Thursday, October 11, 2012
International Babywearing Week - Thursday
Happy Thursday everyone! The gateway to the weekend! Today we are celebrating soft structured carriers. Ah... Soft Structured Carriers... my favorite! Our Boba gets used on an almost daily basis... weekly basis at the least. The thing I love most about SSC's is their ease of use. They have a very small learning curve which is why they are a big hit with dads. The buckles are similar to a back pack, in fact if you can put on a back pack you can wear a SSC. Although some can be used for squishies, they really excel for older, heaver babies. This is the one you can put your toddler in and hike all day with.
Are you a new parent wanting to learn about babywearing? Are you a veteran wearer wanting to meet others and learn more? Join us for a sling party or other get together! The Charlotte Babywearers
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
International Babywearing Week - Wednesday
Happy Wednesday everyone!! Today we are talking about woven wraps. The major advantage of wovens is that they can go from the first day you want to babywear to the last. They are amazingly versatile and offer infinite options. The hard thing about wrapping is... well the wrapping. I have to admit, I never got the hang of it. But we have lots of people in the group who are awesome wrappers. If you want to see more wrap awesomeness then check out Greetings from Eisenbergia
Are you a new parent wanting to learn about babywearing? Are you a veteran wearer wanting to meet others and learn more? Join us for a sling party or other get together! The Charlotte Babywearers
Are you a new parent wanting to learn about babywearing? Are you a veteran wearer wanting to meet others and learn more? Join us for a sling party or other get together! The Charlotte Babywearers
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
International Babywearing Week - Tuesday
Have you ever used a pouch or sized sling? What were your thoughts?
Are you a new parent wanting to learn about babywearing? Are you a veteran wearer wanting to meet others and learn more? Join us for a sling party or other get together! The Charlotte Babywearers
Monday, October 8, 2012
International Babywearing Week - Monday
Happy Monday Everyone! And Happy International Babywearing Week! Anyone planning to celebrate? The Charlotte Babywearers will be gathering out at McDowell Park for a BYO-Picnic on Saturday and you are welcome to join. For my personal celebration, though I've decided to post a pic every day of us using a different wrap/carrier. It's been fun going back through my pics and finding ones to fill out the week. Today we start with my first wrap.
This is a stretchy wrap (similar to the Moby) and it saved our sanity! Worse came to worse, I could pop her in this thing and walk around and she would calm down. This pic was taken on the way to our first pediatrician's appointment so Turtle would have been just over a week old. Wrapping can be intimidating! But it can also be awesome! I loved that I could put my wrap on before I left the house and pop her in and out at every stop without having to re-wrap.
Have you used a stretchy wrap? What did you think?
Are you a new parent wanting to learn about babywearing? Are you an veteran wearer wanting to meet others and learn more? Join us for a sling party or other get together! The Charlotte Babywearers
This is a stretchy wrap (similar to the Moby) and it saved our sanity! Worse came to worse, I could pop her in this thing and walk around and she would calm down. This pic was taken on the way to our first pediatrician's appointment so Turtle would have been just over a week old. Wrapping can be intimidating! But it can also be awesome! I loved that I could put my wrap on before I left the house and pop her in and out at every stop without having to re-wrap.
Have you used a stretchy wrap? What did you think?
Are you a new parent wanting to learn about babywearing? Are you an veteran wearer wanting to meet others and learn more? Join us for a sling party or other get together! The Charlotte Babywearers
Monday, September 24, 2012
Weekend Happenings
This weekend was a wonderful mix of work and play, toil and tumble. We started out fairly bright and early at the Festival in the Park, an art/craft/music festival which is a staple in our town. After skipping it for a few years due to the crowds and the heat we decided to try it early in the morning and that seemed to be the key. We got there at 10am, right as the festival was opening. It was cool, it wasn't too horribly crowded and we were able to find street parking not far from the park and avoid the highway robbery everyone was charging.
They had easels set up for the kids to color on, but no matter how I held the paper, she was way more interested in coloring on the easels themselves. Yep, that's my kid! The rest of Saturday was spent lounging around the house, catching up on TV shows and watching movies with Turtle.
Sunday morning Turtle and I made our weekly grocery store trip. I love grocery shopping once I learned that there are very few people at the store at 9am on a Sunday morning. I like to take Turtle with me so that Daddy has an hour or so to sleep or just hang out by himself.
