How I Fell in Love with a Snugglebug

Day 5 of nannihood: I'm going to lose my mind. This child is tugging at me and needing me and wanting to cuddle. He needs to eat though! Why won't he let me leave him long enough to make him food?!

After that day, I knew it was time for a new strategy. I loved my charges. I did. They were, and are such wonderful boys. Both had their challenges, both had their ups and their downs but the younger one would take the cake with his need for me to hold him and love him and not move, while simultaneously requiring food. It was always after nap time and he would often wake up starving. Same routine everyday, wake up, walk out to me and then the sniffly whine would start. "Are you hungry? Want some lunch?" I'd ask, knowing full well that's what was going on.

"yea!" Would be my reply. I'd go to set him down and take step 1, step 2 and without fail he was screaming.

"Honey...I'm trying to make you lunch."

Suddenly this was no longer comprehensible to my little two year old charge. Could you blame him? We needed something new. This couldn't go on.

I got online and started looking around for happy parents. I found a forum that suggested I try baby wearing. As a nanny I was new to the idea. I didn't have much money to spend on the boys so I looked around for different styles that I could sew myself. I was quickly very overwhelmed. Turns out there's a lot out there! Lots of folks were talking about slings, and they looked easy enough to make. However the boys mama had one of those and complained about how it hurt her due to her son's size. Ok...that's out. Next came the asian inspired carriers. There are a few different types, though the one that caught my attention was the Mei Tai. One waist band and two shoulder straps attached to a square piece of fabric that held the child. The straps were very long and looked a bit intimidating for a first timer but I was determined. I took some scrap that I had laying around and some muslin for the straps. The first time I put that carrier on was a disaster! The muslin quickly bunched up and tore into my flesh. The weight of him bearing down felt like it was going to rip right through my hips.

Ok...clearly I must have done something wrong, though he loved it. I...not so much. But he LOVED it!! Clearly this is the solution to our problems. I vowed to make it work.

I hopped back online to search out different styles, or figure out what I had done wrong. I knew that I needed something lighter for the body piece (I had used denim and I live in AZ, we sweat up a storm!) and I needed something stronger for the straps. I went to the fabric store and perused their selection. I knew that I wanted a nice wide strap to disperse the weight more evenly so it didn't cut into me like the first time. I also knew I needed a stronger fabric so it couldn't bunch up. Since he was a big boy I thought I also wanted some padding. With the weight of a bigger child normal stuffing would wear down and become unuseful, so I got creative. I bought some fleece as the padding because it wouldn't lose its bulk. I found some corduroy and thought it would be perfect! Soft, and very strong, completely washable, yes perfect. I took my things to the counter so proud of myself, got it cut and left happy, head held high.

I got home and set to work immediately. In a fever I got the carrier done in no time flat. I tried it on crossing it in the back and went to tie it...my fatal flaw. Corduroy is not something that will tie! Especially when the straps are seven inches wide. I plopped down in frustration. I was so mad that it wasn't working! Then something I saw in the store came to me. I knew exactly how to fix my carrier. It was a crazy enough idea it just might work. I dove in my car and drove back to the fabric store. I bought some clasps, like you'd find on backpacks. When I got home I sewed the clasps onto the waist band at the perfect spot for me. Then I adjusted the shoulder straps. I was so proud of what I had done! More compact, quicker than tying, don't have to worry about knots not coming out. By golly I think it might just be perfect.

The next day the boys came over as usual. We got into the car to go on an outing as usual. Though this time I had my carrier in hand. We got to our destination, as I went to get the younger boy out of his car seat I put on the carrier. I grabbed him up and snapped him in. He looked at me, put his arms around my neck and hugged me close. It was the beginning of a match made in heaven.

After that the carrier came with us everywhere. It stopped tantrums from happening at the play center when it was time to go, it stopped the food nightmare at lunch time, even allowed me time to do dishes with him on my back! If we were out and he was asleep, no problem just pop him in his carrier. He was close to me, he was safe and we were bonding closer and closer.

In the time that I watch the boys their mother got pregnant again. Her youngest was becoming the middle child. No longer the baby of the family. As her stomach grew and expanded she no longer had the ability to hold him and cuddle him. I still could. Our time in the carrier became all the more special. He's such a sweet boy, he often strokes my arm when he's tired, or runs his fingers through my hair. We cuddle everywhere we go. No matter what I'm doing I've always got time for my boy. I honestly don't know who liked the carrier more, him...or me.

Now he's almost three. The carrier rarely gets used anymore. My baby boy is becoming a big independent child. Our carrier time to me was special, a special bond like that (I imagine) of the breastfeeding mother. We weaned when the time was right for us. I was sad, but he's a big strong boy now. He's not shy, he's not afraid of new situations anymore. He can run and play. Though he does come back and sit on my lap from time to time. Stroke my hair and rub my arm.