Boba Carrier vs Ergo Carrier (Soft Structured Carriers)

So there are many, many carriers out there that seem to do the same thing.  The category of baby carrier is "soft structured carrier."  These wonders claim to be good from about 15 to 40 pounds, and you can wear them front or back, and some can even go onto the side with some strap switching (which I have never tried, but my sister-in-law seems to enjoy using her Ergo this way).

The difference between a soft structured carrier and a Mei Tai is that these carriers have buckles and snaps instead of longer straps and knots.  They also seem to have wider and more firm padding at the waist, but I don't see why you couldn't make a Mei Tai this way. 

The different soft structured carriers all seem to be slightly different than each other.

The Ergo is quite popular where we live (Berkeley, CA).  It has a sleeping hood and a great big pocket in front with two parts-- one with a zipper and one to tuck things into.  It comes in organic and regular cotton, and also a "sport" model, which seems to be lighter weight material for hot days.  I love my Ergo.  The pocket is just the right size for a change of pants, my phone, a packet of tissues, my wallet, and a few snacks.  Unfortunately, I have washed the Ergo many times and the waistband foam is not that supportive anymore, and it has lost some of its oomph. 

I was thinking of buying a new Ergo and re-selling my old one (they hold their value quite nicely-- used ones go for $40 to $60).  I got distracted online and found the Boba carrier.  It is also a USA product (Ergo is from Hawaii and Boba is from Boulder, CO).  It has a detachable hood that snaps onto the straps just like the Ergo.  Its buckles are like the Ergo's, except the waist strap buckles in the back instead of on one side.  The buckles and snaps feel heavier and sturdier than the Ergo's, but maybe it is newer.  It is missing the pocket, but it is kind of nice not to have it in the middle of the carrier.  But I do enjoy having somewhere for my essentials without needing to carry an additional bag.  The Boba has foot straps for the baby-- they hang off the waist and are like stirrups, supposedly allowing for the child to ride in more comfort.  I can't get my child to keep them on for more than about half of a block, but maybe he is just used to traveling in an Ergo or Mei Tai.

Overall, I am ok with both carriers.  I like that the Boba feels sturdier-- the cotton and the straps and buckles and snaps just feel more substantial than the ones on the Ergo.  But I miss the pocket of the Ergo when I use the Boba.  For that reason, I am going to recommend the Ergo over the Boba. 




Note posted much later: I recently got the new Boba, the Boba 3G and LOVE it. Read more here.







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Nonwaterproof Piddle Pad

So-- we are past "graduation" for EC. This means our nearly 19-month old son is potty trained, and has been since 10 months. However, we still have "misses," and these happen when sleeping, too. They happen infrequently enough that we no longer need for him to sleep on a waterproof piddle pad every night (don't worry-- we still have a matress protector under the sheets). But we do need something to put over the sheets so he is not sleeping on wet sheets for the rest of the night (and so we don't need to change the sheets right then~ which could wake him up).






Enter the nonwaterproof piddle pad. We had been using a towel, but they get soaked through.


This new piddle pad soaks from the bottom and keeps him feeling dry on top (unless he misses again, of course, on that same night).






These are made of flannel on both sides with two layers of Zorb in the middle with a layer of flannel sandwiched between the Zorb. The flannel between the Zorb is because Zorb is supposed to be able to absorb better with natural fibers on both sides.  They are quilted to help retain moisture.

We are so happy with these. They feel like sheets when he is sleeping on them, so if he starts to pee, he will feel the wetness (unlike on the traditional piddle pad, which has fleece on top to wick the moisture away).   They also do a great job of absorbing the moisture from the sheets while keeping it inside the mat and not feeling dry from the surface.  Their only drawback so far is that they take a long time to dry from the washer and dryer-- but hey, that's sort of the point-- they absorb moisture.

This is similar to what we have under the sheets. Pin It

onbuhimo japanese baby carrier

I read about the Onbuhimo Japanese baby carrier and it seemed to be as fab as a Mei Tai but with fewer straps to make (and have flopping around when you are not wearing it). So-- I decided to give it a go. I found a tutorial about how to make one from some table runners and placemats, and another about how to modify a Mei Tai pattern into an Onbu pattern (which I can't find again to link to!).

