Benny's Baby Carrying 101

I'm so excited! I've been hinting to my Man (OK, so really I've been downright pestering him) that I really want an Ergo baby carrier.

Mind you, Girly Pie is our FOURTH child and we have made it through three babies with no Ergo. But times are a-changing, ladies. Sure I could make due with the ancient Gerry backpack that was handed down to us from a family I had nannied for. Sure I could just carry her. But darnit, after four pregnancies, 7+ years of carrying my own children constantly, plus a previous 10-12 years of continually babysitting or nannying for other people's kids and carrying them around... my hips and back are just plain shot.

So when I first mentioned to my Man that I was considering buying a new baby carrier he gave me that look. You know the one. The look that says, "NOW what do you want to buy for her?" It's a facetious look, and he's not at all nasty when I want to get something. But it was clear that he thought our collection of baby-carrying items to be fully stocked, and that just one more was clearly wasteful. After all, we're not currently planning to have more children, he reasoned. So why get this for just one baby?

So I got to thinking. And do you know what? It occurred to me that in our seven years of parenting, we have never, NOT ONCE, paid for one single baby carrier. NEVER.

We were gifted a brand new Baby Bjorn for my first baby shower when I was pregnant with Punky. At the time, as far as I knew, Baby Bjorn was the cream of the crop for baby carrying. And I loved mine. Until he hit 12 pounds. I carried babies in that thing constantly. I cooked, cleaned, nursed, walked, played... you name it, all while wearing babies in my Bjorn. But as they hit that 12 pound mark, my shoulders and back gave out on me. So as soon as they were strong enough, I bumped my babies to the back pack carrier.

The back pack was a handed down item from a lovely family for which I nannied. I received two actually, from different families. Both back packs were less than supportive, and I usually ended up with a headache within 15 minutes of putting one on.

I also got a sling from one of the families, but that kind of sling at least just did not fit my narrow frame so I never could wear a baby in it.

Then when Girly Pie was a few months old a friend of mine, Sara, generously gave me a homemade version of the Moby Wrap, which I totally fell in love with. I only wish I'd had that for the first three babies. It was perfect for the slightly older infant - not really ready for a back pack but too heavy for the Bjorn type carriers. I thought for sure that the Moby was all I'd need forever with Girly Pie.

But alas, she did finally hit a weight where the front carry didn't quite work as well, and the amount of time I spent tying the thing into the proper pretzel shape made it really tough to get her in it while we were out and about, especially if I wanted to do the back carry in it. And it was starting to hurt my back a bit anyway.

So that brings us to current. And when I mentioned to my Man that we had never once paid a dime for any of our myriad baby carriers, he was a little less cynical about the idea. Besides, Mary Grace has one and I have tried it out, so I already knew that it fit the bill for a super comfortable and multi purpose carrier for the older (and slightly heavier) baby and toddler. So I priced them out online, and picked out a color I really liked.

And come Mother's Day morning... SURPRISE!!!

Guess what I opened up from my dear and wonderful husband! Yes, that would be this lovely camel colored Ergo baby carrier. Yay!

36 pound Goose was the first to take a spin in the Ergo with Daddy, and he loved it. My Man said he felt really light on his back in it, too.

Then when Girly Pie woke up from her nap I popped her in there and she loved it! She loved it at church in both the front and back holds, she loved it at the park, she loved it today in the yard for a mini nature walk through the woods. And even though my lower back is currently in very bad shape from the hacking cough I have had for a few days (I think I coughed a kink into my back while sleeping one night and I can't quite shake it now) I am still totally comfortable with her in the carrier.

So I'm a happy Momma. I have a feeling I'll be able to tote my girl around in total comfort for a few years yet. As the fourth with three older brothers, Girly Pie is just going to be along for the ride on many an adventure to come for a while. So it will be nice for all of us, I think. And if God has any more children in store for our family, then we'll just get that much more for our money out of it, I guess.

So there you go. The history of my baby carrying career. And in case you were wondering what my suggestions are, after four babies and a whole lot of experimenting, I have concluded that using a Moby-type wrap is ideal for a newborn up to that slightly older and more active baby (I'd say around 6-9 months, depending on their weight). I can nurse easily in it, and they are super close to my skin so that it almost feels as though you are not wearing anything at all besides your baby. It's really adjustable too, which I like. And when they outgrow the usefulness of the Moby, the Ergo seems to me to be the very best for comfort of both Momma and baby. And I love that you can do front, hip or back carries with it. You can do all three with the Moby too, but it does seem to be more of a strain with a heavier baby.

Happy, happy Momma. I'm so tickled to have such a nice gift. What a sweet, sweet Man I have.