Carrier Review: Lenny Lamb

Carrier Review: Lenny Lamb

     I have always been a fan of Lenny Lamb even when I was just starting to get into babywearing. The designs look so adorable and I loved the idea of wrap conversion. LL carriers have a special system of straps and buckles that can be adjusted for the perfect fit and I can attest to that. LL carriers are made in Poland and they produce wraps, mei tais, and stretchy slings aside from SSCs (soft structured carriers). The carriers have three-point safety buckles to prevent accidental opening, four-way adjustable shoulder straps, an adjustable hood that is connected to the contoured panel, and soft padded waist and shoulder straps for the user and leg padding for baby's comfort.

    Lenny Lamb carriers can be bought from local retailers which can be found here and here. It's just my good luck that a good friend of mine owned one and I was given the chance to test drive it, For the past week I had a baby-sized, 100% cotton jaquard-weaved wrap conversion Golden Princessa to carry my bub in, The baby size is good for 6-20 kilos and my baby is just 7 kilos but he is quite tall at over 55 cm. The panel is 40 cm in height and 35 cm in width and my baby can already sit with arms out and his knees are past the panels already so by next month I'm pretty sure he'd need a toddler-sized LL already.

     It's warm in a tropical country like ours, and it get's pretty hot when using LL without a fan for long. We would only use it when it was cool since when we tried using it in a park setting, both me and my baby were sweaty after an hour. The sleepy dust amount is in the middle of most SSCs and woven wraps, probably since this is a wrap conversion. What I loved most is how when my tyke is sleeping in LL, I can put the hood up and it only fractionally covers his face so he doesn't mind it as much, unlike with the other SSC hoods we have encountered, When I first put on LL, it felt very soft ans really molded onto my son's body, It feels very supportive until my son put his arms out and leaned back and made to topple over. After that I kept the hood clipped on the shoulder straps but lowered to just his neck as an added protection.My hubby tried using LL but said he preferred another type of carrier since LL was too soft for him.

     Back carries are easy with LL just like with other SSCs, but I find LL to be the easiest to adjust to the correct height. Likewise, LL is also the carrier I find easiest to breastfeed in. The buckles are really awesome, so easy to adjust and no sticking or unecessary locking while still holding onto position. The longest carry I did was 5 hours all in the front facing position, while I did an hour in a back carry. There wasn't any pain in the back or shoulders as long as I wore it correctly; waist belt wrapped around my true waist and tightened PFAs (perfect fit adjusters) so baby is kiss height, I found that if I didn't wear it right, there would be immediate discomfort in carrying so I just make the necessary adjustments and it's happy happy all around again.

     I would recommend Lenny Lamb for parents who want a very easy to use carrier and especially for breastfeeding moms. I give this twenty thumbs up in the name of breastfeeding moms. The price ranges from 7,500-10,500 Php so it's a bit steep if you have a tight budget, Better save up for it or ask your spouse to gift you this for Christmas. (LOL) But in my opinion, having this as a carrier is really nice and it really is a worthwhile investment. I would love to have one for myself, and here's to hoping to have one as a pressie this holiday!

Noel Bazaar: Fun Holiday Shopping for Mommies and Kiddos

Noel Bazaar: Fun Holiday Shopping for Mommies and Kiddos

     Today my family and I went to the world trade center to check out the Noel Bazaar which opened today at the World Trade Center in Pasay, Manila. Noel Bazaar is a holiday bazaar organized by CUT Unlimited Inc. and they have three scheduled events running from October to December, we picked to go this November. The November bazaar will run from November 26 to 30, 2015 and they are open from 11 AM to 9 PM.

     The Noel Bazaar has a wide-range of booths featuring food, fashion, home products and novelties. They also have a stage up front for demos, games, variety shows and raffles. The event will benefit the GMA Kapuso Foundation, Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, Associate Missionaries of Assumption, Noel P. Gozon Medical Clinic, and the Sts. Peter and John Parish, The Noel Bazaar is sponsored by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer.net, GMA network, GMA news TV, Summit Media, The Foreign Post, DZBB 594 Super Radyo, Barangay LS 97.1 FM, Manila Shopper, Grab Car, ClickTheCity.com, Philippines Fair, and Bazaar Whisperer.

     My family went there around lunch and toured the booths. We checked out the food stalls and saw that there were food carts of all sizes and food of all kinds. There were finger food like siomai and there were home cooked rice meals, there were burgers and ice cream, there were noodles and pizza and all sorts of foodstuff to cater to everyone. The prices ranged from less than 50 Php to over 200 Php for a meal. There were tables and chairs conveniently placed near the food stalls and a few water refilling stations for those who had water bottles with them.

