How I Fell in Love with a Snugglebug

Day 5 of nannihood: I'm going to lose my mind. This child is tugging at me and needing me and wanting to cuddle. He needs to eat though! Why won't he let me leave him long enough to make him food?!

After that day, I knew it was time for a new strategy. I loved my charges. I did. They were, and are such wonderful boys. Both had their challenges, both had their ups and their downs but the younger one would take the cake with his need for me to hold him and love him and not move, while simultaneously requiring food. It was always after nap time and he would often wake up starving. Same routine everyday, wake up, walk out to me and then the sniffly whine would start. "Are you hungry? Want some lunch?" I'd ask, knowing full well that's what was going on.

"yea!" Would be my reply. I'd go to set him down and take step 1, step 2 and without fail he was screaming.

"Honey...I'm trying to make you lunch."

Suddenly this was no longer comprehensible to my little two year old charge. Could you blame him? We needed something new. This couldn't go on.

I got online and started looking around for happy parents. I found a forum that suggested I try baby wearing. As a nanny I was new to the idea. I didn't have much money to spend on the boys so I looked around for different styles that I could sew myself. I was quickly very overwhelmed. Turns out there's a lot out there! Lots of folks were talking about slings, and they looked easy enough to make. However the boys mama had one of those and complained about how it hurt her due to her son's size. Ok...that's out. Next came the asian inspired carriers. There are a few different types, though the one that caught my attention was the Mei Tai. One waist band and two shoulder straps attached to a square piece of fabric that held the child. The straps were very long and looked a bit intimidating for a first timer but I was determined. I took some scrap that I had laying around and some muslin for the straps. The first time I put that carrier on was a disaster! The muslin quickly bunched up and tore into my flesh. The weight of him bearing down felt like it was going to rip right through my hips.