When I got back, we put on a movie for Turtle and Daddy Turtle and I cleaned up the kitchen and cooked brunch. Scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage links and french toasts.
After brunch (which was more like lunch), we put Turtle down for a nap and crossed our fingers. I'm hosting a babywearing meet up at my house next Saturday. Well, the carpet in our living room was in desperate need of being cleaned. Our hope was to get it done while Turtle was sleeping but this was the first time we had every tried to coordinate something during her nap time. (She is terrified of the vacuum cleaner so we knew we couldn't do it while she was awake.)
We moved everything into the kitchen and amazingly got the entire floor vacuumed and steam cleaned before she woke up. We knew keeping an active toddler off the carpet would be too much to ask and given the gloriousness of the weather yesterday, I met Grandma at the park with Turtle and Daddy stayed home to monitor the carpet and move everything back.
Turtle discovered the swinging bridge and was in hog heaven. It was hilarious to watch her treat it like a set of stairs, going down backwards, standing up to walk the middle and then getting down on her knees to crawl up the other side. I stood there and watched her go back and forth for probably 15 minutes. Soon there after we got a text from Daddy saying we could come home.
But before we headed into the house for good we broke out the sidewalk chalk to see what Turtle thought. As she is with everything Mama thinks is going to be awesome, Turtle was underwhelmed. I did get this awesome shot right though before she bit it on the sidewalk and we had to go inside to attend to a very broken finger nail.
I'm so thankful for the cooler weather. I feel like we have been sequestered inside for months now. I'm definitely ready to get back outside!
How was everyone's weekend?
They had easels set up for the kids to color on, but no matter how I held the paper, she was way more interested in coloring on the easels themselves. Yep, that's my kid! The rest of Saturday was spent lounging around the house, catching up on TV shows and watching movies with Turtle.
Sunday morning Turtle and I made our weekly grocery store trip. I love grocery shopping once I learned that there are very few people at the store at 9am on a Sunday morning. I like to take Turtle with me so that Daddy has an hour or so to sleep or just hang out by himself.
When I got back, we put on a movie for Turtle and Daddy Turtle and I cleaned up the kitchen and cooked brunch. Scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage links and french toasts.
After brunch (which was more like lunch), we put Turtle down for a nap and crossed our fingers. I'm hosting a babywearing meet up at my house next Saturday. Well, the carpet in our living room was in desperate need of being cleaned. Our hope was to get it done while Turtle was sleeping but this was the first time we had every tried to coordinate something during her nap time. (She is terrified of the vacuum cleaner so we knew we couldn't do it while she was awake.)
We moved everything into the kitchen and amazingly got the entire floor vacuumed and steam cleaned before she woke up. We knew keeping an active toddler off the carpet would be too much to ask and given the gloriousness of the weather yesterday, I met Grandma at the park with Turtle and Daddy stayed home to monitor the carpet and move everything back.
Turtle discovered the swinging bridge and was in hog heaven. It was hilarious to watch her treat it like a set of stairs, going down backwards, standing up to walk the middle and then getting down on her knees to crawl up the other side. I stood there and watched her go back and forth for probably 15 minutes. Soon there after we got a text from Daddy saying we could come home.
But before we headed into the house for good we broke out the sidewalk chalk to see what Turtle thought. As she is with everything Mama thinks is going to be awesome, Turtle was underwhelmed. I did get this awesome shot right though before she bit it on the sidewalk and we had to go inside to attend to a very broken finger nail.
I'm so thankful for the cooler weather. I feel like we have been sequestered inside for months now. I'm definitely ready to get back outside!
How was everyone's weekend?
Friday, September 21, 2012
Changes... They is Happening
Wow! It's amazing to me that it's been almost a year since I blogged regularly... a year of challenges and learning to accept limitation. In August of last year, Daddy Turtle started back to school. So, not only did he work during the day, but he would then go straight to school. Four nights a week it would be 11pm or later before he got home. That was challenging.
I still wonder how we survived those early days. Turtle was so small and often times didn't want to be put down, so I would wear her most evenings in order to even get our stuff carried in from the car. I lost count of how many bowls of cereal I ate standing up and bouncing her.
It seems like a million miles away.
Now, a year later we still have the same schedule, but life is so completely different. For one, I've learned that I cannot do it all.
It wasn't easy!
