[blparent] baby wearing cautions - was New parent questions

Fri Oct 29 03:29:12 UTC 2010

I have a Bjorn Active carrier, and I don't like it one bit.  I didn't even 
read the articles before I decided that the baby didn't look comfortable to 
me.  What the articles say makes a lot of sense to me though.

I have a Beco Butterfly II, and I have loved it since the day I bought it. 
My daughter was already almost 2 when I bought it, but I'm still using it 
regularly.  I babysit a couple of infants though, and I have tried it with 
them in it, and it works great.
When Kaelyn was an infant I used a wrap, which I also loved.  It only cost 
about $40 at babies r us, and she could sleep or nurse in it while I worked 
around the house when she was very tiny.

Leanne
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dena Wainwright" <dena at envogueaccess.com>
To: <rovadia82 at gmail.com>; "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" 
<blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2010 8:35 PM
Subject: [blparent] baby wearing cautions - was New parent questions

>I absolutely do not recommend the bjorn. if you read the articles on
> www.thebabywearer.com
> they will explain why this is a very bad choice for the development of 
> your baby's hips and back.
> particularly if you have a boy, the bjorn puts tremendous pressure on the 
> groin, which could not possibly be comfortable or healthy for a little 
> guy.
> I have used about 7 carriers. my favorites have been the ergo and the 
> kangaroo korner pouch sling. the sling is not a great option if you're 
> working on a limited budget, as it gets kind of uncomfortable once the 
> baby tops about 12-15 pounds, but if you have a generous gift-giver in 
> your life, it is a wonderful option for when your baby is very small. they 
> even make a mesh one for warmer weather, which can also get wet. you may 
> wonder why that would matter... unless you get a baby with colic who is 
> only happy in warm water. I know someone who took about 5 showers a day 
> for the first 3 months of her son's life, because it was the only time he 
> was happy.
>
> finally, a caution for anyone who plans to use a sling. because of a few 
> extremely horrible incidents that have taken place (one of which a friend 
> of mine was unfortunate enough to see first hand) it is no longer 
> recommended that babies be placed in the cradle position when in slings. 
> the cradle position is the way you would hold an infant in your arms - 
> with him on his back - his head resting on one of your arms, and your 
> other arm under his knees. if using a sling, an infant should be placed in 
> an upright position - his stomach against your stomach/chest, and his head 
> directly under your chin. the reason for this new recommendation is that 
> several infants have died while being cradled in slings. their chins have 
> come forward against their chests - cutting off their air supply and 
> preventing them from breathing. they have literally suffocated to death 
> under their mother's noses.
>
> Dena
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ronit Ovadia Mazzoni" <rovadia82 at gmail.com>
> To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2010 11:27 AM
> Subject: Re: [blparent] New parent questions
>
>
>> Hi Mary Jo,
>> First, congratulations on the baby! When are you due? My husband and I 
>> are
>> also expecting our first due in April so I am doing all the same research
>> you are. Here is what I've found out so far.
>>
>> In terms of carseats and strollers, it is difficult to find a good
>> combination of lightweight and pulling behind you. I have not seen this
>> paritcular stroller in person yet but it was suggested I check out the 
>> Graco
>> Alano FlipIt reversible handle stroller. I believ you can find this at
>> Babies R Us. The reviews I've read online, however, say that this 
>> stroller
>> does not steer well when the handle is in the reversed position. So this
>> doesn't seem like a great option, but something to check out. This 
>> stroller
>> does accept the Graco Snugride carseats. I'd suggest checking out the
>> snugride carseats because most Graco strollers can accommodate the 
>> snugride
>> carseats as a snap-in feature. We haven't quite decided on which one we 
>> are
>> getting yet, but I've narrowed it down to Graco for sure.
>>
>> In terms of baby carriers, I've checked out both the Baby Bjorn and the 
>> Ergo
>> baby carrier. They are good for different things and it was suggested to 
>> me
>> that we have one of each. The Ergo has better back support but the baby 
>> can
>> only face inward, as Bran mentioned. As they get older though, they can 
>> look
>> from side to side, so it is still stimulating for them. The ergo also has 
>> an