I decided to follow the second tutorial (the missing one), and my first pass at this carrier ended up in one that was way too wide. I used the measurements from the tutorial instead of from the Scandi Mei Tai pattern I like and have used in the past, and should have just used the template I already had (that I made from that tutorial). The first photo is of my child in the too-wide carrier. Notice I am holding him in.

So-- I took it back to the drawing board-- er, cutting board-- and made it thinner.

Even with my modifications, it is just ok. I watched some You Tube videos about how to use this carrier and tried a few times. I didn't really understand how to put him on without having the waistband secured first. He and I ended up doing a lot of fidgeting. I dedn't have the nerve to hurl him over my shoulder like they do in the videos, either. The carrier also made him feel heavier than when he is in the Mei Tai. All in all, I do not like it. I liked using rings from ringslings.com, but think that I need to try another type of carrier with rings to get some good use out of them.

Now for the gory details: The straps are made of lightweight demin from voguefabrics.com. They are padded with fleece scraps from JoAnn Fabrics. The rings are 2" aluminum from ringslings.com. The exterior fabric is a lightweight cotton from JoAnn's, and the cell pocket is made of the same material (top right on the second photo). The interior (not really shown) is white minky from Discount Fabrics, a local shop. Minky is super-soft one-sided fleece.

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Recipe Review: Gluten, Dairy, Sugar Free RAW Brownies

These brownies are AMAZINGLY good. They are quick, and a one-pot dish, too. I think they only vaguely could be considered good for you-- but they do satisfy a sweet tooth in a hurry.




These books look like they'd have similar recipes:


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Waterproof Pants

We have had quite a rainy spell. The day after the rain, we keep going to the park and being the first to slide down the wet slide. Uh-oh...

These pants are the solution. They are from my favorite pants' pattern, but made one size bigger than I needed. The pants are made of PUL and the waistband is made of sweatpant material. The bottom binding is FOE. They are meant to go over another pair of pants.

We had the chance to try these out in SNOW last week and they worked beautifully. They slipped over a pair of pants, and his boots tucked under the edges to keep him wonderfully dry while playing in snow.

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Pattern Review: Reusable Snack Bag

I have been cutting up apples and pears and bringing them along with us on our outings for a snack. The problem is that they take up a whole hard container, then I need to carry a big empty container around for the rest of the outing. So I had been using plastic lunch baggies and throwing them away.

I came across this tutorial for a reusable snack bag (here is another option - see link on sidebar) when I was looking for a lunch bag tutorial for some cool oilcloth I just got. This project sufficiently distracted me from the oilcloth, and I am really happy with the result.

The tutorial was easy to follow and had great photos at appropriate places. The only direction that I would change was that she said to use a scrap of PUL and my scraps are much smaller-- I had to dig into my stash for a big enough piece. That is hardly a critique, though!

And that makes this hardly a review, I know. But the tutorial was useful and I am really happy with how my bags turned out. I was worried the PUL would stain from the pear, and it has held up just fine this last week.

I am looking forward to using these-- and making more!

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Upcycled Sweatpants

One old pair of sweats became two pairs of toddler sweats last week. They are great, and just the weight of fabric we had been looking for (and unable to find at the fabric store, new, oddly enough).

To make them, I took my trusty pants pattern and centered the front over the logo and cut out the fronts from one leg at the top, and the backs from the top of the other leg. I put the same pattern over the bottom of the pants and cut the next pair, lining up the bottom with the already elasticized bottom of the man's sweats I was upcycling. My pattern has a slight flare at the bottom, and on the second pair, I tapered the leg to follow what was available on the current pants.

To make the waistbands, I took the old waistband and cut it 1/2" longer than I would need, and used this for the seam allowance. I cut it off the pants with about 1 1/2" to spare, and used this as the seam allowance to attach it. It makes a nice line across the pant, below the waistline.

To make the second waistband, I took a circle of fabric from between the top and bottom pair of pants (thigh of the man's pant) and it happened to be the right circumference for my needs. I put elastic inside and now it is a waistband.

We love these pants! I have another old pair of sweats I am saving to see if he needs them in this size or if I should make them in the next size up.

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Reversible pants

It has been cold and we have been in need to more sweatpants. I have been looking for material, but all I could find was thin. The lady at JoAnn's told me it was spring. It is decidedly NOT spring.

So my *bright* idea was to make a pair of reversible pants. Twice as thick and choices of how it would look. I thought it was a great plan.

