Articles:
Getting
Back to Basics with Babywearing
Everything
You Ever Wanted To Know About Slings
The Maya
Wrap Baby Sling
By Lisa Poisso
The Maya Wrap is the mama of all
baby slings. Everybody’s seen a Maya Wrap – it’s
that gorgeous swath of Guatemalan fabric you see babies tucked
into and toddlers joyously hip-straddling inside. The Maya
is a practical yet elegant answer to versatile babywearing
at all ages and stages.
Description
This simple, versatile style – basically a length of sturdy cotton fabric
gathered on a set of slip rings – can be worn with babies and toddlers
of all ages in many different positions.
Advantages
Easy to use A practiced user can slip on
a Maya Wrap and set a child inside in seconds. You can slide
a coat or jacket on over a Maya Wrap. The tail of the wrap
now features a sewn-in pocket for carrying a diaper or lightweight
items. The sturdy 100 percent cotton fabric is lightweight
and cool.
Portable The Maya Wrap is lightweight and
easy to carry folded up inside a diaper bag or purse.
Versatile You can wear a child in reclining, front, hip and back-carry
positions. The Maya Wrap’s lack of padding lets you use it as a blanket,
a shopping cart safety strap, a harness and more. You can wear more than one
child at a time in more than one sling.
Discreet The Maya Wrap is designed so that its “tail” (the
portion of fabric that threads through the rings and then hangs) is long enough
to be used as a drape to help assure discreet nursing.
Easy to clean The 100 percent cotton Maya
Wrap is machine washable in cold water.
Fits many sizes The Maya Wrap is sized to
accommodate a wide range of users in each size range. Sizes
are based on total length; shorter, smaller people will want
shorter slings, and vice versa. Dads can often share the same
sling as their smaller spouses because they won’t need
extra tail length for nursing coverage.
Safe materials Maya Wrap has a certificate
from the manufacturer stating that the dyes used to make Maya
Wrap Baby Carriers do not contain any copper, nickel, lead,
mercury, cadmium, cobalt, aluminum, arsenic, chromium or any
other poisonous substance.
Socially responsible The Maya Wrap is a fair
trade product woven by men in Guatemala. No children are involved
in the manufacture (with the youngest employee during a recent
visit by Maya Wrap’s owner being about age 20), and the
sewing facility is not a maquiladora; no children under 16
may be involved with making Maya Wrap products, by company
policy.
Disadvantages
Availability You won’t find a Maya Wrap at the local baby store
or department store. The Maya Wrap is available online from the manufacturer
by toll-free telephone, online or by local distributors (listed on Maya Wrap’s
web site).
Learning curve The Maya Wrap can be intimidating
to learn to use, especially with a tiny baby. Clear, explicit
instructions and an online video can help. A real-life demonstration
from a friend goes a long way to making this parenting tool
make sense, and practice makes perfect.
Resources
Maya Wrap,
toll free 1-888 MAYA WRAP
Read Babywearing by
Maria Blois
Buy on Amazon.com
The book is a comprehensive resource about babywearing. Dr. Blois covers
the history and benefits of attachment parenting and where baby wearing fits
in. She describes in words and pictures ways to carry your baby. She includes
reviews of various baby carriers - packs, pouches and slings - to allow you to
make your own best choice.
Lisa Poisso has performed in ballet
and musical theatre, edited magazines, slogged through the
world of corporate communications and run a home-based writing
and editing business while raising a family. A passionate advocate
for attachment parenting and natural family living, she is
the founder and publisher of APConnect!,
Dallas/Fort Worth’s online resource for AP and natural
parenting. She writes for publications and edits for authors
specializing in the natural family, attachment parenting, vegetarian
and parenting fields.
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