Baby Wearing Blog Hop

<center> <a href="http://tamingthegoblin.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/Innbv.jpg"/></a></center> It is International Baby Wearing Week {8 - 14th October}. If you are linking up to our baby wearing blog hop or if you just love baby wearing, please grab a bottom and display it with pride. I am delighted to have my real life buddy, Elfin's mum, guest posting about why she loves wearing her baby. ****** Travels with my Baby

I have the babywearing love...which means I take every opportunity to carry my 6 month old baby boy in a wrap or sling.  The main reason I do this is quite simple....Cuddles!  But it also deeply resonates with my feelings about positive mothering. 

When I carry my baby close against me he is calm and comforted; he can smell my scent, feel my warmth, my breath and heartbeat.  He is happy.  And usually after 10 minutes of being carried, gently rocked by the rhythm of my movement comes magic sleepy dust.  If he’s on my front, I can kiss the top of his gorgeous soft head. More cuddles for me!

It just makes sense that a child in the ‘in arms’ phase should be carried, and as a bonus using the wrap or sling means I have two arms free to * put the washing out / do the shopping /chase my 3 year old daughter (* delete as appropriate). So my baby travels with me in my life, he is with me every step of the way.

I love that baby wearing is ergonomic – it reminds me of my posture and, when I carry him on my back, counter balances the stretch of my spine after nine months of a heavy load on my front.

So: well designed and also convenient.  For me baby wearing means no pram, which means no awkward negotiating doorways, crowded shops or steep hills.  And no wrestling the thing in and out of the car boot - phew!  It’s a joy to go for a walk in the woods, or over the hills or jump in puddles all with my baby on my back.

And it’s very cute.  I so often receive positive comments about how happy and content he looks, snuggled and cuddled next to me. When people stop and talk to me, he is immediately at face level and so included in the conversation.  This maximises social contact and engenders a sense of individuality and independence.

There is a worldwide community of baby wearers and this feels good too.  I love to see other mamas out and about carrying/cuddling their little ones.  I feel part of a supportive movement (no pun intended but it does work quite well!)

There is a host of reasons to carry your baby and well researched evidence suggests that it is super healthy for you and your little one...but really...it’s all about the cuddles.

Emma Claire Tivey is a medical herbalist who specialises in holistic herbal healing, coaching and support for women’s wellbeing from menarche to menopause.  Catch up on her herbal happenings at www.womanwiseherbal.com

And this is our baby wearing blog hop for those who love baby wearing please link up (don't forget to grab a button to let others know you love baby wearing and to direct them here to everyone else's baby wearing posts):

I'm sharing this with

Two options for Big Baby Wearing

(Goblin is 33 months)

When Goblin was smaller we did a lot of baby wearing, although at the time we had no idea that was what it was called. Now Goblin is big. Our buggy and baby backpack both claim they can take kids up to the age of 4 but their max weight is 15kg. We recently discovered that at 17kg (37 lb) Goblin was too heavy for his normal modes of transport and we were in trouble because we were just about to go on a weeks walking holiday in Wales. 

You may ask why we don't just let him walk. 

The problem is that Goblin only has two speeds: Hurtle and nap. 

And he switches between them really fast. 

We checked on line and there aren't many carriers that go above 15kg. The one we ordered is the Patapum Toddler Carrier. It has a max weight of 28kg. It is really easy to put on and it can be adjusted quickly if you and your partner are sharing the load. It comes in a waterproof dry bag that has a clasp to attach to a belt or changing bag. I was really surprised how well it distributes the weight. I was able to carry Goblin for over an hour without getting sore. 

As far as I can see there are only two down sides to the Patapum. 

1. The cost, at £75 it is a pricey carrier for a child who walks most of the time. I wish we had discovered this carrier when he was 16 months old. 
2. The aesthetic, it squishes my boobs when I do up the chest strap. 

Rather stupidly we waited until the week before we went to Wales to order the Patapum. Precious Bundle were incredibly helpful at getting the carrier to us in time despite running out of the original colour and it having to come from Italy. But I didn't know whether it would arrive so I started on option 2 - A home made wrap. 

