Toddler wearing with an Ergo Carrier and How It Has Saved My Parenting

Almost 3 years ago, I gave birth to the most beautiful little girl in the world. She had big blue eyes and a little bit of dark hair (that later went red for a few months, then went blonde). She was perfect in every way, until I realized she screamed ALOT. And by a lot, I mean like 5 hours a day, for no reason, other than she wanted to move and her little body wasn't developed enough to do so yet. We took her to the doctor and asked about the incessant screaming that was making me want to grab a bottle of alcohol, cry myself, and totally run away. Her pediatrician said it was "Maybe Colic" although she displayed no real colic symptoms, he was just as lost as we were. Finally, at my wits end one day, I pulled out a carrier I had been given, and walked outside with Kasey and Turk. The crying immediately stopped. I walked until I couldn't walk anymore and the carrier grew uncomfortable. I did this routine for weeks, as it was the only thing that kept my little girl from screaming for hours on end. After Layla hit past the 9 lb mark, the cheap carrier I had been given grew to be extremely uncomfortable, so I quit using it and began to just carry Layla around in my arms, which caused my arms to get tired and the dogs to get upset because I could only handle one at that time.

A few weeks after this (and Layla was now about 3 months old), my Mother In Law and I stumbled upon a baby boutique and consignment store in Tallahassee during one of her visits. This store was about to change my entire parenting life! They had cloth diapers, baby carriers, and all kinds of odd contraptions I'd never imagine were used for children. Layla began to cry, so I was walking her around, in my normal zombie like mode to get her to stop crying when a sales associate approached me and asked if I would like to try an Ergobaby baby carrier. I explained to her that I had a carrier at home, but it had grown completely uncomfortable, so I appreciated her help, but it wouldn't... help. She smiled and asked me what brand of carrier I had (a cheap infantino from Walmart), and then walked me over to the Ergobaby display and showed me the difference between the carrier I now hated, and the carrier I was about to fall completely in love with.
Ergobaby carriers are different due to the fact that they have a waist buckle and the shoulder straps so that it allows the baby's weight to be distributed evenly among your body, rather than putting all the weight on your front side as my infantino was doing, causing it to be extremely uncomfortable past 10lbs! She had my attention now! I listened and watched her demonstration with a hunger I'd never experienced before. She was telling me how it calmed babies who always wanted to be held, allowing me to be handsfree without being uncomfortable myself, and how this carrier would last until 35-45lbs (performance carriers go to 45), and she had even seen a woman jogging, with one baby on her back, one in a stroller and a dog running beside her! I had to have this carrier! That is until I saw the price tag. The original Ergo was $110, the performance $140. I left my job when I had Layla, so that I could be a Stay at home mom for awhile so we didn't have daycare fees, and my husband wanted me to continue to go to school without trying to work, excel in school, and be a mom too. (Yes, I have an amazing husband, I know!) So this price tag seemed a bit much for us at the time, I told C about the carrier and he was impressed but he agreed that it was a bit out of our reach at the moment, as we were still behind a bit from Layla's birth and us adjusting to only one income.

So now, lets talk about this pricetag of the Ergo Carrier for a moment. An Ergo carrier still runs just over $100, but heres where I can now justify (and hopefully save another mama some cash!) that cost to it. Say you go and buy one or two cheap carriers at $30 a piece, then buy a wrap like a moby wrap $40 which really don't last as long as a woven wrap, which means you'll need another wrap at $100.. by that time you buy those multiple carriers, you passed the value of an ergo already! and have multiple carriers you hate and cant use, which means you wasted your money! Yikes! No new parent wants to waste money. Ok so back to the ergo!

A few months later, I was able to go buy my Ergobaby Performance Carrier (I got the performance for its mesh quality, which as I live in florida,is totally essential!). Layla was crawling and pulling herself up on things by this time (6 months old) but she still loved to go outside for walks now (minus all the screaming..which resolved itself as soon as she began to crawl and roll around ) and loved to be held close to me.

