Can we talk? Here's where I discuss random topics, dish some dirt, and answer your questions. BTW, any products recommended are products that I bought myself, not freebies sent in exchange for a positive review.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Beco Adjustment Tips and Advice
Helena asked: What do I do if the Beco hurts under my arms and my neck? --------------------------------------------------------- Hi Helena, Very difficult to say without seeing you in person, but you can try the following...this is what I check when I do fittings in person:
1) Loosen your shoulder straps, they could be too tight and are cutting into your underarm.
2) Tighten the straps that adjust the baby's distance from your body (these have the two-handed buckles with the button on them), to bring your baby in closer. The closer your baby is to you, the less work your body has to do. If you feel that you need to lean forward or backward, then adjust these straps to bring your baby in closer.
Every single Butterfly wearer that I have fit has the two-handed buckle straps tightened up either *all the way*, or at most about an inch and half long. With my 18month-old, I wear those straps loosened up about an inch and a half. Even then, I could probably wear them tighter for comfort, but I like to slip him into the insert without unbuckling anything when I put him in, and it makes that process easier if they are a little bit looser.
Also, see #5 below. Until your core muscles adapt to babywearing, you might feel a bit wobbly. Luckily, they adapt quickly.
3) Is the chest strap right at the base of your neck (in front carry), or at your collarbone (in back carry)? If not, slide it up or down to be in the right place. Armpit rubbing can sometimes be relieved by wearing the chest strap *lower* than this, so experiment with positioning and see if that helps.
4) Are the shoulder straps resting just inside your shoulder cap? They should not be resting on your shoulder joint, nor too close to your neck, but right in between. If they are slipping out too far onto your shoulder cap, tighten up your chest strap.
5) If you are wearing your baby for the first time, and your baby is older, then your body will need to adjust to babywearing. Keep your babywearing sessions short until your back and shoulder muscles strengthen. Make sure your posture is good, and go for a walk with your baby instead of standing in one place.
6) Front carry is less comfortable than back carry. Humans are built to carry weight on their backs, not on their front. The Butterfly allows you to put even fairly small babies on your back easily, so if front carry doesn't feel good, then give back carrying a try. I personally GREATLY prefer back carrying, except with very small babies. I don't like having my shoulders pulled forward, and I don't like not being able to see my feet. I had my second baby on my back at 2.5 months and it was great! Much easier on the back, neck and shoulders overall. Pulls your shoulder back so you can stand up straight and tall with good posture.
However, see #5...when you switch from front carry to back carry you use an entirely different set of muscles, so there might be a new period of adjustment for you as your core muscles strengthen and adapt. I've been babywearing for years, and it still happened to me when I went from primarily front-carrying to primarily back-carrying my babies. Adjustment should not take longer than 3-4 days at most though.
7) If you have tried all the above and still experience discomfort, then hey, it just might not be the carrier for you. All bodies are unique, and no one carrier fits everyone equally well. Also, I have found that later releases of the Butterfly feel much better than earlier ones, the shoulder straps seem to fit much better to the shoulders and the straps are also longer and therefore more adjustable. Allison is a recent print though, so that might not apply to you.
Hope that helps! I will put up videos on this topic soon, I promise...
Warmly, Laura Hamilton The Portable Baby http://www.theportablebaby.com Take your baby around the corner, or around the world!
I saw this lovely graphic on a T-shirt worn by a 7-8 year old girl the other day. A pink, sparkly T-shirt. Then I threw up in my mouth.
Can I just say...what kind of kid wears this? What kind of parent buys it? And don't you feel sorry for poor ol' Dad when he sees his kid with this broadcast on her T-shirt for the whole world to see? In general...WTF?
I was looking around online for a similar T-shirt so that I could post up an image here, and I did NOT, in fact, find a T-shirt. At least not for a girl. But I did find a T-shirt with this graphic on it...for a DOG. I don't know if that's more or less disturbing. Thinking about it makes my brain hurt. On the one hand, it's a dog. On the other hand...who ascribes that kind of utter shallowness to their pet? Bizarre.
