Babywearing Part 2 (with video): The Moby Wrap…my lifesaver!

Oh dear, dear, dear readers… again I offer my apologies. If only I could figure out how to function like a regular person (or reasonable facsimile) whilst being sleep deprived. This is proving challenging, so you can imagine the trouble I am having with constructing sentences and the like. Despite this, I am so excited to bring you today’s post on the Moby Wrap! Here’s hoping my next post will be entitled “Baby is Sleeping Through the Night and I Feel Amazing!” Um, yes I know.. ha HA.

So, those of you who have been around Marley and me know this scene all too well – Marley is fussy, Marley is tired, Marley is bored, or Sara needs to eat something (a non-dangerous something) but she’s got Marley in her arms. Sara begins seemingly complex wrapping of self in gigantic brown cloth. “What’s THAT you’re doing? Is he going IN there?”, you ask. Indeed! This is the Moby Wrap and I can’t wait to tell you all about why it is one of my favorite baby products. Yes, I realize it is a $40 piece of cloth, but I’m pretty sure it’s the best $40 I’ve spent on on baby stuff – period.

• Versatility. The Moby Wrap can be used to position baby facing inward, outward, or even sideways. His legs can dangle or get wrapped up all cozy-like. I’m pretty sure Marley and I invented the sideways hold so I’ll teach you how to do that one in a bit. The Moby Wrap comes with a guide on how to do a bunch of different wraps and there are tons of people on youtube showing you how to do wraps, as well. The cool part is that most of the different holds all stem from one basic wrap technique (the “hug hold”) so once you get used to that, you are golden. BE PATIENT with yourself and don’t be afraid to practice in the mirror! I have had many friends tell me they gave up on Moby because it was such a pain in the rear end getting wrapped up all the time. I promise you – if my sleep-deprived, starving, confused self can do it, you can too! Ask my buddies – I get wrapped up in no time at all now. Not to mention – it is a truly impressive party trick.
• Sleep Association. If you are anything like me (self-proclaimed info-maniac), you have done a bunch of research on baby sleep. Ooooooooh yes there are 100 schools of thought – There’s the “cry it out until he stops manipulating you” people and the “be grateful for this wonderful and natural part of being a new mom” people and everyone in between – they’ve all got something to say to be sure. One thing that most folks do agree on is that it is important to create a few sleep associations for baby. This way, baby will not have to be in his crib/in your arms/in the car…. the idea is to have a few options for naps. Admittedly, I had no idea I was even doing this until recently when I realized how thankful I was to have Moby to rely on for sleep when all else fails. See, I’ve been carrying Marley around for naps in there since he was 2 weeks old. Now, I have a steady and convenient nap option. Friends and family have marveled at how quickly he falls asleep when I do our “sideways” wrap! Now, of course this is no good if you also need to get some sleep at that moment….but it’s great for lots of other situations. Speaking of which…..
• You can do stuff. Get baby wrapped up in the Moby and …get a snack/straighten up the house/attend a BBQ/do your bills/take a walk/practice your squats/get in some snuggles/dance/go to the bodega/host a party/cut or file your baby’s nails/nurse/just about anything that isn’t dangerous. For example, I would not cook with Marley in the Moby. Um, yes I realize that is obvious, especially since most of my readers know that I don’t cook anything anyway.

So, at this point you may be thinking “Hey Sara, what about Babywearing Part 1, where you touted all the wonderful advantages of the Ergo Baby?” Well, I find that there are many benefits to having both items around!

1. I like having the Moby for around or near the house and I like the Ergo Baby for outings (especially anytime we’ll be in and out of the car). The Moby is a bit cumbersome to take on and off in public, while the Ergo Baby is a bit absurd for indoors.
2. The Ergo Baby does not allow baby to face outward, while the Moby does. Remember though that the Ergo Baby does allow for baby to ride on your back! Who knows what positions your baby will like as he develops and changes? It’s so great to have all the options.
3. Generally, men tend to like the Ergo Baby better than the Moby. And by “generally”, I mean Nick and all the other dads I know.
4. Both options are great for nursing and bonding, and both are ergonomically sound!

Okay, so you’ve heard me mention the “sideways” hold a few times now. In fact, that is what Marley and I are up to in that photo up top. Here’s another one of us doing the same thing when he was 2 weeks old, aaaaaaaaaand a VIDEO for you showing you how to wrap up and do the “sideways” thing. I think I shall call it – the “Marley Zen Wrap”. 🙂 Enjoy!

Here’s the Marley Zen Wrap video! Forgive the hat – I was having a major “hair don’t” kind of morning. OH! The necklace I am wearing is ChewBeads – basically a super cool and safe baby teething necklace that babies and moms both love. 🙂

Hope you are all having a great weekend! Stay tuned for next post, where I will be sharing an ultimate list of my favorite baby stuff – a great reference for expecting moms and gift-givers!