US Japan Fam
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • About Me
    • Hire Me!
    • Mommypreneur Coaching
    • Subscribe to our List Serves!
    • Press Page - Travel
    • Privacy Policy & Disclaimers
  • Family Travel
  • Day Trips & Weekend Getaways from NYC
  • Hudson Valley
    • Day Trips & Activities
  • Bay Ridge Families
    • Scavenger Hunt
    • Advertising
    • Submit Your Event
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Birthday Party Guide
    • Classes & Activities for Babies & Toddlers
    • Bay Ridge Baby Sitters
    • Halloween Guide
    • Holiday Guide
    • Life in NYC >
      • Brooklyn
      • Bronx
      • Manhattan
      • Queens
      • Staten Island
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • About Me
    • Hire Me!
    • Mommypreneur Coaching
    • Subscribe to our List Serves!
    • Press Page - Travel
    • Privacy Policy & Disclaimers
  • Family Travel
  • Day Trips & Weekend Getaways from NYC
  • Hudson Valley
    • Day Trips & Activities
  • Bay Ridge Families
    • Scavenger Hunt
    • Advertising
    • Submit Your Event
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Birthday Party Guide
    • Classes & Activities for Babies & Toddlers
    • Bay Ridge Baby Sitters
    • Halloween Guide
    • Holiday Guide
    • Life in NYC >
      • Brooklyn
      • Bronx
      • Manhattan
      • Queens
      • Staten Island

Baby Wearin' & Stroller Struttin'

3/13/2013

4 Comments

 
Before getting pregnant, the only baby wearing I knew about was the Baby Bjorn (**see side note about this carrier below) ala The Hangover! But thanks to the hand-me-down from my sister, I am now the proud owner and wearer of the Mei Tai wrap, which I love love LOVE!! I also got one from her similar to the Moby, and was able to get a small teddy bear in there after some practice but never was able to get my actual baby in there!! Might give it another go now that he's a bit older (much sturdier) and I'm not so afraid to break him! hehe

During Kenzo's first two months, I mostly wore him for the simple fact that our stroller with bassinet attachment was quite heavy and difficult for me to lug up and down the mere 2 steps at the entrance of our apartment building! Now that I've taken the bassinet off, I can roll/bump the stroller up and down those 2 steps and it's no hassle at all. For short trips to the neighborhood drug store or grocery store I usually wear him in the Mei Tai, and for long walks or ventures that we'll need to bring his diaper bag and other essentials along, I usually go with the stroller.

This Saturday I have to head into the city by myself for half of the day. I'll need the stroller unfortunately, so I am dreading having to deal with the 2 flights of stairs at our subway station for the first time by myself! I think I can kind of roll/bump the stroller down, but I'm pretty sure I'll have to wait for someone to help me carry it up. I'm terrified that someone will help but will accidentally drop his/her part of the stroller, or trip on the step and fall down with the stroller, etc. I guess I'll just have to be sure Kenzo is buckled in nice and tight!

Here are my pros/cons list for wearing your baby and pushing your baby -

BABY WEARING:

Pros:
* Wonderful bonding time for you and baby
* In winter, you are both warm and cozy
* Stairs? No problemo!!
* Depending on which carrier you have, you can go right into a regular bathroom stall and do your business without having to take baby off and not having to worry about fitting your stroller in the handicapped stall or have it unattended outside.
* Can wear your baby around the house as you do house-work or work-work
* Great in crowded spaces

Cons:
* In summer, might be a bit hot and sweaty
* Can get heavy on your shoulders and/or back, especially if you also have to lug around a diaper bag
* Could be dangerous in ice/snow

Stroller

Pros:
* Can lug around stuff other than baby, i.e. diaper bag, groceries, etc.
* Baby can sleep uninterrupted in the restaurant or anywhere while you relax and do your thing nearby
* Can provide an easy & clean place to change a diaper and take care of other needs

