Babywearing: Wrap Conversion Mei Tai (Didytai)

Didytai by Didymos

Backview

The third baby wearing product I'm going to talk about is a Wrap Conversion Mei Tai (WCMT).  I know that's a mouthful and it sounds intimidating, so let me break it down.  Like I've said before there are tons and tons of babywearing options out there, I'll only be writing about the ones I have, and love.  The brand of WCMT that I have is the Didytai.  A WCMT is a mei tai that is made from a woven wrap.

When I first had Ethan I was sleep deprived, my hair was falling out, I didn't fit into any of my clothes, and had to deal with colic until he was 3 months old.  On top of that Ethan refused to sleep unless he was on me.  I was going crazy, and had no idea what to do.  I had received a Moby but I couldn't figure out how to use it, and an Ergo, but Ethan was still too small for it.  I heard about a babywearing 101 class that Ivonne Gonz was teaching in Ventura, CA and I said to myself, "What do I have to lose?"  I went to the class and the whole time Ethan was having a fit.  I couldn't even hear what Ivonne was saying, and I was mortified that the other parents probably couldn't hear over Ethan's screams either.  Halfway through the class Ethan had a diaper blow out, but he was so upset I only had time to wipe all of the poo off, and change his diaper.  I wrapped him in a blanket because he wouldn't let me put his clothes on, and just held him to my chest.  Later on Ivonne told me that she thought it was sweet that I was doing skin to skin in order to calm him down (which I had not even thought of in my frazzled state), and we both had a good laugh.

The reason I go into this lengthy story about the beginning of my babywearing journey is that at the end of the class I went up to Ivonne and told her about the difficulties I had faced with babywearing.  Throughout the class she had shown us numerous babywearing options like soft structure carriers, ring slings, wraps, and mei tais.  For some reason the mei tai caught my attention and looked like something I could easily use.  Up to this point anytime I would try to wrap Ethan in the Moby he would scream his head off, I would rip it off, throw it on the ground, and kick it.  Ivonne showed me how to put on the Wrap Conversion Mei Tai; it was as if the angels sang, and the heavens opened up.  Ethan was more comfortable than I had ever seen him, he may have even dozed off while in it.  At that point I thought I don't care what it costs I'm wearing it out! This is the only product I have bought at full price, but let me tell you, at that time it was worth every penny.  From the moment I bought it I used it everywhere, at the grocery store, church, home, parties.  Any time Ethan became upset I would wrap him and he'd calm down and usually go to sleep.  My experience taught me that everyone's babywearing preferences are very different, I know people that absolutely love the Moby and hate Soft Structure carriers, or babies that love soft structure carriers and hate to be wrapped.  For this reason I highly recommend trying a bunch of products before you commit to one, so that you can find one that works for you and your baby.

This is what the Didytai looks like when
layed out.  As you can see it has more of
a structure than a wrap but there is still
some wrapping involved due to the
long straps.

Didytai Pros:

1. It has an adjustable seat that allows you to use it with your newborn, but it also fits much older children.  Ethan is 1 year old and still fits in it, and there's even room for him to grow.
2. It is easier to use than a woven wrap or Moby because it has somewhat of a structure already, instead of being a long piece of cloth.
3. Comes in beautiful colors and patters

This is the widest the seat goes.  Ethan is 1 and the widest
setting is still too big for him, so this will fit your child
well into their toddler years.

This is the smallest the seat will go once you pull the
drawstring.  This would be the size you would use with a
newborn baby.

Didytai Cons:

1. As Ethan got older I found that it was not as comfortable for me to wear him in it.  The straps are not as supportive as when I use my woven wrap.  I now keep it in the car in case I need my hands free when I'm out, but it's a backup product because my back can't take the strain for too long.
2. It is more difficult to use than the ring sling, another newborn friendly option because it does involve some wrapping.
3. It is one of the more expensive options, but there are many affordable mei tais out there the didytai brand is just pricier than some of the others.

