moms know best

I've recently been informed of a CNN article on the safety of sunscreen (thanks, Denise!).  Sunscreen is definitely a must, but it turns out there are some sunscreens that are safer than others because as you can imagine, sunscreens can be loaded with chemicals.  Additionally, it turns out some aren't doing as good of a job as you think they are doing.

I chuckle a bit at the timing of this CNN article.  I've seen information on the safety of sunscreen on the "mom-blogs" for months and yet CNN is coming out with the info just now.  Better late than never though; sources like CNN are trusted by a wide audience.  It reminds me of the times when I've told my husband some information only for him to validate me a couple months later after he hears it on NPR.  ;)  I swear I'm going to keep my finger on the pulse of mommy bloggers and my mom friends on my message board because they really are "in the know" when it comes to current events in regard to children!  Go mommies!  

I first was alerted to the sunscreen issue by my friend Shannon.  It makes sense to me that the chemicals in sunscreen might be harmful; but when you are trying to prevent a problem it's easy to forget about the ones you may be creating along the way.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not AT ALL trying to discourage sunscreen usage, but I do hope to become smarter about finding the safest ones.

Both safemama and zrecs have some great info on their sunscreen research and reviews.  But my all time fav resource is the Environmental Working Group (EWG)'s Cosmetic Database.  Here you can find both the toxicity rating and UVA/B protection rating for most sunscreens.  And if your sunscreen isn't listed, simply add it to the database by listing all the ingredients.  The EWG did their own sunscreen study and this is the result.  Look for toxicity ratings with low numbers.

I've tried 3 of the "safer" sunscreens.

California Baby, No Fragrance, SPF 30:  This is a highly rated sunscreen by both safemama and EWG.  So that holds major clout for me.  I do like that it has no scent and that it's safe.  It is pretty thick though and does leave a bit of a white film on the skin but it's no biggie.  It's water-resistant so that is also a huge plus for me.

Be forewarned, it took me 3 weeks to receive this sunscreen from Amazon! I've heard it's on back order almost everywhere.

Blue Lizard, Sensitive (or Baby) SPF 30:  This is rated good by EWG.  What I like about this sunscreen is that it's more attainable being that it's available at CVS.  It's more affordable as well.  The physical attributes (somewhat thick) seems somewhat similar to California Baby to me.

Weleda Children's Sunscreen, SPF 18:  I LOVE how this goes on smooth and doesn't produce a thick film!  It's a bit oily but simply shaking the tube helps a great deal with that.  I think it smells a little strong but my husband likes the scent.  Safemama recommends it and it's also water-resistant.  It wasn't rated by the EWG until I entered it into their database.  The product received somewhat of a high rating (high = bad) so that confused me since Weleda is known for their natural products.  I think that the ingredient "fragrance" is throwing the score off.  Typically fragrance involves harmful chemicals.  But when it comes to Weleda products, the fragrance is actually derived from essential oils (something that is in asterisks on the ingredients list that the EWG database can not pick up).  However, the product also doesn't get a great UVB protection rating so that turns me off a bit.  It does have a high UVA protection rating.

I plan to only use California Baby on my infant.  It's rated very good across multiple sources.  I will use any of the above on my 2.5 year old (depending on the circumstances) and on myself and my husband.

P.S.  The cosmetic database is useful for looking up any cosmetic product to find it's toxicity rating.  Not all products are listed but the database is growing each day and you can help by entering products and their ingredients as well.

happy 4th of july!

I hope this post finds you relaxing on the 4th.  We have some friends coming over with their kids and plan to do fireworks right on the beach after a day of playing on the lake, boating & BBQing.  It should be a great time with good company and lots of food as usual.  Good thing our Bowflex is arriving next week.  LOL!

In baby news... after my co-op run I'm stocked up on veggies and fruit and have decided to make Syd some home-made baby food, something I often did for Sam too.  This may be a huge mistake as so far she hasn't taken to ANY food.  I thought she was ready for food because, well, she's almost 7 months old and she has been eyeing the food on my plate for quite some time!  But every time I give her baby food she spits it right back out.  I don't know if she doesn't like it or if she's not ready.  I've tried rice cereal, pears, and avocado.  I had the best luck with the avocado.  But even when she has eaten food, it only came back up a half hour later. *sigh*

Anyway, thought I'd pass along a great site for making your own baby food!  It's much easier than you'd think.  Just whip it up in a blender and freeze in old glass baby food jars or ice cube trays (to be later stored in freezer bags once frozen).

