Ask ten parents which baby carrier they like best, and you will likely receive ten different answers. There are so many fabulous and innovative selections on the market today, how does a parent choose? We’ve compiled a few basic questions to help you narrow down your choices. The road to finding a carrier you and your baby will enjoy for many months to come is shorter than you think!

What to Consider When Choosing a Baby Carrier

Who will be using the baby carrier?

Your own personal comfort should come first and foremost when deciding on a baby sling or baby carrier. There are just as many babywearing options available as there are body shapes and sizes among caregivers. The first question you will need to ask yourself is whether you need baby’s weight to be balanced over both shoulders or whether you would prefer a one-shoulder design. Many parents prefer how quick and easy one-shoulder baby slings can be to use, whereas other parents find that they need the weight of their baby to be distributed evenly over both shoulders.

Also important to keep in mind is that some baby carriers are sized to fit the wearer. So if more than one parent will be using the carrier, you may need to ensure you are looking at a carrier that offers flexibility in sizing and that adjusts quickly and easily.

How old is your baby?

If you have a newborn or young baby, would you like a sling or baby carrier that will be suitable for carrying an older baby or toddler as well? Or would you prefer to invest in a different style of baby carrier in the future, that may be more suitable for carrying an older baby? One style of baby carrier may be more suitable for you during the early days with a newborn, and yet another carrier that distributes weight differently or allows for back-carrying may work best as your baby grows. Some carriers are more flexible than others, and many will offer various carrying positions designed for use from birth through toddler hood.

What will you be using your carrier for?

Are you looking for a carrier to accomplish hands-free nursing? A baby sling may be your best choice. A sling may also be more appropriate for short trips such as running an errand or picking up an older child from school. However if you are an active parent and you plan to carry your child during longer periods such as hiking, traveling or while you work, a carrier that supports your child’s weight over two-shoulders or one that displaces some of this weight to the hips and upper thighs may be a more comfortable option. You might also consider a more compact and portable baby carrier – perfect for the parent on the go!

A baby carrier for any budget!

How much you have budgeted for your baby gear may be a deciding factor for many parents when choosing a baby carrier. A smaller budget does not mean you can’t have a great baby carrier! A simple, adjustable ring sling may be found at a much lower cost than specialty ergonomic baby carriers and the benefits of carrying your baby will be no less than if you were using a more expensive sling. If your budget allows for something extra special, you may choose from luxury prints and fabrics, or you might even consider purchasing more than one baby carrier, depending on your baby’s age or stage. This may sound extravagant but when you consider the high cost of many luxury baby strollers, two baby carriers is only a fraction of that cost! More importantly, many parents find they end up using their baby carrier much more than expected, and for some, even more so than their stroller. This is an important item for you and your baby – you don’t want to cut corners!

Which style of sling or baby carrier appeals to you?

There are many styles of carriers to choose from and one may simply be the most appealing to you based on style, fabric or print. If you don’t like the fancy tying techniques a wraparound carrier uses you may opt for a buckle carrier. If you prefer the traditional look of a mei tai baby carrier, there are many different styles and prints to choose from. The good news is that you can easily find a baby carrier today that will work from newborn to toddler that’s not only comfortable but will look great too.

The PERFECT Baby Carrier?

Each style of baby carrier has its advantages and disadvantages and unfortunately no one carrier is complete in serving all purposes perfectly. A parent must consider their own needs and then select a baby carrier that meets these needs the best. Try not to get too hung up on finding the “perfect baby carrier”. It’s been said that there are as many ways to wear a baby as there are ways to make a baby smile. Relax and enjoy this time with your baby. The benefits of wearing your baby close will last a lifetime.

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Join us next week when we will begin to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each style of carrier from the most basic pouch sling to the traditional wrap-style baby carrier. Part one of our Babywearing 101 Series featured last week with an article on the Benefits of Babywearing.

This is part two of a series of articles presented by Parenting By Nature’s founder and mother of two, Tamara Champion. For more articles and information visit the Parenting By Nature website or browse their extensive baby carrier selection. You’re sure to find the right baby carrier to suit your individual needs, style and desires!

