Babywearing Call to Action!

(this is a picture of Penelope's very first ride in a carrier, 4 days old!)

Usually today is a yoga tutorial post, but there are many pressing things going on this week that need attention.  One is a food policy issue and the other is a babywearing issue.   Please read this post about the babywearing issue and take action.  We need you to spread the word about the recall and call your representatives.

It's bad enough that my friend almost got arrested for wearing her baby in a carrier on a recent Delta flight, but can you imagine life without the right to carry your baby?

It makes me SO FREAKING MAD, that the Consumer Product Safety Commission thinks that the actual slings are the problem. When, hello, people have been wearing their babies since THE BEGINNING OF TIME. 

Please check out this post on the TheBabyWearer.com's Facebook page to learn more about what is going on.

      (these are some of my friends, we all like to wear our babies!)

Babywearing is something near and dear to my heart.  Check out my article in the current edition of Rythm of the Home, for more of why I love babywearing.  It's an article about my trip to Morocco and how the Mama's wear their babies in that country.

I have been babywearing for 5 plus years now.  I was Nanny for several years, before I became a mother, to two little girls-sisters. Each were just a few weeks old when I started caring for them, and wearing them.  And now a mother myself, I have an arsenal of slings that get used on a daily basis.

   (family picture after a wonderful walk on the beach together, Penelope is about 6 months here)

These are the slings in my collection.  They all have different uses and purposes.  They are not in any order of favorites, I just typed as the name came to me.


Ella Roo Wrap
Ella Roo Mei Tai
Ella Roo Mei Hip
two Maya Wraps-one with padding and one older style without padding
Hot Sling
New Native Sling
Moby wrap
Petunia Pickle Bottom Sojourn Carrier
Petunia Pickle Bottom TourGuide Carrier
Taylor Made Mesh Sling (for use in the pool or shower, or very hot locals)
Pathfinder Backpack Carrier

and I have an Ergo and a Sakura Bloom Ring Sling on my wish list!

Wearing my daughter is a life savor for so many different reasons.  It enables me to get more things done around the house and helps me have a stronger bond with her.  I can't really explain it, but there is nothing like it in the world, when you have a baby snuggled up on your chest in a wrap or sling.  You feel their heartbeat and know they feel yours.  Walking around with a baby in a carrier gives me and my daughter the deep, eternal feeling that all is right with world because your baby feels unconditionally loved by the action of being held and being worn, as mothers and babies have been doing since the beginning of time.

 

                                                (even Grandpa's can babywear!)


Here is the original AventuresInBabywearing.com Call to Action.  If you have a blog write a post and link up and then spread the word.  If you dont have a blog, post this link and others on your FB page!

Here is the Code Name: Mama blog post, she has some great links for more information about the CPSC and the Baby Carrier Industry Alliance.

Here is a link to the Baby Carrier Industry Alliance Facebook Page.  Please visit and like their page!

And lastly, if you do what I am asking you to do, let me know in the comment section and it will be an additional entry into the current giveway of the Pentunia Pickle Bottom Sojourn Carrier.

Petunia Pickle Bottom Sojourn Sling Review, Tutorial and Giveaway!!

Drum roll, please! I am very excited to announce our latest giveaway!

The Sojourn Sling from Petunia Pickle Bottom!! I am giving away the one above, in the picture, the fabric is called Moment in Morocco. Isn't is stunning?! It's a size medium and will fit a Mama with a shirt size of m-l. It has a bit of stretch in the fabric, so even if you are the larger end, it will fit. I wear a size 40E bra and wear a M to L shirt and it fits fine and has room for Penelope to grow.  If you are smaller, you can very easily take it in and hem the seam to make the sling shorter in length to fit.

To enter, go to Petunia Pickle Bottom's website and browse around then leave a comment below telling me what you love!  You can win additional entries by posting on Facebook or Twitter, or on your blog,  or become a Fan on the Mama and Baby Love Facebook page.  For each entry leave a separate comment.  A winner will be randomly selected on October 27th.

They also sent one for me to try out and review. Let me tell you, I am pretty in love with my Maya Wrap, Ella Roo Wrap and my New Native sling, so the Sojourn Sling had stiff competition going up against my other beloved carriers-carriers that I have been using for 5 plus years ( I was nanny before I became a mother).

