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Monday, February 6, 2012

a baby wearing cape

Remember this cape thingy I posted about once upon a time? So I was out thrifting with dada the other day and found one very similiar and I picked it up and thought, I am going to cut a hole in this lovely cape poncho thingy and wear it.

And so I did.

Before cutting I measured where baby's head would be in the ergo, so I got it in the right spot. It came to a strange place on my chest and looked rather weird just wearing the cape without baby so I turned the cape around and cut it in the back instead. If I need to wear baby in the front I can wear the cape backwards, with the hand holes in the back, but, whatever. 

In any case, backwearing is MUCH more comfortable with babies, once they get to a certain weight, especially on long hikes. Do you know about back wearing? It can be tricky. So, this is how I do it - without help. Get your ergo strapped on, just at the waist, and let it dangle down. Then pick up baby under her arms, but backwards. This part is hard to explain. You are going to throw baby (not throw! holding! HA) behind you over your shoulder and then place her on your back, bending over to have her laying on you. Can you picture that? It takes a few tries to get the right hold to make the lift easiest. You can do this with babies who are around 4-5 months old, as long as they are comfortable in a sitting postition for baby wearing (with legs spread, not tucked in) and as long as they have good head control (of course!). Once you get this move down its really easy. Then you quickly pull the ergo up and get the arm straps on, leaving one hand on baby to steady her, while putting the other arm strap on, then switching sides, and then making sure that baby's butt is all the way into the seat of the carrier. And there you have it! Simple! Of course if you are nervous you can have someone spot you the first few times, or you can do it sitting down against a couch (this is how I take baby off, just undo shoulder straps, then the waist and let baby fall back onto the cushions.)

And I write all this because it took some experimenting and I wish someone had explained this move to me! I am sure there are videos on Youtube if you need it. Okay, back to the cape.

So I cut the hold on the back of the cape, about 8 inches across, then zigzag stiched around to prevent fraying. I am going to sew buttons onto it, to keep it closed when baby is out of it, or to close it up a little once baby's head is through the hole.

I am super excited to wear this walking around trails in the woods this spring. Or tomorrow, with the amazing weather we have been having.

My sister once told me, long ago before children, when ponchos were suddenly in style and I confessed an admiration for them, "friends don't let friends wear ponchos." But, this is a cape, right? And EVERY Super Mom needs a cape, right?? HA!


little miss demonstrating the back carry and the new cape.

2 comments:

  1. I really love your cape, super Mom. And your girls, both of them, look so decidedly content. Love it!

    ReplyDelete

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