Yes, I am writing a post
dedicated to this piece of cloth, it’s been that wonderful. I seriously do not know what we would have
done without it. First of all, I am an
advocate for “baby wearing.” I think
it’s important that our little ones are close to us when they are so tiny,
close enough to hear the mama’s voice, heartbeat, and feel her warmth. Babies can learn so much about the world
around them this way while feeling cozy and safe at the same time. I think it’s sad that our retail world makes
us believe that we need all of this baby gear to clutter our houses and
entertain our babies for us, when really they just need to be held and loved in
the beginning. I took Capri to a
Chiropractor at 8 weeks to help with her colic and he was amazed at the shape of
her head; he made the comment that it was one of the best shaped infant heads
he had seen….. I guess I was supposed to be proud? He went on to tell me that infants spend too
much time laying on their backs and parents just put them in car seats, swings,
and bouncers all day which is the main cause for plagiocephaly or problematic
flat spots. I laughed and told him Capri
has a beautiful head because I NEVER put her down. It wasn’t completely by choice. Poor baby was so unhappy that she spent most
of the time in my arms and then in the sling when I discovered what a miracle
it was. How did I come upon my
sling? I purchased my car seat off
craigslist (I know, you are not supposed to buy a used car seat, but it was only
used a few times and I did my research) and when I went to pick it
up, the kind couple filled my car to the brim with nice baby things they wanted
me to have. I think an angel put the
bran new sling in the trunk, seriously. I
honestly didn’t think I would use it because I had a front carrier; but one day
when I was feeling especially defeated and hadn’t done anything around the
house, I decided to give it a try. I
think Capri was about three weeks old when I put her in it and it was like she
was in the womb again. She stopped
crying and went right to sleep…. AMAZING!
Now the sling is nice for carrying her around and keeping hands free but
it is still tricky to fold laundry, do dishes, and vacuum while wearing
it. I mostly wore it to keep her happy,
not to “get things done,” but I managed a little. After all, those things can always wait, the
“to do” list will always be there, it was more important to me to have a happy
baby. I wore the sling at home quite a
bit, not as much now, but it is still a necessity when we go
out. Capri will get snuggled in and look
around for a little while before going to sleep. It seems like we don’t have to fight sleep
at all when she is in the sling, it happens on it’s own. She loves the sling even though she looks
like she’s folded in half. The sling is
so simple and it doesn’t look like we have a carload of things for our baby
when we go places. We’ll often hear “Oh!
You have a baby, I didn’t even notice!” I hate hauling around a car seat to events,
church, and restaurants, it just seems like so much and the longer we can go
unnoticed the better. Capri will most
likely cry and we will get unwanted attention eventually. Landon and I have been able to go to movies,
baseball games, restaurants, the beach, and social events that “out of the
sling” would have been impossible. So, my favorite thing we own for Capri is
the sling (second the BOB stroller, third the diaper genie). Thank you to the kind couple
that gave it to me, I love you! And thank
you Dr. Sears for creating this model of sling; even though I don’t agree with all of your philosophies, the
sling is a great one!
