The Moby

When I find something that works, I like to share the wealth, so here's a follow-up to my sling dilemma from last week.

If you'll recall, I'd purchased a basic sling for the low, low, bargain price of shipping alone from Seven Slings. But when it arrived and I finally got around to trying the darn thing, it was too small. So I ordered another, but that one was too large. Boo.

Since I wasn't really diggin' the thing in general (or more importantly, my infant wasn't), I decided to take a little field trip to Babies-R-Us to check out some other options before I wasted the shipping cost for yet a third size of sling.

After standing in the wrap/sling/carrier aisle for an obnoxiously long time--occasionally opening a few boxes to feel fabrics or glance at instructions--I ended up with...

The Moby Wrap.

It's basically an obscenely long piece of fabric for the price of $44--which might have annoyed me, had it not turned out to be a miracle worker.

I've now used the thing five times with an 80% success rate of calming and silencing my nuclear infant in the evening when I really, really need my hands to attempt to cook a meal or fold some laundry.  (For those still trying to work the success-rate math, it's worked four out of five times for me, and that fifth time, I don't think anything on earth would have helped).

The thing comes with a booklet armed with step-by-step instructions of several ways to wrap the darn thing. And yes, I'll be the first to admit that it was a little daunting at first. The look on my husband's face was priceless when I first pulled it out and attempted to mummify myself. I looked a little bit like I was a mental patient strapping on my own straight jacket (which, let's face it, most mothers are a little mental when they really need their newborn to calm down).

My favorite part of the instruction booklet was the section that talked about wearing the wrap with confidence. No joke. Apparently (according to the booklet) the little buggers you stick in there can tell if you aren't fully committed. So I strapped that thing on, strutted around my living room a bit like a proud peacock to make sure I was in the right mindset, and then plopped her in. And the result, was HEAVENLY. Total and utter silence, pretty much immediately. And within five minutes: sleep.

I've learned that the more I move around when I first put my baby girl in there, the more likely she is to fall asleep, so I make sure to keep myself busy for a bit. But eventually, I've found that I can sit down if I just can't (or don't want to) find something active to do, and she'll usually stay fast asleep.

I haven't attempted to wear the thing for longer than an hour, but I'm confident (because the booklet told me to be) that she would probably enjoy it for any length of time--especially if we were out and about.

Here's a pic:

I find that each time I use it, I get better and faster at the wrapping, so I'm hoping to be warp-speed soon. 

Only complaint I have: the color. As you'll notice from the pic, the thing is black. Boh-ring. But, unfortunately, it seems to be the only color most retail stores keep in stock. And that's such a shame since it actually comes in a ton of be-a-utiful colors. So I was a little sneaky-sneaky with my purchase. I bought it, now that I've tried it out and know that I'm keeping it, I ordered another online in a lovely Indigo blue, and the one above is going back to the store. Reprehensible, I know. But, hey, at least there's no spit-up on it. Yet.

Peace out.