If a mother told you they knew a secret to help your baby sleep better, cry less and be self-soothed while your hands were free to accomplish personal tasks throughout the day, would you be interested? Less crying, better sleeping and more time for ME? Of course you’d want to know what they were talking about! Mothers across the globe have known this secret for centuries. The answer is the ancient practice and art and called babywearing.

Introducing Babywearing!

“Babywearing” is actually a relatively new term, coined by Martha Sears and popularized by her husband Dr. William Sears, a well-known pediatrician and author of child rearing books. Research supports numerous advantages of babywearing such as strong bonding between baby and caregivers, better sleep and development, and reduced crying. Ronald Barr, professor of paediatrics at the University of British Columbia first discovered the link between babywearing and a reduction in crying in a 1986 study where it was found that an extra two hours of carrying baby each day reduced crying in young infants by as much as 43%! (1) Now he works to help educate the parents in his practice about the advantages of babywearing, as well as dispelling the misconception that carrying your baby can lead to spoiling a child. Contrary to western cultural myths, independence is actually established earlier when babies are worn in a sling or baby carrier. (2)

Practical & Convenient

There is extensive medical support for babywearing as it benefits your baby, but lets not forget the benefit to parents, as well. Babywearing not only allows caregivers to get on with their day hands free, accomplishing tasks that may otherwise not have been attended to, but it also allows for an easier time for new parents to get out and about without having to worry about lugging around a bulky stroller or car seat attachment wherever they go. For parents with more than one child, babywearing keeps your hands free to attend to an older child, while baby is well out of harm’s way, content and secure.

Babywearing is healthy for baby, we know this without a doubt, but it is also practical and convenient for mom and dad. How many times have you seen a new mom with their young baby in their arms while pushing their stroller? Baby is going to want to be carried – being in arms against mom or dad is the most comfortable, warmest and most secure spot to be! So the question becomes not why carry your baby, but HOW to carry your child without causing undue stress, strain and pain. How do we make the experience of babywearing as comfortable for the wearer possible? The answer lies in finding the right baby carrier among the vast selection available on the market today.

Check back with us next week when we discuss the most important questions parents need to ask themselves to help narrow down the selection of baby carriers available, and we’ll try our best to help you find the perfect baby carrier for your family’s needs. If you follow along with our Babywearing 101 series over the next several weeks, you’ll also get the opportunity to win a few baby carriers along the way!

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This is the first of a series of articles presented by Parenting By Nature‘s founder and mother of two, Tamara Champion. For more articles and information visit the Parenting By Nature website or browse their extensive baby carrier selection. You’re sure to find the right baby carrier to suit your individual needs, style and desires!

(1) Hunziker UA, Garr RG. (1986) Increased carrying reduces infant crying: A randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics 77:641-648.
(2) Morris, D. (1992). What Comforts a Baby? In Babywatching (pp 80-82). New York: Crown Publishers Inc.

Toy Play
By David Elkind Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Advisor
Justaskbaby.com

A reporter called me the other day, to ask about why young boys so enjoyed playing with and crashing toy cars. Toy play for children has several different functions. And such play is often different for boys than it is for girls. First of all, play gives children a sense of mastery over a world that is scaled to adult powers and abilities. When playing with toy cars boys can fantasize that they are driving real cars and that they have the skill of racecar drivers. In addition boys can use car toy play as a means of expressing their creativity and ingenuity. They can create hurdles and open spaces for the cars to fly over at mach speed.

But toy play also serves a therapeutic function. Sometimes it is hard to be a child, to have adults set all the rules and limits. Adults can also be thoughtless and insensitive when they break promises without apology and fail to use the “please” and “thank you,” that they demand of children. When boys crash their toy cars into barriers or other cars, they can express their anger and frustration without fear of adult retribution. Toy play can be a safe way of dealing with children’s understandable hostility towards adults. Finally toy play is a way of establishing kinship bonds with other children. Boys who may not know one another may still enjoy playing cars with one another. The activity and their small size in contrast to adults is a uniting force.

