S.P.O.C.S

We all see everyone walking around with backpacks and $150 Baby Bjorn baby carriers, but we don't see a lot of Moms with their babies in slings unless they're tree-hugger types or trendy celebrities. I tried a ring sling with Avery and HATED it! It was so bulky I felt like she was lost in there, so for the next two babies I used backpacks or just carried them. With Jack I decided to try again (as I had become a little more granola-y by having him at home) and bought a New Native Natural sling. This is the one Cindy Crawford supposedly uses, endorses and "just loves." It was okay, but not very versatile and I still didn't have what I was looking for. I wanted something like they have in Africa where the Moms are doing cooking, cleaning, and bathing their kids -- all at the same time -- all while carrying a baby somewhere on their body! Well, I found it! It called a Moby Wrap and I love it. It's essentially a really long piece of semi-stretchy cloth. That's it. In fact, you don't even have to buy the "Moby Wrap" you can make one yourself and there are tons of websites dedicated to helping you make your own sling and then learning how to wear the thing.

The technical name for all these wraps is called SPOC -- Simple Piece Of Cloth. Women around the world use all sorts of things from dish towels to shawls to carry their babies. It's we western women who have decided that we have to carry our babies with something that comes in a box, has plastic toys attached to it and is so large you have to carry it on top of your car! When will we learn? Or, we don't carry our babies at all and let them spend all their time in their carseats, bouncy seats, or whatever "seats" we may have purchased because somehow we thought we were supposed to (but this is a post for another time).

The trick is learning all the ways to tie your baby to your body to accomplish what you want and be comfortable at the same time. When you first get your sling it seems a little daunting, but after a few tries you are pretty much able to just whip it out. It's nice because it fits right in my diaper bag and I can use for whatever I need. In fact, it works great for emergency nose wipes, blankets, etc... The uses are endless. I highly recommend a sling and wish I would have used it BEFORE Paige 5.