BabyHawk

I need to introduce you to the baby carrier that has changed my life.

The Rock of Gibraltar, British Territory of Gibraltar

yes. those are real monkeys.

It is called the Baby Hawk. I first heard of it through a baby-wearing mom's website- and I have thoroughly LOVED everything about it- from shopping for it (I DESIGNED IT!!) to using it daily. It is the very best carrier that I have found- (I have 4 carriers.) I have a sling carrier, a moby, (-- great for newborns but only used for about 2 months 3 max..) I have a Bjorn (my husband's favorite. kills KILLS my lower back..) and I have a Babyhawk. Love! Love! Love! I use this more than any other baby gizmo that I have purchased (besides maybe a crib, and diaper wipes..). It doesn't hurt my back in any way and my daughter is always happy as a clam in it. The best part about my Babyhawk is the fact that we can also use it with our very young son!!

Sintra, Portugal. There is a Moorish Castle on that hilltop.

In the past 6 months, our Babyhawk has been with us in 4 different countries - and we really have to pick and choose which baby gets to use it. I live in a very small overseas community (on military base) and we are not allowed to bring the cart out of the grocery store. *ay-caramba. shaking head... Imagine trying to carry a 9 month old, a 2 year old and 65 dollars in groceries through a parking lot by yourself?

The Fish Market, Spain

I do nothing. I go nowhere without my babyhawk. Please look into one if you are thinking of purchasing a Mai Tai carrier (or any carrier for that matter.) It is worth the price. I am keeping mine forever, and I will be passing it onto my daughter when she has babies of her own. That alone has made it worth the investment. (How cool that she can carry her babies around in the same carrier that she was carried in!) I need one for my son as well.

How did YOU wean from the swaddle?!

Lets get some real mom advice!

Here's how I did it.

First of all, my son was firmly addicted. He would not sleep without it. He would lay in bed screaming if we tried nap time without it. It was the main part of his "nap-time/night-time routine"and it was COHESIVE! Lets face it, a quick swaddle and kiddo knew what was going on. (the good old days..)

1. I knew it was time.
Kiddo was 6 months old, and he was wiggling down. He would wake up with his little burrito covering his face, and his feet sticking out the bottom.
2. Even though he had been struggling in the swaddle for months- he still secretly loved it.
3. I tried the one-arm-out solution as a test run. It worked okay.
4. I tried and purchased the beautiful but pricey "Peke Moe"
5. That worked okay.
6. In the end- I just went cold turkey which wasn't as hard as I had imagined it would be.
7. I also had a nutty moment where (again: this is MOM advice. Heed at your own risk..) where I took those cords that you can buy for the pacifier and I sewed them onto all of his favorite blankets. Then I attached the pacifier to the snappy-ring-thing (these were mam's) and voila!

It took us 2 days to figure it out. What about the rest of my experienced mother's out there. How did you wean from the swaddle?