And a few Sam-isms to share:

Anytime he's too little for something I tend to say, "That's for adults only."  Well this morning he said to me, "Mom, I'm an adult; you can be a little boy."

As I was putting sunscreen on him today he said, "Don't frost me like a cake!"

His little imagination just blows me away.  I certainly didn't pass down that trait.

oh Canada!

A shout out to my Canadian friends!  HAPPY CANADA DAY!  

And in breaking news... I found my LilyPadz!  WOO HOO!  Though I still better get another pair soon to avoid future embarrassment!

I just got back from a very nice service for my friend's mother.  What a beautiful job they did honoring a wonderful woman.

And for a random tidbit of the day... yesterday I got Sydney's eyes checked free of charge as part of the InfantSee program.  Click here to find an ophthalmologist participating in the program.  By the way, both kid's eyes checked out good.  Sam is seeing at approximately 20/30, totally normal for his age.  I was also concerned he might be color blind as we've made absolutely no progress in teaching him colors even though he's done well at learning other areas.  We won't know for sure for a few years, but it's looking like he can differentiate between colors.  So that's great news!  And it turns out color-blindness is passed down via the Mother's side, which is a relief since Tad's Grandfather was colorblind.  Though there are a host of other vision problems that may be passed on from my end.  LOL.  As for Sydney, she passed her exam too.  And her occasional cross-eyed look is also normal and she should outgrow it.

linkin' away...

I have a few cool links to pass along.

First, for you expecting mamas!  My friend Julie sent me this super cool site today & I thought some of you might be interested.  It's a baby name genie to help pick your baby name.

Second, for you mamas of infants and young toddlers!  Julie gave me a heads up on a recent article safemama.com did on wet-wipes.  Turns out I've been using one of the most chemical-laden wipes.  AHH!  I often make my own wipes but have been pretty lazy in that department lately.  Directions for my hand made wipes (thanks to my friend Jenni) below. 

Third, another piece of good info from safemama.com.  Consider tossing your vinyl shower curtain.  Turns out that strong smell when you open the package is just an indication of the crap in those things.  Who-da thunk?  (and yes, that's sarcasm.)  Kinda reminds me of the strong smell from the new carpet we just got.  I don't think I even want to know what's in that carpet.  I'm not ready to give up carpet, people!  ;)  Anyway, check this out regarding the shower curtain. 

Finally, for you bloggers!  Looking to increase traffic to your site?  Though I wouldn't mind more traffic, it's not currently a goal of mine.  For those of you who are interested, zrecs had some great tips to increase traffic.

Have a great rest of the weekend.  I'll be gone for a few days and off the computer (will I survive?).  I'm heading up north with the kids to visit my brother's family.  I'll be traveling 5 hours each way by myself with them.  Wish me luck!  I'll need it.  I'm almost done packing and it looks like I am packing for the Duggars.

Tricia

Homemade Baby Wipes

1 Roll of High Quality Paper Towels (or substitute wash cloths for you environmentally conscious folks).  I use Viva paper towels - they are strong and soft.

2 Cups Hot Water

2 Tsp Organic Soap (I use California Baby Body Wash)

1 Tsp Baby Oil (I use Burt's Bees)

Cut paper towels in half (save one half for next time).  I use a serrated knife.  Heat water for 2 minutes in microwave safe container.  Add soap and oil and stir until disolved.  Pour the hot water mixture in a 2.5 quart container.  Immerse smooth end of paper towels in water mixture.  Immediately flip the paper towels and place the rough-cut end into the water mixture.  Allow to soak for 5 minutes.  Remove saturated center cardboard and pull out a towel or two from the center to throw out (they would have been glued to the cardboard).  You are now ready to start using - pull from the center.  I place mine in a wipe warmer to keep them moist & warm.  In hot temps, use within one week to avoid mold.

leavin' me hangin!

