We have now found two of the secrets of successful parenting: coffee and booze. Okay, really they are the baby crack swing and a nice long walk. To help that walk be a bit more effective, we use one of two of our three carriers (four if you count the jogging stroller, but we haven't take that out yet).
If you have ever seen the Stars Wars trilogy (yes, trilogy, there are only three...) perhaps you remember when Han and the gang travel to the Cloud City and visit Lando "That is one smooth malt liquor" Carisian. Unfortunately for Han and friends, Darth Vader is already there and captures them, but as the gang are meeting there doom, C3PO has wandered off into the droid dismantling room where he is, well, dismantled. On there way out, battling the Storm Troopers (or perhaps at some other point, I don't remember), the Wookie, Chewbaca, finds C3PO and puts him in a box and later transfers him to a sort of mesh backpack. Eventually, they return to the Rebel base and gets him put back together.
When I was a kid, an avid fan of the Star Wars trilogy (see note above), I collected many of the toy Star Wars figurines. I took all of mine out of the package and played with them. One of my favorites was the C3PO that came apart and included that same mesh bag to put on the (sold separately) Chewbaca.
My favorite of our multitude of baby carriers (yes, this is about baby carriers, still) is the Baby Bjorn, a simple black chest worn carrier. For the newborn, you can situate the baby facing you with a small padded strap to protect the head. At about 6-8 weeks, the baby can be turned around, with the padded strap being turned under and fastened over the arms, giving a place for the sleeping baby to rest his head. As they get bigger, this same strap can go under the arms, allowing more chest-mounted freedom. Overall, it allows the baby to look out during walks, taking in the whole world.
Mason loves this one, at least when I walk him, because he loves being carried face out and watching. The other day, while carrying him in the Baby Bjorn, I caught our reflection in a store window and realized, although he was all in one piece, wasn't a droid, and I wasn't a Wookie, there we were, Mason and the Wookie. Me, the bearded Wookie, baby Mason strapped to my chest, on our way - the long, sleepy, round about way - back to the rebel base station also known as home.