>> infant insert that you can use so you can carry very little babies which
>> normally would not fit inside the ergo. Make sure you get the heart to 
>> heart
>> insert for the ergo. The baby Bjorn is helpful because it allows the baby 
>> to
>> face outwards and can accommodate very little babies. The back support is
>> not as great so for long walks, it might not be ideal. We are planning on
>> getting both. I Know others on this list have used the Beco Butterfly II 
>> as
>> well, but I have not seen this one in person.
>>
>> In terms of braille books, we found a seller on Ebay who sells braille 
>> books
>> that she has already adapted. She takes regular print books with pictures 
>> or
>> touch and feel books and puts labels on them. They aer very cheap, as she
>> buys them used and then brailles them. Each book is 10 dollars or less. 
>> Just
>> search for braille books on ebay and you should be able to find her. She
>> sells different books depending on what she happens to have made at the
>> time. We bought some already and they are very well done, and so cheap 
>> too!
>>
>> Hope all this helps! I'd love to hear more as you do your own research 
>> too.
>> Take care,
>> Ronit
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Hartle, Mary Jo
>> Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2010 6:21 AM
>> To: blparent at nfbnet.org
>> Cc: Louise Walch; Cheralyn Braithwaite Creer; Cheralyn Creer; Hartle, 
>> Jesse
>> Subject: [blparent] New parent questions
>>
>> Hi everyone,
>>    My husband and I are new to this listserv, but thought it might be a
>> great resource for us as parents-to-be.  some of you may know us, Jesse 
>> and
>> Mary Jo (Thorpe) Hartle.  We have been members of the NFB for several 
>> years,
>> but this is a whole new role for us as blind people.
>> Fortunately, because of the philosophy we've learned in the organization,
>> and great role models like some of you on this list, we know we can be 
>> great
>> parents even though we're blind.  But...there are a few questions that 
>> are
>> starting to pop into our minds as we prepare for the arrival of LBH 
>> (Little
>> Baby Hartle).  Any advice on the following you can give us would be 
>> greatly
>> appreciated.
>>
>> 1. We've been looking at strollers and car seats and carriers (oh my) and
>> wondering which on the market are the best for a blind parent.  We know 
>> we
>> want a stroller that we can pull behind us easily and which will allow 
>> the
>> baby to face us rather than face out.  We also are looking for something
>> that can double as a carrier and car seat combo which is easy to get on 
>> and
>> off buses and trains and such.  Any of you have recommendations for us?
>> Brands?  Etc.? Another item we think would be very helpful to us are 
>> those
>> snuggly things so we can carry the baby in front of us or on our back 
>> while
>> using a cane.  Any recommendations of good brands or styles for this?
>>
>> 2.  We are considering getting a set of baby monitors.  We've not looked 
>> too
>> closely at these yet, but I'm anticipating there might be some 
>> accessibility
>> issues as it sounds like many of them have some kind of visual display on
>> them now for you to set the controls, etc.  any suggestions on a good 
>> brand
>> for these that are accessible, or can be easily modified?
>>
>> 3.  Are there any other great Braille-print book outlets besides 
>> Seedlings,
>> NBP, APH, Share Braille.org, and the Braille Institute we should know 
>> about?
>> Any Other ways to get free or really inexpensive print-Braille 
>> storybooks?
>> WE know too how to make our own, and are very familiar with most of the
>> mainstream Braille book sources, but want to see if any of you have other
>> less known ideas.
>>
>> 4. Are there any accessible bottle thermometers out there, or do any of 
>> you
>> have other techniques for gauging the temperature of a bottle?  I know 
>> this
>> isn't quite a blindness issue, but if we use a thermometer, it becomes 
>> one.
>> :)Any thoughts?
>>
>> 5.  Any good books, websites, or other resources in general that you as
>> blind people have found helpful to you as a parent which we should know
>> about?
>>
>> Thanks so much and we look forward to any suggestions you can send our 
>> way
>> and to future postings on this list.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Mary Jo T. Hartle
>>
>>
>>
>> Mary Jo Thorpe-Hartle, MEd, NOMC
>>
>> Director of Education
>>
>> Jernigan Institute
>> NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
>> 200 East Wells Street
>> Baltimore, MD 21230
>> Phone: (410)659-9314 ext. 2407
>> Email: mhartle at nfb.org
>> Fax: (410) 659-5129
>> Visit www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/>
>>
>>
>>
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