But wait, because the graphic above?....people, it's a CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT. Yes, that's right. Because nothing expresses the family values of Christmas better than selfish greed, right? Especially from kids. Season of giving, as long as you're giving to ME, Daddy. That's so cute and adorably funny, let's put it on our Christmas tree this year.
Is is safe for my baby's legs be spread apart in a carrier?
Alisha asked: How can I be sure that putting a baby in a carrier is safe? I was told by someone once that you should always use slings for babies, because their legs aren't supposed to be spread apart.
It is actually very therapeutic to have your baby sit with knees up and legs spread. You never want to *force* the legs apart of course, and a newborn will want to stay in a fetal position for a while after birth, but very quickly babies are fine sitting with legs spread. This position is the same one used to treat hip dysplasia in young children, and promotes correct development and alignment of the baby's hip sockets by deepening and strengthening them.
Check out this page on hip dysplasia and scroll down to see illustrations of a baby undergoing therapy. Treatment involves wearing a harness or even a cast that holds them in the exact position as the standard sitting position of the Beco, Pikkolo and Patapum!
On the other hand, if you look at a child in a Baby Bjorn or similar carrier (especially in facing-out position), you will see that he/she is actually suspended by a strip of fabric across the crotch, with legs dangling straight down and back slightly arched. This is a position that places excessive stress on the base of the baby's spine and the crotch, and can possibly cause a painful condition known as spondylolisthesis. Not therapeutic at all.
Imagine being suspended in a parachute harness for more than 20 minutes, just dangling there with your legs hanging down, and you can imagine that you might want to pull your legs up and sit to get some relief.
The key is to have your baby always sitting with knees at approximately the same level as their seat. That's the general rule for proper ergonomic seating of your baby in a carrier.
If you're still unconvinced, check out any baby over six months being held on his mama's hip. Those legs are spread WIDE around the hip. Babies are built for that.
Slings that hold your baby's legs tightly together are not OK, except for maybe the newest of newborns. When you force a baby's legs together, it torques the tops of the thighbones outwards at the hip socket, and makes a hip dislocation or dysplasia more likely.
For this reason you should also avoid swaddling your baby's legs tightly together. Swaddle the arms and upper body tightly (within reason, of course), while leaving the legs only loosely swaddled.
Some of you might remember that the Pikkolo Baby Carrier offers a facing-out position. So what gives? Is this as bad as a Bjorn?
Well, the Pikkolo is still wide enough at the base (even when cinched to its narrowest point) to support the baby's bottom and upper thighs. The baby doesn't hang by the crotch with legs hanging straight down, there is actually a bit of a seated position.
Facing out is definitely not the best carrier position ergonomically for either you or your baby, but it's not too bad if you have a relatively wide base with some support for your baby's bottom and upper thighs.
*Your* back will still be griping though, due to the baby's heavy head, legs and arms all extending out away from your center of gravity, which forces you to lean backwards to compensate.
Probably more than you wanted to know, but I like detail! ;-)
I've been stretched pretty thin lately around here, and it's starting to wear on me. Business is good, but there's only one of me to go around. I haven't been as on top of things as I should be. Just trying to do too much.
I have a lovely shipping manager, Jacqueline, who has not only been helping me with getting orders out the door but also sewing wraps. However, she's getting maxed out too. We want normal lives just like everyone else, and we each have two kids, and it's summertime...the living is supposed to be easy, right?
After a lot of thought, something has to give.
Right now, I'm *barely* breaking even on Wrap Carriers. They are hand-cut, hand-sewn, hand-dyed...basically couture pieces. Each Wrap requires a huge amount of time and painstaking effort. Wraps have been a labor of love, but with little to no financial return. The fabric is really difficult to get too, and involves a 2-month lead time. So guess what that means -- either I start charging $200 for each one or...goodbye Wraps!