Sam has been such a riot lately (well, and a handful!) that I just have to write down some of these funny things he's been saying - so in the blog they go.  Today I said, "give me five!", as I put my hand out.  Sam's response: "No, I'm gonna leave you hangin' ".  WHAT?  Leave me hangin'?  Whateva kid!  I only carried you for 9 months in my belly! (Every Mom has a right to play that card, right?)

Sydney has been busy talkin' up a storm.  So again I asked Sam what she was saying and he said, "She's not saying I like cars.  She's saying I love you."  Well, I'll take that!  (You may recall from a previous post that Sam interprets Sydney's motor noises as meaning "I like cars.")

Speaking of Sydney, she had her 6 month shots today and handled them like a champ.  OK, that's a lie.  She screamed bloody murder at the mere touch of the stethoscope.  But doesn't it seem like all parents say little Johnny was "a champ" or little Jane was "a real trooper"?  It's like when people ask you, "Is she a good baby?"  What the hell kind of question is that anyway?  I mean, if she were fussy (which frankly she is sometimes - though luckily she's outgrowing that nasty reflux) am I supposed to say, "Nope, she's a bad baby"?  So, to you readers out there (hello?????), I'd like you to know that my dear Sydney is a good baby and handles shots like a champ.  *wink*wink*  At any rate, to us, she's perfect.

I wanted you to also know that I already received the paci clip that I mentioned in last Friday's post.  That sure didn't take long!  Only 3 days - and over a weekend!  Anyway, it's quite cute!!  It is smaller than I thought it would be, but I suppose the smaller chain explains why it doesn't have the "snap in half" safety feature that the longer Hanna Andersson paci clip has.  It takes more time than it should to attach the paci to it since that doll gets in the way, but luckily I shouldn't have to attach a paci to it more than once a day.

Sydney is entranced by the cute beads and it does it's job of keeping the paci off the ground - so it's a hit.  Parts of the doll are not on the paci chain itself so I worried that those beads might be at risk for falling off and become a choking hazard but they seem very secure and the company I bought them from (well, the company that Amazon routed me to) assured me that they are secure and to toss at any sign of defect.

Until next time,

Tricia

friday the 13th came a day early for me

Have you ever had one of those days where every little thing just annoyed the crap out of you?  Yesterday was one of those days for me.  My primary enemy today:  The pacifier.  Poor Sydney is teething like crazy and could not keep that pacifier in her mouth.   I swear she has a way of spitting that thing out of her mouth at mach speed with some serious projectile action only to become pissed off wondering where her pacifier went.  And the kicker, I often can not find the pacifier because I'm searching in the local vicinity (while she's crying in my ear) when really I should be looking half way across the room with that projection ability of hers.

My favorite clip is from Hanna Andersson (Oh how I love that store!  If I were a rich woman I'd be a regular here!) because it's cute, wooden, doubles as a toy to investigate, and has a safety feature where the chain breaks in 2 if pressure is applied.  At $12, it's more expensive than the little plastic clips you can buy at Target but I've found it worth the price.  Unfortunately, I can not find Sam's Hanna clip that he used.  I kept hoping I'd find it but I was so annoyed by today's battle that I just can't wait any longer!  And wouldn't you know it, there must be an epidemic of pacifier spitters out there because this clip is back ordered until July 12!

While this problem really is quite trivial, I'm embarrassed to admit the level of aggravation it caused me today.  So, if a simple gadget can help me win my pacifier war, and focus on real issues, I'm sold.  And while I think the Hanna clip is worth the price, it's not worth the back order wait for me so I'm going to try one by another brand, Selecta.  It's very similar to the Hanna one, though I don't know if it has the same great safety feature.  It's more expensive than the Hanna one *gulp* (thankfully shipping is only ten cents at Amazon) but I'm justifying the cost by the fact that I shouldn't lose any more pacifiers.

I also noticed Amazon had some clips by another great brand, HABA Toys, like this one: Teddy Pacifier Chain.  Both brands, by the way, are made in Germany.  

I sure hope this ships fast for both Sydney's sake and mine!  This product wasn't on my top ten list of baby-must-haves but after today it just might be!

another mommy-must-have for baby!

