We have no yaya. Albeit we do have someone who comes in everyday to help out with the household chores and Rui especially when I’m working. But during Sundays, when we go out, and for the most part this Holiday season, its just the three of us – which is fine with me as with our shoebox of a home, there’s not much of a privacy to go around. But what can be a bit of a challenge is when we go out with Rui. So far, most of our outings to date involve both me and the husband – I have never tried going out with just the 2 of us. Anyway, what made our Holiday shopping a success with Rui in tow is baby wearing. Whoever invented this concept is pure genius.

I have to admit it was not as easy as I first thought as I was afraid of hurting her or “pilay” (is this even true?) whenever we tried it out when she was smaller. But after watching countless videos in You Tube and reading how-to’s, the first one we mastered was Indigo Baby‘s pouch.

I love it because:

1. Wear it, shoot baby’s butt and you’re good to go. No more straps to adjust or anything.
2. When Rui was smaller, I liked doing the kangaroo front-facing position with her in this, as parang mas naaaliw siya because she can see a lot.
3. This is waaay easier to learn compared to the ring sling.
4. Rui has no problems sleeping while on it.

On the other hand, it has downsides:

1. As the pouch is not adjustable, now that she’s bigger we can’t do some of the positions anymore, such as the front-facing one. From the start we can’t do the cradle carry either as Rui is a bit long/tall and its a tight fit.
2. The pouch comes in different sizes for the wearer. So the husband cannot wear this as it will be a tighter fit.
3. The material can be hot and stuffy for both of us.

On her third or fourth month, we have successfully worn the ring sling (at last!). In most of the videos I watched, most of them says that the ring sling has a steep learning curve. And it does. But I think using it successfully depends on the confidence of the wearer – that he/she will not hurt the baby haha. And I became much more confident nalang to use it when Rui was much older na and mas mukhang hindi na mababali.

The ring sling’s plus points for me are:

1. Its adjustable. So I can see us using this for a long time – well hopefully haha.
2. I can use the “tail” or the remaining fabric as a cover during breastfeeding, and when it gets too windy or maaraw
3. Rui also has no qualms sleeping while on it (see how sleepy she is in the above pic)
4. The husband can also use it – yey!

While the downsides are:

1. Adjusting the fabric can be a bit challenging, especially if you are a newbie or have a fussy baby.
2. It has a very steep learning curve haha. But seriously, practice is required. A lot of practice.

There are also times when this is how we roll:

I find the stroller useful when we have a lot of shopping and during eating out (we can set Rui on it and eat – when she’s not fussy). But it can also be a hassle to navigate in crowded malls. Not to mention that most malls here in Manila are not stroller-friendly – I’m scared to even try going up and down an escalator using a stroller. We’ve also tried using it in the grocery. All was well until Rui became fussy and wanted to be lulled to sleep. No way can the husband navigate both the stroller and the grocery cart while I carry the bebe. So I had to lull Rui to sleep in one corner in the grocery with the stroller. After that incident, we just baby wore her when out shopping.

Needless to say, baby wearing saved us from achy arms during our lakwatsas.