The Sojourn Sling takes the cake, hands down in the style department. I mean, look at these other fabric options!!! This one, Dancing in Dublin, or this one, Frockling in Fez, make my heart go pitter-patter! And we all know how much I like things to be matchy-matchy, so with these slings, you have the option of get any kid of Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag to match!

In the function department, its neck and neck with my Maya Wrap. The Maya Wrap has a slight edge over the Sojourn Sling, because I am able to sort of hog tie Penelope very tightly, in the Maya Wrap. So when I am cooking I put her arms in side the sling and tighten it up and it keeps her little arms safe inside while I cook.  Other than that, I like the Sojourn Sling just as much, if not better, because you don't have to adjust anything!! You just throw it on and off you go.

The New Native sling I have is similar in cut to the Sojourn Sling, except the Sojourn Sling has a bit of stretch to it. So you can get a better, snugger fit with the Sojourn Sling.

And last, but not least, its ORGANIC COTTON! The fabric that is touching your little ones skin all day, not only looks beautiful, its good for their health and the earth. Ah, you couldn't ask for a better sling than this one!

Seriously, if you are pregnant and trying to figure out what kind of sling to get, get this one in your collection, no question about it. If you are new to babywearing and not sure where to start, START HERE (and be sure to check out my tutorial below!) If you are an old pro, (ahem, like me) and want to try something new and fabulous, buy one!

I am starting to feel like I sound like raving lunatic, so I will end my rave review here, but I am just so impressed with this sling. It hard to find one that is this gorgeous and actually functions they way you need it to.

Now on to the picture and video tutorial!

Step 1. Line up your sling flat, seam down at the bottom.  Place on arm like so.  You can wear the sling on either shoulder, makes no difference.

Then put it over whatever shoulder you want and get it nice and straight. The seam is by your hip.  I actually use the sling, a bit different than the directions that came with sling, fyi.  This is what works for me.  You can also look online, here and here for more tutorials.

Then hike your babe up by your shoulder.  Bring the fabric out and around them, tucking their feet inside.  Then slowly lower them down.

As you lower them down, open up the sling, and make a little pouch/shelf for their bum. And pull the fabric up to cover up their arms.  They will be able to easily take their arms out if they want to.

And ta-da!  Happy Baby!

Check out the same tutorial in video, below.  Let me know if you have any questions!



And P.S. this is the kind of  Pentunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag I have and I LOVE it. It makes my tired, frumpy ass feel very glamorous. I have both the Cosmopolitan Carry All and the Cameo Clutch.

P.S.S.If you are local, there is no one in town selling these slings, so you have to buy them online.  If you do, please purchase one from one of the links below and send a few pennys my way to add to Penelope's Ivy League College Fund!  Thanks!

Petunia Pickle Bottom TourGuide Baby Carrier Review

Petunia Pickle Bottom sent me their TourGuide Baby Carrier a few weeks ago, to try out and see how I liked it and then relay my findings to you, my wonderful readers. Let me tell you, I was so excited to get my first product to review!  I felt like a real Blogger!

I was a bit worried at first that I wouldn't like it at all, because I am so used to my wraps and slings and because I had heard that these types of carrier can be hard on a babies hips, because of how the weight is distributed.  However, I was pleasantly surprised, Penelope did not seem like she was uncomfortable at all.  I am not sure if it is because she is an older baby, with bigger more established pelvic bones, or because she wears a cloth diaper and it gave her extra padding on her bum.  She liked it just as much as any of my other carriers.  She is not a very cuddly baby, even in a carrier.  She wants to be held, but she wants a full view of her surroundings.  This carrier gave her that.

Even though, I felt it was safe and comfortable for her, it was not as comfortable for me as my wraps and slings are.  Penelope is about 21 pounds.  The directions say that it can hold a baby up to 22 pounds, so it may be that she is just on the heavy side, as far as comfort goes, for me, anyway.  In this type of carrier, all the weight of the baby is distributed on the shoulders and upper back of the person wearing it.  I do not have much upper body strength, so she got heavy pretty quickly.  While we are talking about how chubby my baby is, her fat thighs were too big to fasten the button on the side.  It didn't matter though, I think its meant for extra support for newborns anyway.  But it was pretty funny, seeing her big ole thighs in it and not being able to fasten it!  When I talked to Petunia Pickle Bottom about it, they let me know that  the side buttons are only for babies that are between 8 and 11 pounds.

