get tired, as they are becoming less playful, less alert,… long before they are actually tired we want to bring them inward. When forward facing, babies don’t have the ability to snuggle in if everything becomes too much, so we run the risk of over stimulation and ultimately over tiredness. The best way to avoid over stimulation is to turn baby in long before they get tired. This gives them the option to snuggle in and helps them process, and ultimately should help them get that all important nap when they need it! We all know the pain of a missed nap!

Does it matter if my baby falls asleep while forward facing? Yes. Unfortunately, there is no head support for baby while forward facing which means if they fall asleep and their head starts to loll there is nothing to help support their head. If this does happen please check their airway – check that as their head lolls it doesn’t loll over the top of the carrier.

In an ideal world you’d turn your baby inward long before they started to fall asleep, but accidental naps do happen!! So best practise would be as soon as you notice that baby is falling asleep you’d turn them inward. While I understand it is obnoxious to move a sleeping baby, the forward facing mode is really only designed for babies who can hold their heads up and are awake enough to be able to hold their heads up.

But my baby isn’t happy in their Caboo/stretchy wrap, they are nosy and want to be able to see and only forward facing will let them do this. I completely get this, the vast majority of parents coming to me considering forward facing are those whose babies are starting to grow out of the Caboo or Stretchy wrap. As I have discussed at length before both the Caboo and stretchy wraps are amazing for newborns, but parents often feel ready to move onto something else when babies leave the 4th trimester and go through that huge developmental leap where there are sleeping less and more interested in the surrounding world. These slings are pretty confining, they are like swaddling, so it not a big surprise that babies might grow out of them developmentally around the same time they grow out of swaddling. However, please don’t mistake this restlessness in a stretchy wrap or Caboo – where the sides of the sling come up high close to baby’s face – to mean your baby particularly wants or need to forward face. Instead swapping baby to a carrier where the fabric doesn’t pass beyond the top of the shoulder blades – giving baby the freedom to turn their head this way and that unfettered – is usually more than enough to cure this new-found restlessness in slings.

21013881_1288986917896999_3133343590819235261_o Its also worth noting that forward facing is not the only alternative for a nosy baby. Most slings and carriers also offer positions on the carers hip or back. In general, for a buckle carrier, the hip position can be used once baby has good head control. From here baby can see outward and get just as good a view of the world as they would forward facing, but they can also see the parents face for social referencing. They can easily tuck in towards the parent when they start to become tired and naturally fall asleep, and they are fully supported in a very ergonomic position. Its also possible to wear a younger baby on the hip in a ring sling or woven wrap or even a stretchy wrap, provided that the sling is worn in a way that supports the baby’s neck. Often a muslin rolled into the wrap or sling is perfect for this – providing support behind the babies neck but still allowing them to move and be as nosy as they like!

The other alternative is to wear baby on your back. Once they are tall enough to see over your shoulder they can get the same view as forward facing on your front, but it is more comfortable for you the parent as we load bear much better placing weight on our back verses carrying weight on our fronts. Like the hip carry, it also gives the child the option to tuck in and fall asleep when needed. For a buckle carry, this position can be used once the baby is able to sit independently or is very very close to being able to sit independently. So in theory often from 6 or 7 months old, however, most 6 or 7 months old can’t see over their parents shoulders yet and thus are usually less impressed with this position. Instead back carrying in a buckle carrier comes into its own from around 1 year old. However, it is possible to carry younger babies on the back – my choice for this is a woven wrap because it is possible to wear babies up much higher so they can see over your shoulder right from the beginning and because they can be tightened to give better support enabling a baby who is not yet able to sit independently be worn on the back without fear of slumping etc.

It is also worth considering how long the forward facing phase lasts for. As discussed above, babies can be worn forward facing once they have excellent neck and upper torso strength. This is typically around 4 months (although this can vary a lot, anywhere from 3 months to 6 depending on the individual child). Interestingly, around 8-10 months most babies seem to grow out of forward facing. They are less interested and/or equally happy or even more happy in a inward facing carry. Also around this time they get a lot heavier and the extra strain of forward facing starts to become too heavy for the parent. Consequently, this is also often when parents start thinking about switching over to back carrying instead. So the forward facing carrying phase is actually pretty short, typically only 4 to 5 months. When you consider the majority of forward facing carriers are designed to be used from birth all the way to 2 or even 3 years old – the forward facing phase is only actually quite a small percentage of the total life of a carrier.

Rachel aged 8 months in the Ergo Omni 360

Finally its worth considering cost and your budget. Generally speaking you’ll pay a premium for forward facing. So its worth weighing all the information above up and decide how much you might use the forward facing position and how much it is worth to you. How much are we talking? Depends on which carriers but for example the new Ergo Omni 360 is £155 verses the Ergo Adapt (which does not offer forward facing but is a very similar carrier to the Omni in every other way) at £110. So in this case the ability to face forward is costing £45. Most forward facing carriers are around the £120-£150 mark. While carriers lacking this function (but offering all the other positions, and a great many other features etc) are typically in the £75-100 region. The exceptions to this are the Izmi priced at £75 and the Beco Gemini at £99… but these are a fair bit smaller than other forward facing carriers such as the Ergo 360s, the Lillebaby Complete, the Beco 8, the Mountain buggy Juno etc etc and thus while they do cost less they are unlikely to last your baby quite as long. Deciding on whether its “worth it” or not is really a personal choice and depends a good deal on the personal preferences of both you and your child! This can be where hiring a carrier for a couple of weeks and trying it out in your normal day to day life can really help. I’ve had parents who’ve tried it out and decided that forward facing is a position they really love and use frequently and likewise I’ve had parents that to their surprise have found that they barely used the forward facing position. For the latter group many went on to choose another carrier that didn’t offer the forward facing position and saved themselves a good deal of money. While those in the former group invariably were able to happily go and spend the extra money safe it the knowledge that it would be worth it for them.

