When I was in college I majored in Sociology which meant taking a lot of classes about different cultures. And also this one class called Human Sexuality that most definitely should have come with a disclaimer.
In one of my anthropology classes we learned all about some tribe in some country that wears their babies. I obviously paid a lot of attention and really earned that B. All I remember about that class was that A) my teacher was a ninja. Like, he literally studied to be a ninja in Japan or something. And B) I became obsessed with babywearing and decided that whenever I had a baby, I was going to strap it to my body with a strip of cloth. My twenty year old self felt very hip and granola about it all.
My twenty-eight year old self sees the irony in feeling hip about doing something that you learned from women who have been doing it for centuries. Anyhow, I’ve been wearing Scarlette since we brought her home from the hospital which feels like a century so naturally I’m going to talk about it like I’m an expert. <- mommybloggersyndrome
I use the Balboa Baby Adjustable Sling by Dr. Sears because my friend Florica recommended it to me and showed me how hers worked. When we brought Scarlette home, I had to carry not only her but also a portable apnea monitor that she was attached to + a portable pump for her feeding tube. There is a pocket on the front of the Balboa Baby sling that the pump fit into and I found that really helpful. Most days I did laundry, dishes, etc with her sleeping against my chest in the sling and the $&*@!! apnea monitor banging against my hip. I do not miss you, apnea monitor, no I do not.
I discovered that I didn’t like the feeling of a wrap sling. Mostly because of my neurotic fear that it would somehow unwind itself and my baby would go twirling down to the floor like she was in a tiny little Cirque Du Soleil stunt. And we couldn’t use a front/back carrier because of her risk of hip dysplasia. So the ring sling worked best for me. I wore her cuddle style when she was little and keeping her upright helped a lot with her reflux. Now I wear her hip carrier style and she is so much lighter in the sling than when I just hold her myself. When we go to the doctor I clip a toy to the ring and she happily entertains herself until she sees them come in with the needles. Then she screams like a banshee and hunkers down in the sling to hide.
Scarlette loves being in the sling. When she’s feeling tired or overwhelmed she will bring it to me so that I will put her in it. I’ve found that it’s great for quarantine purposes. If we do get out, I wear her and keeping her that close to me prevents people from touching her. Well, except that one lady who lifted up my nursing cover to see her. That lady was crazy cakes. Why would she do that? Why am I wearing a snuggie in that first picture? There are so many mysteries in this life.
I won’t tell you about all of the benefits of babywearing because lots has been written about it by people who are way more educated than I am + they can tell you how to do it safely. And also because I’m not trying to persuade you if it isn’t your thing- I firmly believe families should do what works best for them. But since this works best for us, I thought I’d share what we do. If you have any questions though, I’m totally happy to answer them in the comments!
*It’s not really a snuggie. THIS is me in a snuggie. You. Are. Welcome.
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About Kayla Aimee
I think I first subscribed to your blog right around when you brought Scarlette home. I know this sounds totally ridiculous because, well it does, but seriously, she has changed and grown up so much. (Like it’s such a surprise when babies get bigger. CRAZY). Anyway. She makes me smile. Your blog makes me smile pretty much every time I read it. That’s why I read it.
What kind of ring sling do you use? I’ve used the Moby, then the Ergo with my 15 month old son, but I’d love to try a ring sling to give my arms a break – although I no longer need to go to the gym to work on my arm strength!
Love your blog 
I use the Balboa Baby Adjustable Sling by Dr. Sears. It’s at Amazon and Target. But my BFF just uses a ring sling that she bought online that is lightweight and less padded and loves that one
The padding on the shoulder of the Balboa Baby sling really helps I think.
Got it! For some reason I thought you had two different slings- that’s great that it adjusts like that!
I don’t know what I would do without baby wearing. I practically lived in my ergo carrier for the first few months…and I so miss them. but at 26lbs J is way too heavy for my poor back
Yeah my sling says up to 25lbs but at only 16lbs right now I think Miss S is going to get too long before she gets too heavy!
Oh gosh, I took that human sexuality class, too. Turns out it was just a recap of my 65 year old teacher’s sex life. Unnecessary. I love baby wearing moms. In a non creeper way. It’s just so adorable to see a mom holding her baby so close rather than running me over with a stroller. And how cute is it that she brings it to you?! Ahhh!!!! She’ll probably always love to be wrapped tight. My parents rocked me and I still love to be rocked. Hello, 24, not 6. Hahaha
Yes! On the second day of class the professor starts this video that is way too graphic to type here lest I get hit with crazy spam. I was like “WHAT?! I DO NOT WANT TO SEE THAT?!!”
