I'm a Convert!

Just in case you were wondering, being a parent is a learning process.  An on-going learning process.  Every day Bunkey does something new.  Every day I can see him developing in front of me.  And every day something changes.  A feeding schedule, napping schedule, bathtime routine, new way he plays with a toy, position in which he gets comfy, where he likes to "hang out" during the day.  It's always something new.

And I love every minute of it.

Especially when I figure something out!

Which brings me to the purpose for this post...  A month or so ago, Hubs took the infant carrier out of the car and replaced it with a convertible seat.  Bunkey loves his new seat and really enjoys being able to look out the windows, by the way!  We still had a little while before he outgrew the infant carrier, but I was simply breaking my back getting it in and out of the middle of our very tall car.  The convertible seat is on the side, and it works great!

Of course, we still have the issue of what to do with Bunkey when we get out of the car!  Particularly when I am grocery shopping.  I have one of the grocery cart seat covers, but he's still a bit little to sit, even propped up with the diaperbag, in the front of the grocery cart.  We have a "backpack" carrier, but I find it hard to adjust and fasten by myself.  Really, the backpack is what Hubs uses when he has Bunkey, so I don't want to adjust the straps from his fit to mine and back again.  We kept the infant carrier in the trunk of the car, as it is helpful when we go out to dinner or to a friend's house and Bunkey needs a place to sit, but it's not conducive to grocery shopping.  It takes up the entire grocery cart, so I can't fit very many items in order to do a large shopping trip.  I tried resting it in the seat part of the cart (after I saw another mama doing this) and it just wasn't sturdy enough for me to feel comfortable, nor could I see where I was going very well, so steering was an issue.  I even broke one of the few rules I said I would and used one of the grocery store's carts with the built in infant seat.  I put a blanket down first to protect from germs and drool, but the angle of the seat was such that Bunkey's feet were up higher than his head.  Not a great solution.

Well then, while perusing the baby aisles at Target, I discovered the Jelly Bean Reversible Sling by Munchkin!  It appeared to be exactly what I needed!  Made for babies 4 months and older, reversible, washable, foldable (a must for the diaper bag), reasonable price ($24ish, I think), and versatile holding positions!  The sling comes in several fashionable patterns and two sizes (S/M and L).  Of course, this particular Target didn't have the pattern I liked best (Champagne Toast) in my size, so I went home empty handed.  I continued to look for the sling during several subsequent trips to Target, to no avail.

But then, this past weekend, I had a few items to return to both Michael's and Target, so I went to the Target on the other side of town, where there's also a Michael's.  And out of the blue, I figured I'd check to see if this store had my sling...and they did!  I was so excited!  But what was even more exciting was that the cost of the returns I had to make was almost exactly the same price as the sling, so it almost felt like I was getting it for free!

Well, I spent a couple of hours trying to figure out how this thing works.  The illustrated instructions weren't as helpful as I would have liked.  I practiced with Bunkey, but he quickly got fussy from all the moving around and I never found a position that felt particularly safe and secure for my liking.  I was about to give up and return the sling.  But then I found a few videos on YouTube (with different brands, but similar styles, of slings) and asked some other moms at our Parents Place group for help, and learned what I was doing wrong (didn't have the seam in the right spot).

And yesterday we went grocery shopping.  I used the sling.  I could fill up my whole cart, reducing the number of times I have to do my shopping.  I had the use of both hands.  Bunkey was comfy, safe, and happy to be close to me (he normally gets very fussy when we grocery shop; we didn't even use a paci yesterday!).  The only downside was that a sling makes getting down to reach something on the very bottom shelf a bit difficult.  But that is minor compared to everything else!

In short, I never thought I'd be a sling-er.  I have nothing against it; I simply didn't think it'd be necessary for me.  I figured I'd be able to use the stroller for anything I needed.  Apparently I forgot about grocery shopping!

So yes, I'm a convert.  I love my sling!  I was able to enjoy grocery shopping yesterday.  

And I was able to appreciate that Bunkey was under eight pounds when I was pregnant.  Apparently in the last four and a half months my back has forgotten what it's like to carry another person out in front!