I was trying to include the video for a Didytai tutorial on here but it wouldn't load, so click on the link below to view the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H6YW59VniY

*Since I'm new to babywearing, each of my babywearing posts will be a short intro to the products I use and really like. I'm a beginner in all of this myself and therefore don't feel comfortable giving long tutorials; I highly recommend you continue to research any products you might be interested in, and try to find babywearing groups in your area that can offer support.

Babywearing: Soft Structure Carrier (Ergo)

Carrying Ethan in the Ergo

Always make sure the babywearing product
you use provides knee to knee support.

The second babywearing product I'll be talking about is the Ergo.  It is a Soft Structure Carrier (SSC).  There are countless brands that are SSC's, Ergo is just one of those brands.  In my babywearing group all of the moms rave about the Tula SSC, I tried it on at a class that Ivonne Gonz gave and I didn't find it to be any more comfortable than the Ergo.  I also tried on the Kinderpack and I have to say I'm in LOVE! I will be writing a blog post about the differences between the Ergo and Kinderpack and why I prefer the Kinderpack, so stay tuned. You also have the Beco, Boba, Lillebaby, and the list just goes on and on.  A SSC that became very popular was the baby Bjorn (you probably saw it in The Hangover).  What I learned in the babywearing 101 class, taught by Ivonne Gonz, is that the Bjorn is not recommended by babywearing educators for two reasons: it does not provide the full seat support that is always recommended when babywearing, and it allows for outward facing carrying which does not provide a growing child's spine the proper support either.

Like with any product there are things that I love about the Ergo and things that I'm not as fond of.

Ergo Pros:

1. It is very easy to put on.
2. Provides more support than some of the other babywearing products out there (it feels as if you're wearing a large backpack).
3. Since it provides more support it's a great option if you're planning on wearing your baby for long periods of time.  This is what I would use when going to Disneyland or other full day events.
4. You can back carry with the Ergo, but not until your baby is out of the infant insert and they are able to fully support the weight of their head on their own.

Ergo Cons:

1. If you are planning on using it with a newborn you must use an infant insert.  
2. Some babies do not like the infant insert (Ethan was one of those), the insert is also very hot if you plan on wearing your baby during the summer.
3. You cannot use the Ergo without the insert until both of your babies knees come out of the carrier.  A lot of the directions give you a weight or age at which you can put the baby in the Ergo, without an insert, but since all babies are different those guidelines aren't always accurate.  Ethan's knees did not fully come out of the Ergo until he was around 5 months.
4. It doesn't come in as many colors or patterns as some of the other carriers out there.
5. The Ergo does not fit all body types.  This was one of the products that fits me really well but does not fit Jeff.
6. For me the Ergo has been the most uncomfortable SSC carrier that I've tried on.  Every person is different so it's very important that you try on the carrier that you're thinking of getting before you buy it; I know plenty of moms that absolutely love the Ergo and then others that feel the same way I do, so you never know how your body and your baby will respond to each carrier.

When you first start looking at babywearing you'll be alarmed by the prices of all of these products.  I am incredibly frugal and can't afford to pay retail on any of them.  Rest assured knowing that there are always used babywearing products for sale, and a lot of vendors also have sales throughout the year, so just keep your eyes open.  When I was pregnant I bought this black Ergo with the infant insert used.  I also had an amazing teacher at work give me her Ergo.  I now keep one at home, and one at Ethan's daycare because his babysitter loves to wear him, which is awesome!

The ergo comes with a little hood that you can use to shield
your baby from the sun, I always use it when Ethan falls
asleep in the Ergo.

Back view of a front carry.

Back Carry 

Below are 3 you tube videos on the Ergo, unfortunately you can only play them on devices that have Adobe Flash Player.

Video tutorial using an infant insert and putting a young infant in the Ergo.

Video tutorial for back carry.

