I am considering babywearing with my second child. I know it's so much easier to get around especially when you have older children. It's a natural thing to hold your baby close. But here is my concern...
Am I going to be creating a baby who is dependant on motion sleeping?
I am not talking about infancy - newborns don't care much about where they are when they fall asleep. My experience with Jackson and his sleeping habits - was a successful tale. He started taking regular naps at 3 months which is when I started putting him in his crib for all naps. My soothing routine at that age [3 mos and for several months thereafter] was diaper change, swaddling and a song or two while I rocked him. He always went into his crib awake and fell asleep on his own - not motion dependant at all. He never liked the swing and after 2 months old - he never fell asleep in my arms again. While that made me sad to a degree - I was proud that my child was independant sleeper at such a young age. He was sleeping through the night at 2 months old.
If baby #2 gets used to falling asleep in the carrier - won't I be creating a hard habit to break? I understand that many moms will take their babes (again, not speaking about newborns here. Rather I am refering to 3 mos+) out of the carriers when they have fallen asleep so that the child can sleep with no motion and get better rest. But I know there some children out there who will wake up as soon as the motion stops. And this can cause much stress on both baby and mommy.
If I am mother who finds non motion sleep beneficial and regular nap schedules an important tool for child rearing - is babywearing not for me?
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9 comments:
You don't have to use it just for getting the baby to sleep. Use it for other reasons. That's what I did. I only wore the sling a couple times to get my baby to sleep. Other than that - I had a purpose of wearing a sling. Going for walks, using it at the zoo, needing to get stuff done around the house and baby was sick and wanted to be held.
I think each kid is different. I used my moby wrap with Scout all the time - and still use it on occasion) and I can put him in his crib awake and he falls asleep on his own. My daughter, on the other hand, hated sleeping, so she wouldn't sleep no matter what we did :o)
If your sling hurts, I recommend a moby wrap if you get another one. I have never had an issue with a sore back - even after 2-3 hours of wearing it with baby in it! the other 2 I had hurt like crazy.
April, I have to say that I never even thought about this being a concern of babywearing. I wore both of my babies when I needed to: in the house trying to get things done, while we were out and about at the park or a family event, etc. I wore Ian in the sling more than I did Eli and I have to say that Ian is a much better sleeper than Eli is to this day! If they fell asleep in the carrier, I left them there and let them nap. I mostly used a homemade wrap (very similar to the Moby), but also bought a Mai Tai carrier, which works okay, but I much prefer the wrap. You can easily make a wrap using a tutorial from the web. I would definately try it. It really helped keeping up with Eli easier! There are lots of great videos on the many different ways to wear a wrap on the web too. Good luck!
you have got to be kidding me!! i just posted a long comment and my computer messed up! We have the same thoughts on non-motion sleep and i have never used a swing or anything else to get her to sleep. But, i carry callyn in a sling often and I LOVE it! However, I only wear her when we are out and about...never just around the house. It is way more convenient..especially when we are out of town (and at that point i don't care if she sleeps in there or not!!) or shopping or something. IT is especially nice in places that are not stroller friendly. Bad habits have not ever had the opportunity to be created! I have the baby hawk and LOVE it. babyhawk.com
I wear both my kiddos all the time, Lilly usually does fall asleep in the wrap BUT she's only 6 weeks and this soon will change. It really is the only way i get anything done having the 2 of them 14.5 months apart. One thing to remember is every baby is different and it's unlikely what worked for Jackson is going to work for baby #2. I cannot stop telling everyone how different my 2 kiddos are.
I'm not sure what kind of carrier you have no but if it's a Bjorn or any type like a Bjorn they are really not good for kids hip and spine development. PLUS they are really umcomfortable. I have a stretchy wrap which is like a moby and i love it. I wear Lilly in it daily (so does Ryan) another brand that besides Moby is Sleepwrap and i like them better but either way your not going wrong!
