A couple of people have mentioned that they would like some tips on using slings so I thought I'd do a little video! Or a few little videos so show different methods of carrying with different slings.
This is the first one. It's a basic carry using a Moby stretchy wrap and can be used with any stretchy wrap. I carried Jess in this carry almost exclusively from one week until about six months. It's really easy to use and excellent for when they are tiny.
The important thing to remember is that the material should be well spread out and not twisted over your shoulders to spread the weight and the material under the babies bottom should be spread from knee to knee.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Monday, 9 August 2010
Sling wishlist.
This is my "Mrs Bossa does the do" type of wishlist thing but instead of shoes and the like this is my sling dream list!
Wrapsody Haumea
Wrapsody Haumea
Simply Mei Tai Bespoke Sling
Girasol Symphuo
Nati Japan
Didymos Butterflys on Light Blue
And this baby is my gift from Meanderingfather- Wrapsody Aphrodite!
So there you go. I will look but not touch! Apart from the aphrodite which I will wallow in its gorgeousness!
Thursday, 5 August 2010
It's all go!
So, it's been a busy week in Jessie Land!
In the space of 24 hours over the weekend she learnt to sit up and cut her first tooth. Bizarre how nothing happens for ages then it all comes at once. Insert your own hackneyed phrase about London buses here.
Seems to be dealing very well with the tooth. Have had a few teething powders but no calpol as yet and she's only felt the need to nibble while feeding once or twice and it's only been a nibble. I'm waiting for the first clamp down! It's like a new toy for me, I keep sticking my finger in her mouth to feel it there and I got very excited about getting her a little toothbrush and cleaning it for the first time! In true Stoke Newington fashion I got a wooden one from Born, slightly unnecessary but there you go.
The sitting up seems to have given her new confidence and strength. Bathtimes have become a lot of fun as she attempts to flood the bathroom with her kicking and she can sit up in the bath now and play with a little plastic cup. I say play with it, what she's actually doing is attempting to drink the bathwater but that's baby led weaning for you.
I also brought her a blow up doughnut thing that she can sit in and play. It's blatantly a padded pen type thing to keep your child out of trouble but she very quickly worked out how to catapult herself over the side so that's backfired somewhat. Quite fun watching her do it though!
We've also got her second (and last for a good long time) Wee Notion nappy. This one was a present from her Great Grandmother who was enamoured with the last one but made the stipulation that I got one that's more girly this time. I think this one fits the bill!
The whiff problem with the nappies is now, I hope, under control! They have had a fabulous strip and I try not to use the PUL nappies at night. PUL being the waterproofing that is fantastic but means they are not very breathable. She now has (and I can take no credit for this at all, it was all meanderingauntie's idea) tot bots nappies to wear at night that have a lanolised wool soaker over the top. Amazingly, even though the tots bots aren't water proof, the wool soaker keeps her dry. Magic!
As she is sleeping through this system is far healthier to wear for 12 hours than the PUL wraps which don't let her bottom breath and don't let themselves breath which is probably one of the reasons they smelt in the first place!
So Meanderingmother's super strip!
- Soak all the nappies, wipes, liners etc APART FROM ANYTHING WITH PUL in the bath with water and white vinegar. I use three large bottles of sarsons white vinegar and enough water to cover everything. Leave overnight.
- Put in washing machine and rinse.
- Add all PUL to wash and give a nice squirt of fairy liquid (not ecover, it has to be abrasive).
- Wash on a 60 wash.
- Continue to do 40 washes, rinses until all the bubbles have gone and the nappies smell of nothing (can take a while).
- If possible hang out in the sun- really does remove all stains!
And when I wash them I do a cold rinse first then wash them at 60 with ecoballs and soda crystals. So far so good. Fingers crossed!
In the space of 24 hours over the weekend she learnt to sit up and cut her first tooth. Bizarre how nothing happens for ages then it all comes at once. Insert your own hackneyed phrase about London buses here.
