Hello Wishpot Baby readers! As a new “Wishpot Expert” I’d just like to say hello and to let you know a little about myself. I’m a proud Canadian mama, living in Ontario with my partner and our daughter, who just celebrated her 1st birthday last month! I’m a freelance writer & photographer aka WAHM who wishes the day had 50 hours and about that many cups of coffee. I’m looking forward to being a part of the Wishpot team.
As a new mom I can say for certain that babywearing is one of the most important skills I’ve learned. Without it there would have been some very miserable outings, bedtimes & social occasions. Babywearing has gotten us through many stressful situations by creating a calm and happy atmosphere for my daughter – a place where she always feels safe. It’s also helped with breastfeeding on the go, and maneuvering myself and my babe through all sorts of places where strollers just don’t go.
Over the past year I’ve tried out many different styles of carriers and I’d like to share a little about my three favourites – the stretchy wrap, the ring sling & the soft structured carrier.The first carrier that I used the most with my daughter was a stretchy wrap. The tying of this particular type of wrap took a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, you’re golden. Your baby is so close, cozy and secure, and, if you’re like me and have a winter baby, it can tuck right inside your coat! We used our stretchy wrap nonstop until my daughter was about five months old and started getting heavy enough that the fabric wasn’t staying as tight during our outings and would need to be retied if I wore her for a lengthy period of time. That’s when I knew it was time to start looking into soft structured carriers.
(Examples of stretchy wraps: CuddlyWrap, SleepyWrap & Moby Wrap)
A soft structured carrier generally has these features: a padded waist belt, shoulder straps, and a soft body enclosure for your baby to sit in. I find this type of carrier to be incredibly versatile as many can be worn both on your front, back and hip, for maximum utility. My daughter is absolutely at peace when she’s in our carrier and its design ensures minimum fatigue for the babywearer. One drawback is that they can be quite bulky and expensive; however, I believe that the use I get out of mine far outweighs any minor inconveniences.
(Examples of soft structured carries: Ergo, Beco, BabyHawk)
The third way I love to wear my baby is in a simple ring sling. These types of slings are very easy to use and super convenient to toss in your bag and go. I almost always have a ring sling on me for those moments where I’m not anticipating needing to wear her – like an impromptu walk, a grocery trip where she doesn’t want to sit in the cart, a time when she’s feeling overwhelmed and wants to nurse or snuggle. Ring slings are easy to get on and easy to get off – perfect for if you’re in a hurry or even just bumming around the house.
(Examples of ring slings: Sakura Bloom, Heart to Heart)
I hope this information has inspired you all to give babywearing a try if you haven’t already! If you’re a veteran babywearer – we’d love to hear about your favourite way to wear your baby!
Thank you!
(Image sources: Sakura Bloom Blog, BecoBabyCarrier.com & MobyWrap.com)
Potty training is something that every child will encounter. When cloth diapering the transition to regular underwear is a bit more natural. I’ve potty trained two children so far with one more little one to train in the next year.
When my boys approached the age of 3 I started the process of potty training by adapting their cloth diapers. I typically used pocket diapers with stay dry material against my toddler’s skin. When potty training approached I would put the insert on the outside of the pocket so my toddler could feel wetness against his skin. After my boys turned three I took several concentrated days where I focused on potty training. I put my boys in sweat pants that were easy for them to pull up and down with no underwear or diaper underneath. I brought out a potty chair into their play area and gave them chances to sit on it. Accidents were common especially the first day. One son caught on quickly and took only a day to figure out what he was supposed to do. The other son took about three days to get the hang of it.
Once the potty chair started to be used for it’s intended purpose we ventured further away from the potty chair. When we were further away from the potty chair I put my son in a cloth diaper training pant. I’d put my son in a training pant like Kushies Taffeta Training Pant or a Bummis Training Pant. I love the prints on the Kushies Taffeta Training Pants. The prints are so colorful and cute and now they have adorable retro colors. I really liked the fit of the Bummis Training Pants. The leg and waist have soft and stretchy lycra to make the pants more comfortable. I would make sure to give my son frequent opportunities to sit on the potty, but used the training pants to help catch leaks. Because we were not near the toilet accidents happened. But scheduling frequent potty breaks helped my son “remember” to go while he was playing. Over a period of weeks we were able to move to underwear. I liked to start out with the Imse Vimse Training Pants. These training pants fit like underwear, but they are absorbent and are a great choice for a child’s first underwear.