Tonight I met with my local Mom's group for dinner (which was a lot of fun - thanks guys!).  I brought Sydney and knew I'd have to nurse her, something I use to completely fear doing in public.  I used to feel like such a clod and in my mind surely the entire world had seen much more than they bargained for.  To make matters worse, as Sam got older he started pulling the blanket that was covering us down, making it nearly impossible for me to remain discreet.  I'm sure it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought but in my mind I envisioned a crying baby, a sweaty mommy, and... well... sorry for the scary visual but I felt like boobs were flying everywhere.

Maybe they were, maybe they weren't, but at the time I felt like the people around me would probably prefer a quiet baby than a screaming one so I nursed in public when I had to despite my fears.  

This time around I'm smarter (well really I just have a smart friend named Julie!) and I've found a fantastic nursing cover by Bebe au Lait.  I just love it and I was able to nurse in public tonight with complete confidence!  It hangs around my neck so Sydney can NOT pull it off and is made of enough material to ensure discreet nursing.  The material is thin (in fun designs!) and neither Sydney nor I get hot.  And the best part - a firm edge that allows the cover to stick outward a bit making it easy for me to look down and see Sydney while also retaining complete coverage.  The corner of the cover even has part of a burp cloth attached, which definitely comes in handy.

This, is absolutely in my top 10 must haves!

By the way, some time ago I said I planned to blog about my top 10 must-haves for baby (in my opinion of course).  Rather than put that in one post I've decided to post separately about each one since I'm too darn chatty for 10 gadgets in a post.

2 down, 8 to go.

finally! good customer service!

Well, I had high hopes of publishing my first post about digital scrapping but I'm having trouble attaching my files (they keep showing up at the top of my posts).  So, while I buy some time I'd like to rave about the company Summer Infant.  I have their hand-held day & night color baby monitor (pictured above, since I can't get this freakin' post to put my pictures in the right spot mid-post).  I just L-O-V-E this monitor.  It's truly a "Top 10 Must" in my book!  But more on that later.  

Anyway, I had to call Summer Infant today to inquire about replacing one of our cameras.  I have two video cameras (one for each child - both transmit sound/video signals to the same hand-held monitor) and the one in baby girl's room suddenly produced a large amount of static and really was no longer use-able from a sound perspective.  I searched high and low for my receipt and could not find one anywhere (which is so unlike me since I still have receipts filed away from years ago!).  I called Summer Infant assuming they would not be able to help me because of either the fact that I didn't have a receipt or because any warranty they might offer I had expected to be expired by now.  I'm happy to report that I was proven wrong.  The Customer Service Rep simply asked for an ID number on the back of the camera and confirmed it was still within warranty (FWIW they offer a year full warranty and 50% discount on a replacement product post-warranty).  My information was already on file from my purchase and they are sending me a fed-ex return label.  Upon receipt of my faulty camera they will send me a replacement free of charge.  THANK YOU SUMMER INFANT.  It's so nice to have experiences like that with no hassle.

So, back to making my Top 10... I know it sounds crazy that I consider a video camera a "Top 10 Must".  I mean, do I really *need* a video camera?  No.  But absolutely, definitely, positively it is my fav baby gadget.  I got it when my son was about 14 mo. old and I wish I had it from the beginning!  It allows me to see if he's sleeping without walking in the room and inadvertently waking him!  I've learned all sorts of funny things about what my little guy does once doors are closed.  And best of all, now that he's in a big boy bed it allows me to see if he's getting out of bed and into mischief.

The monitor has 2 channels so I can switch back and forth between my son and daughter's room.  The only problem is that you can't have the sound/video displayed from both rooms at the same time.  So before I go to bed I have to choose which room I want on.  Luckily the kids are right next door to each other so if I have the sound/video on from my sons room I'll still hear my daughter via my son's camera if she gets up.

This camera has night vision too, which is important because for us even nap-time is dark since we close the shades.  In fact, we get little use out of the "color" feature on this monitor because 99% of the time the room is dark and the night vision is on (it turns on automatically when needed, something not every video monitor brand does).  Another thing it has that not all hand-held video monitors do - rechargeable batteries.  Just plug it in & charge!  No AA batteries!

