metaphortunate son (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
metaphortunate) wrote2011-10-24 10:20 pm
metaphortunate) wrote2011-10-24 10:20 pm
Entry tags:
baby stuff
You know, I wouldn't tell my friends "Oh, what a shame that you have no job, you must be going stark mad stuck at home alone all day with a baby." Why then do those friends feel perfectly fine about telling me, in so many words, "Oh, what a shame that you had to go back to work, it must be awful leaving the baby all day"?
I mean, neither is true. Having now been home alone all day with a baby for a while, it is tough but it is certainly also rewarding. Love just hanging out with the little guy. And yet, having been back at work, it would be nice if I could work a little bit less (deadline week! Surprise!overtime! Less fun when your boobs start threatening to explode!) but it also has rewards.
Such as a paycheck! It is probably good that I am back at work because I am a consumerist whore. It is so hard not to be consumerist about baby stuff! I am doing okay about not buying toys and clothes, but I just ordered a ring sling. We have three baby carriers at home, not counting the stroller, and yet I just ordered a ring sling. I have shame.
And yet, they all have their pluses and minuses. The Moby is nicely snuggly and puts the kid to sleep, but it is a pain to put on and take off. And it is HOT in hot weather. Also he does not seem to like it as much, at the age of nearly four months, as he did when he was born. He wants more wriggle room. He is a dedicated wriggler. I call him Wriggletto.
Mr. E's favorite is the Ergo (a hand-me-down;) per the name, the most ergonomic. It distributes the weight right onto your hips like a good backpack and almost leaves your back entirely out of it. This becomes more important as the kid becomes bigger. He's over 14 lbs now! However, it is a pain to put on and take off, and, especially since we're still using the infant insert, it's bulky and awkward to carry around.
My favorite is this Mamma's Milk sling. It is easy to put on and take off, easy to slip the kid in and out of, small and easy to pack in a diaper bag and bring along, and most importantly, I can nurse him in it! Or maybe that is second most importantly. It might be most important that it always makes me feel like a swashbuckling pirate mom. Opportunities to feel like a swashbuckling pirate mom are so rare. They should be cherished. It is so much easier and more likely for me to feel like a schlumpy zombie mom. However, it is awkward to nurse him in it, and it is not quite handsfree; he's big enough that he wants to sit upright in it, rather than lying down, but he's not quite big enough to be steady sitting in it, so I usually have to have one hand, or at least one elbow, helping him stay in position.
So I have been wanting a ring sling ever since I tried out my friend's, because it seems like they are easier to nurse in and easier to keep the kid upright in. Unfortunately I have not been able to find one that makes me feel like a swashbuckler. I know you can sew your own, but I don't own a sewing machine. And if I did, I wouldn't know how to use it. And if I did, I wouldn't have the time to look for cool fabric. And if I did, I wouldn't have time to make it. And if I did, I wouldn't trust my kid's weight to my very first sewing project ever. Alas, I think my pirate days may be over.
I mean, neither is true. Having now been home alone all day with a baby for a while, it is tough but it is certainly also rewarding. Love just hanging out with the little guy. And yet, having been back at work, it would be nice if I could work a little bit less (deadline week! Surprise!overtime! Less fun when your boobs start threatening to explode!) but it also has rewards.
Such as a paycheck! It is probably good that I am back at work because I am a consumerist whore. It is so hard not to be consumerist about baby stuff! I am doing okay about not buying toys and clothes, but I just ordered a ring sling. We have three baby carriers at home, not counting the stroller, and yet I just ordered a ring sling. I have shame.
And yet, they all have their pluses and minuses. The Moby is nicely snuggly and puts the kid to sleep, but it is a pain to put on and take off. And it is HOT in hot weather. Also he does not seem to like it as much, at the age of nearly four months, as he did when he was born. He wants more wriggle room. He is a dedicated wriggler. I call him Wriggletto.
Mr. E's favorite is the Ergo (a hand-me-down;) per the name, the most ergonomic. It distributes the weight right onto your hips like a good backpack and almost leaves your back entirely out of it. This becomes more important as the kid becomes bigger. He's over 14 lbs now! However, it is a pain to put on and take off, and, especially since we're still using the infant insert, it's bulky and awkward to carry around.
My favorite is this Mamma's Milk sling. It is easy to put on and take off, easy to slip the kid in and out of, small and easy to pack in a diaper bag and bring along, and most importantly, I can nurse him in it! Or maybe that is second most importantly. It might be most important that it always makes me feel like a swashbuckling pirate mom. Opportunities to feel like a swashbuckling pirate mom are so rare. They should be cherished. It is so much easier and more likely for me to feel like a schlumpy zombie mom. However, it is awkward to nurse him in it, and it is not quite handsfree; he's big enough that he wants to sit upright in it, rather than lying down, but he's not quite big enough to be steady sitting in it, so I usually have to have one hand, or at least one elbow, helping him stay in position.
So I have been wanting a ring sling ever since I tried out my friend's, because it seems like they are easier to nurse in and easier to keep the kid upright in. Unfortunately I have not been able to find one that makes me feel like a swashbuckler. I know you can sew your own, but I don't own a sewing machine. And if I did, I wouldn't know how to use it. And if I did, I wouldn't have the time to look for cool fabric. And if I did, I wouldn't have time to make it. And if I did, I wouldn't trust my kid's weight to my very first sewing project ever. Alas, I think my pirate days may be over.
no subject
What I do know, from experience, is that a. adjustable ring slings are gorgeous and fucking awesome, and b. an Ergo carrier is the next best thing. I have tried loads and loads of carriers. We started with a hand-me-down Baby Bjorn, and that was fine while Lulu was tiny, but hell past the two-month mark - all that weight on the center of my back, no thank you. We tried a Hotsling, which worked okay, and then he grew out of it and, not so okay. Someone gave me a mei tai carrier and I could never figure out the damn straps for it. I tried a Moby someone lent me, once, and felt overheated in it - probably would have been great for winter, but it was not winter yet. Eventually ordered my own rings and bought six feet of fabric at JoAnne's and made my own, no sewing required. We used that for a good long while, and still pull it out every now and then for KK now that he does not want to be in the Ergo Sport (which is an Ergo, but with longer straps - we wanted something Beau could wear easily).
Also, the thing with people being weirdly sympathetic/condescending about your parenting choices? That is one aspect of parenting that doesn't, actually, get better. No matter what you do, someone will tell you that you are doing it wrong. It is shitty. I've gotten very good at pulling out a mental "look at all the fucks I do not give" image in response to whoever Judgey McLectureboots is at the moment.
no subject
Mr. E does not approve of the Baby Bjorn because the kid rests on his crotch, whereas with like the Moby & the Ergo it supports him around his butt & down to his knees.
Hee. Judgey McLectureboots. Fuck the haters, I say!
no subject