Thursday, February 27, 2014

NuRoo and the Benefits of Kangaroo Care


I first learned about the NuRoo brand while shopping at a craft store and I saw a mama wearing her little one in what looked like a tight fitting shirt. Penny was about 6 months old at the time and the mama also had a little girl around the same age so I asked her about the shirt. She explained that it was a NuRoo and that I should check it out!

After doing a little bit of research I learned that NuRoo Pocket is more than just a babywearing shirt. The moms behind NuRoo created their line of products with scientific research backing up the benefits of kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact) for newborns and mothers.

Learn about the science of skin-to-skin at Nuroo
Kangaroo care / skin-to-skin clearly has so many benefits that I instinctively used with Penny but never understood the science behind it. For her first couple weeks I instinctively kept her close to me at all times (bedsharing from day 1) and most of the time simply wore a diaper and laid on my chest, with a blanket covering us; nursing on demand. As a second time mom I have a much better idea of how to do these sort of things more efficiently (and let's face it - with two under two efficiency will be an absolute must!) and I'm excited to have the opportunity over the next few weeks to try out NuRoo's fabulous line of mama-baby products with my second daughter, Ruby:

  • The NuRoo Pocket - the product that started it all for me. After learning about kangaroo care from NuRoo I feel like a completely new world has been opened up for me in learning about the incredibly amazing bond that mothers and their babies have even after birth.
  • The NuRoo Nursing Scarf - I fought with my nursing cover with Penny. It was horrible. I could never get it figured out and felt like it was honestly the biggest bulls eye for drawing attention to oneself while nursing in public. While on a family vacation for my brother's University of Alabama graduation I was admonished for wearing "a blanket" in this heat by an older man, who then laughed when he realized that there was a baby under there. NIP, for me, should be a natural and carefree act, and I felt like by working so hard to cover myself that I was making a bigger production out of it than if I could just gracefully nurse and then move on. Nursing scarves are a big part of my post partum wardrobe and the NuRoo Nursing Scarf has like a bazillion ways you can wear it too!
  • The NuRoo Swaddler - I didn't swaddle Penny, perse. For her first couple weeks she was mostly in just a diaper and wrapped in nicely in one of the many receiving blankets I had sewn for her. I had mixed results from other moms who loved swaddles and others who hated them, so I just glossed over swaddles in general and never tried them out. But my love for NuRoo products gives me the umph to check this swaddle out for Ruby, especially since it has a 3 in 1 design to allow the swaddle to grow with baby.
Did you babywear or practice skin-to-skin contact with your littles?
Which of these products appeals the most to you?

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for full reviews of each of the above products!

Be Social. Learn more about NuRoo
online  //  facebook // twitter 


Disclosure: I received product in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

2 comments:

  1. I personally find that using nothing to "cover" baby while nursing is the most discreet! When we use blankets, it says, look I'm doing something! Lol
    People don't even realize what your doing bc your not trying to hid anything. This shirt thingy has me thinking no. For one, I'm a bigger girl and it looks like it would show everything from your back...like back boobs etc..how it holdd the baby tightly is beyond me. But maybe its awesome. Idk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amanda, I completely agree that forgoing many of the nursing covers is the best way to go if you really don't want to make a big production out of it. But some mamas like covers because it provides them with a little bit of security. I'm sort of in the middle; depending on where I am I will choose to cover a little or not at all; but I'm definitely done with the HUGE blankets that scream 'HEY LOOK OVER HERE, but DON'T look at me!" lol.

      I'll be sure to include in my review of the NuRoo pocket if we have issues with 'back boobs' ;)

      Delete