The Diaper-Free Baby_ The Natural Toilet Training Alternative - Christine Gross-Loh [19]
Mei-Tais
A Mei-tai is a traditional Chinese-style baby carrier, and there are many variations of this prototype out there. The carrier is made of a square piece of cloth with four wide ties coming out from the corners. Baby is worn against the adult’s body, either in front or on the back. As with wrap slings, there’s a bit of a learning curve when first using mei-tais, but with practice it becomes completely effortless to wear your baby in this carrier. The snug fit and cross-shoulder straps greatly minimize back strain, enabling you to carry your baby for long periods of time.
Hip Carriers, Tube Slings, and Pouches
Once your baby is older and able to sit up, you may want to look into buying a hip carrier, tube sling, or pouch. These are similar to ring slings in that they go across one shoulder, but they are sleeker and made with minimal fabric. When positioned in one of these carriers, baby sits up perched on one of your hips. Hip carriers often come with a hip strap as well for additional support. Pouches and tube slings come in many different materials such as fleece, cotton, and even mesh so you can wear baby in the water. The Maya pouch and the hiphugger are just a few of the many popular choices out there.
Soft Backpack
Soft backpack carriers (which can also be used to carry baby in the front) are designed with strategically placed padding to minimize back, shoulder, and neck strain. Because they have some structure built in, they generally require less of a learning curve than back carriers with ties. I’ve found that these types of carriers are particularly favored by fathers. My favorite backpack carrier is the Ergo, which also has wide hip straps so that your baby’s weight is resting on your hips. An Ergo backpack even makes carrying a heavy toddler seem easy.
Because your baby is growing so quickly, you may find that there isn’t just one kind of carrier that suits all your needs. Some people prefer different carriers for different situations or for different stages of the baby’s life. I liked having my baby on my back in a soft backpack carrier when I was moving in to a new home and unpacking, because the carrier needed very little readjusting and I could keep him on my back for a long time. On the other hand, I liked having him in a sling for walks or when we were on the go because I liked having his face so close in front of me. Having a small variety of carriers, or perhaps just a couple to keep handy here and there (like in the car, by the entranceway, etc.) is not a bad idea. Most babywearing fans definitely own more than one carrier!
QUICK TIPS: BABYWEARING
Keeping baby close when starting EC helps you and baby become in sync with one another
There are many different types of baby carriers out there: ring slings/pouches, wrap slings, mei-tais, tube slings and pouches, and soft backpacks
Not all slings serve every purpose. You might benefit from having a couple on hand to use for different situations or to switch around as baby gets older and your needs change
Baby usually will let you know when she needs to get down to go to the bathroom. Offer an opportunity to use the toilet when she is taken out of the sling
CLOTH DIAPERS: WHY THEY ARE USEFUL EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT USING CLOTH DIAPERS
Before I begin this section, let me be clear about one point: EC is completely achievable even if you use disposables the whole way through. I’ve met many parents whose babies exclusively wore disposables who have applied EC with great success. If you like the convenience of disposables, there is no need to worry that practicing EC means you have to switch over to cloth.
That said, let me share some reasons why having at least a few cloth diapers on hand can make EC smoother.