Mama Turtle is my name, over-achieving is my game! And it almost killed me!
But slowly and steadily Turtle became more independent, even sleeping in her own room! The new-found space allowed me to think, and I had a revelation... a revelation of precisely how many hours we as a family have together in a week. And that number was scary small! So, I decided that I needed to focus on what made us all happy. No more wasting time on obligatory non-sense. No more worrying about the tidiness of a house we hardly spend any time in. This is our family and our family time and I have a right to guard it!
This doesn't mean that we don't spend time apart. I just took over leadership of the local babywearing group and I'm becoming more involved in other groups and activities that make me happy and bring me joy. Daddy Turtle loves his monthly Cars and Coffee car meets. But I look at everything differently. I evaluate my commitments differently. Time is a finite resource in our family. So, my questions are always, "Is this a good use of our time? Do we have the time and energy to participate in this activity? How will this activity impact each family member? Have we planned adequate time to rest and recharge?" Doesn't mean we always get it right. Some weeks we do better than others. But the shift in perspective has helped me see that often times, when our family gets crabby and unhappy, it's because we are being haphazard with our time.
I won't say that I'm going to start updating this blog on any regular schedule (although I hope to), but I will say that it's good to be back. :-)
And because I hate wall 'o text, picture-less posts, here are some of my recent Instagram pics to hold you over.
Happy Friday everyone!
I still wonder how we survived those early days. Turtle was so small and often times didn't want to be put down, so I would wear her most evenings in order to even get our stuff carried in from the car. I lost count of how many bowls of cereal I ate standing up and bouncing her.
It seems like a million miles away.
Now, a year later we still have the same schedule, but life is so completely different. For one, I've learned that I cannot do it all.
It wasn't easy!
Mama Turtle is my name, over-achieving is my game! And it almost killed me!
But slowly and steadily Turtle became more independent, even sleeping in her own room! The new-found space allowed me to think, and I had a revelation... a revelation of precisely how many hours we as a family have together in a week. And that number was scary small! So, I decided that I needed to focus on what made us all happy. No more wasting time on obligatory non-sense. No more worrying about the tidiness of a house we hardly spend any time in. This is our family and our family time and I have a right to guard it!
This doesn't mean that we don't spend time apart. I just took over leadership of the local babywearing group and I'm becoming more involved in other groups and activities that make me happy and bring me joy. Daddy Turtle loves his monthly Cars and Coffee car meets. But I look at everything differently. I evaluate my commitments differently. Time is a finite resource in our family. So, my questions are always, "Is this a good use of our time? Do we have the time and energy to participate in this activity? How will this activity impact each family member? Have we planned adequate time to rest and recharge?" Doesn't mean we always get it right. Some weeks we do better than others. But the shift in perspective has helped me see that often times, when our family gets crabby and unhappy, it's because we are being haphazard with our time.
I won't say that I'm going to start updating this blog on any regular schedule (although I hope to), but I will say that it's good to be back. :-)
And because I hate wall 'o text, picture-less posts, here are some of my recent Instagram pics to hold you over.
Planning her escape from the park.
Brushing teeth with Daddy.
Fun in the French Broad River.
Snuggles at the pediatricians office.
Happy Friday everyone!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Babywearing: The Gear
1) Stretchy Wrap (Similar to a Moby)
The wrap I have was made by a WAHM (work at home mama) who is no longer in business, so although I love mine, I cannot link you to it. Basically, they are a very long piece of stretchy material that you wrap in different ways to create the carrier. It can have a learning curve and some folks never get the hang of the wrapping part but after a few YouTube videos and some practice I found it to be a breeze. The most popular of these types of wraps is the Moby which is sold at most of the major baby retailers. There is also one called the Baby K'Tan which I've heard great things about too. The K'Tan is sewn so that it doesn't have to be wrapped as extensively. There are also lots of tutorials out there for making your own. I will say that my friend had one made and the material she chose was a lot looser than mine meaning it wasn't as supportive. So keep that in mind when looking for material.
Advantages: This type of wrap is perfect for those little squishy babies. It snuggles them into your chest and is a perfect place/position to sleep in. I would wrap the fabric before I left the house so all I had to do was pop her in and out at each stop. Finally, carrying Turtle so close to me detered random people from wanting to touch her. Major score during cold and flu season!