Very first time Jess sat up
Seems to be dealing very well with the tooth. Have had a few teething powders but no calpol as yet and she's only felt the need to nibble while feeding once or twice and it's only been a nibble. I'm waiting for the first clamp down! It's like a new toy for me, I keep sticking my finger in her mouth to feel it there and I got very excited about getting her a little toothbrush and cleaning it for the first time! In true Stoke Newington fashion I got a wooden one from Born, slightly unnecessary but there you go.
Eating tissue paper.
The sitting up seems to have given her new confidence and strength. Bathtimes have become a lot of fun as she attempts to flood the bathroom with her kicking and she can sit up in the bath now and play with a little plastic cup. I say play with it, what she's actually doing is attempting to drink the bathwater but that's baby led weaning for you.
I also brought her a blow up doughnut thing that she can sit in and play. It's blatantly a padded pen type thing to keep your child out of trouble but she very quickly worked out how to catapult herself over the side so that's backfired somewhat. Quite fun watching her do it though!
We've also got her second (and last for a good long time) Wee Notion nappy. This one was a present from her Great Grandmother who was enamoured with the last one but made the stipulation that I got one that's more girly this time. I think this one fits the bill!
Wow!
The whiff problem with the nappies is now, I hope, under control! They have had a fabulous strip and I try not to use the PUL nappies at night. PUL being the waterproofing that is fantastic but means they are not very breathable. She now has (and I can take no credit for this at all, it was all meanderingauntie's idea) tot bots nappies to wear at night that have a lanolised wool soaker over the top. Amazingly, even though the tots bots aren't water proof, the wool soaker keeps her dry. Magic!
And modelling a wool soaker over a tots bot.
As she is sleeping through this system is far healthier to wear for 12 hours than the PUL wraps which don't let her bottom breath and don't let themselves breath which is probably one of the reasons they smelt in the first place!
So Meanderingmother's super strip!
- Soak all the nappies, wipes, liners etc APART FROM ANYTHING WITH PUL in the bath with water and white vinegar. I use three large bottles of sarsons white vinegar and enough water to cover everything. Leave overnight.
- Put in washing machine and rinse.
- Add all PUL to wash and give a nice squirt of fairy liquid (not ecover, it has to be abrasive).
- Wash on a 60 wash.
- Continue to do 40 washes, rinses until all the bubbles have gone and the nappies smell of nothing (can take a while).
- If possible hang out in the sun- really does remove all stains!
And when I wash them I do a cold rinse first then wash them at 60 with ecoballs and soda crystals. So far so good. Fingers crossed!
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Baby Wearing
Well we've passed the magic six month mark which I had in my head as the time I would probably have brought a buggy by and still, no buggy. Meanderingfather and I were thinking about it but as I'm obviously the one who carries Jess the most it's probably me who does most of the decision making around this. Nothing to do with the fact that I'm a control crazed freak.
Anyway, I thought about it, I did a bit of research and I've brought... a new sling. Some may say it's unnecessary and I only brought it because it's very pretty (which it is) but I like to think I have some arguments in my favour. My Moby wrap I adore and will continue to use, especially if we're out for long periods of time (it spreads the weight a bit better, especially for my lower back and Jess sleeps a bit better in it), and if it's very cold as it keeps the heat in very well. And that's one of the arguments in favour of the new one. It's called a Mei Tai and effectively a big square with a tie coming off each corner. It therefore doesn't wrap round you and has a bit more in the way of natural ventilation! It's hard to argue how great slings are when your baby has a beetroot face and you're sweating buckets.
Meanderingfather has been his usual lovely self so I have another wrap on the way which is a cross between a stretchy wrap (like the Moby- good for newborns) and a woven wrap which can be a bit more technically difficult but is good for bigger and heavier babies. So this will be a good wrap as Jess gets a bit bigger and wrigglier. Again, it's also damned pretty! I will, of course, post pictures on its arrival.