Likewise, I make zero extra money on dyed Patapums. I've been doing it just to provide extra options for people, because frankly? The Patapum color options are kind of boring. Luckily, a lot of people are OK with boring. Hey, boring doesn't clash with your outfit. I can appreciate that.
Dyed Patapums are a lot of work, and I don't get paid extra for that labor. So guess what that means -- either I start charging $200 or...goodbye dyed Patapums!
Now don't fret...if you still really, really want a Wrap or a dyed Patapum, you will probably be able to get one. You can ask me, or look on my eBay offerings, or you can look on The Babywearer for used items. But I won't have either generally available new on the site anymore. I'll sell off what stock I have in the next few weeks, and then that's it for a while.
Dye kits will still be available, so if you really want a particular color Patapum, you can always do it yourself. It's easy, I promise.
I don't feel too bad discontinuing the Wrap, since the Beco Butterfly is extremely newborn-friendly. Im the past, I preferred a wrap for a little baby simply because newborns tend to flop to the bottom of most structured carriers. But the Butterfly's supportive infant insert changes all that.
What this means is that I'll be able to spend more time creating useful resources like, say...carrier feature comparison charts, and less time running my washing machine and ironing.
I've been quite busy lately working on updating/redesigning my website with a new logo and new design, more product info, better site organization and hey...new products even!
No joke, I've had a bunch of pretty cool products sitting in my garage for over a *year*, waiting to be included on the website. Pathetic. As I write this, I have 5-6 new Beco Baby Carrier prints available...but can you buy them online from me? No, because I haven't updated my Beco page yet. Sigh.
It's these darned kids of mine, always wanting *mothering* from me, of all things. I can't just sit at my computer uninterrupted and crank out code for 8-10 hours at a stretch, like I used to in the good (bad?) old days. And then I have actual customers, buying products and wanting them shipped, or expecting answers to emails...imagine!
Sadly, this all leaves very little time for website wrangling. But I am making progress, albeit v-e-r-y-s-l-o-w-l-y.
In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at my new logo. Like it?
Yes, dear readers, there are many Delicate Flowers out there who think it is unacceptably harsh to say that Product X seems to work better than Product Y. These tender souls write emails to me protesting my poor taste in offering (gasp!) *reviews*, on my wrap page, and revealing what products didn't work for me (which is why I ended up making my own wrap).
We all know that all products everywhere are equal, right? Especially baby carriers. Didn't you know that all baby carriers are astoundingly wonderful and useful, and they will all work equally well for everyone? So come on, be a pal and buy one of each. Oh, you can't afford to do that? Well geez...what's wrong with you? Maybe you're one of those gauche OPINIONATORS as well. (Flounces off in a huff).
Here's the latest such missive from a Delicate Flower, with my comments in parenthesized italics:
I noticed your sight (sic) has a complete rant about Moby Wraps (I took my complete rant down long ago. The rant up now is the short version) and how "crappy" they are. ("Crappy" is apparently very offensive term to DFs, but not as offensive as "crappy-ass", which is how I *used* to describe the fabric. Word.)
I just think this is in poor taste. (What...using the term "crappy", or the fact that I didn't like the Moby Wrap?)
I've helped hundreds of Moms with Moby Wraps (cue applause!) - many of them LOVING them and using them as a starter wrap. ("Starter" is marketing-speak for cheap crap that will be obsolete in 3 months and necessitates buying something further for more money at a later date.)
Sure, wovens are more supportive as babies get heavier but nothing beats a great stretch wrap for little ones. (Duh, which is why I'm selling a supportive, semi-stretchy wrap...best of both worlds! Or didn't you read anything past the word "crappy"?)
If you want to sell your wraps, why not discuss how great they are (um, thought I did...) rather than completely dissing another product? The Mobys are fabulous for many many Moms and babies who are just starting out with babywearing. (As is my wrap, hello!)