Here is a little DIY wrap tutorial

(Thank you MaryAnne at Mama Smiles for the measurements) 

Buy 6 m (19.5 feet) of strong woven material (I chose linen because its soft, strong and light).
Fold the material in half and measure 29" depth from the top edge (This is a 25" wrap depth plus 2" hem on either side). Mark the depth with a pen.
From this mark measure 3 feet in from the fold and mark the depth again. This will give you 6 feet of 25" depth at the middle of your wrap.
At the open end of your material (the end that isn't the fold for any non sewers out there) measure a depth of 13" (this is a 9 inch depth at the end of your wrap plus a 2" hem on either side). Mark the depth with a pen. 
Draw a diagonal line from the 13" depth at the end of your material to the 29" depth at the mark 3feet in from the fold. 
Cut along that diagonal line and then straight to the edge along the 3 feet of 29" depth. 
Now fold your hem in one inch, and then fold it over another inch to hide the frayed edge. Do this all the way round the entire wrap pinning as you go. Iron the folded hem. 
Sew the hem on a sewing machine using a straight basic stitch. (I wouldn't advise hand sewing or your child will be fully grown before they get to use it). 
Mark the middle of your wrap (where the fold was) and using a different colour thread sew a line down the middle - this will help you always find the centre when you are putting it on. 

It is as easy as that. Seriously even someone who had never sewn before could do this - its all straight lines.
My new wrap is cool. If Goblin is feeling super snuggly I can wear him on my front but I prefer back wearing. There are many variations on how to tie a wrap. I just looked on YouTube and chose the least annoying video.

The DIY wrap is comfy and super cheap at only £20. I also love the way it gives me Bodecia style boobs - much better aesthetic! However it is much more of a hassle to put on. It has really long tails that will fall in every available puddle if you are trying to do this outside, and it is bulkier than the Patapum to carry round.

I would have to say that if money is not an issue then go for the Patapum. But if you need something cheap and effective the DIY wrap will definitely do the job.

I should mention that this is not a sponsored link, we didn't get the Patapum for free (I wish!). I simply thought it would be good to let others with heavy toddlers know there are options out there.

I'm sharing this with

Bonfire night

(Goblin is 24 months old)

Yesterday was Bonfire night and we went with friends to a brilliant fireworks display. We decided to take the baby backpack rather than the buggy because it's easier to get through crowds. 

Goblin likes the backpack and was quite chilled out at the beginning of the evening. He was excited by the big bonfire, and enjoyed being fed chips by the gang. When the fireworks first started up he looked somewhat alarmed and turned to me saying "home now, home". But after a bit of reassuring and once he saw that everyone was smiling and happy and not at all worried, he settled into watching the bright lights and seemed to forget the screeches and bangs that accompanied them. 

After the display we retrieved Dinky H from the pub - she really doesn't like fireworks and bolted about halfway through the display. In all fairness, knowing she was not a fireworks fan it was very brave of her to come at all. We all retreated to Nanny's house and Goblin got to stay up very late and play with the big boys. The boys discovered that you could pick up stuff with the duplo cranes, and instigated a game of "crane wars". Goblin was the independent adjudicator. It was fascinating (and hilarious) to watch how men play. 

Even after they discovered that the blue crane was obviously a bit faulty and always lost the battle, they continued to play - using the same two cranes - for about half an hour. And when Goblin got a turn he was given the faulty crane ....

...and mocked for losing. Yes this is my friend making the "Loser" sign to my 2 year old son.
Lesson for Goblin? 

• Life is a competition and its all about the winning; or
• Don't pay too much attention to men who have had a few beers!

Outings

(Goblin is 22 months)

Today we went to an Airshow. I took my camera, all ready to get some great snaps to post. But unfortunately due to the incredibly bad weather only three planes and a helicopter were able to fly - I'm not sure that even qualifies as an airshow. Goblin and I saw more planes than that at the light aircraft airport near my parents' house. 

Incredibly we still had a great time. The Goblin was very excited about this Chinook helicopter. We were even able to go inside - although its pretty boring inside - just padding and cargo nets. We did see a Sea King Rescue Helicopter performing rescues. I think I may have been more impressed than Goblin. He was more excited about running up the steep bank by the sea wall and then hurtling back down (which was distracting as I kept having to make sure he wasn't about to hurtle straight off the wall, or worse straight into some poor stranger who would then be thrown off the sea wall). 

This is not a great photo of the helicopter, and doesn't really show that we actually had a good view, but it does show the very dark clouds which rapidly closed in and then drenched us. 


So I thought instead of focusing on todays outing I'd write about some of our more successful outings. My main priorities when looking for somewhere to take the Goblin are 
a) No busy roads near by, or a really sturdy fence;
b) lots of running space - nothing enclosed with breakables;
c) possibly something interesting to look at or do. 


The Zoo
A firm favourite in our family is the zoo. Its enclosed, lots of space to run around and it has interesting animals. 

