Name:  PAXmommy Brianna Fanelli – due Spring 2013 with Baby Girl #2

What was your very first “gateway” carrier?:  A Rockin’ Baby Ring Sling – with purple zebra stripes! It was SO cute, but didn’t work very well for us. The recommendation for newborns at the time was still the cradle hold, and my daughter was 22″ at birth – it was obviously uncomfortable for her, but we didn’t have any “expert” help at the time. I’m so glad we kept looking for other options!

How many carriers/slings/wraps do you have in your “stash”: This could get me in trouble! Right now, I have 10 wraps, 1 SSC, 1 MT, and 1 WCMT.

Fave food for late night snacking when you are up late working on Pax “missions”: It’s a toss up between carrot sticks with hummus and lemon basil sorbet.

How many kids do you currently have:  Just one – the most amazing, spirited, bold, 2 year old ever! Seriously, she’s the bee’s knees!!

A little bird told me you are pregnant, what is the best carrier for your cute little belly: I am! 20 weeks, and SO excited!! I’m at war with buckles right now. The webbing feels terrible on my belly. So, as usual, we’re almost exclusively wrapping! Normally, 3.6m and 4.6m are my go-to sizes, but I’m finding I prefer 4.2 and 5.2m now! Before I was pregnant, the tails on my 5.2m dragged on the ground in a FWCC! I almost sold that wrap, so many times, because it just didn’t work for us with all that length, but I have a hard time selling things, even when they don’t work. Now I’m really glad I kept it around!!

How long do you anticipate wearing your other kids while pregnant: Today is actually the halfway mark to my EDD, and I’m still wearing very comfortably and frequently, as long as it’s in the right carrier. I wore my daughter for nearly 2 hours straight today while we walked around Balboa Park, and although I’m sure we’ll be wearing for shorter times toward the end of my pregnancy, I don’t foresee us stopping at all!

Goals for babywearing with your new little bean, and will you allow others to babywear him or her: I have a secret. I’m a ring sling failure. I just can’t seem to make them work, no matter how hard I try, or which shoulder I use. This time around, I’m going to get GOOD at ring slings. It’s just an added bonus that I have Jillian to help teach me!

Have you successfully BF’d your babes while babywearing, and if not do you plan to try this time: Yes, TONS! I really ONLY breastfeed in a carrier when we’re out in public. It’s much more comfortable for me, and really easy, once you know how to do it!

What is your “go-to” present to bring to a baby shower: Wooden toys, Dr. Sears books, and a stretchy wrap!

If you could design your dream carrier what would it look like/or if it already exists tell us about it: I REALLY want to have my Didymos Anthracite Houndstooth converted into an Obimama! Zen straps, knee padding, an extra layer of fabric in the body, a headrest, and a removable, adjustable hood with tie offs. I’ve put some thought into this, can you tell?!

What advice would you give to new babywear-ers: “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again!” Seriously, though, I’ve seen too many people give up on babywearing because the first carrier they tried wasn’t comfortable for them. I promise, your PERFECT carrier is out there!!! Our first carrier was the aforementioned ring sling. It wasn’t a great fit for us, so we got a Moby Wrap, which we liked a lot, except that our daughter was born in Florida – in AUGUST! It was SOOOOO hot! So we got an adorable meh dai, which we loved, but we still wanted to try some other options. Next came a Boba, and then our first wrap, more ring slings, more SSCs, and it just sort of spiraled out of control from there!

Peace, love, and * happy babywearing*,
Brianna

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