Getting Ahead: Car Seat Prep

This past Saturday morning, I decided I was going to get some things done around the house. After cleaning a bit and picking up a lot, I came across the only thing I have bought for our little one on the way thus far….a car seat. A few weeks back, I had washed the covering so that it would be clean for our baby’s arrival…in only 5 months (I can’t believe I am already doing this stuff! Ha Ha.). After it was dry I just tossed it in the shell of the seat planning to finish another day, which turned out to be this past Saturday. The last task of the morning was to get everything back on the shell, like the way it came. After only about 10 minutes, everything was on the seat, but the only trouble I came across was that one side of the harness strap was looser than the other. I knew this could be remedied quickly so I went in for the fix. After a few attempts at jerking the strap tighter, and fiddling with the back of the straps, I realized this wasn’t going to be as easy as I had thought and needed something else to get it done. Then, suddenly it dawned on me, “I need a body in this thing.”

I still have my three favorite dolls from growing up stuffed away in our guest closet: “Baby,” “Kathryn That Can Walk” (don’t ask), and “Rainbow Brite.”  Since Baby was about the size of a 3 lb. preemie I immediately cancelled her out and Rainbow Brite was ridiculously -misproportionate so she was dismissed.  It turned out that Kathryn That Can Walk was pretty close to a newborn size – probably about a 6 or 7 lb. size (at least that is what I guessed).

Baby, Kathryn That Can Walk and Rainbow Brite

 

I took K.T.C.W. and put her in the car seat. With some maneuvering and a lot of yanking and pulling, I finally got the dang thing even and taut on both sides. Thank God I decided to do this now, as I would have had one angry baby in the seat at the hospital.  

K.T.C.W looks so cute in the seat now! I think I might just have to keep her in there for a while! Hahaha!

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Why I loved the babywearing stage

…submitted by guest contributor: Dawn

No need for carting around a highchair...

When I was pregnant, I was gifted an “Over the Shoulder Baby Holder” (a baby sling) and “The Baby Book” by Dr. William Sears and Martha Sears, R.N.. These two gifts became great aids in my first years of parenting.

I had heard of the concept of babywearing which refers to using a sling or other kind of carrier to hold the baby on the parent’s body while they go about their daily activities like walking, doing chores, attending social gatherings.

The benefits to the infant from babywearing are that the baby feels close and secure to the parent (or caregiver), often the baby is happier and more content, and shows the baby (or growing toddler) how the world is an interesting place to explore from the viewpoint next to their parent.

We began to explore the various ways of carrying our daughter in the baby sling in our first big travels to Alaska when she was 10 weeks old. We spent a week of traveling, hiking (there was one incident of her nursing in the sling, while I was hiking on a trail following my husband trying to avoid the moose below us in the woods! – and my daughter was still happy!), and waiting in lines at restaurants. All the time my daughter was content, whether I was wearing her, or her Dad or a close friend was.

We had the car seat for driving and the airplane ride but it frequently stayed in the car as we explored.

As my daughter grew, we changed how she rode in the sling from a laying down position, to sitting up and seeing the world, to riding on one hip of mine as she became a toddler. This phase was especially nice to keep her near me in the sling and allow me to have a free hand. It also kept her out of trouble at times when we were in stores that didn’t have shopping carts.

I have since noted the growing industry (and therefore, choices!) of baby carriers – front packs, Maya wraps, etc. I’m glad the options are so varied now, making it easier to search for the style that fits best into lifestyles and fashion styles. My daughter even has her own child-sized baby sling so she can keep her baby doll close by while playing!

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