I’ve teamed up with the lovely girls at LittleStuff to run a competition; we’re giving away a fabulous Paperpod Rocket to the winner’s nominated playgroup/charity/nursery class/hospital ward/other deserving cause! It’s easy-peasy to enter here.
The Ergo Baby Carrier is a really popular carrier, which gets great feedback from happy customers. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get the best from your baby carrier to ensure the most comfortable carry for you and your child.
1. Practice makes Perfect
The first time you try out your carrier it might seem awkward, and you might not get it comfortable first time; keep trying, sometimes it just takes a little practice. It helps to make sure that your baby/toddler is happy, not hungry/tired/upset when you first try it out - they might need a little patience while you work out what to do. Using the Ergo on your front is pretty straight forward, but the back carry can be tricky until you get the knack; a little practice will make a big difference. Watch the DVD instructions, or check out video demos on the youtube (my own videos will be on the site soon) and make sure you are familiar with how to adjust the straps etc before you start. If your little one is not the patient kind, why not practise with a doll/soft toy a few times to gain confidence.
2. Keep On Moving
Babies (and toddlers) love to be on the move; once you’ve got your child in the carrier try to get moving as soon as you can. The motion will help them relax and get used to being in the carrier.
While you’re getting your baby into the Ergo Baby Carrier, a few little jiggles and bounces can help make sure your child is comfortable, and well positioned in the sling. Try pulling up on the shoulder straps while gently bouncing up and down, this helps get your child seated low into the body of the carrier.
3. The Spread Squat
When your child is in the Ergo, either on your front or back, their legs should be wrapped around your body, so that their hips are wide apart. This position is known as the spread squat, and while it might look uncomfortable for an adult, it really is the best position to carry your baby. This position supports the natural rounding of a baby’s spine, supporting a forward pelvic tilt and proper development of the hip joints; the baby’s legs are bent with his knees level with his bellybutton, and spread apart at about a 45 degree angle. You can read more detailed information about this here. The new Heart2Heart Infant Insert helps ensure that even the youngest baby is carried in the best position.
4. Keep it Tight
Adjust the straps on your Ergo to keep your child close to your body, this is both safer and more comfortable. If your carrier is worn too loose, the child’s weight will pull away from your body, and you will feel their weight much more. Tighten the straps enough that you can feel your child pulled in against you, but not so much that you can’t easily move around.
5. Wrap Up Warm (but avoid bulk)
It’s important to keep your baby warm when out and about in the Ergo Baby Carrier, but you might be surprised that he doesn’t as much clothing as you think; being close to your body keeps your baby warmer than they would be in a pram. During warmer weather, your baby won’t need many extra layers, maybe just popiing on a hat might be enough. When it’s colder, layering is the best way to keep your child warm, and you can then take off/add clothing as needed.
Bulky winter coats tend to make it harder to get your child in the carrier, sometimes the body of the carrier can get stuck on the child’s coat as you try to pull it up which stops your child sitting properly in the Ergo; an fleece or waterproof All-In-One seems to work better in my experience. BabyLegs are great for keeping little legs warm, and covering the gap between sock and trouser that often appears when in the sling.
The Ergo Weather Cover is a great accessory to protect your child from whatever the weather throws at you, it simply fastens over the straps of the carrier to keep your child snug and dry.
Much of this information applies to any baby carrier, not just the Ergo Baby Carrier. If you’d any more help or advice please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you.
The always-lovely Laura at Littlestuff has had a Paperpod for review and made a lovely little montage of her gorgeous children enjoying it which she’s posted on the Littlestuff Blog.
This time next month I’ll be in a crumpled heap recovering from having completed (hopefully) a difficult 23 mile hike through Glencoe to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
I’m taking part in memory of my sister Sarah. Sarah died in January 2006, just a few days after her 32nd birthday. Only a month before she died she was being told by GPs and specialists that the excruciating pain she had been experiencing for months had no physical cause, until her friend (who’s walking with me) took her to A&E in agony and a doctor finally sent her for an MRI scan. They found metastatic tumours on her spine. After further investigations it turned out she had lung cancer (though she was never a smoker) which was so advanced that there was simply no hope of curing it.
I can still feel the shock and devastation of learning that my beloved big sister was dying of cancer, and the horror of having to tell my parents and the rest of my family. I can only imagine how much worse it was for Sarah, how frightened she must have been amid all the pain and confusion. When it became clear that Sarah had a very short time left to live, we arranged for her to move from the hospital to the Marie Curie hospice in Edinburgh. The team at Marie Curie were fantastic, I can’t begin to describe how grateful I am to them. They worked so hard to try and get Sarah comfortable, they treated her with the respect and love she deserved.
Sarah was a young woman with lots of friends who wanted to see her and say goodbye; the team at the hospice made this possible, and her close family and friends practically moved in to the hospice, taking turns sleep in the day lounge or sit by Sarah’s bed, making sure she was never alone. The nurses, doctors, volunteers, ALL the staff looked after us as much as they looked after Sarah, listening to our fears and helping us come to terms with what was happening.
Sarah died after just a few days in the Marie Curie Hospice. Sarah’s cancer was horrific, it ravaged her body and caused her intolerable pain, it was diagnosed too late for any treatment, and gave neither Sarah nor her loved ones time to understand what was happening; but in the end she died peacefully surrounded by people she loved. For that I will always be grateful, and for that I thank Marie Curie Cancer Care.
Please sponsor Sydny and I on our challenge, it really means a great deal.
I confess to having more or less forgotten this blog existed, but now that I’ve rediscovered it I’m sure I’ll find plenty to say!
Not me, obviously, though it’s a profession that has always appealed. This article from The Guardian about Lynne Leyshon really brightened my Saturday morning.
Customer reviews are really important in helping people choose which products to buy for their baby. If you’ve used a product I sell (even if you didn’t buy it from me) why not write a review?
If you visit the product page on my site, and click on the ‘Reviews’ button, it will give you the option to write a review. It needn’t be long or complicated, and honesty is welcome!
As a thank you, anyone who writes a review will have a 10% discount voucher emailed to them.
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