Disadvantages: Turtle was a winter baby, so it wasn't a big deal for us, but I've heard that these types of wraps, especially the Moby brand can be very warm in hot weather. These carriers are NOT sutable for back carries, because of the stretch in the material. Finally, because of the length of the fabric, it can be a challenge to wrap it on the go without it dangling in a dirty parking lot. Again, though, I just wrapped it before I left the house and wore it all day long.
Bottom Line: This is my absolute favorite type of carrier for little squishy babies.
2) Woven Wraps
Advantages: Front carries, hip carries, back carries the options are endless with this type of wrap. It can be used with tiny squishies up to toddlers.
Disadvantages: The wrapping can be intimidating, although there are many, many YouTube videos out there to help. I wish I'd know about our local babywearing group. I might have found someone who could have helped me figure it out.
Bottom line: If you can overcome the intimidation factor and master the wrapping, this type of carrier is fantastic and can last you a long, long time.
3) Slings
I've had three slings over the time I've been babywearing. I started out with a Seven Sling brand that a friend gave me as a shower gift. It was beautiful, and I am so glad she gave it to me. I wasn't planning on getting a sling but I was so glad I had it when Turtle decided she was done facing towards me in the stretchy wrap. The sling allowed her to sit up and look out at the world and I will admit I used it in a hip carry before she could really sit up on her own. I just cradled her in my arm. I would also fold her legs up and face her outwards. It was invaluable when I went for my cousin's wedding! (photo on the far left) Turtle was sitting up nicely, so I was able to pop her on my back and take pics of my cousin getting ready. But I noticed that over time, Turtle's legs would turn red. It was like the sling was cutting off circulation to her legs. So, I started looking for something else.
I ran across a Munckin brand sized sling at a consignment store in our area and scooped it up. It had padding around the leg area and is actually my favorite. The only thing I didn't like about it was that the print was kind of boring, and at that time I thought that mattered.
So, when Peanut Shell adjustable slings came up on my favorite discount site Zulily, I decided it was the perfect birthday present. I thought the Peanut Shell sling would be prefect because it was adjustable, allowing Daddy Turtle and I to both potentially wear it. The problem is that the buckle that allows it to adjust hits right on my shoulder or shoulder blade and I never felt it was especially comfortable. Additionally, since it was adjustable, you couldn't fold it over to tighen up the top "rail" (the term for the differnt edges of the fabric used in baby wearing). This made it hard to do back carries which are my favorite.
Just a few weeks ago, I was able to score a Maya Ring Sling at a consignment sale. I haven't used it much and don't have any pics yet, but I'm really enjoying it and really wish I'd had one during that "doesn't like being carried face in but too small for a back carry in a soft structured carrier" phase.
Just a few weeks ago, I was able to score a Maya Ring Sling at a consignment sale. I haven't used it much and don't have any pics yet, but I'm really enjoying it and really wish I'd had one during that "doesn't like being carried face in but too small for a back carry in a soft structured carrier" phase.
Finally, although I never owned one, my good friend has a Balboa Baby Sling that I've used before. It is a very nice sling made from sturdy fabric in beautiful prints. The thing I didn't like was that both "rails" (the long sides of the sling) were elastic. This makes it easy to get baby in and out of the sling and is comfortable on the baby's legs, but means that you cannot do back carries with it and you have to be very careful if you have an archer or a jumper like Turtle. They can buck right out of it, if you don't watch them.
Advantages: Can be used from infancy through toddlerhood. No extensive wrapping required and the learning curve is pretty much non-existent. Slings are easily portable so they are great for quick trips and for keeping in the diaper bag as a back up.
Disadvantages: The one shoulder design can become uncomfortable after a while and once the baby gets to be heavier. I find slings to be uncomfortable for long outings or those involving lots of walking. Sized slings cannot be used by two people of varying sizes. Not always completely hands free.
Bottom Line: This is my favorite carrier for quick trips and for stashing in the diaper bag as a back up.
This is our work horse. After borrowing a couple carriers from our local babywearing group, I decided to invest in a Boba 2G. Why did I chose it? Personal preference. It seemed to fit me the best. It could be passed between myself and Daddy Turtle without a belt extender and truth be told, it was the first SSC I tried and it was the one I was use to.