As Layla began to get older, we noticed that she began displaying many red flags for autism when it came to language and communication, but she was always ahead in her developmental milestones so her doctor dismissed us at our concern that she never began to babble and was now over a year old (His reason? She was always ahead in her milestones and so it was ok for her to be a little late on talking and we would wait and see if this changed at her 18 month apt, but he also sent her for hearing tests due to her daddy's bad ear history, and also sent her for speech eval to be proactive. She also had her daddy's bad ears, which could have been the reason for some of these language and communication delays. Her hearing test at 16 months revealed she was only able to hear about 40% of things, due to fluid buildup in her ear. This fluid was not able to drain for some reason. She was in no pain and had never had an ear infection or illness at this point, so it was determined to be just due to a faulty lineup in her ear thanks to her daddy. Her ear doctor said it was standard to wait 6 weeks to see if the fluid went down on its own, and then we'd see what the next step was. Layla ended up having to get tubes in her ears to allow the fluids to drain on their own, and allow her to hear. She is now enrolled in speech therapy (for the past year) and occupational. The scariest thing about Layla is that with those ear issues and the fact that she does have autism, Layla doesn't respond to her name very well, especially if shes outside or in another stimulating environment. So, rather than respond to her name, she will often just run away laughing. Which can be absolutely terrifying, depending on where you are. She has no fear, no concept of danger. This isn't due to a lack of parenting on my end, it has to do with her autism. Layla once pulled from my hand, and ran (and she is VERY fast. Like really fast.. lets put it in perspective: Her dad can run cross country, and marathons, and ran track in highschool. Layla, at the tender age of 2, can keep up with her father when he runs! YES. SHE CAN. I have screws in my right ankle and am currently pregnant with a high risk pregnancy.. running isn't an option.. lol) for the doors of CVS. She ran right through them and I, running when im not supposed to!, threw everything I had in my hand ...wallet included, ran after her, she ran right through the doors, laughing as I am hysterically screaming her name, and into the parking lot (the edge.. but enough to terrify me) before I caught up to her. Layla also has a lot of sensory issues that can cause her to run from situations that are loud or that she perceives as overwhelming. Knowing these cues is what has helped me tremenduously, but This is also where babywearing (toddler wearing in this case!) really means a lot to me!
Toddler-baby wearing means that my 2 year old has no chance of being able to wrestle free from my grip, and able to run (and not respond to her name). It means she is safe, at all times. I can bring her anywhere and know shes perfectly safe and secure, and I am able to accomplish what I need to in a short amount of time (without having to pack her BOB stroller, diaper bag, etc.. which while pregnant.. these things are a CHORE. its a chore to get out of the house, walk down steps, load a truck..etc. And if I do too much, I run the risk of contractions, being at risk for pre term labor. Thank you LEEP and cervical cancer!.. not). Layla loves to be worn, even at almost 3 years old. When situations become too loud or too overwhelming for her, she runs to me with her ergo. When we are out in public and face a situation like this, she buries herself into the carrier, and snuggles close to me. It gives her a sensory break and provides her with a comfort like no other. When you see that your child has sensory issues and becomes easily overwhelmed in crowded areas, and will cover her ears, but will instantly be fine in her carrier snuggled up next to you.. it is worth every penny to have a carrier like an Ergo. My performance carrier is holding up really well after nearly 3 years of solid use (and yes, I am able to wear her at 7 1/2 months pregnant with ease!! and my doctor says its fine for now). I was given an Ergobaby 360 for my birthday last year, and I love it too!

I like the performance carrier for Layla for the fact that it is a bit wider than the 360, so it gives a more comfortable seat and support for Layla's long legs. I am sad that she does seem to be outgrowing her carrier, but because the carrier is such a safe place for Layla, I decided to see if I can find her a carrier that is wider, will support her legs more as she grows, and has a higher weight limit, while still being comfortable for me (especially with baby #2 due in 10 weeks). I found that Lillebaby has a carrier called "CarryOn Air toddler carrier", and it has a weight limit to 60lbs! So I am excited to announce to everyone that once Layla outgrows her Ergo soon, she will still be able to be carried. I plan on purchasing it (or asking for it as a birthday gift lol.. #thatmommylife...when you ask for carriers for your birthday and cloth diapers! omg.. I love me some Grovia cloth diapers too). Baby and toddler wearing has gotten me through some really tough times parenting wise from those early days of screaming, to those fighting nap days, helped me help my daughter with her sensory issues, and offers me a chance to get all the snuggles I could ask for. I cannot thank companies like Ergobaby enough for a product like this. I really can't! Thank you Ergobaby, for your product. Now please, develop a toddler carrier ;)
If anyone has any questions about baby wearing, toddler wearing, and autism, please feel free to reach out to us, I promise I don't bite.. unless you are my husband. ;)