For girls toy play serves similar functions as it does for boys, but in a different way. It is not clear to what extent boy car play and girl doll play is socially scripted or gender based, probably a bit of both. Girls, like boys, use their toy doll play as a way of dealing with their smallness and weakness in a grown up sized and ordered world. Yet, whereas boys feel anger and frustration at being in this position, girls find it a source of safety and protection. Hence their doll play is an expression, and mastery of, positive rather than negative emotions. Girls too use doll play to nourish their curiosity and imagination and often create their own narratives for their doll play.

Like car toy play, doll play can also serve a therapeutic function. When a new baby arrives, for example, doll play may help the girl deal with any feelings of displacement in her parent’s affections. Initially this may even be aggressive, but if handled well – if the girl is allowed to help with the baby care – it will turn into a positive imitative form of play. Finally doll play, like car play, can serve as an activity that brings girls together. For girls, however, the social interaction often becomes more important than the toy play whereas for boys just the opposite is likely to be the case. Put differently, in girls it is the social interaction that builds the kinship bond, whereas for boys it is the activity.

Toy play, even when it may seem aggressive and hostile, may still serve an important and healthy developmental function.

What do you think?

Justaskbaby.com takes established infant development science and presents it from a baby’s point of view using fun, informative videos. Mark and Michelle Hamilton developed Just Ask Baby because they believed that greater understanding of the very different way infants perceive the world is critical information for helping parents make decisions for their unique infants. It’s a pay per month service with a 15 day free trial available.

This is a guest post by Lisa Friedman, owner of SomeoneSpoilMe.com and an expert in giving and getting fabulous gifts. If you haven’t browsed her site yet, trust me when I say you want to. You really, really want to. And you also want to email the link to your husband, mother in law and best friend. Now.

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Baby season is here!

Since summer months = baby months, we thought we would share some helpful advice on fabulous gifts to give the new mom. Yes, in addition to a gift for the baby, it’s also nice to give a gift to the new mom (and for Dads, this is not optional). Here are some of SomeoneSpoilMe.com’s top gifts for the new mom.

Charm Necklaces: Ease postpartum pain and help her look fashionable with the Helen Ficalora Charm Necklace. A perfect gift for the new mom is the “MOM” charm and the child’s initial. Now she will always have her child close to her heart (without the extra 30 pounds).

Brag Books: Mom’s may have different hair color, personality, and traits, but one thing they have in common is that they LOVE to brag. Why not give the new mom an easy way to brag with the Aimee J brag books. Pick a color and personalize this luxurious album.

Photo Stones: While she may have bought a ton of décor for the nursery, she probably did not have time to buy any for her room. A thoughtful and personalized gift is the Keepsake 8×8 photo stones. The toughest decision you will be faced with is deciding which photo to send in.

Momager Cards: Being a mom is a lot to juggle and a lot of responsibility. Help the new mom do it all with these adorable Momager cards. List her baby’s name, her cell and her email. Playdates and carpool arrangements will become so easy.

For more gift advice check out our friends at SomeoneSpoilMe.com.

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SomeoneSpoilMe.com is THE trusted source for giving and getting fabulous gifts. From timeless classics to the latest and greatest must-have items, Someone Spoil Me has expert recommendations sure to “WOW” even the toughest critic. (Your hard to please mother-in law included!) Since it is impossible to buy for friends without spoiling yourself, you can create your very own Wish List by adding items from the Spoil Me Gift Guide or any site on the web. Share your Wish Lists with friends, get the gifts you have been dying to have, and see what your friends want. Gift giving AND spoiling yourself has just become fun, fast and hassle-free!

This is a guest post from Jody Graziano-Jonas, opinionated parent and owner of the fab BabyBam Collection reviewed here.

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How many of us have felt proud that we are keeping our babies best interest at heart when we buy “tear free” shampoos? A lot. Myself included.

However keeping baby’s eyes from burning and stinging is just the beginning!

Did you know that a lot of the “gentle” products on the market actually contain many harmful chemicals? Yes, that’s right.