I've had many Moms who couldn't swing the wovens with a tiny baby but learned quite easily with the Moby. (My wrap is even easier to learn to tie, and hey...not made of cheap stretchy T-shirt fabric OR overly bulky/heavy woven cotton! How novel!)
Just wouldn't want to see Moms miss out because of what they're reading on your site. (yes indeed, apologies in advance to all you moms who might miss out on buying a Moby that will become obsolete in 3 months. WTF???)
I'm also surprised that you make claims that your wraps surpass the Storch, Didy, and Gira! Again, why do you have to diss specific companies just to try to sell your own product? (I didn't say my wrap *surpassed* the woven wraps, because that doesn't even make logical sense. I said the woven wraps are fantastic in many ways, but are too heavy and bulky and hot for me, and the ones I've tried have lacked middle markers.)
Sure - you can have your opinion, but why share it on a professional website? (Thanks so much for allowing me to have an opinion. So generous of you! Why share it? Let's see, because it's quite useful to know what other people honestly *think* about products before you spend money on them. Most intelligent people know to take reviews with a grain of salt. Just because it works for me doesn't mean you will get the same result. Besides, this is MY website. I'll say whatever I want to, you are by no means obliged to read it!)
It's just in weird taste. But hey, that's just my opinion. (Wait, I thought it was *bad* to express an opinion. Or is it just bad to share it on a website? Confused...someone please inform the blogosphere about this opinion-sharing thing. Oh, and Amazon.com too. I heard they have a few product reviews up on their website)
So there. I get at least 1-2 emails per month along those same exact lines, which isn't too bad, but ye gods, it does get tiresome seeing the same old stuff over and over..."I'm offended that you are knocking the Moby Wrap" and "You are very low-class and unprofessional". But mostly it's all the misspellings and typos. Jesus loves good spelling, people.
Here's something every infant girl age 0-6 months needs...trashy leopard-print high heeled crib shoes. Heelarious, right?
Call me a mom of Two Boys with no daughterly experience, but seriously...this creeps me out big time. If you are that eager to sex your baby girl up and put her in high heels (even fake ones) before she's even 6 months old...yikes.
I love lipstick and eyeliner, heels, lingerie, jewelry...all kinds of feminine accoutrements...but hello, I'm an adult woman. Not an infant. Yuck. S-k-e-t-c-h-y message to be sending to, well...pretty much anyone! Better be careful what you fish for, you just might catch it. Ew.
That's me at far right, with my sleeping 16mo baby on my back. I'm at a a family wedding reception, and we've been going for hours. Julian is off dancing somewhere, Adrian finally crashed in the Pikkolo. So now I get to sit down and relax while he sleeps peacefully. Hooray!
I saw a bunch of other parents at the wedding holding heavy kids in their arms, or walking around with sleeping children slumped over one shoulder. Oof, my back hurt just looking at them.
One mom with a baby about a year old told me she had a mei tei baby carrier at home. I got distracted before I could ask her why in the world she didn't bring it to the wedding and USE it? She was struggling with her baby in arms and on her hip the entire time, and had a preschooler to keep an eye on too. Wearing her baby on her back would have been so much easier.
It sort of mystifies me that people don't use their carriers more often, there are just SO many appropriate situations where a good carrier can be so enormously helpful. Sick baby, tired baby, social event, family outing, grocery shopping, beach, pool, hiking, public transit, walking the dog...you name it! I never go anywhere without mine.
From MomsRising.org (note from Laura: if you're not a member of MomsRising yet, you should be!)
"I think back to all the times when my baby was teething or gnawing on the side of her car seat, and my heart sinks wondering about what her tiny body ingested." --Bobbi (mother of a one year-old)
Can you believe it? A recent study conducted by the watchdog group, Friends of the Earth, found that 56% of infant carriers, 44% of car seats, and 40% of the strollers they tested had dangerous levels of toxic fire retardant chemicals.[1]
This is downright scary--and is yet another toxic exposure on a long list of children's products with toxic chemicals to come out lately. We have to turn this tide.