Video tutorial for front carry without the infant insert.

*Since I'm new to babywearing, each of my babywearing posts will be a short intro to the products I use and really like. I'm a beginner in all of this myself and therefore don't feel comfortable giving long tutorials; I highly recommend you continue to research any products you might be interested in, and try to find babywearing groups in your area that can offer support.

Babywearing: Ring Sling

Maya Ring Sling

One thing that a lot of family and friends ask me about is babywearing.  I was introduced to babywearing by my good friend Katie, she told me to try an Ergo and a Moby once the baby came.  The Moby and I had a hate hate relationship, but the Ergo has been great (I'll be writing about it later).  You may be asking yourself, what is babywearing?  It is literally the act of wearing your baby.  Using different products you can wrap your baby to you.  It then allows you to have your arms free while your little one comes along for the ride, and gives you more support whenever you have to carry your baby for long periods of time.

When babywearing the most important thing to take note of is that whatever product you use allows your baby to sit as if he/she were in a seat.  The fabric of the product should support them from one knee to the other.  You should also always wear your baby facing inward or on your back (once your little one is able to support their head on their own).

This is an example of how the baby's legs should be supported when babywearing (knee to knee support).

When Ethan was around 3 months old and I was completely exhausted, the house was filthy, and Ethan didn't want me to ever put him down, I went to a Babywearing 101 class taught by Ivonne Gonz.  A whole new world was opened to me, I never knew there were so many options when babywearing.

The first product I'll be talking about is the Ring Sling (RS).  The Ring Sling is one large rectangular piece of fabric that has two large rings at the end of it.  When you put it on it looks as if the baby is sitting in a small hammock.  The Ring Sling I have has a padding on the part that rests on your shoulder, which I like, but some people prefer Ring Slings without the padding.  I was able to buy a used Maya Ring Sling for $30.00 from a mom in my facebook babywearing group (which has been an awesome support).  If you want to get into babywearing and are feeling as lost as I did, then I highly recommend joining a babywearing group in your area.  Another amazing resource has been Ivonne Gonz, she is a certified babywearing educator and she runs the online shop Hip Mommy.  If you live in Ventura County, Ivonne constantly has babywearing classes, and she rents out different babywearing options that you can try out before you buy anything.  Her shop also carries all of the different baby wearing products that are out there.


Sorry, I keep trying to tell you about the Ring Sling, and then going off on tangents.  The Ring Sling is a great babywearing option for new moms.

Ring Sling Pros:

1. Can use with a newborn.
2. It's easy to put on.
3. Works for people of different sizes; this is a problem Jeff and I ran into when trying to babywear.  I'm 5'1 and Jeff's 5'11; since there is such a huge difference in size between us the products that fit me are too small for him, and vice versa, but the Ring Sling fits us both perfectly.  If you have a husband who is much larger than you this is a great option. 
4. Comes in endless colors and patters.  

Ring Sling Cons:

1. The baby is only supported by a strap on one shoulder, so it doesn't give mom as much support as some of the other babywearing options out there.  I have always had back and posture problems, so for me the Ring Sling is actually the least comfortable option.  I only use it when making a quick trip to the store or a few hands free minutes at home.
2. Can become tiring very quickly (if you have an older, heavier child).  

Below i'm going to include some pictures of me using the Ring Sling with Ethan.  I put this on very quickly so it isn't put on as well as I usually do, the rings are too low, so don't use my pictures as a guide for how yours should look.  I have included a good YouTube video of how to put the Ring Sling on and adjust it.

Ring Sling Video Tutorial

                                          

Ring Sling Video Tutorial with a Newborn

*Since I'm new to babywearing, each of my babywearing posts will be a short intro to the products I use and really like. I'm a beginner in all of this myself and therefore don't feel comfortable giving long tutorials; I highly recommend you continue to research any products you might be interested in, and try to find babywearing groups in your area that can offer support.