Max has decided he really really likes to be carried around face out, which is great for a curious munchkin, but pretty hard on me.

Jonathan had success with the Bjorn (thanks again KG!), with him facing inward, but that didn't work too well for me. Jonathan also likes the bjorn a lot more than he thought he would. The lure of being hands free!


(Jonathan would like me to point out that this picture makes Max look like a rear-view shot of MODOK. I have no idea what that means, but I'm sure some of you do. And oh wait, Max's dad is a geek. As if you didn't already know that.)

Enter the sling. We started with an adjustable fleece one from Kangaroo Korner, which is nice because it's super cuddly and warm, but it's a pouch style sling, which works great for Max facing in (cuddle hold), or lying down (cradle), but not so much for facing out. The outer edge is a touch too loose for me to be truly secure with him in it like that. I think when he's bigger, it'll be fine. He's still pretty pleased being in it though:


I wasn't too sure about the ring sling style of carriers at first. A lot of the ones I'd seen were in super crunchy granola fabrics, and while that's perfect for a lot of folks, it's a little too hippie for me. A sweeping swaths of fabric just isn't quite my style, but the adjustability is great, and I found some very nice looking, not too overwhelming ones online.

At first, I figured hey, mom and I could totally make one, but then I saw that a ton of small businesses are having firesales thanks to the amazingly poorly worded CPSIA legislation (it requires everything that could be used or percieved to be intended for use by children to be fully tested for lead, even if it's something that would be almost impossible to actually contain lead--like fabric, say. check out the handmade toy alliance site for more info).

Thus, my new teal silk sling from Sleeping Baby, with a zippered pocket:

of course, Max isn't facing out here. Alas.

I also got a black hemp/silk one (also with a zippered pocket) that's super pretty and has an amazing hand. Sleeping baby also has some great instructions on how to DIY carriers. Next up, I think may be attempting to make a mai tai style carrier with buckled straps, so both Jonathan and I can use it.

and hey, go sign the petition to fix the wording on CPSIA here, and send an email to all your legislators at once here before quality handmade items--and a ton of stuff on etsy--become black market items.