Potty training when we were out and about was a totally different issue. When we first started potty training I would put my sons in a diaper when we left the house. Our trips were usually short so this worked fine. Once my boys had success at home and accidents became less frequent we put them in a cloth training pant when we were out of the house. After success with those we moved on to underwear with potty breaks as necessary.
Potty training at night was quite different. I kept my boys in their regular nighttime diaper - a Fuzzi Bunz stuffed with two Hemparoo Fleece Prefolds. I stopped putting nighttime diapers on one son when the diaper was consistently dry in the morning. He was around age four at that time. The second son was not consistently or even often dry by the time he was five. At that point we went cold turkey with the diapers and woke him once or twice a night to use the bathroom. Accidents happened, but with less and less frequency. By the time that son neared the age of six there were no more accidents and no more need to wake him at night.
Potty training has been fun. I was surprised how it was quite different between my two boys. I look forward to training my daughter next year.
Wishpot is happy to announce that one of our Mommy Experts Amy Bellgardt was recently interviewed for an LA Times article. The article was titled “Blogging moms wooed by food firms”. Check out Amy’s blog here to see what her response was to this article!
Meet Chicklet, our latest Wishpot mom expert. You’ll love her and her baby registry recommendations.
![[Chicklet.jpg]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oDtjbrY2He8/SlorCILitPI/AAAAAAAACBA/gG7mRGKWyOU/s1600/Chicklet.jpg) |
From ever since I can remember, my favorite word has been BLURB. Blurb blurb blurb.
You can WRITE a blurb, you can FORM a blurb, or you can just READ a blurb, but no matter what you DO with a blurb, it’s just plain fun to SAY blurb. Or at least for me it is. Partly cuz I’m easily entertained, partly cuz I say it with a GOOD HARD B at the end. I do NOT say blurb, BLURb, or blurp – I say BLURB-UH!
|
So now that I’ve got your attention, or lost it, the real point of this babbling is to introduce myself. But being who I am, I didn’t want to do one of those boring old intros that just SAYS who I am, I wanted to do something that SHOWS who I am. And yes, I believe all that babbling about blurbs explains just who I, Natalie (aka “chicklet”, as I’m known on my personal blog and review blog) really am.
As for the whole SAYING who I am, well, I’ll do that too just to be clear. I’m a happily married 33 year old, more than a LITTLE obsessed with having chocolate for dessert EVERY SINGLE DAY, red wine on a sunny patio every SUMMER day, and an ever-growing arsenal of NEW and EXCITING ways to be mean to my charming (and extremely patient?) husband. Oh, and I get to do all that in one of THE most beautiful cities in the world – Vancouver, BC.
Fortunately AND unfortunately though, the wine habit in particular is suffering a little this summer with that whole being PREGNANT thing I’ve got going on – 7 weeks to go! What ISN’T suffering however, is either my shopping OR my exercise habits – both of which you’ll see a lot of evidence of here and in my blogs.
The shopping habit, well, I think that one’s pretty obvious what I’ve been focused on lately – I mean, I AM pregnant so there’s DEFINITELY been a strong focus towards the funky yet practical things I’m going to need (and want!) for this kid. But the other focus has really been on exercise, and doing it safely both during pregnancy, and after, when I’ve got my wee one in tow.
Because the thing is for me, I’ve been a runner for over 10 years – and it’s not just something I DO, but something I AM. My running is not JUST a physical outlet to let me eat what I want and maintain my figure, but also a mental SAVIOUR for my sanity. And so with being pregnant, I’ve had to find new ways to adjust that outlet in ways that let ME still be ME, but also let this kid grow as he’s supposed to.
And while I know a lot of women DO suffer throughout their pregnancies, I can proudly say I’m not one of them. And no, you don’t have to hate me for it, because I worked my ASS off to prevent that suffering. What do I mean? I mean I really and TRULY believe my fitness regime has been the key to an easy pregnancy. Back pain? Nope. Swelling? Nope. Discomfort? Barely!
So as time goes on, between the baby and toddler gear that will UNDOUBTEDLY fill my Wishpot, you’ll also find me posting a lot of VERY cool fitness gadgets, gear, and of COURSE wear. Partly because they’re things I have a HOOT shopping for, and give me a TON of pleasure when they compliment my running. And partly because what’s the point in working your ass off if you can’t enjoy yourself, and feel like you look good doing it.
Thank you Chicklet! And click here to add Chicklet as a wishpot friend. Click on the little plus sign under her name.
