MCS Meeting
Daphne & I had a good time at our first Magic City Slingers meeting this morning. The topic was Asian-inspired Baby Carriers (or ABCs, like a Chinese mei tai or Korean podegi) and we got a demonstration on how to do different carries, as well as a brief demo on some soft structured carriers, like an Ergo, Beco and a Korean chunei. I just love my mei tai and have been looking at eventually getting a soft structured carrier, so it was nice to see one up close. I might need to try out an Ergo, it definitely looks like something that I could get Chris to use too.
Daphne did surprisingly well with all the activity and noise (and it was very active and very noisy!). We sat next to another newbie with her 5 month old son, Han (as in Solo, which is awesome!). I look forward to getting more involved with this group. It was so nice to be out and socializing with other moms.
Filed under Babywearing | Comment (0)Mei Tai Pattern Review
Ok, even though I didn’t have the most pleasant sewing experience last night with my Montessori By Hand mei tai (I forgot to mention I ripped my leg open with a pin, don’t ask how, hopefully I can get the blood out of my yoga pants) it wasn’t a complete bust. This morning I tried it out with Daphne and it wasn’t bad. I don’t like my choice of strap material (medium weight stretch denim, obviously my fault) and I didn’t like the shoulder straps size or the fact that they weren’t padded. When I make this pattern again I will either increase the shoulder straps to at least 6 inches in width, or pad the shoulder area. I think this might help it wear more comfortably. I also think I’d reduce the body width, just a tad. Also, the instructions don’t take fabric pattern direction into account when they say you need 1/2 yard for the exterior. So if you have a directional print you might need more fabric. Ultimately there are many different tutorials online for making your own mei tai. I really don’t think this pattern is necessary, but in my case I really wanted a printed pattern to follow so it was worth the $12. I can tell you with just a few minutes of wear it wasn’t nearly as comfortable as my Babyhawk carrier, but with a few modifications I think I can get it to work for us.
Filed under Babywearing, Crafts | Comment (0)Pimp my baby carrier?
Do you have a boring SSC (soft structured carrier) or mei tai that needs some oomph? Let Pimp My Carrier give it a makeover. I like this idea. I have been considering getting an Ergo, but they are so unattractive.
Filed under Babywearing | Comment (0)Fleece Poncho Done Right
Check out this link from the Magic City Slingers (our local babywearing group, which hopefully if Daphne cooperates we will be able to actually attend a meeting) for a modified version of the no sew poncho I posted about a few weeks ago. Cute and not muppet like at all!! I’d post a picture of the second poncho I made for Daphne, but it’s still pretty ridiculous looking. The pom pom fringe was not a good idea. I’d tell you what Chris said about it, but it’s not very politically correct and I don’t want hate mail from our growing Hispanic community. Luckily Mom brought one of my old ponchos that I wouldn’t be embarrassed for Daphne to leave the house in. Here’s a pic, me in the late 70’s and Daphne just a few weeks ago modeling the same poncho. Side note- when did Daphne stop looking like a mini Chris and turn into mini Jenny??
Mei Tai Madness
Chris & I have really been enjoying our BabyHawk Mei Tai. It’s so much easier to throw Daphne in the mei tai rather than pulling out the stroller or balancing her infant car seat in a shopping cart for those quick trips to the store. When I originally ordered the BabyHawk I wasn’t thinking about Chris wearing it too and chose girly pink patterns for both the main side and the reversible. Oops. And since I really didn’t want to drop another $90 I’ve decided to make my own. Thebabywearer.com is a great resource but I haven’t sewn anything in so long I really wanted a pattern to follow. So I purchased a pattern from Montessori By Hand (they have an Etsy shop too). Here’s a similar idea from a Flickr user.
Speaking of mei tais, I’ve definitely mastered the front carry. Now that Daphne has a bit more head control she’s almost ready to try a back carry. How anyone can pull off a back carry by themselves I have no idea. Check out this video. Eeeek! Not brave enough to try it yet.
