~*~ Tearsmist.com ~*~ Spring Blossoms

Personal Babywearing Story

I did a lot of research while i was pregnant with my second child, I learned things I wish I would have learned before my first. I met a lot of new online friends that opened my world to the joys of attachment parenting and made me see parenting in a whole new light.

I joined a few online communities about attachment parenting and the more and more I read about babywearing; the more I was sure I wanted to wear my second child. We owned two different carriers when Bianca was a very little baby, yet those carriers were EXTREMLY uncomfortable and full of confussing buckles. The carriers hurt my back and the buckles were so confussing to use I had a hard time putting them on. To make a long story short; I did not wear Bianca much as an infant. I now regret not wearing her more.

I found out a lot about babywearing through my research and I soon looked into different types of carriers. I weighed my options and spoke with diffrent people about carriers they owned and decided that the best opion to get me started on my journy into babywearing was that of a Mei Tai Carrier .

I purchased my first Mei Tai from a user on ebay. (BIG MISTAKE). My first Mei Tai was hard for me to figure out, yet after using online Tutorials I learned to strap my son on my stomach and back with ease. Yet my first carrier had many issues: while it was cheaper then most other Mei Tais I had been looking at, the quality was horrible! . It worked fine the first few times I used it on my son, yet the shoulders were only lightly padded and became flat after extended use and the sewing was coming un-done at the bottom of the carrier after only wearing it a few times. To say the least, I was disapointed and angry that a person would even sell another person a carrier to use with their CHILD! that was so faulty.

My second carrier I purchased after reading a few recomendations from people online. Again the carrier was purchased off of Ebay but this time around the carrier was better quality. The carrier still had too little of padding for my taste, yet was a lot better on my back then that of the first carrier. The creator was very friendly also and gave me tips on wearing my son up higher on my back to relieve some shoulder pain.

I used my second carrier A LOT MORE then that of my first, yet I wanted something more. I then begun looking for a better quality carrier for myself and my son. After searching numerous sites and reading thousands of reviews I found the perfect carrier in my price range on a re-sale babywearing fourm. It was a name brand carrier from Meitaicarrier.com (MTC) . While it was not the exact print I could have hoped for it was cheaper then if I bought it new and it was a thousands time better quality then that of my past carriers! I was highly impressed! The carrier made it to my house in record time and I was blown away by the comfort! The shoulders were a lot wider then my previous carriers and much more well padded! I had found love!

I started wearing my son more and more often. I took my carriers everywhere I went. I found it so much easier then pushing the stroller and they were so easy to just throw in my car or diaper bag! I was also recieving so many comments on my carriers! A lot of people were wondering where to get one like it??

I then thought, hey I can make some extra cash off of these! and I started making my own carriers. My first handmade carrier was made off of an online pattern. It was loads of fun going out and being able to pick out my own personal fabrics for the Mei Tai. Sewing the first Mei Tai was a lot more tricker then I thought it was gonna be and I had my grandmother help with a lot of the process. My first Mei tai did not turn out exactly how I wanted it. I found a lot of my sewing to be lop-sided and the body of the Mei Tai was way to long for my taste. Yet it worked fine and it was cute and best of all.. it was all my own creation!

I learned a lot from my first attempt at making a Mei Tai, and my second Mei Tai came out with better quality. I begun experinmenting with different styles and adding features onto my Mei Tais like toy loops and sleeping hoods. Yet there was still something that My personal handmade Mei Tais lacked and that was one of the key things I learned made a good Mei Tai; SHOULDER PADDING!

I went back online and did some more research, even asked a few quality makers on their shoulder padding. I found out that foam padding works better then the cotton stuffing I had been using and that it holds up a lot better in extended use and washing also.

I started creating Mei Tais with foam padding and found the amount that was just perfect for me and my son. I had found extreme comfort and finally was on my way! Soon my little company was born. SproutNBuns Mei Tais sold a few Mei Tais online to friends on babywearing boards and also friends on journal sites. I also sold a few carriers to local families in my own home-town. The buiness is not totally blooming, yet is not too overwhelming for me and gives me enough extra income to surrive.

I now own 5 Mei Tais myself and use them almost daily for hours on end.

Early this summer (2007), I traveled into the world of ring-slings. I wanted to expand my horizions and try a diffrent form of babywearing. I did a trade with another mother on a babywearing board for a ring sling. I lucked out and got a BEAUTIFUL new sling. It took a little while to learn to thread the sling and get it sized to fit my body but once I did I found it quite easy to use. I could simply throw it over my shoulder and plop my son in and away we went. I also found it easy to carry my 3 year old daughter in.

While I love my ring sling, I still favor my MEI TAIS and I find myself using them more then that of the ring sling.

In late summer of 2007, I made my first wrap carrier using cotton gauze. While wrapping took a lot of work to get use to, I soon got the hang of it and fell in love with wrapping. While it wasn't as easy to strap on as my Mei Tais.. wrapping was very comfortable for both my 3 year old and growing 1 year old. Wrapping soon became my favorite way of babywearing. I since then have purchased a SASHA WRAP , a Moby wrap and also a few high quality woven wraps such as Didymos..

Overall, I am glad I started babywearing. I have found my son to be a lot more happier baby. He has always been a snuggle bug and I found that by wearing him I can statisfy his needs while still being able to get done everything I need to in a day. I also found that I bonded to him a lot quicker and we have a closer overall connection.

~My Personal Story~

What makes a good Mei Tai??

Reinforced straps inside the body
A continuous waist strap through body instead of 2 straps sewn into the sides
Good quality thread (100% polyester gutermann thread )
Well Padded Straps!
Sturdy 3 layer body composition (one of pretty fabric, two of heavy)

The rest seems to be personal preference, ie width and angle of straps, padded or unpadded, headrest, curved or straight, longer or shorter straps depending on body size and shape....

Love is: Babywearing

Love is knowing that your son is most pleasant, most content and most comfortable when he is strapped to your chest. Love is feeling every breath he takes against your own body. Love is his laughter, inches from your face. Love is being able to get things done around the house even though he�s teething and horribly unhappy but happy as a clam when being worn. Love is wearing your �baby� even when he�s no longer a baby.

Love is sharing nuzzles and kisses because the Mei Tai puts him at the perfect distance for the frequency of such things. Love is open mouthed kisses.

Love is getting all of these things, and more, just because the kid likes babywearing. It doesn�t even touch on the benefits that he receives. Looking at it from a totally selfish position, the benefits to me have been endless. Love is in friends who encouraged me to consider babywearing. Without it, my house would be messier, my nerves would be more frazzled and my precious baby would be far more cranky.

Taken from: Jenna Hatfield

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