The Mei Tai is easier than a wrap to get on quickly and I can carry Jess on my back with just me to get her on and off. I tried this once with the Moby and somewhat predictably only narrowly avoided Jess hitting the decks. And the Mai Tei's just so pretty, did I mention that already? It was made by a company called Funky Slings (see the link) and I spent hours deciding what fabric to get, they have a huge amount! They're also a small business employing work at home mothers to make the slings which is the kind of business I like to give mine (or Meanderingfather's) money to.
There are obvious practical benefits; we don't have anywhere to keep a buggy at home and I can only imagine that hauling Jess and a buggy up the stairs to the flat would be a bit of a mission. I also thank my lucky stars for my weaving abilities when attempting the buggy slalom that is Stoke Newington Church St at the weekend. Or when watching anyone manhandling buggies on and off buses. And do I feel smug when I'm nipping through the gridlocked buggy brigade? Of course I do.
I've also discovered the joys of being able to pop Jess on my back while I "get on" as my mother puts it. Although she is usually very chilled out and happy to entertain herself there are times when she wants a bit of company and interaction. Usually these times correspond with when I'm trying to make dinner or clean up so now she can go on my back like a little monkey, I can have a little sing and dance while I'm cooking or whatever and she's quite happy. Whizzing the hoover around with a baby on your back is quite a workout too!
Apparently wearing your baby is also good for their development and if the nice ladies in Born say they think babies in slings are more aware of the world around them and more interactive then who am I to disagree?! Jess is very aware of what's going on, she's very smiley and she's what I can only describe as a very confident baby but she may have been all those things if she had been in a buggy, it's hard to know. Proponents of the attachment theory swear by the usefulness of wraps and slings to keep your baby with you at all times. I don't go by any particular method of parenting and I like Jess to have her own time, as I like to have mine too but I do believe that wearing your baby against you really gives you a closeness that I don't believe you'd get pushing them round in a buggy all the time. But that's just me!
So for now we sling and I think we've reached the stage where it's an all or nothing thing. She's at a weight that if I started putting her in the sling only occasionally it'd get harder, the very fact I do it everyday means I'm used to it and I don't really notice her weight. And I'm not ready to stop with the baby wearing!
Anyway, I thought about it, I did a bit of research and I've brought... a new sling. Some may say it's unnecessary and I only brought it because it's very pretty (which it is) but I like to think I have some arguments in my favour. My Moby wrap I adore and will continue to use, especially if we're out for long periods of time (it spreads the weight a bit better, especially for my lower back and Jess sleeps a bit better in it), and if it's very cold as it keeps the heat in very well. And that's one of the arguments in favour of the new one. It's called a Mei Tai and effectively a big square with a tie coming off each corner. It therefore doesn't wrap round you and has a bit more in the way of natural ventilation! It's hard to argue how great slings are when your baby has a beetroot face and you're sweating buckets.
Meanderingfather has been his usual lovely self so I have another wrap on the way which is a cross between a stretchy wrap (like the Moby- good for newborns) and a woven wrap which can be a bit more technically difficult but is good for bigger and heavier babies. So this will be a good wrap as Jess gets a bit bigger and wrigglier. Again, it's also damned pretty! I will, of course, post pictures on its arrival.
The Mei Tai is easier than a wrap to get on quickly and I can carry Jess on my back with just me to get her on and off. I tried this once with the Moby and somewhat predictably only narrowly avoided Jess hitting the decks. And the Mai Tei's just so pretty, did I mention that already? It was made by a company called Funky Slings (see the link) and I spent hours deciding what fabric to get, they have a huge amount! They're also a small business employing work at home mothers to make the slings which is the kind of business I like to give mine (or Meanderingfather's) money to.
Jess trying her new Funky Sling Mai Tei.
On the back. She's asleep here she's so comfy!
And on the front (looking pissed off because I wouldn't share my icecream).
