paepcke@hplabs.UUCP (Andreas Paepcke) (02/06/84)
While we are waiting for the arrival of our first baby, we are wondering about how we'll transport it around town. We like the idea of pouches but we are wondering whether the contorted position could harm the soft bone structure and cause problems with straight growth. Any information available? Andreas paepcke.hplabs!rand-relay
wyse@ihuxq.UUCP (Neal C. Wyse) (02/08/84)
First, for transporting around town in a car, car seats are a must and in some states, the law. There is no excuse for not using one. If you don't want to buy one, very often they can be rented. In this area, Chicago, IL, the Jaycees have a very reasonable deal. Now, regarding Snugli's. We own one and have used it with both our children. I'm not sure what you mean by "contorted". The infants seem to be well supported and in a reasonably normal position. Snugli's are life-savers in many situations. Both our children seem to like them. Even if they are being (or were) very fussy, they calm down in a short time and often go to sleep (must be comfortable). A very big advantage is that now your hands are free to do other things instead of only holding the child. Now, don't get me wrong, we do a lot of just holding, talking to, and in general paying attention to our kids, but at times it is really nice to have partial freedom. I forgot to mention that for infants, the Snugli is worn on the front and the infant is very close to you and can probably hear some of the sounds they heard when inside mom. This closeness also provides a nice feeling for the parents. Neal Wyse ihnp4!ihuxq!wyse
mark@umcp-cs.UUCP (02/09/84)
There are lots of differently designed things which hold
the infant more or less upright next to your body. Some
rules of thumb for picking these (made up on the spur of
the moment but based on 2 kids): the child should be on
your chest, not your back, for the first 6-12 months.
They should not be reclining, but lengthwise with their
tummy on your tummy. You should be able to put them in the
pouch and then put the pouch on you (This is more important
in the reverse situation, when they are asleep in the pouch
and you want to gently take them off and lie them down.)
In two different cities we have lived in the local La Leche League
had someone who made a version of the pouch in her home that
was just right.
--
Mark Weiser
UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!mark
CSNet: mark@umcp-cs ARPA: mark@maryland