Picture Day- Fall Babywearing
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Category Archives: Soft Structured Carriers
What Can You Do While Babywearing? Watch a Soccer Game
What Can You Do While Babywearing? Ride the Train (at Wildlife Prairie State Park)
What Can You Do While Babywearing? Be on the News!
By B
Last week, I had the opportunity to be interviewed for a local news show, Living Well, about our group and International Babywearing Week. I wore my daughter during the interview. Despite being in a strange new environment, with bright lights, strange machines and plenty of strangers, she was content, thanks to babywearing.
Here’s a clip of the interview.
Ergo Reviews and Comparison
By HD
Interested in an Ergo but confused about which one you want to buy? I had the opportunity to try out 3 different Ergo styles to find out just what the differences are.
Ergo carriers are soft structured buckle carriers that are great long haul carriers (infant through toddler). All three have sleeping hoods and the Performance and Organic both have a zipper closed pocket for carrying small items on the body of the carrier. They come in a variety of colors (depending on the model) and are easily adjustable between multiple wearers.
Ergo carriers are easy to find, you can buy them online and through local retailers like Target and Babies R Us. These carriers are a popular choice among both moms and dads!
Performance
The Performance is the sturdiest carrier of the three. The shoulder straps, waist strap and body are more contoured and fit a little differently that the Sport or the Organic. The inside of the carrier has a mesh water resistant liner that is breathable and helps pull moisture away from baby in hot weather or on long walks or hikes where the parent may become hot.
I used this carrier a few times during my older son’s soccer practice (when the temperature was in the 90’s) and did not feel as hot as I would in other soft structured carriers.
Sport
The Sport is surprising light weight and takes up less space than the other two types. The hood on this carrier is also easily removable with buttons snaps. It folds up a little smaller and would be great for throwing in a diaper bag. My son also felt much lighter in this carrier than in the other two. This carrier was great for doing things like housework and yard work because of the weight. There is also a vent in the body of the carrier that is supposed to keep baby cooler.
Organic
The Organic is the most comfy of the three. The fabric is a little softer and it has a bit more fabric in the body than the others.
This is just a great for anytime carrier, although not as cool as the Performance or as compact as the Sport, this was my favorite (and my son’s favorite) of the three. This carrier just works for everything from snuggling to hiking. I also love the vibrant prints.
If you would like to try the different Ergo styles for yourself, join us at a monthly meeting or open help hours!
*Credits on the babywearing pictures to my four-year old son.
Kinderpack Review
By B
The Kinderpack was generously donated to the library by Kindercarry. Thanks!
I tried this out with my 11-13 month old.This is a super duper comfy carrier. It is very well thought out, with some nice little touches. Our carrier is the “standard” size and it fits baby girl just right.
Kinderpacks come in a variety of sizes, from infant to preschool. You can also get custom sized straps from petite to plus sized. Info on the standard size from the KP site:
“standard: 16″ h x 17″ w- ages 8mo-3 yrs : starting at 20lbs/28″ and up to 38″
standard is the choice for most people. Please realize that the standard will fit up to 3 years old/4T. This is the size to buy if you want to buy one carrier without having to size up later.”
Kinderpacks are made by WAHM right here in Illinois. This is another carrier you can tell is made by a babywearing mama. It has some great features that only a babywearer would think of.
The shoulder straps adjust at both ends of the buckles. This makes it easier to get the exact fit that you want.
I love the hood. It tucks into the body. The cavity then snaps closed, creating kind of a headrest, a great idea.
Hood out:
And in:
The website has a lot of excellent info on the carriers, the ordering process, even videos on how to wear it.
I found the whole carrier somewhat thicker than other SSCs in the body area and the shoulder straps to be wider. The fabric is soft, but sturdy.
Like all SSCs, the Kinderpack is great at distributing weight to your hips. It is quick and easy to get on and off. It can be used for front, hip or back carries. It is easy to fold up compactly to carry with you. I think soft structured carriers are also easy to wear empty if baby wants to hop out and crawl around for a bit. They offer good coverage for nursing as well.
