March 01, 2016
What exactly is “unwearing”? It’s the act of removing both the carrier and (hopefully) a sleeping baby. Here are some tips to make your “unwearing” successful.
- Be prepared! If your baby takes a bottle, requires a favorite blankie, white noise, or darkness, set those up before you attempt to unwear. If you’re a breastfeeder, be prepared to side lie and escape after a quick feed.
- Have a flat surface to transfer baby to. Make sure it’s safe, where baby cannot roll.
- The closer you can get to your surface, the higher chance of success. Don’t be afraid to lean completely over the surface before unbuckling, the lack of support or instability can startle the baby. Sit on the edge of the bed if unwearing from a back carry, and lean back toward the surface.
- Take your time. If you hurry, you’re more likely to wake baby. That being said, once baby is completely off, RUN ;)
- Bring on the shushing. I shush and sway a bit as I unwear, until I’m completely out of the room.
- If baby starts to wake or cry, you make need to put your hand on babies abdomen as “pressure”, but keep shushing.
- Before you leave, double check no fabric or parts of the carrier are over or close to baby’s face.
- Know your escape route. Have a squeaky floor board? Know where it is so you can avoid it on the way out.
- Practice! You may not succeed the first few times, but I find as you become more and more confident, the better your odds.
- Bonus tip for those with a Velcro waist 360 – Practice the shimmy! I keep my carrier on when using the Four Position 360 carrier and instead of leaving baby asleep on the carrier, practice pulling the carrier body out from under the baby before I make my escape. I make sure the shoulder straps are out of the way to prevent them from getting caught. Practice when baby is awake on your surface of choice so you are confident once you attempt it with a sleeping baby.