Another option is to get a ring sling from Sleeping Baby Productions (they start at $25 i think) I have one of these also and wear both kids (not at the same time) in it all the time! When we go to playgroups or somewhere the double stroller doesn't fit I will wear Landyn on my hip in the ring sling and carry Lilly's seat (or i will wear him on my back in the Ergo and carry Lilly's seat or i will wear Lilly in the wrap on the front and Landyn in the Ergo on my back)
I guess what i'm trying to say is wearing my babies makes everything easier, i can get more done and spend more time with Landyn since she loves to be close to me.
If you have anymore questions or would like ot meet up somewhere (mom and pop place or the building for kids) i can bring all the carriers i have and can show you how to use them, you could practice with Lilly if you wanted. Let me know!
April, if you are interested in trying either of my slings (Maya ring sling or Kanagroo sling?) I would be happy to lend them to you, and if you want either one, I'll sell them to you cheap...they can be quite expensive. Just babywear to get things done, and if you see a drowsy baby when he/she nears 3 months, take him/her out and do your routine. You did such a wonderful job with Jax's schedule and sleep routine, I know you want to do it again with the new baby. Getting a good sling is so helpful though when #2 comes around!
Al
I really have no comment either way here, Molly was too big to fit into the front and back carrier! Her darn belly couldn't squeeze into it! So I have no clue, sorry! But good points though!
when dustin was little and crabby i'd put him in the moby to sleep, AFTER i tried laying him in his bassinet and it just wasn't working. basically it was because he was too overtired, and it was easier to just put him in the wrap. or if we were not at home, i had my moby and knew he'd fall asleep in it if i put him in it. but i do not think that it wrecked his falling asleep ability. i agree with you about putting them to sleep awake etc.
i honestly don't use my wraps/carriers too much at home. there are bouncy seats. swings. bumbos. toys etc. to entertain them with and i don't want to 'make' a clingly child by wearing them 24/7. ((i also know there are a lot of people out there who completely disagree with that, but i do what works for me)) i love the ergo carrier, especially for when they get older. and we're out and about. it's easier than pushing the double stroller around the mall when i'm there by myself. i'll usually wear the baby and push the next older sibling in the stroller.
i have the ergo, a moby wrap, and a maya ring sling. i'd be more than willing to show them to you and you can check them out before going to a store and perhaps feeling pressured to buy one. (that's how i get anyways. lol)
i also do a lot of things with the kids by myself because of shaun's job's hours. if i go to walmart it's me and all four kiddos. when dustin wasn't quite big enough for the cart i would throw him in the ergo on my back and then put caity in the cart. it works out well when you're out and about by yourself with the kiddos.
also don't feel 'judged' by your choice to use a carrier or not. sometimes i've seen people get so judgemental when you don't do what they do (cloth diaper, co-sleep, etc) it drives me CRAZY!! do what works for you and your family. and don't care about what 'they' think about it.
i also have a peanut shell sling (i'm trying to sell it on craigslist actually) if you'd be interested. it's a sized sling, and is a size large, so it may be big for you. but if you'd be interested let me know. and i'm sorry for rambling. it tends to happen when i get all my undies in a bundle about stuff. :0) feel free to email me (amoschel@msn.com) if you have any questions.
I think everyone here left some great comments. In the end, you've got to do what feels right for you regardless of how other people feel about it. I used a front carrier with Audrey I found online that I liked but it looked so old school. After a while, my back started hurting so I had to stop using it.
I agree with the girls who mentioned using a sling when you are out to do things in town or when you're out somewhere and need your hands free. I really came to appreciate the help of the front carrier when Audrey came, because I have to do a lot by myself because my hubby's always gone and having my hands free really helped.
I know what you mean about not wanting to create a child who's too dependant on you for getting them to sleep. Trust me, I'm the queen of rule following. The biggest thing I've learned after having a second child is just to do what works for you and allow yourself to bend your old rules for what worked before.
I totally get what you're saying! I had a pocket sling with Kyndra but I only used it like once b/c it hurt my back too much. I bought a custom wrap like Moby and used it when we went to Hawaii and it was awesome! I'd be concerned about the sleeping too. I'm not sure if that will affect how they sleep or not! I hope not!!
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