Babywearing at the Natural Parenting Expo and Great Cloth Diaper Change in Denver

Guest Speaker Jill Krause (Baby Rabies) is one of my all-time favorite female bloggers, and this past weekend at the Kangacare Natural Parenting Expo and Great Cloth Diaper Change in Denver, Colorado, she asked the crowd of parents: "Are you the parent you thought you'd be before you had children?" Needless to say, she was answered with the giggles a telling laughter of about a hundred parents who knew all too well the answer.

Jill Krause (Baby Rabies) with her son, Lowell on the left and Rachel Gullett (Babywearing It Out) with my daughter, Lily on the right.

I am most definitely a different person now that I have a child. Even though my child may not be able to speak or walk yet, or even express happiness when she was a newborn, she has changed me and changed how I go about living. For instance, I just drug both her and my husband out to a parenting expo when we've been parenting for only four months (and I'm sure he thought I already knew everything there is to know about natural parenting), mostly just to hear my favorite blogger speak. Maybe having a baby has made me crazy, or maybe she's made me care about someone other than myself. However you choose to see it.

  Regardless, I entirely enjoyed everything the expo had to offer, from the raffles (which many deserving women and men won) to the vendors (of which my favorites were Boba carriers and The Babywearing Workout), to the loot bags (they even included baby sunglasses). I'd have to say about three-quarters of the crowd was babywearing, which was wonderful to see! There was even lots of toddler-wearing! For me, it was a day of firsts. It was my first time participating in a world record, as well as my first time using the restroom with a baby strapped to me. These are learning experiences, folks!

My first Great Cloth Diaper Change.

Forcing my husband to take a picture of us waiting in line.

Lily and I were diaper change number ninety-nine.

The simultaneous cry of 187 babies being held in the air against their will.

The one thing we all have in common is Mother Earth

        The one thing that everyone has in common on Earth Day, is hashtags. I mean, Mother Earth, totally meant to say that. 
        Many Earth friendly businesses celebrate Earth Day by doing giveaways or releasing new products, like gDiapers and their new Great White gPant for Earth Day 2014 :

        Or, like Apple, raised awareness for sustainability by leading by example.

        My family celebrates the prosperity of Earth each and every day by cloth diapering. The amount of waste produced by one child from birth to potty training with disposable diapers was a sacrifice of our environment that my husband and I were not willing to make. Sure, it means a few extra loads of laundry and extra measures to ensure the longevity of all products involved, but overall it is the only choice for me and my family.
        There are many steps I intend to take to be a greener in the future with my current child and those that follow:

1. Making my own baby food.

        I love Wean Green's small glass cubes as sustainable storage for homemade baby food. More and more, I see the prices of smaller pieces of tupperware rise, but with glass, storage will never have to be replaced. They easily switch over to simple snack holders for toddlers and older children too!

2. Unpaper Towels

        The unpaper towel is essentially a roll of around 12 towels snapped together placed around your ordinary paper towel holder, made with cotton terry cloth and either cotton printed fabric or stain resistant fabric and are completely washable and completely reusable. Thinking about how many paper towels my family goes through makes me a little bit sick when I'm trying so desperately to reduce our footprint. Unpaper towels were the answer to my unasked question. I never knew they existed until I started cloth diapering, and like my diapers they are both pretty and functional. But mostly... Ooooo pretty! Imagine my surprise when my husband actually agreed to use these in place of his precious paper towels! Now to convince him on "family cloth". More on that story another time...

And finally...

3. Wetbags and reuseable trash bags

        Along with unpaper towels, I never knew these beauties existed until I discovered cloth diapering. A wetbag is the go-to waste storage for a cloth diapering momma like myself and Planetwise is my favorite brand. I own a long wetbag that hangs on the wall by my changing station by a picture hook as well as a pail liner that I use for my dirty wipes. They are completely waterproof and hold in all of the lovely odors that a child can produce. They also make smaller bags for on-the-go cloth diapers and snack bags for older children.

How are you being green all year-round?

Babywearing Dads

        More and more on my babywearing groups and social media, I am seeing beautiful photos of fathers wearing their children. However, iStock Photo still only has images of a mother babywearing in their archives. The more positive recognition that babywearing itself receives the more comfortable people become with it, such as it's association with the recently trending topic of attachment parenting. 
        Personally, I never saw any reason not to babywear once I discovered its benefits. Benefits such as promoting closeness and calmness with both parents equally, nine months in the womb nine months skin-to-skin, and even advanced healing properties. However, some mothers and especially fathers seem to be uncomfortable with wearing their baby in the view of the public eye. Some parents worry that a baby who is constantly held or worn will become a fussy baby, always crying for attention. Actually, the opposite seems to be true. In cultures where babies are constantly in the arms of caregivers, infant crying spells are virtually unheard of. A study in North America showed that babies cried less when parents were instructed to wear or carry them for several "extra" hours each day.
        As with most aspects of parenting, you can meet some pretty unsavory opinions on whether or not you're thinking about your child's safety. Which, I'm willing to bet that most of you are each and every minute. Babywearing is not a danger to you or your baby if it done correctly and with the right amount of preparation. Like with all things, only in moderation and with proper instruction.
        I think the movement of babywearing becoming more prominent in fathers of modern day is a wonderful message of how our children will treat their own children.
        Here is my own babywearing husband with our daughter Lily:

        Here are some other awesome babywearing dads that prove there are good men out there, from one of my favorite Tumblrs, Babywearing Dads:

'Frozen' In My Tracks

        Since Frozen is being released on Netflix this week (a million children just squealed simultaneously), I decided to dedicate an article to this latest crazy train that moms around the world have jumped on.

