Babywearing // My Favorite Baby Carriers

Another highly requested post? Babywearing!

This is my second time around, obviously, so I've learned some of my likes, dislikes, and best practices for getting around with baby on my body. I started wearing Eloise just a few days after we came home from the hospital with my Moby wrap. Now that she's nearly eight weeks old (!), we've gotten into a great routine.

Here's what carriers I use and what I like/dislike about each.

Moby Wrap

By far, my favorite way to wear a newborn is with the Moby Wrap. I know people complain that it's hard to figure out how to tie it -- but that's just not been an issue for me. Not only do I feel like baby is snug and protected, but my back feels the best wearing a Moby wrap.

When Ada was an infant, the Moby was a big deal. I see that it's sort of faded away to other, similar carriers like the Boba and even the Baby K'tan (which slips on like a t-shirt with no need to tie!). There are even mesh wraps for really hot weather and easy packing.


Likes:

• Great back support
• Variety of ways to tie
• Wonderful for even tiny newborns
• Inexpensive
• Nursing is pretty simple

Dislikes:

• Difficult when on the go
• No pockets/storage
• Can be quite warm in summer 
• May not be as comfortable with large babies/toddlers

Maya Sling

I bought a sling this time around because all my friends rave about ring slings. I was on the fence because I didn't think it would be comfortable, but then I found the Maya sling with padding. I will admit that this carrier has taken some getting used to. Now that I have the hang of it? It's my go-to carrier when we're out and about.

Even better: If Eloise falls asleep on me after nursing or something, I can just slip this carrier over my shoulder and go on with my daily tasks with ease.

There are so many different kinds of slings you can buy! I love all the patterns with Mamaway slings and Tula slings. I've also heard good things about Sakura Bloom slings. And -- just like withe wraps -- there are mesh slings for really hot weather and even better portability.


Likes:

• Easy to take on and off
• Super easy to nurse
• Breathable, so comfortable in summer
• Maya has storage pocket and padding on shoulder
• Rolls up to fit easily in diaper bag 
• Variety of wearing positions once baby is older

Dislikes:

• Can be uncomfortable if you don't get it on correctly
• Sizing can be tricky. I got a medium, but it's slightly too big
• Tail can get in the way if not tied up correctly
• Can be expensive, depending on brand
• May not be as comfortable with big babies/toddlers

Ergo Carrier 

When Eloise gets slightly bigger, I'm sure my new favorite will be our ergonomic carrier. When Ada was a baby, I had a Beco Butterfly II (now old news). I used it so much that the padding got worn, so I decided to pick up an Ergo carrier when I saw a good deal on Amazon.

I actually just have an Ergo Original . . . but I see now that Ergo makes several new carriers, including the Adapt and the 360 with more carrying options. By the way, I have held E in this carrier and I skipped the infant insert because it's so hot (for winter, I probably would have bought one). What I do instead is roll up a few hand towels underneath her bum. Works like a charm!

Of course, I know that even Ergo is not necessarily the favorite in the ergonomic carrier world right now. My friends are crazy about Tulas, which come in both infant and toddler sizes. All the prints are super enticing, but I can't justify getting yet another carrier. If I could dream, I would get this Forest House or Shenandoah. One of my best friends says the LILLEbaby carrier is the best, and it has 6 carrying options with fun accessories. (And -- yup -- there are also mesh ergonomic carriers!)


Likes:

• Very comfortable with all that padding
• Pretty easy to get on and off
• Lots of storage pockets, depending on brand
• Lots of different prints and fabrics
• Fits babies and toddlers of all sizes very comfortably

Dislikes

• Can be quite expensive, depending on brand
• May need to wait till baby is slightly older
• Options can be overwhelming when buying

Ada asked to go in the baby carrier the other day. She still meets the weight rating -- but, sadly, I think her days of babywearing are over! Oh, who am I kidding? She's been more content to run around since she was two. 

Which carrier(s) should you buy?

Well, you certainly don't need many. I just have several because I've accumulated them throughout two pregnancies. I would recommend having something like a wrap for the early days + for wearing at home. And I love the ergonomic carriers for going out and stuff like that.

My best piece of advice is to try before you buy. Ask a friend if you can check out their carriers or even borrow one before you buy. You can even find gently used carriers on Ebay, local mom Facebook groups, or second hand stores. I was really close to buying a used Maya wrap, but the size wasn't the right one for me. Usually carriers hold their value quite well if you want to resell in the future, too.

BTW: What baby carriers do YOU use and love?

Tomorrow I'll be back with super simple instructions for how to make your own wrap carrier. There's no sewing required, and I was able to make two of these carriers for just $30.

