Babywearing – a hippie with a minivan

What a day…

A few weeks ago I was asked if I would be interested to consult on a baby wearing scene for an episode of a popular Quebecois television series called “La Galère” . I jumped at the opportunity! Not because I know the show, I actually had never heard of it, but because it sounded like fun 🙂

I needed to get there at 7:30am. That alone was my biggest stressor…. My mom decided at last minute last Friday that she would take the boys to the cabin for the weekend so they were with her while Simon and I caught up with some things in the house. It also made it easier to figure out what I would do to get to Montreal on time. The location was just a few minutes from our friend Jody’s house who is currently travelling, so we were able to get the keys and sleep there on Sunday night.

I got up bright and early and headed to the old 26 room manor called the Mary Dorothy Molson House that they are using as the set. The house itself was amazing to see.

I met with the costume ladies and was shown the bit of african cloth they wanted to use for the character and was told what the director was looking for. I also met with the mom and two beautiful 3 month old twin girls who play the role of the baby in the show.

Then it as the hard part. To explain that what the director wanted was not realistic with such small babies who are not used to be worn and to try to find an alternative. After many trials we ended up using the babies’ silicone twin double.

Watching the shootings of the scenes were quite interesting.

Everyone had a job to do and the director was very stereotypical and you did not want to get in her way. I was able to watch the screen seeing the scene come to life, take after take… and once they got what they wanted in one position, they needed to go the next one in a different angle or with the close-up on one one actor instead of the others… Literally hours of saying the same thing over and over again… I could never be an actor! As I watched on the screen I payed attention to little details and made sure that the carrier was placed the same way each take and enough of the babies head was showing to show that there was a baby on her back but made sure that there was not too much because the silicone jiggled too much each time the actress moved…

The next scene that was shot was actually what was happening right before the first scene and the actress is trying to get the baby on her back while reading instructions… it was actually quite hilarious because I have the exact same instruction booklet and was as confused at reading the instructions myself as the actress was in the scene. This time I had to make sure that the acctress was starting out with the baby on her back in the right position each time and had to show another actress how to help her wrap the baby while making sure that it looked like it did before…(or actually just after in the show) After another hour or so, that scene was finally done and I was able to leave and get back to Simon and Wilhelmina who were waiting for me back at Jody’s house…

The opportunity was so much fun and I am looking forward to be called again if needed 🙂

It also felt great getting paid a reasonable price for just a few hours of work!

Oh… the material we were using was an African Khanga, or actually 2 Khanga’s sewn together. The original position that was wanted was an african carry which was not going to work out as it was not complicated enough for the scene and could not work with the tiny babies. The carry that I ended up showing was an improvised kangaroo back cross carry…

I seriously wonder…

I pondered this this morning as I was washing dishes, getting a stew ready in crockpot and making breakfast for the kids simultaneously…

How do people get things done without babywearing?

I can’t imagine being a parent and not having my hands free.

I wear Willa while I clean, while I cook, while I sew, while I tend to the other kids.

When we are out, Willa goes from the car seat straight into the carrier and I have my hands and eyes for the tasks at hand and the other kids. She is warm and content and is able to see everything I do… People talk to her and not down at her and she is part of the outing at all times…When she is playing and she gets tired, I can just scoop her up, put her in the sling or on my back and she asleep within a minute or two…

Besides Breastfeeding… A good carrier is the ultimate parenting tool…

Full day…

On Saturday, Simon, Willa and I went to Montreal for the day. Simon had a concert to go to in the evening and the boys wanted to go to the cabin so the two events coincided perfectly. My mom came and got the boys on Friday and Khéna was so excited that for nearly two hours before she got here, he was dressed and waiting in the stairs, ready to go.

She came and then left right after lunch, the boys faced beamed as they headed out. Though rain was on the forecast, I wasn’t worried at all that they would have a blast.

We had a quiet evening on Friday and then got up on Saturday bright and early.

Two weeks ago I had gotten a message on Facebook asking if I might be interested in giving a babywearing workshop at a great new store/café in Montreal called Melons et Clémentines. I called the owners and we arranged to meet on Saturday morning. What a great space that has been set up and what amazing people doing it! I am so happy to be able to get to know them and now I need to get my butt into action and get ready to give workshops on both EC and babywearing. It is not going to become a big source of income but it might bring in a few dollars and it will be a great opportunity to get to know some more amazing like minded moms.

Simon and I then went for lunch and then headed out to the talk on unschooling given by Sandra and Holly Dodd. I have to admit that I didn’t find it that amazing of a talk, I guess it was a bit basic and was a repeat of a lot of things that I had read in the past, but it was fun to see the usual faces in the crowd and be able meet others. I know that I say it often, but it is so refreshing to get together with like minded people. It not only makes us feel what we are doing is “normal” but it is also great to talk and get feedback from people that are living the same challenges, going through similar experiences, dealing with the same comments and internal struggles. It gives me a boost each time.