     We went through the aisles starting from the top right of the room. The booths are in no particular order and you need to stop by each one to check out the awesome finds. I would suggest going there with a fat purse and I'm sure you will find something to buy for everyone in your Christmas list. My target buys were for mommies and babies though, and I'm here to report that there were a few places that were great. I found only about 10 stalls for babies and kids but most of the wares were for girls so that was a big minus for me since I was shopping for my baby boy. And there was only one stall, Nursing MommiesPH, that sold maternity and nursing clothes for breastfeeding mothers like me. If you're looking for trinkets for gifts, there are a lot scattered about the room. There were a few stalls that sold expensive wares but I steered clear of those.

    All in all it was a fun afternoon of browsing and shopping for me and my kiddo. I managed to but three tops and three ternos for my bub, so it was a good deal for us both. There were a lot of people milling around especially as the day wore on and the shopping bags were bigger so there's more chances of bumping into other shoppers so please be mindful of this. Another reminder would be to bring reusable bags as well to avoid using plastic bags as the sellers still use them. That being said, I would like to end by saying Christmas season is a great time for shopping and the Noel Bazaar is a great place to start with.

What we bought.

Carrier Review: Love, Renshel's Kitty Steps

Carrier Review: Love, Renshel's Kitty Steps

     Love, Renshel is a local business that sells woven wraps and slings that are handwoven from Bangar, La Union by the women who produce the famous Inabel products. The owner, Jeannine Louise Cruz Arenas, makes sure that her wraps are affordable but still gorgeous, for example her Kitty Steps. Kitty Steps has black weft and rainbow warp with black border, and it showcases a cat's paw pattern. It has a width of 27 inches and the blend is 60% cotton and 40% linen, for a marshmallowy softness. Love, Renshel released two designs, Kitty Steps by Day and Kitty Steps at Night. You can check out Love, Renshel for yourself here.

Kitty Steps at Night

Kitty Steps by Day

     A friend loaned me her size 6 Kitty Steps at Night for a week and I took the time to test it extensively; I did as many carries with it as I could within the time I had it. Some of the carries I did were the following:

• Front Wrap Cross Carry with shoulder flip
• Poppin's Hip Carry
• Double Hammock with Saltwater Finish
• Rucksack Tied Tibetian
• Half Jordan's Back Carry with Candy Cane Finish

     I found Kitty Steps as soft as it was marketed, but the blend made it very dense and heavy and I believe first-time wrappers may find it difficult to maneuver if they got a long wrap like the one I used. I've been using wraps for just over 2 months and I found Kitty Steps a tad too heavy to pass along my back but very supportive once I've managed. I just happened to sweat buckets afterwards so it's advisable to use this in a well-ventilated or air-conditioned room. After a wrap job we would stand in front of the fan for a while to cool down and then we're good to go places.

     Kitty Steps has a lot of sleepy dust. My son would fall asleep after 5-10 minutes in FWCC and stay asleep for hours afterwards. During back carries though he's wide awake since he can see a lot of sights, it's very easy to adjust this wrap to the correct height for back carries. I found it easy to breastfeed in FWCC and Poppins since the wrap is very soft and easy to slide along itself. The wrap is grippy enough that one knot will hold but slides beautifully on slipknots still.

     Kitty Steps is not diggy at all for me. As long as I spread the wrap properly and fix all the passes so they're smooth, I found no problems with it. The longest carry I did was 4 hours in FWCC. The shortest carry was 30 minutes in Poppins. I thoight the double knot behind my back would hurt once I leaned back in a chair but it didn't as Kitty Steps is really buttery soft. 

     We had a lot of fun playing with Kitty Steps for a week and were sad to see it go. I only have a shorty in my stash but now I'm looking to add a size 6 to it. I would recommend Kitty Steps for experienced wrappers and those in cool climates. The design really is very beautiful and would be a wonderful addition to any wrap stash, or carrier stash for the matter.  Kitty Steps is exactly what they say it is, a local wonder that is grippy and fluffy soft at the same time which makes it a delight to own. Meow meow indeed!

Carrier Review: Riz Sashop's MTO SSC

Carrier Review: Riz Sashop's MTO SSC

     I was snooping around Babywearing Philippines when I heard about this online shop that sold made-to-order SSCs (soft structured carriers). I then went to check out Riz Sashop and I started a conversation with the owner about the carriers she made. The designer and creator of the amazing handmade SSCs is mommy Rizza Tacderas and I had the opportunity to ask her how she came up with the idea of making her own carriers. She gamely answered me,

     "Naisipan kong gumawa since nakita kong 'yun 'yung pinakamadaling gamitin for babywearing. Matagal ko 'ring pinagisipan kung pano ko ba sya gagawing safe kahit di safety tested ang buckles since yun pinaka malaking issue. Gumawa muna ako for my son, mostly hand sewn at ang inspiration ko ay yung Minions na carrier na sa Pinterest ko nakita. Tapos pinakita ko sa iba, nakita kong interested sila so I sought financial help para makabili ako ng heavy duty sewing machine, etc.. And the rest is history, hahaha!"