I tried my 4.5 year old in it
For a large kid in a carrier not really designed for a giant child, this was pretty comfy. Even though this is sized for a much smaller person, he still has a nice seat in this, with good positioning.
Bottom line: Kinderpacks are a very comfortable, very customizable carrier with a lot of special touches.
Picture Day
Babywearing in CO: Onya Goes Traveling with a Toddler
BY KK
We took the Onya on our vacation to Boulder, Colorado, this summer with our almost two year old who is about 25 pounds.
Since I was recovering from a slow-to-heal stress fracture that was acting up while we were there, I wasn’t able to do as much hiking as I hoped. I had planned to for my husband to use the carriers. So we didn’t do as much babywearing as planned.
That said, these carriers still made our trip so much easier.
One huge benefit was getting around the Denver airport. My husband was even allowed to wear our son through security! He had our son in the Onya while we rode a shuttle bus from the car rental drop off to the airport, on the escalators, on a train between concourses and on several moving sidewalks. It went so much more smoothly with the carrier than if we’d tried to manage a stroller and our luggage.
We never had the right carrier and table set up and toddler temperament coincide to try the high chair feature out. But I was excited about the potential and think this be a great feature to use.
Oddly I’ve never nursed in a carrier before—I get overwhelmed trying new things and the situation never arose where I decided I had to figure it out previously—but I managed to figure it out when we got to Boulder Falls as my son had been wanting milk for most of the drive there and was not going to let my husband wear him. I was impressed how well the carrier worked for discrete nursing as this was a popular spot.
We do have a ring sling and an Ergo that we use sparingly and left at home. I can say I’m very glad we listened to our friends and borrowed a toddler friendly carrier for our trip.
Olives and Applesauce Photo Contest
By B
We posted this info on our Facebook page, but, in case you missed it, I’ll talk about it again.
We are so very excited to be involved with the Olives and Applesauce promotional photo shoot. This is something I was personally involved with last year. All of the pics on the main page are local parents.
O&A isn’t in the Peoria area, but the photographer that they use, Treasured Images by Sara, is.
She’s super talented and this is so much fun to be a part of! Olives and Applesauce carriers are near and dear to me. It was the very first soft structured carrier I bought to use with my son.
I still own it and wear him in it from time to time, at 4 1/2. Caren of O&A provided one of the first carrier donations when we were starting up BWI of Peoria. So, I’m very jazzed to be invited to participate again!
This year, they are having a contest to help find models for the shoot. To enter, follow this link. You’ll need to write a short essay about how babywearing has impacted your life and submit a photo of you and your child in an O&A carrier. If you do not own an Olives and Applesauce carrier, you are welcome to borrow a friend’s, come to a meeting and try on one from the lending library or meet up with Anna Hubbard of Once Upon A Sling. Applicants are encouraged to come try on a carrier and take a snapshot of yourselves.
If you choose this route, please also bring someone along with you to take the photo for submission as we can’t be trusted to take your pic for this submission.
If you’re chosen, you’ll be a part of the Olives and Applesauce promotional photo shoot. Your photo will grace the website, their Facebook page, maybe their printed material. You could be a famous babywearing model! You’ll get to choose a photo from your shoot to keep. You’ll WIN a FREE Olives and Applesauce carrier!!! And, you’ll get to have an awesome “authentic Peoria” lunch with all us gals. The photo shoot is Saturday, October 13th, 2012 from approximately noon – 5p.m, in Peoria. Sessions will last 60-90 minutes, so no need to be there the whole day. You will need to travel here at your expense if you are chosen.
The contest is open until midnight on September 15th. BWI of Peoria has 2 meeting before then if you need to try on an O&A, one on the 10th and one on the 15th. Obviously, the O&A will not be available for lending until after the contest deadline.
I can’t wait to meet the winner!