After the talk I brought Simon to the Metro so that he could head to his show and I headed out to the West Island to pick up Sushi at my favorite place and then brought it back to my friend Gen’s house to eat and hang out with her for the evening and we talked and shared until Simon called to say he was done and then I went and got him and then we headed home, arriving at about 1am…

We got up on Sunday morning, and headed out in the cold and the rain to go pick up the boys at the cabin…

Though we have to admit that it is a lot quieter in the house without them, I was really happy to see them again. Sometimes even just a day away makes me look at them in a different way and realize just how big they are really getting.

Babywearing again…

I haven’t worn Khéna in a while… nearing three he still over 40lbs and though he asks to be worn at times and I have my wrap with me pretty much all the time, he would rather walk…

Also, with my pelvis being so sore and being more and more pregnant, I am really not minding having the extra weight even though he is not much heavier than he was at one year…

I am however looking forward to baby wearing a new baby again… I LOVE to wear a little one… and I am looking forward to using my wraps again, especially a stretchy wrap with a new little one and then the Storch as the baby grows…

I had mentioned in a recent post that I had made a new friend in the area who opened a store recently… I have been talking to here more and more and we have been starting to organize a few things together for her store/my interests and the community… After talking to me, she decided to put a sign up saying that the store will be offering baby wearing classes and pre-natal classes (natural birth)… She wore her youngest a bit but not as much as she would have wanted so she doesn’t know much but was really excited when I offered to help… So I will be giving the classes and will get the money that they pay for the class, and she will be able to sell items in her store. I think it is a perfect solution. She also asked me to help give the pre-natal classes with her, and again, I would be make a little money…

So tonight, I am giving the first babywearing class, to 2 or 3 moms… We would have wanted to wait for a few more but one of the moms is about to give birth and would like to have the information before so that she can start right away…

I am not really nervous tonight, which is great and I am looking forward to get back in the groove again… I was missing it 🙂

Babywearing favourites…

As you know, I am a big proponent of babywearing. I believe that it not only is the best for baby, but it also makes life a lot easier especially in the beginning… and it really is an integral part of my parenting belief.

So what are my favourites…

~A Sling~

A sling is an amazing carrier… simple yet versatile. It was my first carrier and the one that I used the most often for if I put all four kids together. However, they are not the best carrier for long periods of time nor are they the best for larger babies. When a baby is bigger or you have a toddler, all the weight is on one shoulder so even if the sling is positioned well after a while you start feeling the weight more.

Ease of use: They are great for quick in and outs, pretty easy to learn how to use and pretty versatile..

Positions: Great for newborn and breastfeeding (cradle) positions and then for front positions facing in or the Buddha position facing out and great for the hip position….

What ages: Newborn to toddler and even longer depending on weight…

~A Wrap~

My favourite is a good length woven wrap that doesn’t have much (or any) stretch… (such as Storchenwiege, Didymos or even the thinner Ellaroo among many others….) Stretchy wraps are only good for the first few weeks and is a very limited carrier.

Ease of use: Though they do have a learning curve and many people are frightened by the amount of material (on average about 5 metres long) I believe that they are the most versatile and the most comfortable carrier…

Positions: They are great for newborn carries, breastfeeding (cradle), front carries, hip carries, back carries and pretty much way you could imagine wearing a baby… (note* Stretchy wraps should NEVER be used on the back)

What ages: Although stretchy wraps (Moby, Cuddly wrap, Maman Kangourou etc) are great for newborns and the first weeks or even a few months if the baby is small, they do not hold up for large babies… And in my experience, people who have bought a stretchy wrap as their only carrier, as the baby grows they are more likely to give up on baby wearing because it becomes uncomfortable or they need to invest in another carrier after a few months.

~A Mei Tai or other Asian inspired soft structured carriers~ (Ergo, Beco, Boba etc)

I love these once babies are big enough… we have two Ergos and a Babyhawk and I love how easy they are to use and how comfortable they are (The carriers with padded waists are more comfortable and easy to use and adjust than the ones that tie in my opinion)… they are quicker than the wrap to get on for back carries (though I think that I can wrap almost as quickly ) and are the most comfortably for long walks.

Ease of use: Pretty easy to use and best for quick in and outs in the back position.

Positions: facing in on the front or on back and can be used for a newborn with the newborn insert. (very bulky though)

What ages: These are not good for newborns or in the first months without special inserts… They are great however for older babies, toddlers and even “pre-schoolers”…

~Pouch~

Pouches are at the bottom of my list… sure they can look stylish and are seen a lot… they are easy to put on and easy to use… but they also have to be fitted right so they most often cannot be used by both parents and post partum size can change so it the size that you buy at first might not be the size you need a few months later…Again, the one shoulder use, means that you will eventually get some shoulder strain after a while…

Ease of use: very easy which is probably why they are so popular…

Positions: facing in on the front, hip, facing out in the Buddha position or cradle for breastfeeding.

What ages: Newborn to smaller toddler.