The Pram-Free Challenge: Trials, tribulations & triumphs.

It was the first time venturing to a shopping centre minus pram to meet a friend.

I had my baby wrap(size 5) in tow & my trusty nappy bag. I stood in the carpark wrapping my baby straight from her seat, flung my nappy bag over my shoulder & off we went.

I had a hole process, I've learnt to jam a key in my pocket or slide it under the waist band of my leggings for easy access, to lock the car whilst carrying the nappy bag.

Baby wearing allows you full mobility of your hands, so that wasn't a concern.

In hind sight I was ill prepared, I hadn't emptied out my nappy bag in quite some time, so the multiple (clean) changes of clothes had been piling up, along with creams, teethers, toys and my arch nemesis, water bottles.

After we had lunch we walked around the shopping centre, changing bub was doable due to our change mat, just meant unwrapping & wrapping, which I was becoming quicker at anyway.

My main concern was my heavy bag digging into my arm. "Noted", I thought to myself "I'll have to do a clean when I get home."

Which I did, keeping only necessities and things that were light, such as multiple nappies... I always make sure I have at least 5 on hand... just in case!

Not having a pram meant I got to practice different carries. It was also an excuse to have a few travellers which meant I got to try out different sizes.

Size 5 is great for me for most carries & finishes, however tails easily drag on grubby carpark/shopping centre floors when wrapping and unwrapping.

I discovered a few techniques for maintaining clean tails whilst wrapping in carparks, one was keeping the tails in the car/ boot whilst wrapping, the other was holding the tails between my knees.

I also came to realise that a size 3 is by far the easiest to keep clean & my go to was a fwcc(tub).

We did poppins a few times due to half of the carry being able to be pre-wrapped.

Very rarely bub would be tired of being carried when I was out. What was I going to do? I had no where to put her! Or did I? We soon realised that wraps are made to be used. On a few occasions we folded the wrap like a picnic blanket and placed it on clean surfaces for bub to lie on. She loved it. If she wasn't falling asleep on mummy, it was likely that she'd fall asleep on a wrap. Another thing I learnt was that I could thread toys or teethers with giant rings attached onto one of my shoulder passes to keep bub entertained. Look at me, human pram! Doesn't help that I'd sometimes sing her Giddy Up Horsie around the house.

The thing that hit home for hubby was when we went to the Melbourne Toddler and baby show and other parents were struggling to manoeuvre their prams around each other, whilst we weaved quickly in and out with bub in a wrap. "Everyone should be wearing one of those." He chuffed.

I also got him in a poppins carry whilst we were at a family friends formula 1 event. Even if the wrap was purple! Great success.

2 months on, and occasionally I use a trolley for groceries and bag carrying purposes but it suffices to say I don't miss my pram.. Looks like we'll have a really glam grocery trolley soon. Don't let hubby see that though! Muahaha.