My only gripes about the monitor?  Well, the fact that one of my cameras broke suddenly of course (which is being remedied by Summer Infant).  I also wish the sound dial had numbers on it so that I could turn the dial to a specific spot each night before bed.  Some complain of static but I believe that could be a problem with virtually every monitor depending on what kind of frequencies you have running in/near your home.

I want you to know the hype is not just from me; everyone I know with a video camera can't imagine life with out it.  It's certainly indulgent but I justify it by knowing just how much I use it.  It's probably my most used baby product.

good news, bad news

Well, good news first:  Those Hyland's Teething Tablets seem to work on our baby girl!  Well, at least for a short period of time.  She was crying this weekend, a lot.  And it seemed I couldn't do anything to help her.  So, I broke out the teething tablets.  Within 15 seconds of giving her 2 teething tablets she was calm (recommended dosage is 2-3 tablets).  It was absolutely amazing!  I'd say within an hour she was fussy again but it offered a much needed break, for both of us.

So, what's the bad news?  Well, it turns out the tablets are slightly controversial.  The tablets contain Belladonna, which stems from a toxic plant and has several different medical uses including sedation.  They also contain Coffea Cruda so of course I worried about caffeine intake.  When I was exploring the tablets for my son a year ago I called Hyland's regarding my concern.  The Customer Service Rep explained to me that since the tablets are made using a homeopathic process, extremely small dosages are used resulting in an effective product that is not harmful.  She also went on to tell me that their product has been in use for decades with no problems.  I asked her why caffeine (Coffea Cruda) would be on the ingredient list.  I mean, why would you want to give a baby who can't sleep caffeine?  She explained to me that often in homeopathic treatments, since the dosage is so small, you actually get the opposite effect as if the dosage were large.

Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia's definition of Homeopathy, which explains it much better than I can.

According to homeopaths, serial dilution, with shaking between each dilution, removes the toxic effects of the remedy while the qualities of the substance are retained by the diluent(water, sugar, or alcohol). The end product is often so diluted that it is indistinguishable from pure water, sugar or alcohol.

While I'm no expert on homeopathy, that explanation helped me to feel comfortable using the tablets, especially given Hyland's great track record for them.  But what I didn't know before giving the tablets to our baby girl, and only learned upon preparing this post, is that there is a recent uproar on the internet related to a mother claiming belladonna poisoning from these tablets.  Hyland's response can be found on their website.

Now, I'm not sure what to think.  And to make matters worse, here is more bad news.  That tooth that I so clearly felt the tip of on baby girl's gums the other day is now just beneath the surface again.  How unfair is that?  I had heard that was possible but never noticed it with our son.  Poor girl.  Maybe had my husband known this he would have understood why I was so incredibly upset with him after he inadvertently woke her this afternoon (it took me a long time to get her down!).

Since I posted 2 bits of bad news it's only fair to leave on a happy note: I got several digital projects done this weekend which I'll share with you soon!

Hope your Memorial Day weekend was nice.  Aside from the teething we had a great weekend with lots of family time.

Tricia

baby's first tooth!

We've had a rough few nights in the sleep department. I had thought it was because we were no longer swaddling our baby girl. But now I think I know the real reason: her first tooth (at 5.5 mo) is just peeking out of her gums. Poor girl is in pain!

Time to break out the anbesol tooth chart to track her teething for her baby book, which I'll probably complete in say 5 years from now (if I'm lucky). *sigh*

I'll be interested to find out if the Hyland's Teething Tablets work this time around.  I've had many people recommend them to me but they never seemed to do much for my son.  We just stuck to occasional Tylenol for him.

It's also time to break out those teethers again!  But what about BPA in teethers?!  To be honest, I haven't taken all precautions I could when it comes to the plastics concern, partly because of the conflicting information out there regarding how big of a concern this topic really is.  I have not thrown out plastic kitchen items that I have not been able to determine the safety of and I am not planning to throw out all of our plastic toys.  However, when it comes to things children suck on like bottles, teethers, pacifiers, sippys and dinnerware, I'm not taking any chances.  For those items, I've ensured that we use only plastics having recycle codes that are considered "safe" and I try to use stainless steel sippys and water bottles, especially outside in the heat.  