The good news: Graco, the giant manufacturer of children's products, responded to the Friends of the Earth report the day it was published. Graco says they want to do the right thing, but they haven't yet committed to removing these chemicals from their products. If Graco gets rid of these chemicals, other baby product manufacturers will be under enormous pressure to follow suit.
Haloge-what? Halogenated flame retardants have been shown to cause serious health disorders including endocrine disruption, cancer, birth defects and a host of reproductive and neurological disorders in developing fetuses and offspring in animals.
Forward this to your family, friends, and community so we can all let Graco, and other manufacturers, know that nobody wants toxics near their kids. When consumers speak, companies listen.
Moms' voices are turning the tide on toxics: After our petition with your signatures was delivered several weeks ago on getting the toxic bisphenol A (BPA) out of baby bottles, Toys"R"Us, Babies"R"Us, and CVS announced they'll stop selling baby bottles which contain BPA, and Playtex committed to stop using BPA in all of their baby bottles by the year's end.
We want Graco, and other manufacturers of children's products, to know that making safe products includes keeping toxic chemicals out of them.
Together, we can make help keep dangerous chemicals away from our children.
-- Joan, Kristin, Katie, and the MomsRising.org Team
I've seen a lot of useless, tacky, and downright stupid baby products in my time, in fact I have a whole stack of promotional materials from completely ridiculous companies selling completely ridiculous baby products. I've been meaning to post some of them here so that we can all have a good laugh and wonder who buys this junk.
Let's see if you can guess what kinds of products this company sells:
Hmmm, THAT'S MY BRAT. Well...this is a tough one, isn't it? I'm a little shocked at the whole concept of um, *proudly* saying something like that. Or proclaiming that your child is royally spoiled.
At my house when we give compliments, we say that someone is smart, or talented, or polite, or kind. "That's my _____!". Brat is not the first word that comes to mind to fill in the blanks of that sentence.
Now what if I tell you that this company sells photo frames? Well, kind of odd, I suppose.
Now what if I tell you that this company sells photo frames for ultrasound scan printouts? Because an ordinary frame wouldn't do, right? You need a SPECIAL FRAME for that printout. A frame that proclaims proudly, THAT'S MY BRAT! Because a fetus can still be bratty, what with all that kicking and stuff. I know, huh. That royally spoiled behavior in utero drives me crazy.
Oh but wait, I'm getting confused again, because it's a GOOD thing to be royally spoiled, right? I keep forgetting. Like it's a good thing to be a brat. And not just anyone's brat, but my brat...there in the ultrasound photo.
Who buys this stuff? Who does this marketing appeal to? The mind boggles.
When I was pregnant with my first child, figuring out what I would need to prepare for his arrival was a full-time job. Once researched and carefully chosen, how could I actually get this stuff?
You want people to give you the products you actually spent time picking out, but it's impossible to find all of those products at one store.
That's what frustrated me. I sent links to a bunch of different registries that I had set up, which was an annoying waste of time.
Recently I've been using a website called Kaboodle to remind myself of interesting products seen online. I like it. I can easily create a product snapshot with a link to the original page that I found it on. Then I can add products into groups, send them to people, etc.
Kaboodle has now created specific baby registry functionality. You can click on anything that you see for sale online and add it to your Kaboodle baby registry. Then you can have products from all over in one link. Very efficient. very easy.
You can add my products to a Kaboodle baby registry, and I also sell gift certificates, very popular as shower gifts. Then friends and family can contribute towards the cost of an item that the recipient really wants. And honey, the good stuff *ain't* cheap.
This is a photo from last September. I am wearing a 4th Generation Beco Baby Carrier with the sleeping hood out and ready for use.
I have been getting a lot of sleeping hood questions lately, so thought I would post this. When my baby goes to sleep, I grab those cords behind me and pull the hood up and over my his head, then attach on each side by attaching a snap hook to the D-ring on my chest strap.
I am also wearing my omnipresent 3-season accessory, the Garden Visor. Adrian is 9 months old here and is wearing a Sun Hat in Royal Blue, size Baby.
