Erin: How to tie a baby to your back

All women in Tanzania carry their youngest child with them. Most of the babies look quietly content upon their perch. If you want a quiet happy baby on your back, all you have to do is follow these simple steps:

1. Find your self a kanga or shawl or any piece of fabric that is at least 6 feet long and maybe 2-3 feet wide.
2. Place the baby on your back. First, bend over at the waist to almost a 90° angle.  Place the baby (or have someone assist you) with its stomach against your back and its legs straddling you. The head should lie in between your shoulder blades. Support the baby’s bottom with your hand to assure yourself that he does not slide off.
3. Take your kanga or fabric. Place the top of the narrower dimension over the baby’s shoulders. The bottom of the narrower dimension (along with most of the fabric) goes underneath the baby’s butt. Hold one of the ends of fabric over your right shoulder and the other under your left shoulder (or visa versa). You should now be able to sit up, holding on to the longer ends of the fabric, which is supporting your baby as if in a sling. Note: the arms and shoulders should be covered by the fabric (to prevent mischief) but it’s okay if the legs stick out.
4. Tie the fabric tightly between your breasts with a double knot.
5. If your baby gets hungry, or needs some face time, just swing him around to your front. The fabric will continue to support him
6. If you feel uncomfortable trying this with a baby, try it first with a bag of sugar. It’s not as bad to drop a bag of sugar on your first try than your little cousin.

We will work on getting some pics so you can have a better idea of what we're talking about soon!