I threw many of our teethers away because they were not found on any of the safe teether guides that I'm aware of (see links on the left side of my blog).  These lists are not necessarily all-inclusive, so it's possible some of the teethers I tossed are BPA-free; however, after a ton of use from our son (he loved 'em), they were getting old anyway.  So, I bought this BPA-free teething kit from The Soft Landing:

How freakin' cute is that giraffe? Unfortunately that dang giraffe is what drives up the price on this sampler.  But I'm a sucker and since I just got a job I went for it.

While I was shopping at The Soft Landing I also bought a few more Sassy teethers

and this cool Klean Kanteen tote by Built NY.  I love that it can insulate not only our Klean Kanteen sippys but bottles too, and it can attach to a stroller or diaper bag!

I'll leave you with a really cool blog I found recently.  It's called "Z Recommends".  Here is a link to a post in which BPA information is broken down by brand.

Z Recommends: The Z Report on BPA in Children's Feeding Products, Third Edition

the return of sleepless nights?

I think I'm off to bed for a sleepless night.  At five months old our baby has sadly outgrown the swaddle blanket that I believe helped her to sleep through the night beginning at such a young age (6 weeks!).  It's called The Miracle Blanket and it kept Sydney snug and warm while she slept so soundly.  We are big fans of swaddling around here; it helped sooth both of our children very well.  I'm so thankful my friend Jessica recommended the book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" because it introduced us to some fantastic infant soothing techniques, swaddling being one of them.  None of the techniques are earth-shattering.  In fact, they are quite simple.  But when you aren't used to being in "baby mode", and when you are sleep-deprived, it's nice to have a great source like this book to lay out soothing techniques that really work.

So, what do we do now that Sydney has outgrown swaddling?  She's kicking her way out of blankets (even tight swaddles) so it's certainly no longer safe to wrap her.  I remember being in this position with my son too but how can I forget what I did to get past it?  I suppose I probably wasn't getting any sleep and therefore don't remember it.  Anyway, tonight I have put Syd in one of those SleepSacks to at least keep her warm, but without that snug swaddle I worry she'll not sleep soundly.  And anyone who knows me knows that Mama needs her sleep!

Wish me luck,

Tricia

baby wearing

I had a great day yesterday. One of those days where I feel like I just might be ok at this Mom thing. Everything seemed to fall in line today. I got a lot done and yet the kids and I had a ton of fun along the way. I've also rediscovered my hotsling, which brings me to the point of this blog entry - BABY WEARING.

When Sydney was born it was clear that she LOVES to be held. Samuel was much more independent, even from the beginning, so this was new to me. It seems 90% of the time when she's crying she just wants a little attention by being held and talked to. She's a people-person, what can I say! My husband says I used to complain that Samuel wasn't a cuddler and now I got my cuddler! Anyway, after Syd's birth I had to find a way to hold her often yet keep up with my busy 2 year old! And that is how I discovered the world of baby wearing!

Here is a link for pediatrician Dr. Sears' take on baby wearing to help explain the concept.

So, how to wear the baby you ask? Check out the following for information on baby wearing and determining what sling/wrap is best for you:  thebabywearer.com

As for me, I have not found a one-size fits-all answer to this. I can only tell you what has worked best for ME personally, which I've outlined below.

1.  The Moby wrap!

Oh boy how I love my Moby! It's basically about 5 yards of stretchy fabric that you wrap around yourself and allows you to hold the baby in several different ways. As the baby grows you can change the hold position to best fit that age. 

I found this sling is especially helpful for when baby is brand new. It's really the only sling Syd liked at that stage and it allowed me to nurse her in the wrap very easily. I was at a gym once with a friend and all of our kids. I mentioned to her, as I was chasing my 2 year old, that I was nursing Sydney and she could NOT believe it. The sling not only served to hold Syd and keep her happy - but nurse her discreetly as well (thanks also to the help of my FAVORITE nursing tops by BOOB brand - no lie on the brand name)!

What I also love about the Moby is it is definitely the easiest on my back of any of the 4 slings I've tried.

