The Baby K'Tan Carrier: My Babywearing Savior

I have not yet come across a product I want to review; until I came across the baby carrier called the Baby K'Tan (www.babyktan.com).  I am in love with this carrier, and it is slowly saving my life.

Up until I gave birth to my son, I was a huge proponent of babywearing.  Babywearing has so many benefits, not only for mom but for baby as well.  From the attachement parenting perspective, it is the ultimate MUST.  Claims about babywearing say babies who are worn are more organized and learn more, cry less, and are smarter.  There are also claims that when babies are worn they sleep better.  I'm not sure about studies that go along with these claims; I've never deeply researched it.  I do know that some studies have shown a reduction in crying through babywearing and improved bonding between mother and child.  To receive the benefits of babywearing, they say you should wear your baby at least three hours a day.

Without statistical evidence, there are some very obvious benefits to babywearing.  You get to hold your baby and have your child close to you while being hands free and able to move around.  It encourages bonding and lets you be close to your child even with all the things you have to do during the day.  For newborns, it provides a post-partum womb like experience; your baby gets rocked just like in the womb and is almost swaddled up close to your body.  In many carriers you can easily nurse (but stay covered) and so, your baby becomes easily portable.

Unfortunately, once my son was born, I became the baby carrier.  Certainly not a hands-free experience.  When your child just won't be put down, babywearing is the best thing you can do.  However, my son hated being in a carrier.  He screamed the second I put him in it.  I could always see why too; I never felt comfortable with any of the carriers.  I felt like he was completely unsupported.  I tried the Maya Ring Sling, the New Native carrier, the Sleepy Wrap, and I have an Ergo Carrier.  Don't get me wrong, when he's big, I think the Sleepy Wrap and Ergo carrier will be great for him.  But as a newborn, they just didn't put him in a comfortable position (they only carry him upright).  I returned the ring sling immediately, as well as the New Native carrier.  The former felt unstable to me.  The latter may work for bigger babies, but my newborn got lost in it: definitely not safe.  So there I was, no baby carrier but my arms and a baby that hated being ANYWHERE else.

Enter the Baby K'Tan.  In desperation, I was searching the internet for the right carrier.  The Moby Wrap was the only other one I knew of that could carry my son in the hold I wanted, but there was just no way I was going to learn to put it on.  I had seen videos...that's a very complicated procedure if you have a screaming child.  The Sleepy Wrap could also put my son in a hammock carry, but it was hard to get on with my son screaming.  The Baby K'Tan solved all my problems.  It held him snugly in the hammock hold and allowed me to breastfeed on the move but still keep him covered.  At the time, to convince him to fall asleep in it, I would put him in and breastfeed him until he fell asleep.  Then we were good to go.  If he woke up and needed coaxing back to sleep, I could easily breastfeed him again.

When we graduated from the hammock hold (my son won't even be carried sideways at all now), I was again frustrated.  I've learned a lot about spreading a babies hips (like you would in the Ergo) and suspending baby from his crotch (like they do in the Infantino and Baby Bjorn early front and back carriers).  Actually, the Baby K'tan has a way to face baby front and back suspended from crotch, but I won't use it.  There is a small risk of it negatively affecting the spinal development, plus, how good can hanging from your crotch for long periods of time really be?  There's all sorts of baby gadgets I avoid because of that.  So, the Baby K'tan actually allowed me to invent my own hold that puts him in front of me but without spreading his legs yet.  The extra piece for tying made it possible.  Actually, I was able to pull off the same hold in the Sleepy Wrap, but at the moment, it still takes too long to get on in comparison.

So, thank you Baby K'tan.  Because of you, my very heavy son is easily portable, and that makes my life a whole lot easier.  Plus, he enjoys it now.  So a huge recommendation from me to all the moms out there...if you are interested in baby wearing, try this one out.