When I found out I was pregnant with my first baby, I had no idea what babywearing even was. I started reading a little bit about it and I was hooked on the idea before my daughter was even born.
The benefits just sounded amazing. The baby would cry less, feel more secure and closer to Mom, be healthier all around, and I would get to have my hands free… sign me up!
I had a Baby Bjorn on loan from my sister, a Hotsling pouch sling on loan from my neighbor and I bought a Maya Lightly Padded Ring Sling and a Moby Wrap. I figured I had all bases covered. I could try each type of sling and wrap and figure out which babywearing method would work best for me.
When Zoë was first born, I used the Maya ring sling a few times and I never felt very comfortable with it. I even watched the video and it just never felt natural for me, or for Zoë. I couldn’t get comfortable with the pouch sling either, so I returned it to my neighbor.
I finally broke down and decided to figure out how to use the Moby Wrap. It seemed a little daunting, especially for a new mom that was still recovering, but I was determined to find a babywearing method that worked for me.
I found this really great video on YouTube that showed you, step by step, how to put on the Moby Wrap. The video was so much more helpful than the written directions that were included with the Moby Wrap. I put it on right the first time I watched the video and never looked back.
Watch the video now:
Once I started using the Moby Wrap, my life became so much easier. I could get out of the house any time I wanted because Zoë would just sleep in the Moby Wrap, no matter where I was or what time it was. I didn’t have to feel trapped in the house anymore (she napped every two hours for the first few months).
When Zoë was about 4 months old and had excellent head control, I decided to try her facing out in the Baby Bjorn. That was the most uncomfortable contraption I’ve ever put on. My back was killing me within 10 minutes. Thank goodness it was a short trip in that store and I had my Moby Wrap in the car for the next stop. After that, I used the Moby Wrap religiously until Zoë was about 8 months old.
Here’s a picture of Zoë and I at the San Diego Zoo, using the Moby Wrap:
My husband even liked wearing the Moby Wrap. He was a guest speaker at a “Daddy to Be” class and he wore Zoë in the Moby Wrap to the class. By the end of the class he convinced the guys in the class that they needed a Moby Wrap for their babies (of course when they first saw him, they thought he was a Buddhist or something because he was just wearing the Moby Wrap with no baby in it ☺).
I would definitely say that the Moby Wrap saved my sanity my first few months of motherhood. I now give all of my friends a Moby Wrap as a baby shower gift because I seriously could not live without mine. Zoë’s a little big for it now (she’s 16 months), but when the new baby arrives in February, you can bet one of the first things I’ll be breaking out is my Moby Wrap.