Don't forget to enter the HelloFresh giveaway!

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The Ongoing Grocery Saga

The last time we wrote about lowering our grocery bills, we got A TON of great suggestions. But we did get quite a bit of pause from some readers who think our bar might be set too high (with a $50 number that seems too low for two people to live on). We're confident we can hit our target, or at least close to it, so we're forging forward with some new thoughts this week.

First, we wanted to share some of our favorite reader tips. These suggestions particularly speak to us:

SHOPPING LESS, SCOPING DEALS:

• Chelsea: "I shop bi-weekly and spend about $80 on average per trip. It's great :)"
• Tracy: "I'm trying to cut back to every other week and think it really helps. It forces you to eat through what you have completely, and cuts back on impulse buys too!"
• Sabina: "What's helped us is avoiding the grocery store (i.e., like your Wegmans) and shopping at the bread place, the butcher, the health food store, the fruit/veg store. The grocery store is so, so expensive compared to the independent stores."
• Melinda: "I'm kind of crazy and I shop at like 5 different stores (Target, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Wegmans, and Shop Rite) because certain stores have certain deals and brands I like."

NO-FRILLS, FEWER BILLS:

• Elaine: "We've saved so much money by going to grocery stores that offer bulk pantry items, only take debit/cash, and make you bag your own items."
• Michaela: "I'm really big on eating simple foods, and I've found that has cut down my grocery bill a lot as well. A lot of the time, I'll just eat a banana with peanut butter for breakfast, toast with hummus and carrots for lunch, or steamed veggies and rice for dinner."

PLANNING AHEAD, THINKING DIFFERENTLY:

• Elizabeth: "Best practices for our bill are constant meal planning (before shopping) to limit impulse buys and keep focused (I plan for 2-3 weeks at a time)."
• Shruti: "I have a spreadsheet made up of my necessities and how often I can buy them."
• Heather: "The only way I've been able to get my food budget down is by sticking with the cash system. If I've used up all my cash that week, then I've gotta wait or not get it at all. It's seriously been the only thing that has worked!"
• Sarah: "Its maybe easier to think of it as averaging out to that amount ($50) per week over a month (so, about $200) in order to account for the weeks that you stock up on certain items or find a good deal on something special."

I've also been picking up advice from some unexpected sources. I have this new obsession with the Duggar family (Image source). Well, "obsession" isn't the word. Maybe "fascination" would be a better choice. I started watching the series from episode one on Netflix last week.

So far, I feel like I've learned a lot about stretching the grocery dollar.

• Shopping big once a month. One episode featured the family stocking up on all their groceries for the month. I doubt we'd be able to shop only once monthly, but hitting the store less would definitely be worth trying.
• Shopping at no-frills stores. Like Aldi. I haven't been to an Aldi since college, but I feel like it might be worth a gander. And this idea goes with what several readers mentioned about looking beyond Wegmans, trying new stores -- as well as utilizing CSA groups, farmers markets, and independent grocers.
• Prepping large meals. They do this out of necessity, of course, but with freezing and other preservation methods, we could do much more with this area. I bought a fun book this weekend, so once I get my way through it, I'll be sure to share some ideas.
• Simplifying. The Duggars eat well and healthfully, but they don't eat the most exotic foods. Thing is: We don't need to either. Of course we love to try new things, but sticking with the basics might be best for our budget.
• Thinking outside the colorful boxes. Non-grocery items add up as well. Cleaners can be made at home! Making our own laundry detergent (again, OBSESSED with this thought!) is on the list of things to try.

PSSST: SAVING STARTS AT HOME:

When Clearly Fresh Bags heard about our quest to save, they also noted that we should pay more attention to the foods we DO have, instead of constantly focusing on what we plan to buy. I'm notorious for unintentionally letting foods to go waste -- especially apples and heads of broccoli hidden in our refrigerator's produce bins.

I tried these bags out on some of my beloved nectarines. I specifically kept one in there for an entire week, and it didn't get horribly mushy! In fact, it was still . . . fresh.


Basically, the bags keep fruits and vegetables fresher longer, thereby saving money by throwing away less. They are also re-closeable and recyclable, so that's cool. It's still too early to extract the $$$ impact these bags might have on our bills, but we'll continue to use the package they sent us and see if wasting less translates to a fuller wallet.


If you'd like to learn more about Clearly Fresh Bags and how they work, visit their website. (PS: We got some concern over adding this product review into the post. Rest assured we only got the bags to try and do not benefit from your clicks or purchases -- just something we've tried!)