        When I was a little girl, princesses were all the rage. Nowadays, the rage had turned into a feeding frenzy. With the 2013 release of Disney's Frozen, the princess-centric Disney culture seemed to be fully revived to the days of Cinderella and Belle. A few months later, and Disney stores literally cannot keep Frozen merchandise on the shelves. The demand is so intense, many parents are willing to dive to "Black Friday-esque" depths in order to please their children. 
        My opinion is that Disney has been reaching for the original princess movie audiences of yesteryear with recent anti-princess films such as: Brave, The Princess and The Frog, and Tangled. I also think that Tangled has hit closest to the mark as far as compelling their market. But Frozen seriously has hit it out of the park by appealing to all three children movie markets: parents, little boys, and little girls. The family and sisterly love theme of Frozen definitely drew the parents in, Olaf the Snowman seems to be a huge hit with little boys, and hardest to please of all, little girls are absolutely obsessed with Elsa and Anna. 
        So, what isn't there to love about Frozen? Not much. As a stay at home mom to a three month old, I've already watched it about ten times of my own accord. I know I'll regret it when she finds her attention fixated on some kind of singing zombie princess movie that Pixar churns out in 8 years. But until then, I'll just keep being a big ole' kid... or princess, rather.
        My mom-session with this kids' movie is not limited to simply watching it on a loop, I have dreams... Dreams that one day there will be a Frozen wrap that I can babywear with. In case you're looking to make me one and be eternally loved by me, I think this print would be awesome:

        Or, at least I could grab a Natibaby in Magic Carbo and customize it myself... so many options!

        And, Tula just released a Woven Wrap and Wrap Conversion in "Elsa"! How perfect!

        I also happen to be sucker for modern songs turned into lullabies. It's a simple change that new parents will thank their ears for, and luckily they've already done it the Frozen soundtrack:

'Frozen' soundtrack Lullabies

The Moby Wrap Vs. The Ergobaby Wrap

        A good wrap/carrier should fit like a good bra, at least that's always been my opinion. Where as an over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder comes in different cup sizes, a wrap comes in many lengths.

There are three factors that you might consider in choosing the size of your wrap:
1. How you plan to use your wrap (e.g., which carrying positions you want to use)---this is by far the most important consideration;
2. Your size (height and weight)---this can play a role depending on #1; and
3. Your baby's size---surprisingly, this hardly matters at all. It's a good thing, too, because babies tend to change size rapidly.

        My very first baby wrap was a Moby, gifted to me at my Halloween-themed baby shower, and it was definitely my most-used present as I discovered the joys of babywearing. After using the Moby for Lily until she was three months old, I then found the Ergo baby wrap. 
        The main difference between the two is that the Ergobaby Wrap has a "4D stretch" material (explains the 5% spandex that Moby does not have) which is a sort of extra layer over the front of the wrap that will be up against your little one. I have heard that this extra piece of material makes for a better seat than the Moby, which means no hassle of repositioning and rewrapping. However, it is always in how well you wrap that provides a sturdy seat for your baby. 
        The weight limits of both wraps end around 35-45 lbs making them pretty equal in that respect. Both wraps claim to "grow with your baby", a definite plus for the economical mother.
        Overall, I much prefer the Ergobaby Wrap for my 11 pounder, since hug hold is her absolute favorite and she sleeps longer in the Ergobaby wrap because I don't have to unwrap and rewrap when I'm wearing her around the house.

Moby Wrap in action!

The Ergobaby Wrap:

•  The right amount of stretch makes it easy to tie right.
• Doesn’t sag throughout the day from baby’s weight.
• Moves in every direction with you and your baby.
• 95% Cotton, 5% Spandex
• Machine washable

The Moby wrap:

• Perfect for babies 8-35 lbs
• 100% natural cotton
• Machine washable
• Encourages parent/child bonding
• Adjusts to grow with your baby
• Petite and plus size friendly

I have provided several links for you to find your wrap, buy, and use it so please make use of them!


The Babywearer Chart of Wrap Styles w/ Lengths

Where to buy the Moby Wrap

Where to buy the Ergo Wrap

How to tie the Ergo Wrap (Newborn)

How to tie the Moby Wrap (Newborn Hug Hold)

Meet Me

        I thought I should start by introducing myself and my family so you know who you're messing with. I'm Rachel Gullett and I'm addicted to babywearing... well, more like being addicted to having my daughter cuddled up against me, and that seems to be her prerogative as well. I'll go ahead and say that I AM NOT one of those blogging moms who would rather go grab the camera than pull her child off of the top tier cabinets, or the type who ignores her baby's cry to finish queueing up a blog post. However, I AM one of those moms who avidly cloth diapers (gDiapers at the moment), valiantly attempted breast feeding and now confidently formula feeds, and above all else I am a babywearing momma (We use a Moby that I got as a baby shower gift)! My husband, three month-old daughter Lily, and I currently reside in Denver, Colorado after a recent move from Nashville, Tennessee (my hometown) for my husband's new career. I am a stay at home mom at the moment, after working up until a week before Lily was born, and I truly enjoy the time that it has given me with my daughter and also to pursue my writing fixation. My highest hope is that this blog will encourage the conversation on babywearing and natural parenting around the world and also support those who have lead me to make the same choices for my baby.