"My parents immigrated to the United States about 45 years ago from Quebec shortly after they were married. I am proud of my French-Canadian heritage and travel north whenever I get the chance to visit family and soak up the culture.  We grew up bi-lingual and I will forever be grateful to my parents for teaching us to speak French. My often confused childhood friends, maybe not so much..." -Nancy
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Visiting our first Au Pair Kim in Montreal, Quebec.
I live in Vermont, which is just a stone's throw away from the Canadian boarder. Geography as well as biography, have helped me to remember how important it is to be able ship merchandise from Wee Carry, LLC (afford-ably) to both the United States, and Canada.

And so after much e-deliberating, the girls and I decided that we needed to be able to offer free shipping to Canadian Babywearers! We hope that you north of the boarder mamas will approve of our fledgling shipping & handling policy in regards to shipping to Canada. 

By the way, please don't mind my too-low sling-rings placement, it was 95 degrees and well, I have no excuse. Ideal ring-placement should be "corsage" level on the chest; which for me, in this picture should have been about three inches higher. I digress... 


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Le portage de bébé à Montréal, un moment précieux
Wee Carry Shipping & Handling Policy:
  • Always Free Priority Shipping in the USA
  • Free First Class Shipping to Canada 3 lbs and under
  • For orders over 3 lbs, simply use coupon code "NOBOX" for free first class shipping to Canada for wraps without the boxes (I know some of you love those boxes but this was the only way we were able to make it work)
  • 3lbs and up $15, 5 lbs and up $20, 8lbs and up $25 to include box(s).

 


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Here is a dirty little secret about babywearing. Around 7-10 months many babies go through a period of not wanting to wrapped or worn. My son Beau hit this stage about 1-2 months ago, so he was right on cue, being that he was about 8 months old when the fussiness began. 

At first it was a little sad face, then maybe some wiggling during the wrapping process, and as the weeks went by, it morphed into an all out attack on the wrap!

And so for the past two months I had been getting so frustrated and disheartened lately with wrapping my baby. He is now one week shy of being 10 months old and for the past month and a half we have been on a what some might consider a full fledged "wrapping strike". 

Have their been more sever cases? Oh yes, I am certain of that. (Anyone want to share?) But it hasn't helped Mama Bear very much... 


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He has even taken to crying when he sees me coming with a wrap (unless I'm running it through sling rings, then he wants to play tug-of-war or peek-a-boo), he leg straightens, seat pops, leans, arches his back, wiggles, pulls hair, it's painful. 

I have to re-do wrap jobs 2-3 times most days. As a wrap collector and babywearing educator, this left me feeling hopeless; until I decided to put a positive spin on it; I am learning to wrap under the worst of circumstances.
 
My skills are improving. My tightening is improving. My technique is improving. And yes, even my patience is improving. Also, I am now better suited and equipped to help other moms facing similar wrapping challenges. (And better qualified to make more demo videos on YouTube!) I guess this is one of those instances where attitude is everything! 

Sometimes distraction works. Things like baby carrots, crackers, a favorite toy or pacifier can be helpful. Sometimes they work for us, and sometimes they don’t. In the picture at right a nursing (or) baby-wearing necklace did the trick! Whatever is going to be helpful, do it! Just be warned; lollipops once licked are sticky, and seem to be magnetically attracted to hair…

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And for the record, my son Beau is usually fine once up and wrapped and I start moving around. So much so in fact, that he still falls asleep while uppy 75% of the time. So, I get a workout, and some snuggles, it’s a win-win situation! Having a difficult wrappee has made me learn to appreciate each and every time Beau goes “uppy” all that much more. 

So ladies, I urge you to have a change of heart, or rather, a shift in attitude, and to cherish every cuddle, every snuggle, and every time your baby lets you wrap him without a fuss, because honey, I promise you, if those days haven't already passed you by; they will wind up on your door-step soon enough! 

Have you been there and done that? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Please share with us in the comments your story of a fussy wrappee! When did things start to improve? What has worked for you? What helped mama stay calm? Please share your tricks of the trade. Was it food? A toy? How do you keep that seat from getting popped with a leg straightener?