We can easily spend three hours there and not see everything. I love pointing out new animals to Goblin and reading the signs that tell you where they are from and what they eat. My current obsession is trying to explain to Goblin the difference between apes and monkeys. Although Hublet explained that that rule only works one way - no apes have tails, but there are some monkeys without tails - Damn that makes it tricky again, I hope I haven't been telling Goblin that some monkeys are apes.
It drives me nuts when I walk past a parent at the zoo and they are loudly telling their child that a gopher is a rat. Most zoos have signs clearly stating what each animal is. If your child is old enough you get them to read the sign, and if they aren't you can set a good example by showing them that you are reading the sign. Why do people just make up what the animal is, surely the point of going to a zoo is to see new and interesting animals and learn about them? Goblin was very brave last time we went to the zoo and he fed an elephant. 

Local Parks
The local park is always a huge success. We are lucky that one of the parks in our area has no roads around it. I feel safe letting Goblin run wild. The other day he went there with his friends and he ventured quite far on his own. It was great to see his confidence growing so much. Not that he has ever been lacking in that area.

He loves climbing on all the equipment. He did dislike slides for a while after a few hair raising experiences shooting off the end of them, but he seems to have fallen back in love with them recently. 

He also loves the swings. I play a game with him where I get him to try and grab me as he swings forward, then I act like he's hit me and I'm mortally wounded and I fall to the ground. He thinks its hilarious and will play it for ages. I read about this game in a book. The author - a psychologist and play therapist - said that toddlers need to be given opportunities to feel powerful, because they are always falling over and don't get many opportunities to take control. You can empower them through play and make believe. I really liked that idea and Goblin seems to as well. The book was called "Playful Parenting". As with a lot of parenting books I only read half of it, then it seemed to get a bit repetitive and I got bored. But it certainly had some good ideas in. Maybe one to borrow from the library. The author is Lawrence J Cohen. 



Country Park

We are very lucky that quite near us we have an amazing country park with a play trail. The Goblin loves running wild in the open space and burning off energy. But he also likes the play equipment which is great for his gross motor skills.

Goblin is quite good at the digger. Its complicated - you have to move one handle, pull it up and then move the other but he has mastered the sequence really well. Its just too heavy for him so he needs Hublet or me to help him pull. However the digger machine is always busy during the school holidays. One of the things I have realised is that if we do home school we will be able to go to the park when other kids are at school, and Goblin can play on the equipment to his hearts content. But for the time being it is good socialisation practice having to wait his turn and not try and get on at the same time as other kids. He is usually quite good at going and doing something else if the equipment is busy. I see other kids having a total melt down because they want to go on the equipment NOW, and I wonder whether we will be able to avoid that tantrum stage of whether it is just inevitable. 

Long Walks
I love taking Goblin for long walks. There are a few wooded areas near us which are perfect for letting him scamper about without needing to keep track of him too much.

Until recently Goblin would flat out refuse to hold anyone's hand, so we invested in some reins. The traditional kind had quite a short strap and I wasn't keen so we bought a Littlelife backpack with reins. He can carry his own drink and a spare nappy.  Quite often we'll unhook the lead and let him run but we can still use the bag handle to steer him in the right direction. 


Although he's been walking since he turned one he is still not hugely reliable on how far he'll walk. The other day he made it all the way to town holding Hublet's hand, but on other days he will get as far as the main road and want to be carried. My back is not great so trying to carry a 2 stone plus toddler on my hip for any great distance isn't a good idea. Its also really hard to take a buggy and use the reins. So we invested in a backpack baby carrier. 

Despite my bad back I do find I can manage Goblin in the backpack for a few hours - although if Hublet is around I always let him do the honours. Goblin loves being in the backpack because its high up and he can see what's going on. Its great for long walks when you need your toddler to be safe. In the photo above we were in Wales - cliff walking with a toddler is not a great idea unless they can be contained. 
When I want Goblin to do most of the walking the backpack is a bit cumbersome to lug around so I have also bought a cheap mei tai sling. 

Here is the link to babyhawk who make the super deluxe original kind. Now maybe if you were going to have it from birth I'd say "sure spend that much money on one". But I only bought mine when Goblin turned 16 months so I opted for a cheap rip off from ebay. It does the job and I can fold it up and pop it in the changing bag. I find that it hurts my back if I cross the straps over my boobs, but if I tuck them under my arms and round the back under Goblin's bum the sling is much more comfortable. Here is a link to a tutorial on how to tie it as I described. She makes putting your baby in look quite tricky - I think its easier for me because Goblin is older so he does a lot of the work.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfck0-x7Z3E&feature=related


And anywhere with tractors
When Goblin's obsession was trains we went to see a place that had a working steam train. Now his obsession is tractors, and we have been fortunate in finding quite a few in random locations.  

Sometimes we find more than one. Birdworld in Hampshire had several so I was able to please the the older generation too. My dad looks quite at home on this one. It just goes to show this is not an obsession the Goblin is going to grow out of any time soon. 
And this one at the Gower heritage centre in Wales has been a favourite since Goblin was really tiny.