I now feel that what was a decision to carry a small baby in a sling for convenience purposes is fast becoming a lifestyle choice and predictably one I have to defend to people so I have tended to get a bit more bolshy about it. There are times when I wonder why I'm carrying my 7kg nearly seven month old child around. Surely it'd be easier in a buggy, she'd be more comfortable, she's sleep in there better, she could play with her toys in there, I wouldn't be risking my back etc etc. Am I insisting on carrying her for selfish reasons? I like to chat to her, I like to be able to kiss her little head and hold her hands and cradle her in my arms while she sleeps but is it just me that craves that closeness?There are obvious practical benefits; we don't have anywhere to keep a buggy at home and I can only imagine that hauling Jess and a buggy up the stairs to the flat would be a bit of a mission. I also thank my lucky stars for my weaving abilities when attempting the buggy slalom that is Stoke Newington Church St at the weekend. Or when watching anyone manhandling buggies on and off buses. And do I feel smug when I'm nipping through the gridlocked buggy brigade? Of course I do.
I've also discovered the joys of being able to pop Jess on my back while I "get on" as my mother puts it. Although she is usually very chilled out and happy to entertain herself there are times when she wants a bit of company and interaction. Usually these times correspond with when I'm trying to make dinner or clean up so now she can go on my back like a little monkey, I can have a little sing and dance while I'm cooking or whatever and she's quite happy. Whizzing the hoover around with a baby on your back is quite a workout too!
Apparently wearing your baby is also good for their development and if the nice ladies in Born say they think babies in slings are more aware of the world around them and more interactive then who am I to disagree?! Jess is very aware of what's going on, she's very smiley and she's what I can only describe as a very confident baby but she may have been all those things if she had been in a buggy, it's hard to know. Proponents of the attachment theory swear by the usefulness of wraps and slings to keep your baby with you at all times. I don't go by any particular method of parenting and I like Jess to have her own time, as I like to have mine too but I do believe that wearing your baby against you really gives you a closeness that I don't believe you'd get pushing them round in a buggy all the time. But that's just me!
So for now we sling and I think we've reached the stage where it's an all or nothing thing. She's at a weight that if I started putting her in the sling only occasionally it'd get harder, the very fact I do it everyday means I'm used to it and I don't really notice her weight. And I'm not ready to stop with the baby wearing!
Meanderingfather turns the Mei Tai inside out and rocks the goth daddy look.
Thursday, 29 July 2010
More Eating
Well, the Baby Led Weaning (BLW) seems to be going very well! Even better since we got the new high chair to be honest. You're not really supposed to start on the eating thing until sprog can sit up pretty much unaided. Jess' attempts at sitting at the moment result in a very well practised quick lie down. Sometimes face first.... We initially got her a booster seat which, even when well padded out with a towel, didn't really offer much in the way of support and had her peering over the edge of the table so she struggled a bit to reach her food. I realised that it wasn't helping her when we visited a friend with a proper highchair which Jess sat in and happily devoured six large strawberries with not that much going on the floor. Needless to say, it was a very understanding friend who helped me hose the child down in the bath afterwards!
So I did a bit of research and brought an East Coast wooden folding highchair which was possibly a bit expensive; £44 off ebay in comparison the the ikea antilop wonder highchair which sells for £10.99 with the table being an extra budget busting £4.... Don't get me wrong, the antilop is actually excellent but crucially for us, it has slightly splayed legs and it doesn't fold and did I mention we live in a shoebox? Anyway, we now have our very pretty folding wooden highchair which keeps her mostly upright and will be even better when we get the insert for it so she doesn't keep smacking her head on the back when she's decided she's finished eating. It has a tray which is handy but the tray folds back too so she can get right up to the table and eat with us without being eye level with her lunch. Forgive me for raving about highchairs, makes a change from the nappies though....
I am eternally amazed at the development of her skills when it comes to eating. Depending on what it is she has come on leaps and bounds within a few weeks with getting things in her mouth and swallowing them and she knows that when the highchair comes out and Mummy starts laying the table it's food time and she'll shout at me until she's fed. While I'm typing this she's finishing her lunch which was soup followed by plum. The soup I leave thicker than Meanderingfather and I have it so it's bordering on veg puree but Jess eats it herself. I either pass her a loaded spoon or I leave the spoon in the soup in front of her, either way, she knows just what to do! Right now the plum is being decimated. I cut it roughly off the stone and Jess very efficiently eats the flesh and spits out the skin. It's great watching her learn that two hands are better than one when picking up something slippy.