When Daddy Turtle went back to school it left Turtle and I on our own in the evenings. Turtle wasn't one for playing by herself around that time and would scream if I set her down, so I have no idea how I would have gotten anything done without this carrier. I would put her in it in the mornings to load up the car and put her in it again in the evenings to unload. I cleaned with her in it, made bottles, did laundry, and even crafted. It's been to everything from the renaissance festival to the farmers market and the grocery store. I wear her mostly on my back unless she is really tired and then I'll switch her to the front. Given her weight though, I find it hard to carry her on my front for very long. Even if we are using our stroller, this carrier is always close by.
Advantages: Easy to use. Quick to put on. Daddy approved. Very comfortable for long days. Truly hands free.
Disadvantages: Carriers are bulky so not something you can pack in a diaper bag. Finding the perfect fit is a process with all the buckles and straps. Switching from one user to another is like having your drivers seat settings changed.
Bottom Line: This is my favorite all around carrier.
Advantages: The straps allow for easy adjustability especially between different wearers. Allows for lots of different carries including a high back carry. Usually cheaper than soft structured carriers.
Disadvantages: Requires more "wrapping" than the soft structured carries which can be intimidating. More involved to put on.
Bottom Line: An excellent carrier option which I look forward to gathering more experience with.
So, after only 4 months in my drafts folder, this post is finally finished!!! What are your favorite wraps/carriers and why? Want to learn more? Local to the Charlotte Area? Join the Charlotte Babywearers Group and attend a meeting. We'd love to see you!
Advantages: Can be used from infancy through toddlerhood. No extensive wrapping required and the learning curve is pretty much non-existent. Slings are easily portable so they are great for quick trips and for keeping in the diaper bag as a back up.
Disadvantages: The one shoulder design can become uncomfortable after a while and once the baby gets to be heavier. I find slings to be uncomfortable for long outings or those involving lots of walking. Sized slings cannot be used by two people of varying sizes. Not always completely hands free.
Bottom Line: This is my favorite carrier for quick trips and for stashing in the diaper bag as a back up.
4) Soft Structured Carriers
This is our work horse. After borrowing a couple carriers from our local babywearing group, I decided to invest in a Boba 2G. Why did I chose it? Personal preference. It seemed to fit me the best. It could be passed between myself and Daddy Turtle without a belt extender and truth be told, it was the first SSC I tried and it was the one I was use to.
When Daddy Turtle went back to school it left Turtle and I on our own in the evenings. Turtle wasn't one for playing by herself around that time and would scream if I set her down, so I have no idea how I would have gotten anything done without this carrier. I would put her in it in the mornings to load up the car and put her in it again in the evenings to unload. I cleaned with her in it, made bottles, did laundry, and even crafted. It's been to everything from the renaissance festival to the farmers market and the grocery store. I wear her mostly on my back unless she is really tired and then I'll switch her to the front. Given her weight though, I find it hard to carry her on my front for very long. Even if we are using our stroller, this carrier is always close by.
Advantages: Easy to use. Quick to put on. Daddy approved. Very comfortable for long days. Truly hands free.
Disadvantages: Carriers are bulky so not something you can pack in a diaper bag. Finding the perfect fit is a process with all the buckles and straps. Switching from one user to another is like having your drivers seat settings changed.
Bottom Line: This is my favorite all around carrier.
5) Mei Tei
I don't have much experience with the Mei Tei's, but I'm still going to include it because it's a great carrier. Mei Tei's are a hybrid between a wrap and a soft structured carrier. A friend gave me one a few months ago and I especially like it for front carries. As I said before due to Turtle's weight, I have a hard time carrying her in a front carry for very long. But with the mei tei, I'm able to pull her in closer to my body making her weight easier to manager. Since you can do a high back carry with a pre-sitting infant, I think I would have greatly benefitted from having one around the time Turtle decided she didn't like the stretchy wrap.Advantages: The straps allow for easy adjustability especially between different wearers. Allows for lots of different carries including a high back carry. Usually cheaper than soft structured carriers.
Disadvantages: Requires more "wrapping" than the soft structured carries which can be intimidating. More involved to put on.
Bottom Line: An excellent carrier option which I look forward to gathering more experience with.
So, after only 4 months in my drafts folder, this post is finally finished!!! What are your favorite wraps/carriers and why? Want to learn more? Local to the Charlotte Area? Join the Charlotte Babywearers Group and attend a meeting. We'd love to see you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)