-Madeleine

KiBi Carrier Review

June 4, 2017September 12, 20171 Comment

Want to see a magic trick? A carrier that gives a great fit to both a 6 month old and a 4.5 year old? I mean that must involve magic right??

Longevity is the holy grail of anything baby related, and ‘how long will this last?’ must be a question I am asked a few dozen times a month! KiBi have responded to this very natural desire among parents by making a carrier with the most adaptable panel that I have ever seen. Smoothly transitioning from a size that fits my almost 6 month old all the way to a size where my 4.5 year old still almost appears to have growing space!

To do this the KiBi panel can be adjusted in 3 ways.

The width is dictated by a combination of 4 poppers to give gross adjustment and a central drawstring to give fine tuning allowing an exact knee to knee fit at every point between the jumps between popper positions. Broadly speaking 1 popper fits a 6 month old, 2 poppers a 1 yr old, 3 poppers a 2 year old and finally 4 poppers attached equates to 3 years and up.
The leg openings and depth of the seat is adjusted with a pair of ladder lock buckles on either side of the panel. Often in adjustable carriers the height of the panel is altered at just one point and this can leave the leg openings gaping or make it hard to get a nice spread squat position with knees above bum on a smaller child. By adding a separate pair of buckles controlling the leg openings the KiBi have nicely solved this problem and, as you can see on Rachel, makes it possible to get a great ‘M position’ with knees nicely above her bum.
Finally the overall height of the panel is altered by a soft part that simply squashes down or pulls up sliding over the shoulder straps. This part then anchors at the desired height on the straps with little key ring style clips. These clips do look pretty flimsy and I have heard of them snapping. Which is something that would normally put me off. However, I have to confess that I personally don’t bother to use them. What I quite like about this squashy part is that if you don’t anchor using the clips you can easily adjust the height of the panel while the child is in there. This means when your little one is awake you can squash the panel down so they can see more, or so they can have their arms out. Then as they get tired you can simply pull the panel up to give them more support.

A big part of how this all works is that the material KiBi have used is soft and light, which means it can easily be squashed down without too much bulk. Completely squashed down it is still a little bulky (as can be see by all the rolls behind Rachel’s shoulders!) but for me its no more bulky than some of the bigger more padded carriers on the market like the Ergo 360 and the Lillebaby so I really didn’t mind the bulk at all and for me it is worth it for how the carrier will grow with the child.

Most standard sized baby carriers on the market work well from around 5-6 months of age until around 2-3 years. In order to be safe and comfortable, a buckle carrier needs to support a child to at least mid thigh on the legs and reach up their back to least directly below their arm pits as a bare minimum. As can be seen, the KiBi is still supporting Tom right up to the top of his shoulders and while not quiet knee to knee on both sides, certainly well beyond mid thigh with a great deep squat position. Tom is just above the 50th percentile for both height and weight … so I am pretty confident in saying that the KiBi would continue to fit most children until almost 5! In fact I think Tom may grow out on weight before size … the weight maximum for this carrier is 20kg and Tom currently weighs 18.

At the other end of the spectrum, the weight minimum for this carrier is 3.5kg. While it was safety tested for this weight, its worth noting that this carrier is not suitable for a newborn as there is no newborn adaption or insert etc. The manufacturers suggest it can be used from 4-6 months, and I think from 6 months is realistic. In the photos Rachel is just about to turn 6 months old. While the carrier could have gone a little smaller for her, and fitted around 5 months… its worth noting Rachel is on the taller side (91st percentile for height, and 50th for weight) and so can fit things a little before the ‘average’ baby. But all in all 6 months to almost 5 years is pretty impressive,… the KiBi will certainly last you until you no longer need a baby carrier! In fact on its biggest setting the KiBi is bigger than any of the toddler/size up carriers I have in the library collection.

As well as adapting as the child grows, the KiBi fits a wide range of parent sizes. The straps have two points of adjustment allowing them to easily fit bigger frames as well as syncing all the way down to fit petite frames too. This carrier is one that works well for families where parents are very different sizes but both would like to carry. The straps can be worn both ruck sack style or crossed across the back as per personal preference. And the carrier can be used carry on the front, hip and back. Forward facing carries are not recommended with this carrier.

I also like that KiBi have thought about when your little one might want to walk. Carriers like this rarely fit in bags, and can be a bit flappy or look a bit ugly worn ’empty’. KiBi have added little elastics to the waist allowing you to roll the carrier up neatly so you can wear it around your waist as a neat little package with no worries about catching on anything. Another interesting little feature is the ‘lockable’ buckles. Each buckle has a sliding switch to lock it. I like this verses 3 point safety buckles as you can still open them with 1 hand but you can’t do it absentmindedly or accidentally, which is a nice safety feature.

All in all the KiBi is a fab carrier, with all of its sizing systems and clever little extras its not the simplest carrier on the market but its still very easy and well worth taking a little time learning to use for its sheer adaptability. I can see this carrier working really well for anyone who wants a carrier that will last them as long as possible, but in particular I think this carrier really shines for families with more than 1 child. Particularly families with a relatively small age gap who are looking to avoid the double buggy … this carrier would make a great choice in combination with a single buggy; if the baby is asleep in the buggy the toddler can be carried, while instead if the toddler wants to go in the buggy the baby can be carried – no need for different carriers for each child and when not in use it easily folds down to fit under the buggy or around your waist.

-Madeleine

sheenslings.com

Sling Library and Consultancy

Tag: #babywearing

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