So I did a bit of research and brought an East Coast wooden folding highchair which was possibly a bit expensive; £44 off ebay in comparison the the ikea antilop wonder highchair which sells for £10.99 with the table being an extra budget busting £4.... Don't get me wrong, the antilop is actually excellent but crucially for us, it has slightly splayed legs and it doesn't fold and did I mention we live in a shoebox? Anyway, we now have our very pretty folding wooden highchair which keeps her mostly upright and will be even better when we get the insert for it so she doesn't keep smacking her head on the back when she's decided she's finished eating. It has a tray which is handy but the tray folds back too so she can get right up to the table and eat with us without being eye level with her lunch. Forgive me for raving about highchairs, makes a change from the nappies though....
I am eternally amazed at the development of her skills when it comes to eating. Depending on what it is she has come on leaps and bounds within a few weeks with getting things in her mouth and swallowing them and she knows that when the highchair comes out and Mummy starts laying the table it's food time and she'll shout at me until she's fed. While I'm typing this she's finishing her lunch which was soup followed by plum. The soup I leave thicker than Meanderingfather and I have it so it's bordering on veg puree but Jess eats it herself. I either pass her a loaded spoon or I leave the spoon in the soup in front of her, either way, she knows just what to do! Right now the plum is being decimated. I cut it roughly off the stone and Jess very efficiently eats the flesh and spits out the skin. It's great watching her learn that two hands are better than one when picking up something slippy.
Mmmm, plum!
Obviously though, she now wants EVERYTHING! Which means I have to be very aware that she will be lunging for my glass of wine in the pub. Luckily she will be fobbed off with sipping from a glass of water.
We're still going strong with the breastfeeding and hopefully will continue to do so for a while longer yet but she did have an odd wobble when the weaning started in earnest and for a few days she didn't want much boob but would just howl at it when I got her in position. I eventually worked out that she didn't want to be held so much so for a while she was feeding sitting beside me with minimal support and now she's back to normal thankfully!
In other news still not much luck with the nappies and the smell. I'm trying a few other things and if they work I shall up date you (lucky things that you are!)
We're still going strong with the breastfeeding and hopefully will continue to do so for a while longer yet but she did have an odd wobble when the weaning started in earnest and for a few days she didn't want much boob but would just howl at it when I got her in position. I eventually worked out that she didn't want to be held so much so for a while she was feeding sitting beside me with minimal support and now she's back to normal thankfully!
In other news still not much luck with the nappies and the smell. I'm trying a few other things and if they work I shall up date you (lucky things that you are!)
Friday, 16 July 2010
Wee Notions. If you've had enough of nappies look away now.
Jess modelling her new nappy.
Anyway, the height of nappy fashion has arrived! Designed by me, worn by Jess and it is gorgeous.
The outside is the great skull picture on lagoon minkee gelato fabric and the inside is raspberry slush minkee gelato fabric. It's really nice and soft and great quality. Wee Notions is a small family run business who make by hand every nappy that's ordered which makes me feel all happy inside. If anyone doesn't know what to get as a present for new parents these make great gifts, I reckon that even if someone's not doing cloth nappies one of these would still hit the mark (and might persuade them to use cloth which is all good!).
Anyway, for my readers who are fb friends, I apologise for deluging you with photos, I'll stop now!
The outside is the great skull picture on lagoon minkee gelato fabric and the inside is raspberry slush minkee gelato fabric. It's really nice and soft and great quality. Wee Notions is a small family run business who make by hand every nappy that's ordered which makes me feel all happy inside. If anyone doesn't know what to get as a present for new parents these make great gifts, I reckon that even if someone's not doing cloth nappies one of these would still hit the mark (and might persuade them to use cloth which is all good!).
Anyway, for my readers who are fb friends, I apologise for deluging you with photos, I'll stop now!
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
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