Babywearing and adoption: perfect together
In honor of National Adoption Month, we’d like to showcase the journey of Kelley and her family, which she writes about on her blog, Marvelous Grace.
Throughout my post on this last trip to Russia I have mentioned our baby carrier. It has been AMAZING. It made our travels so much smoother and Tigerette loves to sit in the carrier! Our carrier is an Onya Baby carrier. We were given the opportunity to purchase an Onya Baby Outback at cost and to travel with it on this final trip to Russia in exchange for doing a review of the carrier. I am so glad we were able too. My husband and I both love it, but more importantly so does our new daughter.
The Onya is a soft structured carrier. It is designed to be worn on the front (with the baby facing you) or on your back. Another nice feature of the Onya is that it has an integrated chair harness, so you can turn regular chairs into a secure place for your child to sit. It is designed for children from 15 to 45 pounds, making it a great toddler carrier. When it first arrived, I tried it out with my Dad’s four year old. She was comfortable to carry around in the front and rear carry positions. Once we picked up Tigerette, we used it constantly; through airports, the sidewalks of Moscow, our hotels, and everywhere else we went. We borrowed a stroller for one walk and she much preferred the carrier. We also preferred the carrier, because it was much easier to get around without a stroller.
Tigerette just turned two. She is just under three feet tall and weighs thirty pounds. I was able to comfortably carry her for all of our walks. Often times, the walks were quite long. At first, when she was in the front carry position, I had difficulty navigating steps, because it is a little difficult to see the ground around her. But once I adjusted to the new center of gravity you experience when I added a thirty pound child, I no longer had problems. She seems lighter and easier to carry in the back carry position, but Tigerette prefers the front carry. The front carry is a great position for bonding, since we are face to face, so I prefer it right now too. Once we have formed a stronger attachment with her, I will probably try to use the back carry more often.
The Onya had a few basic straps to use when you utilize the carrier. It has two shoulder straps, a waist belt strap, and a strap the secures the shoulder straps together. The use of the straps is pretty straight forward. However, Onya does provide some great videos on different ways to get your child into the carrier. When we first started using the carrier, it took two people to get her settled into the Onya. After a little practice, my husband and I can both take her in and out of the carrier without assistance.
The straps to use the Onya as a seat are a little more complicated. Once again, Onya provides some detailed videos on how to use the carrier in a chair. Since Tigerette can support herself in a chair we didn’t end up needing this feature. When you are not using the chair the straps tuck neatly away. I worried they would dig into her back, but she has never indicated that they bother her.
Now that we are home, we are still using it frequently. We take it shopping, to Church, and anywhere we go! We also use it to help her relax for bedtime. Due to the changes she has been through, getting her to sleep is amazingly difficult. But if we put her in the Onya Baby and walk through the neighborhood, she falls asleep. So twice a day we strap her in and head out. Without it, I doubt anyone would get any sleep in this house. Thank you, Onya! 
We love ours and would be lost without it!
From the family at Onya Baby: Thank you so much, Kelley! We so thrilled and honored to be a part of your amazing adoption journey. Thank you for bringing us along for the ride! Many congratulations on your new arrival.
Happy babywearing!
