Hands-free babycare

I had my last baby five months ago, and knew that her babyhood would be gone before I knew it. So I wanted to hold her as much as possible, but with two older kids (3 and 4 years old), I figured this would be a challenge, so I tried several baby carriers.

First I tried the snugli. This thing is so cute, such a classic parenting tool, that I thought it was a must have. Well, it's more like a must not (but that's a whole other review!). Then I tried a $40.00 carrier from babystyle called the Koala carrier. This worked great until my baby was about two months old. Desperate, I asked my attachment parenting friend what she used. She directed me to the Maya Wrap. I ordered one immediately and crossed my fingers.

It works great! The video that comes with it is very helpful and walks you through the steps required to use the sling. I'm going to tell you right now, that it did take me a little while to figure out how to use it. But I worked with it, just like the video said, and after a few days, I had a system down. It is very adjustable and you can use it for a brand new infant, an older baby all the way up to a two-year-old (that is if you can manage to get a two-year-old to actually stay still for a few minutes!)

The company says that the fabric is hand woven by Guatamelan women (so it made me feel good to buy it too!). It comes in dozens of different fabrics, all very bright and pretty. They do have two conservative slings, plain blue and black, but with all the gorgeous colors, who would want to stick to those?

I've had to wash it many times (obviously!) and it has stayed bright. There was some shrinkage the first time I dried it in the dryer, but the pamphlet warned me about that, and it didn't make much difference.

One of my favorite aspects of this sling is the weight of the fabric. It is lightweight enough to be cool, and sturdy enough to last forever.

Because of the Maya Wrap, I was able to take my baby all sorts of places, the park, stores, even movies! The best part was that I really did feel so connected with my baby, I felt contented and peaceful, (except for the trip to the store with baby sleeping in the sling, while my three-year-old had a tantrum "I want some gum! I want some gum RIGHT now! You are a mean mean MOMMY!" while my four-year-old kept whying me: "Mommy why are there clouds in the sky? Why does it rain? Why do flowers need water? Why don't we drink the rain?" But that too is a whole other review!) and happy.

Now, I will tell you that my five month old doesn't ride in the sling much now. She is pretty active, and likes to be on the floor, scooting and stuff. But I do anticipate using it again when she goes through that dreaded clingy stage.

So, buy this sling and make the most of your sweet child's babyhood!