STATUS UPDATE:

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, this week's grocery bill was $63. Our Greek yogurt love is still getting the best of us at $10 of that total cost. (And, yes. We are looking into making our own, just haven't had the time yet.) Other items we bought included the basics . . . eggs, bread, strawberries, nectarines, bananas, collard greens, frozen cauliflower and broccoli, garbanzo beans, peanut butter, etc. Some treat items even made it onto the list, including Reed's Ginger Brew and Jala ice cream pops.

The hardest part is taking these simple ingredients and making them into balanced, filling meals More on what we're doing with these items soon! Now, I know some of you are own your own slashing missions -- how's it going? Just leave us a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Help Us! How Does Your Garden Grow?

My left hamstring has been incredibly tight since the race, so this weekend will likely not mean a long run for me. So, I'm trying to plan my days accordingly. Trying to fill them to the brim with production and relaxing activities. Tomorrow we're spending an "intimate evening" with Andy Samberg (really, that's what the poster says for the event). And I couldn't be more thrilled. If you've been living under a rock, Andy Samberg is on SNL. He's hilarious. Google him.

Anyway, Saturday's weather is supposed to be especially brilliant (yes, too much of Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution), so we're planning a 20-mile bike trek to a nearby river town. 40 miles in all. That is, if our bikes are in OK condition to make sure a voyage. I'm sure after a quick tune-up, we'll be good to go.


But another item on the agenda is to start planting a garden. We have a (very) small plot (probably 3 feet by 5 feet) in our backyard where we've grown anything from basil to pumpkins to peppers. We even grew that proud pumpkin you see below. But how that happened is an entirely different story. Basically, Stephen is the expert of the two of us in this particular area. I don't have a green thumb. Really, it's more out of choice than lack of talent. I just haven't gotten into the whole growing and gardening thing. But I'd like to try.




As I mentioned in my last Foodie Book Club post -- one of my goals is to make a meal using entirely locally grown ingredients. Of course, it's be cool if those ingredients could not only be grown in my zip code, but also at my own address. What do you think?

Here's the thing. We could totally use your help with this project. We have the time. We have a small budget. We even have some compost we could throw on there (more about that in another post). And we certainly have the desire to grow a little garden.

• But -- most importantly -- what should we grow? (Veggies, herbs, etc.?)
• Should we expand the plot to allow room for variety?
• What plants do well with little maintenance?
• What plants are the most rewarding, even if they're difficult to maintain?
• Should we go with seeds or small plants?
• How should we organize everything?
• How can we keep critters out? (We live in town, but still -- we get animals.)

Yeah. We could Google it. We could read books. We likely will do all those things. But we'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Please, please, please leave us a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com.

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Here Comes the Sun

I take a lot of photos . . . of myself. It's a shameless activity I choose to continue by telling myself it's for the sake of "learning better photography skills." Well, that is indeed partially true, because I have discovered many things about my camera, aperture, shutter speed, lighting, etc. None of what I'm writing right now is the point of this post.

What is? Through all this self-portraiture, I've started to notice sun spots on my face. It's not so much I care how they look -- I'm in my mid-20s, it's a bit too early to be worried about any of that. What it makes me take a moment to think about, however, is the sun.


Truth is, I'm bad about applying sunscreen on a daily basis. My moisturizer has SPF 15 in it (or maybe it's 20, obviously I don't care entirely much). I only slather it on my face, though. It's not that I'm trying to tan. I never even attempt to do that, as I most usually burn after only half an hour of trying. I learned to stop that habit long ago -- confine all baking activities to the kitchen.

Or so I thought. See, through my exposure to the sun -- just through running -- each day, I'm putting myself at risk. And what about last summer with all those 3-hour 20-milers I ran in the mid-morning sun? Yeah -- it was good for my body to prepare for the marathon. But it was like I was sitting out at the beach all morning, really. I simply wasn't careful. But in writing this post, I'm hoping to inspire you (and most certainly myself) to may more attention to protecting your largest organ. (That's what she said. But, no -- really! It's your skin, at least on MOST of us, I imagine...)


By now, we all know the risks associated with unprotected sun time. If you don't know why, check out this site for more information.

Here's my question to all of you. What do you do to protect yourself from those nasty rays? Most of us know the basics (stay in the shade, wear sunscreen, wear protective clothing, etc.), but what tips and tricks beyond those one can you share with us? I hate putting on thick sunscreen before running. Especially in the heat! And it often makes me break out. So, any suggestions on good sunscreens that withstand sweating (in the case of running) are most definitely appreciated! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com.

We'll post your suggestions next week for everyone to enjoy! Now, have a lovely weekend, folks. We'll be back at it Monday with our Lehigh Valley Half Marathon report!

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