I am Sold on Babywearing

Last week was my third week as a nanny to infant twin girls. The girls are cute as can be and even though they are twins have very different personalities and looks. M is smiley, happy, not as good of a sleeper and 3 pounds heavier than her sister. P is more reserved, big smiles happen occasionally but more often it is a smirk, she is a wiggler, and often content taking in the world around her, she sleeps in bigger chunks than her sister. Neither baby is especially fussy considering they will be 3 months old this week. Most days are sweet, fun, and serene, we often take long walks, which the babies love, and break up my 9 hour days. We have had two fussy days where it seemed like one of the two babies was crying every 15 minutes. I was also quite sleep deprived these two days which didn't help. Neither one of the babies really cries for extended periods of time, more like fussing. With two babies if one fusses every 15 minutes or so it makes for a long day. Most days are not like that and I know people have colicky babies who scream for hours on end. I am counting my blessings and thoroughly enjoying my job so far.

The babies started sleeping in their cribs at night a week before I started. I still have not been successful at getting them to sleep in their cribs during the day. The longest stretch I have gotten M to sleep in her crib is 20 minutes. I try putting both of them to sleep in their cribs at least once a day, sometimes twice because I know as they get older it will be easier if they nap in their cribs. For now there is a lot of sleeping in the swing, which I am fine with too.

With B I never tried a sling, I honestly hadn't heard much about them when he was a baby 9 1/2 years ago. I did have a Snugli his grandma bought and used with him (she watched him while I worked). I tried it a few times while we were out and found leaving him in his car seat was much more convenient.

The babies' mom has a sling and a Baby Bjorn but when I asked her she really hadn't used either. I pulled out the sling the first week but I couldn't get the instructional DVD to work. Last week P was not wanting to be put down so I figured I would just go to the Hotslings website and watch the instructional video there.

Needless to say P LOVED the sling! She slept in it almost 2 hours and I was still able to pick up M, change her, and feed her while P was in the sling. The main reason I took her out was cause it was time for a diaper change and my lower back was starting to hurt. I don't think I positioned the sling well enough to keep the strain off my lower back. In the afternoon I tried M in the sling. Since she is almost 14 pounds at this point she didn't fit well in a cradle position but still seemed to like it. I really am sold! If the babies are fussy in the future I will definitely pull out the sling and give it a shot. If it doesn't work I can always try something different.

I definitely sold on babywearing. If I have another baby I will definitely use a sling with them often, especially as a newborn.

So you mommies that have used slings and baby carriers with your babies, what brands or kind are your favorite? The one I used was a Hotslings, one piece style. The babies' mom is several inches shorter than me and I think the sling is S/M. According to their sizing chart that is also the size I would use but it felt a bit too snug for me. If I was buying it for me I would probably go up a size. Ring style slings sound appealing too since you can adjust them as the baby grows.

Yeah for babywearing!