My DD will be 3 on Monday and there are still times when her Ergo is the very place she wants to be…and mommy loves it too!
Thanks for todays topic, i did not “wear” my first little guy who is now almost 3 but we are actually going in to have our second blessing this weekend and I have my Moby wrap already in the nursery waiting on him. I may take a look at the one you use as well to see which I like better!
Yeah I would borrow one from a friend if you can and try out a few styles to see what works for you. I have friends that LOVED the moby!
Love this post!
I am a big babywearer…though sometimes I wish my little guy would let me put him down! 
I know
I think worn babies are extra cuddly!
babywearing is the best! I used the Balboa when my little boy was a newborn, then switched to the Moby wrap when he was around two months old b/c I found it to be easier on my back. I also used the Bjorn for running errands, and when he was over 25 lbs, I switched to the back-carrying Ergo for afternoon walks around the neighborhood to check out the Christmas decorations.Then one morning I was barely able to get out of bed from the back pain, and that was then end of it lol. If I have a second baby, I want to wear him/her too (SO sweet and cuddly – the best feeling), but I will definitely stop before the baby hits 25lbs.
I’m going to look into the Ergo when she gets a bit bigger! I think that will be good for when we take her places like the zoo, etc.
I wear Nate when we go out too, to keep people away! Plus I don’t have to worry about him touching anything – carts, people, merchandise. It looks like I’m going to get to carry him for a long time still, dr said yesterday he has constitutional growth delay, and the child has not grown longer in two months. I need to work on some new holds, my MIL made me a ring sling, and a I don’t know what it is, it folds in half and the baby fits inside, and then we have a front carrier. Everything kills my shoulder. And Nate is a tiny boy. I need to research this I guess. Great topic.
Yeah, I went w/the Balboa b/c the shoulder is extra padded and that helps me a lot. You could maybe sew some extra padding into the ring sling you have?
I actually managed to baby wear the twins when they were smaller. A friend had the same one and she made one with essentially two pockets so I could actually get some things done around the house back in the early days when dragging two babies up and down the stairs was a huge pain.
A while ago you mentioned that you were going to have an ebook for your photo editing. I was just curious if you were still planning on doing this and when. I love your photos and would love to know what you do to yours. I currently use a few different actions that I love but sometimes they end up looking over-edited if you know what I mean.
Happy to see your PL pages and I have to say you’ve given me inspiration to just do what you can and if it ends up being a single page now and then, well, that is awesome. I’ve done it in the past, but seeing your pages has reminded me I can make mine a bit more “scrappy” looking instead of the generic out of the box that is hard to keep up with because for me it is just not interesting. Love your inspiration!
That is so awesome!
This year I am going w/the “I’ll just be happy I got this on paper” method to my scrapbooking
And also, I am overhauling the last class I taught on photo editing but I expect to have it up sometime in March 
Hey can you email me your address? I totally thought I kept the packaging to swipe your addy from on the package you sent but have lost it and wanted to send you something!
Oh I LOVE those slings… my friend let me borrow hers and i wear my little one in it all the time!! He is a sweetie pie. You should check out some pics of him on my blog! http://www.ababysentfromthestars.blogspot.com
I’m so glad you linked this post up to your recent list post or otherwise I might never have seen it. My husband and I are currently trying to conceive and using a sling has been something that has been on my mind. I’m glad you had such a positive experience and it seems like a lot of the commentators feel the same way
I will have to keep it in mind to grab when we finally have a baby on the way! Thanks for sharing 
Wishing you lots of TTC love! I really found it to be so helpful- S is 29 months and I still use it on occasion! I really do love it
I’m still wearing Nate @ 22.5 months (he’s still around or just under 20 pounds), in a homemade ring sling, don’t know what we would do without it. You were seriously right on when you said how much lighter it makes them! I can do the mall with a sling (during a time that isn’t RSV season!), but I can’t even make it though a Hallmark without wanting to howl with back pain if I am just carrying him. Slings are a beautiful thing. For reals.
Why did I comment on this twice? Sorry KA. No sleep! /facepalm