Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Expert advice needed!

Mr. W and I are taking the lowercase to visit his grandparents (there is no logical, sound reason they won't come to us, but since his birth they have been here a total of two times and his grandmother has never held him and touched his skin only once). It's not so much that we're going to see them as it is that Mr. W moonlights as the network engineer for a real estate agency in the county in which his parents live and needs to do some work there.

Now, the tricky part. My mother-in-law is slightly insane and loves to shop. She decided that our pack and play wasn't good enough for her grandson (you know, the baby she won't touch) to sleep in at her home. So, she bought a port-a-crib for him to sleep in there. She went all out and bought a full bedding set for it as well.

While this is nice, it poses quite a problem. They have quite a large house. The lowercase will sleep in the room with Mr. W and myself on the second floor. The family room where daytime hours are spent is on the first floor in another wing of the house. They have no other baby furniture. They will be offended if I bring my pack and play. My baby still sleeps most of the time and will need to be in bed.

This means that either I will have to take my monitors and be far away from my son while we are there or spend all of my time in the bedroom and not associate with anyone else (not a good option as they will be offended at that).

I decided that I'll buy a sling and wear my baby while he sleeps so that he is with me and nobody will be offended. But I don't know what makes a sling "good." I had initially registered for this one, but that isn't based on any type of research, just that I wanted a sling and that was the one that I found at Babies'r'Us. But is this one any better? Or this one? Or from Babystyle, this one or this one? Or is there another one entirely?

We're likely going next weekend (January 27-29) so I need your words of wisdom right away to ensure that it gets here in time. In fact, I'd like to order it by Friday of this week. Be very specific in your comments on which one is best, why you like it, what makes it better, etc. Also, if there is one that just won't work for someone who is only 5'0" and has a baby who is 5 1/2 lb (yes, he reached 5 lb 8.5 oz on Sunday!) or one that will work better for that...let me know that too. If any of them come with accessories that are "must haves" or things to avoid (I've heard both about the support pillows that can be placed inside the sling for newborns) tell me as I'll order that at the same time.

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[ Permalink ] posted by Jen : 11:45 AM

[Reposted 'cause I accidentally screwed up half the links.]

Oooh! Oooh! Slings! I can't give you advice about which specific is best for you(especially since you are so much teenier than I am) but that's OK because Moxie can! She just last week had a post about slings in her new advice blog. She explains all the different types and their pros/cons.

I will suggest that you look at one kind in particular since w is so little: pouch slings. They are fitted, so you would order one that corresponds to your height. You don't have to mess around with adjusting them and they are very cozy for the baby. There are many gorgeous ones to choose from at .

For even more info on slings, go to The Baby Wearer. You do have to register there but there's a wealth of info and reviews on slings, plus links to purchase.

[ Permalink ] posted by Jen : 11:46 AM

Ok, it hates those last two links. Trying again
Hotslings.

and The Baby Wearer

[ Permalink ] posted by Jen : 11:48 AM

After having a friend whose son could ONLY sleep in his crib, we try very hard to make our son be able to sleep anywhere...we did this w/our 4 yr. old when he was little and with our current newborn...

They take a nap every day in the bouncy seat, on the floor on a blanket and in the pack & play. Sometimes, to try and wake him up, I move him from location to location (which for some reason doesn't usually wake him)... but setting son on the floor on a blanket should be fine for a nap. Or even on the couch or ottoman if someone is sitting w/him all the time. Hope this helps - I forgot about the ottoman one, that works well too, as long as someone can sit there w/him.

[ Permalink ] posted by VHMPrincess : 12:44 PM

I'm not sure about slings myself. But if you're interested, I have a brand new one of the same type you registered for at BabiesRUs that I've never even taken out of the box. It's yours for free if you want it.

I never used it because J loved the Bjorn from the get go (started out wearing it at 6 lbs but it's not as cozy or close as a sling) so we always used that. Let me know if you want my sling--if so, I can priority mail it to you or UPS or whatever so you have it in time for your trip. E-mail me if you want it.

I'd bring the monitor too--nothing like peace of mind, no matter where you are.

[ Permalink ] posted by Dee : 1:38 PM

When the girls were small I had a little bed that folded up into what looked like a diaper bag. (do they still make these?) Anyway, it would e small enough to place lowercase in and set anywhere without taking up any space.
Then simply say to your MIL that as he is a preemie, you do not want to be too far from him. If she says anything, have hubby set her straight! I'm going to go looking for that bed now. If I find it I'll come back and post it's location.

[ Permalink ] posted by Maribeth : 3:47 PM

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_1/602-2687178-0342223?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B00012CHFI

First year close and secure sleeper. Target has them for $39.99

[ Permalink ] posted by Maribeth : 3:50 PM

I swear by the Kangaroo Korner pouches. I was a committed baby wearer and I used the New Native and eventually the Bjorn. Nothing is better than the pouches from Kangaroo Korner. The fleece ones are comfy for Mommy and Daddy (adjustable) and can be used up to age three! I have given them to many a friend. I think the first one you registered for is more complex than need be. Good luck and I think, no matter what you use, you will love wearing your baby. I wish I still could! (DD is too heavy now). It's the "#1 seller here: http://www.kangarookorner.com/

[ Permalink ] posted by Anonymous : 8:22 PM

I will second the Kangaroo Korner adjustable Fleece pouch. The pouch is very adjustable and is very comfortable. I have used it for little babies (you can put a folded blanket in the bottom of the pouch if they seem to be getting lost in it)and I just used it with a hip carry for two hours at the zoo with a toddler. I would recommend calling as they are very helpful.

[ Permalink ] posted by Anonymous : 3:38 PM