Babywearing Hyenas
I do not get it. I have fallen through the rabbit hole for the second time into an online world that puzzles me: Competitive shopping.
The first time, it was diapers. I was looking for something practical and reasonably attractive for Nova’s bum, and discovered that there’s a whole world of women making diapers that very nearly qualify as art. That much, I thought was pretty cool. What I find odd is the whole culture of shopping, where women hover over their computers to get on waiting lists for the most sought after diapers.
There are lots of nice diapers out there! You can make your own, even! Why the fixation on a particular brand? They’re not that much better than the others!
The babywearing scene is just as bad, if not worse. Hundreds or thousands of women all over the planet are sitting at their sewing machines, making baby carriers. Making a good one takes some skill, some design testing, some good materials, but again, it’s not all that hard to make a nice, functional carrier. That doesn’t stop people from trying to get the most fashionable thing. But you know what? The average person on the street doesn’t care how “hard to get” your mei tai was. The only people who are likely to be impressed live in on-line forums.
Scandinavian mei tais were, apparently, 2007’s biggest fad, but I’m not clear on what’s supplanted them in 2008. Some people on thebabywearer.com were raving about Octis, which I suppose are the new hot thing. To get one, you have to join a yahoo group and get on a waiting list, but they do look nice and are reported to be very comfortable. A few of the “Scandi tais” are still very sought after, too, like the Kleinsmekker, which I admit are gorgeous, but sorry, you can't get one if you don't live in the Nordic countries (except that people do, and that's where the whole competitive shopping thing comes in).
So, at the moment I have an ergo carrier. It is so un-hip. It is black, with a tan lining and hood. It fastens with buckles and you can order it from Amazon.com or any of about a million other places. The people with the fashionable mei tais look down their noses at me, just as I look down my nose at the poor people who think that baby carriers are uncomfortable because they’ve only experienced the Baby Bjorn, which is suitable up to about 10 lbs. and might throw your back out even then.
I also have a hotsling pouch, which, because it’s soft and has a pretty print on one side, may be a little bit cooler than the ergo. I used to use a moby wrap, which probably qualifies as cool because it’s a wrap, and therefore takes a lot of skill to use, but I phased it out once Nova was big enough for the ergo. I guess I'm not above having a collection of carriers, but I don't understand the need for dozens. It's like having dozens of shoes or handbags, except that you'll only be able to use them until your youngest child gets too heavy or independent-minded to carry, maybe around age 3 or 4 at the latest.
The first time, it was diapers. I was looking for something practical and reasonably attractive for Nova’s bum, and discovered that there’s a whole world of women making diapers that very nearly qualify as art. That much, I thought was pretty cool. What I find odd is the whole culture of shopping, where women hover over their computers to get on waiting lists for the most sought after diapers.
There are lots of nice diapers out there! You can make your own, even! Why the fixation on a particular brand? They’re not that much better than the others!
The babywearing scene is just as bad, if not worse. Hundreds or thousands of women all over the planet are sitting at their sewing machines, making baby carriers. Making a good one takes some skill, some design testing, some good materials, but again, it’s not all that hard to make a nice, functional carrier. That doesn’t stop people from trying to get the most fashionable thing. But you know what? The average person on the street doesn’t care how “hard to get” your mei tai was. The only people who are likely to be impressed live in on-line forums.
Scandinavian mei tais were, apparently, 2007’s biggest fad, but I’m not clear on what’s supplanted them in 2008. Some people on thebabywearer.com were raving about Octis, which I suppose are the new hot thing. To get one, you have to join a yahoo group and get on a waiting list, but they do look nice and are reported to be very comfortable. A few of the “Scandi tais” are still very sought after, too, like the Kleinsmekker, which I admit are gorgeous, but sorry, you can't get one if you don't live in the Nordic countries (except that people do, and that's where the whole competitive shopping thing comes in).
So, at the moment I have an ergo carrier. It is so un-hip. It is black, with a tan lining and hood. It fastens with buckles and you can order it from Amazon.com or any of about a million other places. The people with the fashionable mei tais look down their noses at me, just as I look down my nose at the poor people who think that baby carriers are uncomfortable because they’ve only experienced the Baby Bjorn, which is suitable up to about 10 lbs. and might throw your back out even then.
I also have a hotsling pouch, which, because it’s soft and has a pretty print on one side, may be a little bit cooler than the ergo. I used to use a moby wrap, which probably qualifies as cool because it’s a wrap, and therefore takes a lot of skill to use, but I phased it out once Nova was big enough for the ergo. I guess I'm not above having a collection of carriers, but I don't understand the need for dozens. It's like having dozens of shoes or handbags, except that you'll only be able to use them until your youngest child gets too heavy or independent-minded to carry, maybe around age 3 or 4 at the latest.
So I only want one, or maybe two. Two more, that is, and I'll probably make them myself. Then I'll join the frenzy and sell off the ones I'm not using.
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