If you are wondering how safe your diaper rash cream or lotion is, check out The Environmental Working Group’s Children’s Product Guide. They do a great job of wading through the products and rating them on a “hazard” scale.

They warn you about ingredients to avoid such as:

DMDM Hydantoin – Allergen and irritant that can form cancer-causing contaminants
Fragrance – Allergens that may contain neurotoxic or hormone-disrupting chemicals
Ceteareth and PEG compounds – Petrochemicals that may contain cancer-causing impurities

And remember our Little Lathers collection is 100% organic, handmade of only the finest all natural ingredients!

Here’s to keeping baby’s eyes, skin and bum healthy!

This is a guest post from Tiffany of Nature Moms. At her fabulous blog, you’ll find tons of tips for natural and green living as it relates to raising a family.

Easter Sunday is two weeks from today. Here are some great ideas from Tiffany for making it a little more eco-friendly!

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What is eco friendly about Easter? Hmmm…not much. Cheap plastic eggs, plastic grass, candy with too much sugar and loaded with artificial coloring and flavors…. well at least most Easter egg hunts take place in the great outdoors. That is a start.

One of the first steps to having a greener and more eco friendly Easter is too make your own baskets. The ones you can by at the supermarket or Wal-Mart are just a bunch of cheap crap I find. It is not hard to gather little toys and healthy candies to make a quality basket on your own. In fact you can even grow real grass for them. Or use a paper shredder and shred some paper you have around the house. I also found really pretty paper grass you can buy too.

Don’t want to make your own basket? Check out these natural and fair trade Easter baskets.

Next up…consider ditching those conventional egg dying kits and dye your
own eggs using natural coloring techniques. I wrote a post about this last
year with instructions. But in general here is what you use for colors:

For pink and red colored eggs use cranberry juice, beets, or raspberries.

For yellow eggs use saffron or tumeric

For purple eggs use red wine.

For blue eggs use red cabbage leaves or blueberries.

For brown eggs use grape juice, rosehip tea, or coffee.

For orange eggs use yellow onion skins.

You can also use wool eggs! These are sooooo cute. Make your own or buy some from a mom knitter. Here is another cool link using plastic eggs as a form to make wool ones….youare still buying the plastic eggs but they will last for years with a nice wool covering on them.

They don’t have candy in them but… hey that’s a GOOD thing. And they are more expensive but they can be reused again every year. Have your kids find them and trade them in for some treat of your choosing. But make sure keep track of everywhere you hid them because you’ll want to pick up any they didn’t find.

Also, make sure to invest in quality baskets that you can reuse every year. I have an Easter basket collection going in my basement so in a week or so when I start to put my baskets together I will just go down there and grab a couple.

Perhaps the biggest struggle for natural parents on Easter is candy. I know I can’t afford to slip up too much with unhealthy treats or my kids will have a melt down…especially my daughter…it isn’t pretty. There is nothing like a beautiful little princess in her Sunday best throwing herself on the ground in a tantrum because she wants one more Tootsie Roll.

For healthier candy options try these:

Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops

Fruitabu Organic Smooshed Fruit Rolls

Squirrels Nest

Non-candy treats and gifts to consider:

Pineapple Flavored – Recycled Pencils

Soybean Crayons

Basura Coin Purse

Natural Finger Paint for Kids

Kids Gardening Kit

Bunny in the Box

Egg Shaped Chalk

Barefoot Books

Homemade Play Dough, Bubbles, or Silly Putty

Wool Flowers in a Metal Pot

The Velveteen Rabbit

Funky Stuffed Animals

Have a happy and green Easter everyone!

This is a guest post from Jody Graziano-Jonas, opinionated parent and owner of the fab BabyBam Collection reviewed here.

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Have you been wondering how safe the teether is your baby is using, or the dump truck your toddler loves, or how about your little girl’s favorite Barbie?

With the recent scares of lead poisoning, etc., The Consumer Action Guide has created a website where you can check the toxic chemicals in your kids’ toys.

No more wondering if your kids toys are safe or not!!