There are a lot of new, beautiful Beco Butterfly prints coming your way in the next few months.
Like these, scheduled for February. Oops wait...February is over. Well, these are supposed to be the next set of prints. They'll be here when they get here.
These next prints are due in March. Wait, it IS March, and I still haven't gotten the February prints yet. Hmmmmm.
See where I'm going with this? You can ask me all you want to when a certain print is going to come in. The fact is, I have no idea. I don't get a shipment notification or anything...literally a giant box of Beco carriers just shows up on my doorstep. Sometimes it has my full order inside, sometimes not.
I've got a very Zen attitude about this. The carriers will be here when they get here. As long as they keep coming, and I get some...I'm happy.
I am also getting lots of requests for reservations on future prints. I have no way to track reservations without payment, and I don't want to sell carriers that I don't have in stock yet. If they are late in arriving, or if I get a different number than what I ordered, and I have pre-sold them to customers, then I'll be left apologizing and feeling bad, and I don't want to feel bad. I really want to stay relaxed and groovy about this whole thing.
So for that reason, all carriers will be first come, first serve. I will announce new arrivals on my announcement list, so if you want first dibs on a particular print, you can join that and get a heads up when it comes in.
Otherwise, just stay tuned and keep checking back on the website. If I have it for sale, it will be there.
Not only are these tire swings incredibly cool, they are also beautifully designed, reasonably priced, AND they put old tires to a great new use. What's not to like?
We have the Dragon. Love it. You can see ours here in its winter home.
Michelle wrote: ------------------------ Really enjoy your blog... do you have a preference for a skin care line... I have been researching all the terrible stuff in our skin products and have switched my three little ones, but looking for one for myself. Any ideas? ----------------------- Oh indeed, I'm full of ideas. ;-)
Burt's Bees for face soaps, foot scrubs, baby bath/shampoo and lip balms.
AND for their Virgin Coconut Oil, which I use for the whole family's skin/hair AND for cooking (delicious in baked goods). It's good for you inside and out. I buy big buckets of it. Antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, and yummy. Nice hair smoother too. http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/virgin_coconut_oil.htm
Life Extension for their amazing Rejuvenex paraben-free face cream. Has all the important ingredients of the super-luxe zillion-dollar stuff, but none of the icky preservatives, and only a fraction of the price. http://www.lef.org/newshop/items/item00918.html
Jennifer asked: Did you decide not to carry the pikkolo? ------------------------------------------- I have a bunch of Pikkolos in stock right now (in Metro Black, Appletini and Somerset), but I am holding off on listing them because I would like to modify them first before selling them.
Two changes that I want to make:
1) Add snap hooks to the sleeping hood straps...these were present in the first batch, but taken out on the latest batch. Will be back in future batches.
2) Remove the chest belt (which is too easily lost, and somewhat awkward to use) and replace it with a set of chest straps that attach to the shoulder pads and buckle in the middle, like those found on 4th Generation Becos and previous model Ergos.
The sleeping hood snap hooks then will attach to the D-rings on the chest straps, making for a much easier use of the sleeping hood. No matter how tall or short you are, your sleeping hood will attach right at your collarbone.
You are certainly welcome to buy a pikkolo now...I just think that these modifications make for a much better carrier, and I don't like to sell anything less than the best...what *I* would use myself.
I expect the snap hooks to arrive early next week, and I have some chest strap sets in right now, and hope to get more soon.
As soon as I get those in, I will post the pikkolos up for sale.
Also, the optional padded waistband for the pikkolo is in the works, and should be out in another month or two. This changes the pikkolo from an unpadded apron-style waistband to a padded, shaped waistband...perfect if you are looking for more cushioning and support.
The pikkolo is really an awesome carrier, one of my absolute favorites. I recently misplaced my pikkolo (which is customized with attached chest straps, snap hooks on the sleeping hood, and padded waistband)) and both my babysitter and I were SO bummed out.
