It’s been hot lately. Hot and dry. While I love the nice weather and the opportunity to get out and about more, it also means a lot of pain for me. I have Hyper Mobility Syndrome, which means that my joints don’t work quite right and they don’t know when they are stretching too much, causing me swelling and pain throughout my body. This gets much worse when it is hot and close.

This means that I’ve had to adjust how I carry my babies. I can’t use wraps just now, as I can’t make a fist or pinch my fingers which rules out the strand by strand tightening which is essential to a well adjusted wrap. So I’ve been using my ring slings where I can as (although they also use strand by strand) they are much more forgiving of a sloppy tightening! They also spread nicely over my shoulder reducing the pain in that specific joint for me. When I can’t bear the weight on my shoulders I have used them to torso carry, keeping all the weight round my chest and reducing the load on my joints.

I’ve also used some buckle carriers for quickness and security while my hands have been more functional but still sore. When I’m struggling with my joints I often find it easier to grab my favourite buckle carrier and click a few clips and know my baby is safe, rather than worry I’ve not had the strength in my fingers to tighten a wrap well.

With the rain coming this weekend I should see the pain lessen – I’m like an old witch in a story feeling the weather change in my bones! – but it’s good to have options for when I feel so sore. This will pass and I will be able to go back to my normal style of carrying, but this type of challenge is really useful to work out new ways to keep my children close while looking after myself.