Carrier Review: Kastle's Adarna

Carrier Review: Kastle's Adarna

     Kastle is local company that provides woven wraps made by weavers from the north and Kastle's first wrap is called Adarna, which looks as beautiful as the legendary bird that inspired it. My initial reaction when I opened the parcel was that it looked so much like my own Candy K from Little Snuggie Baby. But as I looked it over carefully, I could see the subtle differences in the rainbow pattern as well as the differences in the width of the colors. The wrap felt kinda rough to touch and when I tried a quick uppy, it didn't glide as much as I hoped it would. I immediately thought it needed more breaking in. So I kept it braided for the time I had it with me.

     I'd try it on everyday for the week it was with me, and I really found the feel of it to be a bit rough for my taste. I even brought it to a sling meet with some wrap mommies and the verdict was split. Half the mommies thought it was perfectly soft and easy to use and the other half thought it was too stiff and hard to knot. We all tried the easiest carry to test it out, FWCC (Front Wrap Cross Carry), and at the end of the day the votes remain as they were at the beginning: great wrap for beginners and good wrap for more experienced wrap users.

     What I love most about this wrap and any other wrap is the sleepy dust. Oodles and oodles of sleepy dust and our kids conked out as soon as we used it. The comfort factor was a bit lacking on my end but only because during back carries it becomes diggy after only half an hour. The longest carry I did was around 3 hours with Adarna. I could breastfeed in it quite easily as it's a long wrap and there won't be any complaints on that end. It's way easier to adjust the wrap to get the drop for breastfeeding and also easy to pull up your baby after a feed. I tried to get my hubby to use it but he had no patience for a long wrap and our son had no patience in my trying to wrap him up with his daddy so we all gave up on that end.

I really liked Adarna and would probably love it if it was softer or more broken in when I used it, thus I must say this wraps needs mondo breaking in before it would be considered as a staple wrap on my part. I would recommend this for for wrap mommas and papas who want a black weft with their rainbow (because it really does look amazeballs) and for those who want a long wrap in their stash. It really is a joy to look at and the pictures look amazing with this wrap. I hope to see more from Kastle with different blends in the future.

Restaurant Review: Yakimix Prime

Restaurant Review: Yakimix Prime

     Last December 10, 2015 was our 3rd wedding anniversary and hubby asked me out to dinner. Since we have a bouncing baby boy, we wanted to eat at a family restaurant. We chose Yakimix Prime because it was a buffet with good reviws that was conveniently placed in the middle of Bonifacio High Street and for the variety of food offered.

     We went there at 5:30 in the afternoon and there were only a few people there. We asked for a high chair for our son but was told that there were only two high chairs in the place and both were taken by other families. We were told they'd get one for us once the families have stopped using them. Now, if you've experienced dining out with a 8 month old you would kniw why this was a problem for us. By the time we were assured there are no high chairs coming, it was 6 PM and the place was filling up. Before starting to eat, I checked the loo for a diaper-changing station but there was none, another strike against this family restaurant.

     Even with the high chair situation ongoing, we went ahead with dinner. We got sushi and maki and tempura. The sushi was sweet and the maki was packed just right even though there were discrepancies with the portions. We got meats and corn and seafood to grill ourselves, which is always the fun part when eating at Yakimix. We tried the souos and dimsums, as well as the gyoza. The soups were really hearty but the dimsums were not that authentic-tasting and the gyoza was sub-par as well. I spent a lot of time at the dessert area and got the cheesecake, which was really good, and the leche flan, which was really not. There are bottomless drinks too, sodas and juice and tea and beer. 

                 

     All in all we were really full at the end of dinner. But I couldn't let go òf the fact that they only had 2 high chairs at a restaurant that caters to familer with little kids. To be honest, I lost interest intaking pictures of the place and th food when I realized that the crew let another family take the high chairs but no kid ever sat in them, that hurt me as a parent because my tyke had to sit on my lap to eat and   managed to pull a plate full of food to the floor because of the shortage. The price was very affordable for a buffet and the place looks very posh but as a parent I would not recommend eating there with your kids. As a foodie, I would recommend going there with friends to pig out and drink to your heart's content.

Yakimix Prime
2nd Floor, Wamaco Building,
7th Avenue Bonifacio High Street,
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, 1634 Metro Manila
(02) 867 0777

Carrier Review: Soul Slings Ring Sling Coal Chambray Double Layer

Carrier Review: Soul Slings Ring Sling Coal Chambray Double Layer

     My first carrier was a ring sling and we used it for quite a while before I tried out other carriers, so when I was offered a chance to test out a ring sling from Soul Slings for a week, I immediately said yes. Soul Slings is a company from Bangalore, India that started with Chinmayie and Ravindra, a couple who are into arts and who practice attachment parenting. Soul Slings are made from 100% natural fibers and have passed international safety testing. According to their website: 

"We believe that babywearing has a domino effect. It creates independent, healthy, secure, loving and sensitive people, who then go on to spread these virtues to the next generation. Babywearing is a way of life, a philosophy rather than just the practice of carrying or wearing a child. It has implications that spread beyond the family and the home, and we believe in contributing to and supporting the growth of this world."

     

     When I first got the 100% linen RS (ring sling) from Soul Slings, I noticed right away that it was a lot thicker that our local ones. The linen was really dense and I could feel the weight of it just by holding it. We tried it immediately and found it to be very supportive and very sturdy, Since I'm an old timer with ring slings, I found the Coal Chambray very easy to use and suddenly the hip carry became my favorite carry. As with ring slings, the cloth should be spread correctly and be snug enough to avoid any pains in the shoulder and lower back. There are times when the cloth would bunch up as I moved but then a few minor adjustments and it's all good again.

     There's a lot of sleepy dust with this RS and my son was conked out in a matter of minutes and stayed conked out for as long as I could carry him. The longest wear I did was 3 hours straight during a front carry before it became too uncomfortable for me to carry him due to my scoliosis. I tried to do a back carry but was unsuccessful, I probably need more practice before I can perfect that. I noticed that it was very easy to breastfeed in the Coal Chambray as my son is older now and can sit with his head unsupported, so I just have to lower him down in a hip carry and voila!

Sleepy dust abound!

     I let a few my friends try the Coal Chambray at a sling meet and a few common things they said about it was that it's cool and airy, very easy to use even for beginners and good for quick ups and on the go ups. We tried it on a 4 month infant and another almost toddler like my bub. They both found it very nice to use and had the same reactions as I did. They said they would love to add this RS to their stash of carriers.

      I would recommend this ring sling for parents of newborns up to toddlers, as I find it very easy to use and very supportive for kids of all ages. This is also relatively affordable for an international brand, with the ring slings costing around 1400 Php up to 2000 Php. We had a lot of fun using Coal Chambray and would be awfully sad to see her go. We wouldn't say no to having her in our stash in the future if given a chance!

Photos from The Average Snapper.