 
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I wish I could say that I didn't have mommy brain, and that I always remember everything I need to do, and therefore I didn't have to go to the mall 4 days before Christmas. Unfortunately my brain is mush and I forget everything. I forgot to pick up Tierney's Christmas photos at the mall two weeks ago when they were ready, and of course I want to give them out on Christmas, so I had to go to the mall during the first snow storm of the year on the Friday before Christmas. 

I knew I would be waiting at the portrait studio for an eternity, thanks to today being the first day of Christmas break for the schools in my area, so I decided to bring my wrap with me. I got Tierney out of the car in the blizzard and wrapped her in this made up hip carry I learned from Rene that I don't know the name of (maybe one of you out there can enlighten us!). It's very comfortable for long periods of time, but is also super easy to prep at home and pop baby in at your destination.

Once I entered the mall, I was bombarded by mothers yelling at toddlers to hold hands so they wouldn't get lost, giant strollers banging into fixtures and almost running people over, and mothers of small babies just holding them in their arms as they made their way through the overcrowded mall with all their various bags and packages. 

I wanted to stand on a bench and just yell, "It doesn't have to be so difficult to go to the mall with your baby!!!!" but it was so loud, nobody would have heard me anyway.  I did get a few wistful looks from disgruntled mothers wrangling their newly walking little ones, and parents trying to squeeze their huge travel system strollers through narrow and blocked aisles.  



I honestly don't know how I would do it every day without my wraps and carriers. Today I definitely became aware of just how life-changing babywearing can be for a parent. I made an excellent decision a year ago, while Tierney was still in my belly, and I will never look back!

 
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The year was 1999 and the place was Camp Pendleton; a Marine Corps base outside  of San Diego, California where I was stationed. (Yes, believe it or not I was in the Marine Corps! And even more unbelievable  I was Motor T, or MOS 3531 (Motor Transport or military occupational specialty 3531)!

I was newlywed in a rocky  marriage with a newborn daughter. I quickly found myself with a couple  baby-related problems I hadn't anticipated while pregnant.

First of all; why doesn't anyone ever tell you how much an infant car seat weighs? And similarly; how is it that someone so small could require so much gear??

So this was me: 22 year old new mom with a plethora of baby paraphernalia and a too heavy baby-plus-car seat to lug around.

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What was I to do? While returning my Medela breast pump I noticed that the shop  also sold a few types of baby carriers. I quickly decided that this was my answer!

In a matter of days my frazzled, frumpy, cluttered self and baby discovered together the wonderful art of babywearing. No longer did I need to load up the stroller in and out of the car or hurt my back while lugging the lead-like infant car seat to and fro. Now the baby went from the car seat directly to my carrier and the stroller stayed back home in the garage!

I went on to have four more beautiful children, and with each additional little blessing of a bundle; babywearing became all the more indispensable to me.

Would I consider myself a follower of Dr. Sears' "Attachment Parenting" style of parenting? No. Am I a hippie? Well, no, anyone that knows me can tell you that. I am more of a go-with-the-flow and
whatever-works-at-the-moment kind of parent. Do I breastfeed my babies? Yes. Do we co-sleep? On occasion. Do we cloth diaper? Once. But we also vaccinate and circumcise, but don't do extended breastfeeding.

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Babywearing has lately gotten a lot pf attention as being part of the AP trend, but I beg to differ. In my mind, each choice is completely separate from the other.

I love being able to hold my baby close to me while carrying on
with my day to day activities hands free. Whether it be washing dishes, folding laundry, or tending to older children; babywearing has become a wonderfully fun and incredibly valuable tool in my parenting repertoire.

 As babywearing became a necessity and a hobby to me, I decided I wanted to share my love of babywearing with other local moms. Well, first I found a fellow babywearer from, http://www.thebabywearer.com/index.php, we connected, and together started "Burlington Babywearers", the first active babywearing group in quite a while in Vermont!

