How to make a baby sling from a bedsheet

When visiting mothers about two weeks postpartum, I often find moms are feeling more like themselves and ready to start doing more activities. Their newborns often have other ideas, sometimes wanting to be held most of the day. To help meet the need of baby and mother I often recommend the use of baby wearing.

The practice of baby wearing is know the world over and has been used for centuries. It enables the mother to maintain the closeness with her child, but also free her hands for other tasks and activities. Beyond the practical benefits for the mother by wearing her child, there are many benefits of baby wearing for the baby itself. Many of these benefits are outlined by Dr. Sears on his website AskDrSears.com. Some of these benefits include a baby that cries less, increased brain development, and more opportunities for nurturing touch which has benefits of its own.

While there are many options of carriers available, I like to show my clients a basic carry using just a regular bed sheet and a slip knot. Most homes have an extra sheet available, and this form of carrier can be used from birth through toddler age.

Here is a link that has a good video of how to make the sling out of a bed sheet. Sheet Sling Video. Take some time to practice this so it becomes second nature. Then, when your baby is fussy, or you and baby need to be on the go, all you have to do is put on your sling and you are on your way.

(For correct positioning of your baby your choice of carrier, check out the guidelines provided by Attachment Parenting International.)

Comments

Relaxation, Rhythm, and Ritual during the time of Uncertainty

As a doula I am often speaking with my clients about the importance of the Three Rs in Labor. The terms coined by Penny Simkin refer to Relaxation, Rhythm, and Ritual as the essences of coping in labor in place of Fear, Tension, and Pain. As our society is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have found myself turning to these techniques in my own life as a way to cope during this time of uncertainty. I wanted to share these thoughts in hopes that like with birth, we can embrace the uncertainty one day/contraction at a time until the birth of healing arrives for our nation. Relaxation Uncertainty can make even the calmest person feel some stress. The key to relaxation is understanding what is and isn’t in your control. The simplest thing you have control over is your body and mind. Check in with yourself. Are you feeling tense in your body? Are your thoughts racing? Take time to acknowledge these feelings and ...

The night the Operating Room went dark…

Have you ever seen an OR room with the lights turned off? Everything put away in its place? All is clean and sterile? All is quiet? Empty…? I must confess that in my own experience I had never seen it happen. I am sure it is the case; an ordinary occurrence for the staff of the hospitals. But for me, my view of an OR has been quite different. When I visualize an OR, it is bright, filled with people, lots of noises, and it is very cold. You often see more of the ceiling than you do of the floor, or even the surrounding walls. The color of blue scrubs and screens fill one’s view. And yet…there was the night the OR went dark. It was a late night supporting a client that needed baby delivered in a hurry. Everyone was prepped, mom was taken in, baby made her arrival, and mom slowly rejoined the conscious world as she felt her baby on her chest. I notice over my shoulder that staff were finishing u...

Scenes from Birth

As a doula, we see many things in our line of work. We see people at their most vulnerable, and at the same time at their strongest. We see the inside of lives and bodies. We see a rainbow of moods and emotions. We see the balance between life and death. The transformation of persons into parents and grandparents. But there are other things we see. We see the everyday beauty of the moment. The full moon on the way to the hospital. The close conversations between the birth giver and partner. And we also see the art in the birthing space. Pictures of nature. Flowers opening up into bloom. Tender moments of motherhood. Cute photos of babies. All decorate the halls of the maternity wards and designer birth spaces at birth centers. Little details to provide subtle encouragement for laboring women to open up and embrace labor and motherhood. As the laboring mother holds tightly to the hallway ra...

Ask the Doula

Search This Blog