Review: A Gift for Baby by Jan Hunt

I love getting packages in the mail! I never get tired of ripping them open, even if I already know what's inside.

Today, I tore into "A Gift for Baby/Un Regalo para Bebe" by Jan Hunt and immediately gathered my babies around me to have a read. My babies, by the way, are five and ten, but that doesn't mean they don't enjoy a good read! It's' always a treat to cuddle together and share a story.

This beautifully illustrated book for little ones is told from the point of view of a sweet toddler who loves mom, dad, and simply to be with them. Each page has just one line of text, in both English and Spanish. I particularly love this as we are a bilingual family and reading both languages helps my girls pick up new vocabulary (much of which was new to me as I have had no occasion to learn words such as stroller, soother, baby bottle and playpen in Spanish).

There is a stunning illustration of the family strolling through nature and the dad is babywearing. How lovely to share such images with our children.

This is sure to be a favorite both with parents, babies, toddlers, and children of any age! As a mom, I came away pleased with the gift in the story. I don't always stop and realize the full value of what I do as I strive to practice Attachment Parenting. Shifting to the child's perspective helps me, as a parent, refocus. Seeing my girls' reactions to the story helped validate the rightness of how we live.

Baby Sling Video: Baby Mamas (Put a Sling On 'Em

Have you seen this totally awesome new video? If not, have a look and pass it forward!

Baby Mamas (Put a Sling On 'Em)

Baby Mamas (Put a sling on 'em Baby Sling Video:

;)

And here is the fun back story of how this video came to be.

New Ergo Infant Insert: Heart 2 Heart

Ergo has totally redesigned their infant insert! The new design is called the (Heart 2 Heart) and is much easier to use than the previous model.

Have a look!

Ergo has come out with an infant insert that strives to assure safe, proper spine positioning for your newborn. The Heart 2 Heart supports your baby properly.



Note that Ergo only endorses using the Heart 2 Heart in a tummy to tummy positioning (see * below), and that is fine, but Jennifer was more comfortable with the baby sitting sideways and found this positioning made it easier to assure proper positioning for her little baby. He is four weeks old and 13 pounds in this video. The Heart 2 Heart is designed to be used from newborn to around 4-5 months, and by using the side-sit positioning demonstrated, it will more easily accomodate a larger baby who may not yet be long enough or ready for the legs opening positioning. Most babies hit that milestone at around 3-5 months.



Ergo Heart 2 Heart

*ERGO does NOT recommend that the Heart2Heart be used in any position but the upright - hence the name "Heart to Heart". The most recent research has indicated that this upright position is optimal for supporting baby's developing spine, hips, and pelvis, and ensures that no weight or pressure is put on these important areas as they grow.

Putting a Scootababy Through its Paces

My daughter is now 5 1/2! Can you believe it? I've been babywearing for close to ten years. I guess you can't call it babywearing any more with a five year old! And I can only get away with it because she is a peanut. My older daughter was out of the weight limits for comfortable carrying by around 4 1/2.

A few days ago, she asked for a ride in a pink baby carrier.

Yep, we have some of those! She chose the Scootababy. On the way to our first errand, she requested a true hip carry.

On the way to our second errand (the grocery store), she requested a front carry. I think it's funny that she still knows her way around each baby carrier well enough to be able to make selections like this.

While shopping, she surprised me, requesting a back carry. This is actually the most convenient for me and it's super easy to do with the Scootababy. In fact, a back carry with the Scootababy is arguably one of the easiest ways for a novice babywearer to do a back carry. You just put baby in properly and then slide them around (or bounce them around). There is perhaps a bit of untangling of limbs but most anyone can manage without coaching.

I rarely get to wear my daughter any more, but each time, I savor it. It is always at her request and it means she needs to be close to me. For the same reasons I've always loved babywearing, I am grateful. I get to nurture my daughter while being able to get on with my life.

How shallow should I be?

My youngest is going to be 5 in about 2 weeks. And for the last few months, she is requesting to go in a "carrier" every morning. Before bed, she often reminds me that she wants me to scoop her up and pop her in a baby carrier first thing in the morning. I usually oblige (so long as I haven't twisted an ankle or anything like that).

She likes pink. I do too. But my absolute favorite baby carrier is my Ergo and it's a few years old.

Should I get myself a pink Ergo, now that there is one available? Is that totally nuts?

On the other hand, if I'm going to get a new Ergo, why not try out the Ergo Sport that everyone is raving about? I'm super curious about the fit and extended padding and all the nifty new features.

Oh but this is so silly! She's going to be five! I don't need any new baby carriers!

Babywearing, again, after all these years

My second daughter was early (by my standards) to quit babywearing. She was just three.

I know many people think their babywearing careers are over at 6-9 months when the baby starts crawling and walking, but not so! Once they get over the driving need to be on the floor and master these skills, babies are right back up on your hip, and your babywearing career is back on target for years to come.

With my first daughter, it was me who ended the relationship. She was 4. I was hugely pregnant. She was huge. I just could not manage to pick up a 45 pound child any more. It was awful and if I could have, I would have. But I couldn't. I didn't know about back carries in those days. If I had it to do over again, she'd have been on my back right the way through because it's clearly what she needed. Now I know better.

My second daughter has always been an independent soul. I wasn't ready for her to stop because it's just easier to keep a child out of trouble if they are attached! She certainly challenged me as I chased her through stores if I couldn't get her to stay in the stroller.

She moved into her big sister's room recently. And with this move to further independence came some regressions. Specifically, she needs a lot more contact to make up for being away from me at night. When she wakes up in the morning, she wants to go into a "carrier". I only have a few left in my stash. I have a Beco Butterfly, a super old denim Ergo, and a Scootababy.

She prefers the Scootababy and Beco because they're pink. I still love the Ergo the most. I don't always get to say. It's almost worth getting myself the new pink Ergo. Almost, but not quite justifiable for just about 15 minutes babywearing in the morning.

She's going to be 5 soon, by the way.

If you know me on FaceBook, I've been posting horrible photos (horrible because my hair is a mess).

Peekaru on Ellen

Sorry for long hiatus!

I'm just bursting with babywearing stories! But I managed to lock myself out of my account for a few months. I'm back now and catching up!