     I managed to score a slot last August to have a SSC made to my specifications. We talked online for a long time, discussing how the carrier would look. From the size of the panel to the size of the waistbelt, from the design on the panel and the hood to the design of the straps and pockets, she listened to my wants and made them into reality. And I was amazed when I received my SSC. It was love at first sight.

     Then came the real test. As with all my carriers, for a whole week I wore the SSC everyday for varying lengths of time in order to be able to review it objectively. The longest time I carried using my MTO SSC was 5 hours straight without hurting my back. The carrier was comfy enough on my waist and shoulders but as with full paneled SSCs it felt warm after an hour or so. My bub seemed happy enough in the MTO SSC and our record for sleepy dust was within 5-10 minutes of him being carried in it. Doing back carries with this carrier was as easy as doing them with a Tula. Basically it's the same as a Tula but without the crippling price tag.

     The waistbelt has double locks, a velcro side and a buckled side. The shoulder straps are full circle which I was told was a safety feature as well (but looks silly to me). The hood is detachable and has reach straps with cute felt icons on them and can be stored in the pocket on the waistbelt. The fabric is soft enough on baby's skin without leaving bright red marks but still supportive enough that you won't worry about your kid falling through. The buckles are YKK buckles and are internationally safety tested and from my conversation with the creator, she plans on having her carriers safety tested as a whole once she has the means to do so.

     My verdict is that this SSC is as good as the others I've tried (Bitybean and Tula). As for the comfort and safety of my kid, I give this two thumbs up. For the comfort and safety of the wearer, another two thumbs up. This is the most affordable MTO SSC in the market right now since the pricing range from 1300-1700 Php depending on design you want so that's a plus for thrifty parents. There are a lot of safety features Rizza built in to calm the fears in the back of a parent's mind and I salute her for that. I would recommend this carrier for parents looking for a SSC that's low in price but high in love. Because the way these SSCs look, they truly are a labor of love. And isn't love why we carry our babies in the first place? 

On Having a Baby and a Furbaby

On Having a Baby and a Furbaby

     Last year on my birthday I received an amazing gift: a puppy. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her. We treated her like a daughter; bought her expensive clothes and toys, took her out to the mall or park on weekends, slept with her on our bed and basically made her our princess. We went through all the things parents do for their children: had her blessed, celebrated monthsaries, took her trick or treating, threw her a birthday party, went swimming with her, and babied her endlessly.

     Family and friends knew that we treated Haley Valentyne like our own daughter. There was a running joke that we worked in order to provide for her and buy her treats. Our nieces and nephews talked about her like a cousin and everybody loved her. And then on her 10th month we found out I was pregnant. She was going to be an "Ate". And we did call her that from then on. Ate Tyne. And we tried our best to prepare her for her coming baby brother.

       We talked to her a lot and showed her pictures and videos of babies. I would lie on the sofa and she would cuddle with me, her paws on my big belly. I read about how to introduce furkids to human kids. We had it all planned out and believed everything would be fine. And then we had our son. 

      Even when we were still in the hospital basking in the glow of being new parents, half my mind was on my other baby back home. We sent ahead used baby clothes to make sure our darling princess got used to the baby's smell. When we got home, we made sure to present him to her immediately. And to our delight, she just sniffed him and showered us with kisses.

      That was the calm before the storm. As we got more absorbed in caring for our baby, Ate Tyne became more vested in making a scene so we would pay more attention to her. Our once house trained sweetheart now began tearing furniture apart again, peeing and pooing in weird places and barking at every movement we made. Our home was a warzone in the first few months. 

     As time went by, she realized that the baby was here to stay, that he was a part of our family and she became protective of him. She started barking when he was close to falling off the bed or bouncer, slept beside the crib to keep him company and started to lick his feet when we got home after pedia appointments. 

     Right now they are at a getting-to-know-you stage where she would come closer and closer and he would try and try to pet her fur. Our son shows increased interest in our daughter and I'm just so thankful that they show signs of co-existing peacefully. Some people might think we're crazy for loving Ate Tyne like we do, but those people are probably not pet parents or animal lovers. Only a pet parent would understand that once a dog (or any other pet) comes into your life, they never leave, they just stay in your heart forever.

When I first got Tyne she was only 2 months old

Celebrating her monthsary at Whole Pet Kitchen

Celebrating her first birthday at Whole Pet Kitchen

Our last family picture as a trio

The first time Tyne was allowed near Draco

Tyne and Draco peacefully co-existing

Family picture

Me and my two kids trick or treating at Greenfield