Then, a few months later some friends of mine approached me about joining with them in a new business venture, selling, you guessed it, woven wraps and other babycarriers, and so "Wee Carry" came to be!

Are you curious about babywearing and how it can benefit baby while simplifying your life? I encourage you to find a local babywearing group and also to explore our website!

 
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I was lucky enough to be pregnant in winter, and while watching TV around Christmas time, I saw a commercial for Sears. The commercial was for kitchen remodeling or something along those lines, and featured a new mom and dad with their baby. Mom was wearing baby in a Moby wrap, and I was instantly drawn to the idea. I loved the hands-free aspect of the mom "wearing" her baby, and I also loved the closeness it would bring.  I immediately started googling until I finally found the Moby wrap. I read all I could about it, and knew I wanted one when my daughter was born. I registered for it at Target and Babies R Us, but had a feeling I wouldn't get it since no one would no what it was. Of course, I was a registry-stalker, and checked every day as my baby shower neared. One day, the Moby suddenly made an appearance on my list of purchased items! I was so excited! My second grade teacher, who is still a close family friend, had decided to get it for me after a tip from my mom. As soon as I got it home, I was practicing with my daughter's teddy bear (so unlike the real thing!).  I couldn't wait to wrap my daughter up close to me.
After 50 hours of labor, and a LOT of complications I won't go into, I finally got to bring home my beautiful baby girl. I was in a lot of pain, so a few weeks went by before I got to test out the Moby wrap.  The first time I used it was to take Tierney to the mall for her first picture with the Easter Bunny.  I remember standing in the food court with the instruction manual, working hard to get her wrapped tightly and comfortably. I must've done something right because she nestled in and went right to sleep!  I couldn't have been happier to have my daughter wrapped up close to my heart.
Using the Moby wrap led me to explore other babywearing options, such as the Baby K'Tan and a ring sling for the pool, both of which Tierney also loved.  Eventually, as she got bigger, the stretchy K'Tan and Moby started to sag under Tierney's weight. By about 5 months of age, they were getting a little harder to keep snug.  At that point, I started to look into other carriers. I stumbled upon the Baby Hawk Mei Tai. I loved that I could make a reversible custom carrier for only $99, so that was my next purchase. Tierney loves going for walks in her Mei Tai, and it felt much more sturdy with her increasing size.  The mei tai was fairly easy to use for front and back carries, and my husband often wears her to do things around the house as well.  I also acquired a WAHM ring sling which has a special place in my heart and diaper bag. I always take it on errand runs because it's so snuggly soft and easy to take baby in and out of in a hurry.
Soon I started hearing more and more talk about woven wraps, similar to the Moby without the stretch, and suitable for back carries, which I enjoy much more now that Tierney is older. About a month ago, I purchased my first wrap, Natibaby Black and Gray Swallows Cotton/Linen Blend, Size 4.  It came in the mail and felt so squishy and wonderful!  I couldn't wait to try it out! I immediately subjected Tierney to multiple carries, but the woven wrap definitely comes with a learning curve, and my arms were SORE that next day!  The more I practiced, the easier it became, and the softer and more supple the wrap became.  I knew I wanted a size 6 so I could do a larger variety of carries. I stumbled upon a 100% Cotton Kokadi Pink and Orange Stars, which I had already fallen in love with, and immediately purchased it!  It arrived a week later feeling totally broken in compared to the Nati. Being thinner and softer, it was much easier to work with as a beginner, and is my go-to wrap for learning new carries. The Nati has softened up more and more and is also much easier to work with now. I love using it for quick hip and front carries, and it looks great over my dressier clothes with it's gorgeous gray color (not that I really dress up much with a nine month old, but it's an option if I need it!).
So I'm still learning a lot, and I can't wait for you all to learn right along with me! We will be instilling the Carry of the Week very soon so that we can all perfect a new carry every two weeks (because we don't feel one week is really enough to master any carry). Please check back often, and don't forget to follow us on Instagram (#weecarry) for new pics of our babywearing adventures, and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/weecarrybaby) for lots more information!

Thanks for reading!!
~jenna