Thursday, September 4, 2014

She makes it look so easy! Troubleshooting your carrier

Ever put on a carrier and wonder, what the heck did I do wrong? Why does everyone else make this look so easy? Well, we're here to help!

From ring slings to pouches to wraps, I am going to give you some tips on how to make your carrier more comfortable so you can make it look easy, too.

First things first, make sure that while you are trying new carries and carriers, you follow the weight limits of your carrier and the safety guidelines. If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask your VBE's, we're here to help.

Carriers:

Ring Slings: One of my favorite carriers is a ring sling. It is great for beginners.

Problem: The ring sling hurts your shoulder.

Solution: Try spreading the fabric of the ring sling over your shoulder. It also helps to make sure that the fabric is not twisted on your back and that it is spread out.






Problem: The rings are hurting your shoulder

Solution: Put the rings at "corsage" position, not too high on your shoulder, but not too close to baby.


Don't worry, Dylan is only practicing with a pretend baby.


Wraps: There are so many different ways to wrap, and therefore several different was to troubleshoot, but here are just a few.

Problem: The wrap is uncomfortable on your shoulders.

Solution: Make sure the wrap is tight enough. The best way to tighten is "rail by rail". This is a common term used in the wrapping world, and it just means grabbing the top hem of the wrap, pulling to tighten and then gathering the middle to tighten and continuing to grab and tighten until you reach the bottom hem of the wrap, keeping the tension the whole time.

Make sure that baby is high enough. It also may be the carry you are trying. Ruck straps (where both shoulders of the wrap go from the seat of baby directly to your shoulders) tend to put more pressure, like in a rucksack carry, versus a rebozo pass (where there is one shoulder pass and one pass that goes around your body and then over your shoulder), like that in a double hammock, tend to put less pressure on your shoulders.

Ruck straps - Rucksack Carry

Carry with a chest/rebozo pass - Double Hammock

Problem: The tails are too long.

Solution: You can tie Tibetan, or do a knotless finish. This just means taking the tails, crossing them over your chest and looping them under the shoulder strap, then tying in front. Another way to get your tails off the floor is to wrap the tails of the carrier around your body one more time. For example, in a front wrap cross carry, generally the wrap ties in the back, but if you have long tails, you can wrap around and tie under babies bum in the front.

Rucksack carry tied Tibetian


Soft Structured Carriers: Great for quick ups and downs and convenient when it rains (no wrap tails dragging on the ground in the grocery store parking lot).

Problem: The straps dig into your underarms

Solution: Tighten the shoulder straps

Tightening allows the bottom part of the strap to pull away from your body

Problem: Your back is hurting.

Solution: Make sure that your baby is in the proper size for his/her age and size. A properly fitted carrier will make it so baby has a wide enough seat and will distribute the weight evenly on your shoulders. Also make sure that baby is high enough.

Grandma is carrying her grandson nice and high (close enough to kiss)

Pouch slings: These carriers are great, widely available and relatively inexpensive.

Problem: The pouch is too loose. 

Solution: The pouch may be too large, or you just may need to flip the shoulder. This allows you to tighten the carrier a little bit. Since pouches are sized, it is important to find the right size. Most manufacturers will have a sizing chart. But an easy way to tell is measure from the top of your shoulder to your belly button. This will give you an estimation for the length/ size you will need.

Pouch sling with an older baby. This is a great fit for mom and baby. Baby is nice and snug and the carrier fits mom properly.

An example of a shoulder flip

Some general wrapping tips:

Once you feel confident with wrapping on the front, and baby is sitting up unassisted, you may want to try back wrapping.

A good back carry to start with is the back wrap cross carry.

Make sure that you have a spotter, someone to go behind you and catch baby is he/she starts to fall. You may also try wrapping over a bed or couch.

Getting a good seat: Make sure that baby is knee to knee in the carrier. This is the most comfortable for baby, and distributes the weight evenly so that it is easier on your back, too.

While wrapping, once you get baby on your back, reach under baby's legs and pull the fabric up under his bum, between your body and his. If you bounce a little, this helps baby to slip into place and the wrap to slip between you and baby.

Getting baby high enough on your back: When putting baby on your back, make sure that they start out higher than you want. The process of wrapping generally makes baby drop a couple inches. 

These are just a few examples to help you out as you learn to wear your baby. The best way is to get hands on help at a meeting from your VBE's. We are happy to help you!


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