But, Peter, LOVED it.  He thought it was awesome.  He has pretty much taken it over as his carrier.  He loved that is was a strap and click system; he could throw it on, pick her up and get her into place, click it and be off.  I think he liked that is was a bit more plain and simple looking.  Not manly, but simple.  He liked that he could do it himself too.  With the wraps or slings, he needs my help.  He figured out how to get her in there, while sitting down (his logic: in case he drops her, he is closer to the ground) and then he stands up and goes on about his business washing dishes or taking Sky for a walk.   He says it is super comfortable for him, maybe because he has more muscles in his shoulders? 

So for Dads, or new moms with smaller babies that don't want to mess with wraps and slings, I highly recommend this carrier!

Oh, and I forgot mention....its a green product!  It's made out of post consumer recycled materials. How great is that?

{Full disclosure:  In return for doing the review on my blog, I get to keep the carrier.}

The Fanatical Breastfeeder: Part 2

I, surprisingly, was not mad or offended when she called me fanatical for choosing to breastfeed, because I could see straight through her. She told me she didn't breastfeed, so for her to mentally and emotionally acknowledge that a mother would rationally choose to breastfeed, because it is the superior health option, in her mind, that would some how mean that she was a bad mother. Note, I said in her mind. I do not think that mother's who bottle feed with formula are less of a mother than me. I do, however, know that breast milk is better than formula as far as nutrition goes. Its a simple fact these days, with so much research, its not even a question anymore. Breast milk is better than formula. Period. Formula is not poison, and its a perfectly acceptable substitution for breast milk. But it is not the same. It is second best. But this woman, obviously felt that breastfeeding women think they are better mothers than formula feeding women, and in response to that misunderstanding, she needed to put me down in order to make herself feel better. And under anger, is always sadness. So I felt bad for her, because somewhere deep inside her, she knows that breastfeeding is better for babies and she chose not to give her babies the better option out her own need for her life to be easier. She was not willing to sacrifice personal time or rest or whatever for the sake of her children's health.

Now, again, let me be very clear here, I have nothing against mothers who bottle feed with formula (I do have an issue with formula companies and how they go into third world countries, including the US, and make it very easy for women to give up on breastfeeding.) I know for a fact, that you can meet all an infants emotional needs through bottle feeding. I was a nanny, long before I was a mother, and I continue to bottle fed Penelope my breast milk because of our situation. I call it bottle nursing. Her cheek touches my breast, so she is getting skin to skin. I did not do this with Ava and Ella (the girls I was a nanny to for 3 years), but I always held them in a cradle position when they got their bottles, and looked into their eyes. And I wore them in a wrap or sling for large portions of the day, just like I do with Penelope and they got lots of eye contact and touch through yoga and massage. I would lay down and cuddle with Ava and Ella to get them to sleep, just like I do with Penelope (but I am nursing Penelope to sleep.) So I know mothers can be just as attached to their babies and babies can feel just as loved and comforted, even if they bottle feed.

But nursing is different. It almost like it takes bonding to the next level. Not only does it meet her needs, but it meets mine. Bottle nursing, left me out of the picture. My milk would let down, but it had no where to go, and it was not a pleasant feeling to be holding a baby, have breasts full of milk but not be able to do anything about it. I remember the second day Penelope started comfort nursing. The first day was actually stressful, because I was holding my breath and afraid to move, not wanting to mess up her groove. I was also stressed that is was just a fluke and she would go back to not wanting to latch the very next day. So the second day I had relaxed. We were laying down and she was nursing to sleep. I felt my milk let down and for the first time it had somewhere to go other than to stain my shirt. I felt her pick up her sucking and swallowing. I could actually feel my milk going into her mouth and then I pictured it going into her belly. It was like I was literally, physically, giving her all my love through my warm, perfect milk. I knew she felt perfectly loved and at peace, which I know she feels when she is bottle fed my milk, but this time so was I.