Cons:
* Stairs can be a big obstacle and you'll rely on your superhuman strength or kindness of strangers
* Crowded areas such as subway cars during rush hour, boutique shops, etc. are tough and you may get the evil eye from strangers
* Not great in ice or snow
* Difficult to use an umbrella, cell phone, or anything else requiring one hand/arm

**From what I've read the Bjorn is a terrible carrier because it puts all of baby's weight on his/her spine which is not built to support the whole body - you should use a carrier that distributes supports through at least to mid-thigh and brings the knees up parallel or above the bum; side note, infant's legs should be tucked into the carrier froggy style, which is a natural position for them).
4 Comments
Jennifer Roberge link
3/13/2013 01:06:02 pm

Yay! Love baby wearing and I'm so glad you can use my Mai Tai!

Reply
Erica
3/14/2013 10:17:29 pm

Good luck on Saturday! I have not been on the train yet. We love the Ergo carrier (with the infant insert) for outdoors and I use the Moby wrap inside. But with the Moby wrap, being so close to me seems to activate Keito's rooting reflex and sometimes he won't stop pecking at me, so I've been using it less and less. I also first used a teddy bear to figure it out! I find it too awkward to do any kind of real housework with him in the wrap, though. Maybe when he gets bigger?

Keito doesn't always like being in the stroller so I'm afraid to use it for longer excursions, even though that's when it would be the most useful. Maybe you can do a post on baby friendly facilities in each country. I don't know if it is just the Tokyo area or everywhere in Japan, but all of the shopping centers near us let you borrow strollers for free, even the "A-gata" ones for infants. And they always have baby rooms with private nursing stalls, changing tables, hot water for mixing formula, etc. It's really nice to know you'll have a clean place to change a diaper or nurse when you venture out with a small baby!

Reply
Heather
3/15/2013 02:03:22 am

Hehe - "pecking" - what an appropriate word for it!!

Kenzo also has issues with the stroller - he screams bloody murder once he's strapped in and not moving yet. It's always a challenge to get my shoes and coat all on, taking a break between each to roll the stroller to and fro to quiet him for just a second. Once we get going he's fine, just the initial setup is a battle!

Free stroller rental?? Never heard of it but that sounds awesome! I think Japan is much more baby friendly then the US...

Reply
Mathis link
11/28/2015 01:00:04 am

stroller is a parents best friend, this will give you a helping hand, thanks for sharing this.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Follow on Bloglovin
    Contact Me!
    Picture
    Follow @usjapanfam

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    About Me ^_^

    I'm a NYC metro area mom blogger living in NJ with my Japanese husband & our 3 kids (twins plus 1).  This blog is chock full of product reviews, family travel guides, and giveaways galore! It's also home to Bay Ridge Families, and several guides focused on kid-friendly activities and guides to South Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, and New Jersey, as well as family-friendly destinations beyond the NYC area (check the menu bar!)

    Brand Ballot
    Picture
    Legit Ways To Make Money From Home - a stay at home mom's guide to working from home
    The Network Niche

    USFamilyGuide.com

    Parent Reviewers Directory Listing

    Categories

    All
    Baby
    Babywearing
    Babywise
    Bay Ridge
    Bilingual
    Birth Story
    Breastfeeding
    Childbirth
    Co Sleeping
    Co-sleeping
    Fashion
    Fitness
    Giveaway
    Guest Post
    Hair Dye
    Healthy Living
    Home
    Hudson Valley
    Hypnobabies
    Interracial Marriage
    Japan
    Jet Programme
    Learn Japanese
    Maternity Leave
    Mommy Nearest
    Motherhood
    New York
    Pregnancy
    Review
    School
    Sleep Training
    Sponsored Post
    Stay At Home Mother
    Technology
    Toddler Faves
    Toddlers
    Travel
    Twin Pregnancy
    Twins
    Vaccination
    Vlog
    Weaning
    Weightloss
    YouTube / Social

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    December 2012

Proudly powered by Weebly