Slinging

I'm definitely warming to the idea of worming. Today I tore up lots more scrap paper and cardboard to make the bin nice for the little fellows, even though I won't be getting them for a month or two. Well, beats sorting through Dot's nappy bin to separate the wipes from the nappies, though I will have to do this tomorrow because I've just realized the wipes I've been using (7th Generation) aren't biodegradable. Yuck. Apparently Tushies are so I'll get them next time.

Otherwise, today has been a funpacked day of tying me and Dot up in knots. Ever since she was born I've been meaning to get into the idea of babywearing, and indeed got off to a good start with a pouch-sling, but apart from the odd foray I'd kind of stalled there, even after a friend Mia made me a lovely ring sling, because it was all a bit complicated and I kept feeling as though Dot would fall out at any moment.

Well, I don't know what came over me but I decided today would be the day I got with the sling program.

Now what, I hear you ask, besides being kind of earth mother-y, does this have to do with the environment? Well, for the past few weeks, the Baby Bjorn has been getting more and more uncomfortable and every walk had begin to feel like some kind of back and shoulder torture (not that Dot's that heavy, but I do walk quite a lot). So I knew I needed to get something else or I'd be looking like quasimodo in a few weeks' time, but as you know I'm trying to avoid buying anything new unless absolutely neccessary to minimize my impact on the environment. So what to do?

I started researching different carrier types, and decided bidding for a second hand carrier on eBay was the way forward (I lost the auction). But last night I was looking at www.wearyourbaby.com when I suddenly realized I didn't need to buy a new sling, or even create the need for packaging a second-hand one for delivery - I could simply make my own. I'd had a length of cotton sari fabric lying about the place for a good eight years (I bought it in Whitechapel when my parents used to live there) for just such an occasion as this, so this morning I dug it out (amazingly it was exactly where I thought it would be) and set to with the assistance of the videos on wearyourbaby.com.

Poor Dot soon found herself being flung about on my back, over my shoulder, and finally on my front. I carried her around the house in the ring sling all day (she loved this; gave her a fabulous vantage point from which to try and grab everything I ate), then took her for a walk in the sari. As you can see she rather warmed to it and ended up having a lovely snooze while I walked (it was a bit like having a baby monkey clinging to my front and was a whole lot easier on the back than the Bjorn).

The Tibetan, a back carry I'm extremely keen to master simply because it looks so cute (check it out here), she was less sure of and frankly I'm not surprised seeing as it invovled dangling her from her hands down my back, but with the help of her Dad we got to an approximation of it sorted (note Dot's decidedly sceptical look):

Apparently I can also make baby carriers from pashminas and sarongs, both of which I have a plentiful supply of. So watch this space for pictures of poor old Dot being trussed up like a prize chicken in all manner of bits of fabric very soon. In my wildest dreams I'll be able to avoid buying a stroller this way. Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet...