Babywearing

Before Dominick was born I really hadn't thought much about babywearing and didn't think I would do much of it. I found a couple carriers I liked, but didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on one when I wasn't even sure if it was something we would like to do. I found the lillebaby nordic carrier and it was relatively inexpensive and did everything that I wanted. So I bought it.

didymos 100% cotton wrap - great wrap for beginners

A few weeks after Dominick was born we started going to a play group with our friends. One of them had a wrap and wore him pretty much the entire time we were there. He loved the closeness (of course because he was only probably 3 weeks old at the time) and I loved that I could be hands free. She told me I needed a wrap, but little did I know how expensive they could be. I kept trying to put him into my carrier, but he was still kind of little (I didn't know that I could have froggied his legs).

This is a great wrap for beginners and I'd definitely suggest getting 100% cotton

Close to a month after that another mom told me I should buy one, but if I wanted to see what it would be like I could borrow her moby wrap. She said it's not the same and it's not as functional, but borrow it and try it. I tried it and it wasn't really working because it was just too stretchy and long. So at another play date, my friend offered to let me borrow one of her expensive wraps. I did and of course I had to buy one. After I got my wrap, I would wear Dominick all the time in it. He loved it, but I was afraid he would get too needy. I wasn't very fast at it, but I was getting better. I wore Dominick for our trip home to Michigan in November and to/during a football game. In December/January I ended up selling my wrap because I wasn't getting it's full use out of it. Once I went back to work full time I wasn't using it nearly as much.

at the rose bowl game

I had my nordic carrier so on the weekends/evenings I would just put him in that and off we went. I mostly used the stroller because we would be gone for long periods of time. The nordic was great for getting things done. I would wear him on my back, but not for a super long time. I always felt really comfortable with him in it and I loved the way he was positioned in it. It was a great option for being hands free.
For our upcoming trips I want to be able to wear Dominick in the airport because it's just easier than a stroller. I didn't want to bring the nordic because it's a bulkier carrier and I wanted something small. My friend offered to let me borrow a warp, but she also had a few other options that I could borrow. I'm currently testing out a mei tai and an angel pack. I love both of them. The angel baby is a soft structured carrier and the mae tai is kind of similar to a wrap.

getting stuff done around the house

I was interested in a Boba 3g, but when my friend said I could use all of her carriers to borrow I decided against it and I'm so glad I did. I ended up buying an angel pack because I loved the way it felt on. I'm very excited to get it in the mail and I also ended up buying my friend's mei tai because I loved the way it felt on and he loved it too.

At an MSU football game in a wrap in November

I'm totally for babywearing these days. I'm not sure how long I will wear Dominick after he walks, but it's a great hands free option. I loved being able to get all of my "chores" done, being able to put him to sleep without killing my arms or running to the mailbox for a quick trip instead of hauling the stroller out of the car. I would recommend going to a class or learning from someone who is really knowledgeable about baby wearing. My friend actually taught classes and I really trust her since she knows the dos and don'ts of baby wearing. She taught me the proper ways to wear them so it won't affect his hips, not to wear him forward facing, what it should look like and how Dominick should look in it. I totally appreciate her and love that she is so knowledgeable and helpful.

in our mei tai...and looking like a hot mess (me)

Also, if you're looking for a wrap, mei tai carrier, coat, ssc or anything of like I'd recommend joining/checking thebabywearer.com as they have a lot of options and since they're "used" (gently used, fyi) they don't carry as hefty of a price tag. AND since most of them are all experienced babywearers they will be able to answer lots of questions for you. And if you have any questions you can always ask me and I will do my very best in trying to help you.