Cold Weather Babywearing

Happy Saturday, Midlands Babywearers!

It was great seeing many of you on Thursday at our first official meeting. We hope you learned something, shared something, and most of all, had a good time. It is really important to us, as a group, that our knowledge and experiences be shared so that we can all benefit from what each person knows. That way we grow stronger as individuals and as a group, especially as we continue to grow. We welcome any input, feedback, and even criticism - it is what will help us continue to grow as a community.

Thursday, Chris went over several cold weather babywearing options. She began by describing typical Amauti, worn by the Inuit American Indians in Alaska.

Here is an excellent blog post about amauti as it is worn today.
Here is another article on this fascinating traditional babywearing practice

There are many options for cold weather babywearing, depending on what you are willing to spend, and your comfort level in crafting/sewing.

Coats that you can buy - these coats are wonderful if you are out in the cold often or live in a cold climate. The price tag may come as a bit of a shock. You can sometimes find good deals shopping end of season sales or looking for one second hand in one of the Facebook babywearing swap groups:
Suse's Kindercoat
Ergo babywearing coat (demo'd at the meeting)
The M coat
Peekaru vest (demo'd at the meeting)
And there are always many options on Etsy.

In the photo above, Emily is wearing the Peekaru vest. It zips up the side and is more easily worn with a baby on your front.

If you want to combine your existing coat with a warm cover just for the baby - this is a more affordable option, especially for the less crafty among us, and also good if perhaps you are not as cold natured or easily overheat:

Ergo-

Rain or Shine Kids (RoSK)

Infantino-

Catbird baby

In this photo, Katrina is demonstrating an all-weather cover. the outside is a waterproof material and the inside is a soft, warm minky fabrib. It has a pouch at the bottom for baby's feet and ties on to your carrier.
 

Now, if you have just a smidge, or more, of crafty ability, there are some great DIY tutorials.

The pictures below are of Emily demonstrating a DIY zip up fleece that would take you about 5 minutes to create. You put your carrier on your back, then the coat, and have someone measure from the inside of each strap (using pins or you can draw a line) and simply cut along that line. You may want to cut a little extra length to prevent tearing. You can also add snaps or buttons along this flap to close it when not wearing.

This tutorial is how to convert an existing coat into a babywearing coat.

How to make a no sew poncho

No sew poncho with fringe

Different style of poncho that can be tied around you and baby-

DIY-carrier cover-

 

If you have not logged on to www.thebabywearer.com - you need to! It is a vast and sometimes overwhelming fount of information on all things babywearing. There is of, course, a great thread in their forums on this topic here.
 

 

Katrina (left) nursing her youngest who is keeping warm with a hat and baby legs under his pants. Baby legs, leg warmers, or tights, are a great option for keeping little legs warm under pants that tend to ride up when wearing.

Jackie (right) is wearing her youngest in a woven wrap that is made of wool, a great option for keeping babies warm in cold weather. Wool wraps are cozy, soft, and require a little special care due to the fiber blend.



We hope all of the information we have provided is helpful. If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to show off your cold weather babywearing fabulous selves, visit us at our Facebook page.

We hope to see you at our play date next Saturday, February 1st, at North Springs Park. It begins at 3:00 p.m. This is a playdate, and while one or more leaders will be present, and will be happy to help you with any questions, there is no formal agenda. It's meant as time to just get to each other and enjoy like-minded company. And get the kids good and tired, of course!

Our next official meeting is Saturday, February 8th at Expecting Well on Gervais Street. It starts at 10:00 a.m. The focus of this meeting is The Ergonomics of Babywearing.

photos  are courtesy of the talented Melissa Tooley.
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