Wearing Your Baby in the Rain

by tedgar | More from this Blogger

30 Sep 2009 11:11 PM

Those who have been following my ramblings about slings will know that I adore soft structured baby carriers. However, I also live in a city where it rains. Sometimes it seems to rain all of the time!

When my daughter was small, I carried her around in the Ergo soft structured baby carrier. When she was four months old, she sat on my front. As she got older, she moved to the back until she was just over two. Then we switched to the Patapum Toddler because she was almost 35 pounds and too tall for the Ergo.

Suffice it to say that I have some experience wearing a child in a soft carrier!

I also love to hike. For the first two years, my daughter, the Ergo and I went on a lot of rainy day hikes together. I go stir crazy in the house all day, so we had to get out, but we didn't want to get soaked. Here are some tips for wearing your baby in the rain.

1. Wear good rain adult rain gear If you can, find rain gear that is relatively smooth. No ponchos please! The less bulky the gear, the easier it is to wear a baby on top of it. Rain pants are excellent if you can get them - they eliminate discomfort from splashes.

2. Get good baby rain gear Get your baby a rain jacket and rain pants. Again, look for clothes that are not overly stiff or bulky, since baby will be in the carrier.

3. Get a large umbrella I'm talking golf umbrellas here. Get the largest umbrella that you can safely use on a city street, take on the bus, and use in the forest. An umbrella that can cover you and a baby on your back is a wonderful thing!

4. Get baby legs to cover the gaps Little legs get chilly in the wet, cold weather. Use Babylegs or other baby leg warmers to cover the inevitable gap between shoes and pants. Your baby's pants will ride up when he is in the carrier.

5. Use shoes You don't need to dress your baby in boots if she is not yet walking. However, it's good to dress her in something - preferably flexible shoes that are easy to get in and out of the carrier. That way her little feet stay dry.

Getting ready for an outdoor excursion in the rain doesn't need to be painful. But thinking ahead can save you a lot of dampness later on. What are your tips for getting outdoors in the fall weather?

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Tricia Edgar is a mom of one lovely daughter. Before her daughter was born, she decided to be guided by the needs of her child, and this led her to attachment parenting philosophies.

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