But, like a lot of great plans, it lost a little something in the execution. First of all, my second print is a little feminine for my little guy. He and I don't mind, but daddy thinks the ladybugs feminize the stars. This is not a bad point. Secondly, they are too thick. I had extra material and made two pairs of just the stars and they are just fine for warmth and fit nicely. The little guy doesn't walk that well in these... but we are used to him having a lot of freedom of movement as he is diaper-free all the time these days. Plus, the nice thing about sweats is that they are fuzzy on the inside. Now, that inside is really inside and he can't feel it.

So-- to the nitty gritty: I made two pairs of pants. Then I stuffed one inside the other and folded under the hem of each pant on each leg and pinned a LOT, then stitched the hems together. To make the waistband, I used the standard elastic in casing that I have been doing, but rolled under the edge so that it wouldn't show if we ever do use the ladybug side facing out. This took a while but I am happy with the result. If I would do this again, I may do something different in my fabric choice for the waistband so it makes a contrast on both sides.

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Recipe Review: Rachel Ray's Meat Chili

I now know that Rachel Ray is famous not only for her personality and gimmick of the 30-minute meal, but for the food itself. I admit that I have watched her show for years (Ok, back before the baby when I actually had time and desire to watch television), but this was the first time I have looked up a recipe of hers and tried it.

WOW!!!

There are so many kinds of chili out there (I was debating if we should try and make Bobby Flay's, since he is the meat man), and decided on this because it has meat and beans and veggies. We made it (that's not me, it's one of my mommy friends) in a triple batch for 5 families to share. The kitchen was full of prep chefs and toddlers and man, did it smell good!

We followed the recipe and used less EVOO than she has in the recipe, and substituted domestic mushrooms for the other types, and green garlic for the garlic, and took out the Gouda, and added chopped carrots and kale. It was easy to follow, and quick. If I make it again, I will soak the beans and make them from scratch instead of from a can, and find the chipotle chili powder instead of the canned stuff. This is because we try to use fresh as much as possible (or died or frozen), and canned as the last resort. We also skipped the onion garnish at the end. It is also very meaty, but I guess that is what meat chili is all about.

Thanks, Rachel Ray, for the delicious and quick meal. I took it home and my husband asked for thirds! He ate his veggies and beans, and liked them.

As an addition, here is an ode to the deliciousness of the chili from another family who took it home that day...

Our Family enjoyed Chili for days, in the following ways:

Thursday night: Chili & green salad
Friday Night: Chili and basmati rice Burritos
Sat Night: On open-face Baguette baked w/Parmesan & side salad
Sunday Night: Chili & Eggs Scramble with Avocado & Herb side
Monday Night: Chili a la Bolognase - final remaining chili added to marinara sauce and over Spaghetti.

I feel like I saved $100 bucks but gained 100 pounds over the last 5 days!

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Pattern Review: Buttercup Bag by Rae

This free pattern by Rae is called the Buttercup Bag. I think I thought it was cuter in the photos initially than I think it is now that I have made it, and don't love this bag.

It is tiny and doesn't have a zipper pocket.

It was quick to put together, and would be nice to make if you had two fat quarters of fabric to use.


In making it, I like how she has the pleats on the outside. The pattern itself was clear, as were her directions on what to cut from what. She has two separate sheets describing what to do and it would have been a lot simpler had she put it all together like most people do.


I learned a new technique doing this, which made it worthwhile. To connect the inner layer and lining, she has you leave a hole in the lining for turning, then stitch it up later. I don't like how the stitched up hole looks on the inside (why would you topstitch a lining?), but I will use this in the future as sewing the pieces together at the top and turning it there with only a small hole to pin and sew, instead of folding over the entire top of the lining and outer, and pinning and sewing carefully the whole way.




I didn't like how she has you handstitch the embellishment on the outside at the end. I would have rather done it before connecting the whole thing together. I also think she needed to give more instruction about the strap. It didn't make sense as to why she wanted you to stitch an ironed strap instead of sewing and turning. It would have also made it easier if there was more instruction or a photo closeup of the strap's attachment, as there was absolutely no elaboration. You can see I ended up with my buttons there instead of on the side.

I don't think I will make this again. BUT, if I do, I would make the strap longer. I would do a zipper pocket on the other side. I would also use thicker and fancier material.

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