My mother-in-law made me a hand-made Moby out of fleece that I used in the winter time. It was such a perfect way to get Sydney and Samuel outside more easily in our sub-freezing temps! I'd put Syd in the wrap and then put my husband's coat over us! That way I didn't have to bundle her up in outdoor winter wear and she still stayed very warm. I had a whole assembly-line-style process for how to get the 2 young kids outdoors. It was a necessity for my 2 year old - there will never be a winter to slow this kid down! Here are some pics of my outdoor winter baby wearing get up.

Step 1: get baby in sling/wrap. Ensure you are wearing an easily accessible nursing shirt and bra for feedings if necessary. My favorite is by Boob (which is what I'm wearing in this picture) because it doesn't require you to lift the entire shirt up in order to nurse & it's a flattering shirt.

Step 2: Put a big coat over you and the baby and viola you look pregnant again! I used my husband's coat.

Here Syd is all snug as a bug inside the Moby inside my jacket. Don't worry, she got plenty of fresh air through the top of my jacket and she absolutely LOVED it in there. She has taken countless naps in the Moby.

The downside to the Moby - well, some say it's complicated but I don't find that. Don't let the look or directions intimidate you! True, it took a few tries to figure out how to wrap that sucker around me but it actually is a very simple concept once I got a couple practice rounds in. The Moby wrap comes with great instructions, which they also have available on their website. The Moby plays on a method of baby wearing used successfully all over the world. The downside in my opinion to the Moby is that it's slightly bulky as it's about 5 yards of fabric. When I want to travel with it, it takes up a good chunk of my diaper bag - yet still entirely portable. The Moby can also can take a bit longer to put on than some of the other slings.

2. The BABY BJORN!

The BABY BJORN is fantastic for when I'm doing really active things. I take a music class with Samuel that requires a lot of dancing and in that class I feel most comfortable using the BJORN. I've worn the Moby in that class before but seem to always have to readjust her a bit after all that dancing but the BABY BJORN requires no readjusting - it's always at a fixed position (though you can change the settings relatively easily for a different user) with no slack in the material. What I also love about this sling is that my husband feels the most comfortable wearing this one (it's more guy-friendly. lol.) and I'm all for anything that helps him help me! :)  This carrier is probably a great option for hot summer days too since it doesn't involve the baby being wrapped up blanket-style.

So what is the downside to the BABY BJORN? Well, unlike other slings and wraps there really is only 2 ways to hold the baby - facing in or facing out. Therefore, I didn't like it as much for brand brand new babies. I really prefer to hold newer babies in the cradle position as it seems the most comfortable and they sleep so much at that age. The only other drawback: although I got the active carrier, for some reason the Baby Bjorn still puts a lot of stress on my shoulders. This carrier is also one of the more pricey ones.

3. The hotsling!

I wasn't sold on this sling at first - other than how darn CUTE they are! I just felt like Sydney was too confined in there. I know babies like to be snug but her head seemed really cramped and she wasn't very happy. I wondered if I was wearing it wrong but I have heard the same response from many other moms. Fast forward to Sydney's 4th month... I got tired of putting that Moby wrap in my diaper bag because it took up so much room so I broke out the hotsling and guess what: SUCCESS! Now that Sydney's head can be positioned on the outside of the sling both she and I like it! I still find the Moby or Baby Bjorn more comfortable but this sling is great in the fact that it travels easier & it's faster to put on.

The downside to the hotsling? Not all Moms find it comfortable for her and/or baby - but that is maybe true for any sling. This sling requires a sized fit as well. I'm not sure the size I bought was quite right after Syd was born but now that I've lost all the baby weight and Syd can sit in it with her head out of the sling, it seems perfect. Like the BJORN, this sling can be on the more expensive side, though some of their fabrics are more affordable than others.

4. The ring sling

I tried one and did not at all like it. It just didn't seem to fit my short 5'3" body at all. I don't really even think it would be fair for me to comment on this one because I was never sure if I was doing it right and I'm not certain of the name of the brand I tried.

That summarizes my adventure in finding the perfect sling! In the end I have enjoyed having 3 slings as I love them each for different reasons. If I had to recommend just one sling it would be the Moby wrap due to the fact that it's affordable and offers the most long term flexibility in baby wearing since there are so many ways it allows you to hold the baby.