I finally found it inside a Trader Joe's grocery bag in the trunk of my car. Oh happy day! Not sure what it was doing there, I'm just happy to have it back. :-)
Lots of news to dish! ---------------------------------
BECO SALE Now get $20 off the Ella and Pony Express 4th Generation Becos. I got a ton of these in and need to clear out room for all the new carriers coming my way. Help me make some space! Regularly $123, now $103. While they last....
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BECO BUTTERFLY COMING SOON The new Beco Butterfly is coming in the next few weeks. This is quite different from the current 4th Generation Beco. See my previous blog post about the 4th Gen vs. Butterfly if you want details.
The new Butterfly will be available in 4 patterns:
Addison:
Carnival:
Mia:
Pony Express:
I will stock all 4 of these. After that, there will be 4 MORE patterns coming in February. OK, actually there are 5 new patterns, but I think one is sort of ugly, and I won't be carrying it. This last time around I bought a bunch of carriers in a print that I found ugly, thinking different strokes for different folks, right?
I can barely give them away. So from now on, I'm trusting my own judgment. If you want ugly prints, there are plenty of other places to buy them. -------------------------------------
STROLLER OPTIONS There is a new section on the website called "Stroller Options". I have two kids and found myself actually *needing* a stroller sometimes once #2 came along, yet wanted to avoid those double-wide or double-long jobs. What to do?
PHIL & TED'S SPORT BUGGY My favorite option personally is the Phil & Ted's Sport Buggy Single Stroller with Doubles Kit. Brilliant.
Stroll one kid, or add the extra seat and stroll two, still in the space of one. Switch back and forth as needed. Turns on a dime. Folds up to fit in the trunk of a subcompact car. Great colors and accessories.
I am only selling these by special order for local pickup, as the shipping is beastly. But I can get you a sweet price if you are willing to wait a week or so for your order to come in.
LASCAL BUGGY BOARD MAXI If you already have a favorite single stroller and you just need an extra spot for your older child to ride sometimes...save money and space and pick up a Buggy Board Maxi. It is a nifty little rolling platform that attaches to the back of your stroller. Older kids LOVE to hop on and off. Very durable, high-quality, made in Sweden.
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PIKKOLO BABY CARRIERS The Pikkolo is my current favorite carrier. Super-durable fabric and nylon webbing. Memory foam in the shoulder pads. Every little detail is done to perfection!
And see a little photo tutorial I did on the sleeping hood...shows the Pikkolo used in a back carry with my big heavy 11 month old.
In the above linked tutorial I am wearing an optional padded waistband. Those will be available soon, I don't know how much they will cost. Definitely an awesome, very configurable and customizable carrier. Love it.
I will be carrying these in four colors: Metro Black, Khaki with Olive piping, Appletini, and Somerset. Price will be $123.
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DYEABLE JETPAKS I got in a shipment of dyeable Jetpaks, another new carrier. Still haven't gotten the info up on my website about them, but they are nice. Incredibly lightweight, less than a pound total. Compare to the Beco at 1lb.3oz, the Patapum at 1lb.10oz., or the Ergo at 2lbs.6ozs.
You can choose from a number of colors, they dye beautifully. I did a batch in dark olive green that look great. These will be $123 dyed.
There is a ton of stuff here that hasn't made it onto the website yet. Julian is holding a toy Beco for kids to wear dolls,bears, etc. I have travel toys and games...ring flash cards, travel journals, and more. Someday I will get it all up online, I promise.
Right after this photo was taken, Julian yanked on the ring flash cards attached to one of those baskets in the middle stack and the whole thing came down on top of him.
Here you can see Skuuts, Baby Bjorn Travel Cribs, Phil & Ted's t2 Travel Cribs, Carseat Bags, Travelmates, Travel Highchairs, and Buggy Boards. Plus more inventory to be put away, in the boxes at right.
Normally it never looks this clean and tidy, which is why I had to capture it on film.
