Tag: Babywearing

We Love Dad

Every time I wear my baby in our baby carrier or wrap I get multiple people who comment on how great they are. It never fails that someone will speak to me about how they wish they had a carrier or wrap when their kids were younger.

“Those are such a great idea. I wish they made them when I had kids.”

“Wow, he looks so cozy!”

“What a great contraption for keeping your hands free.”

These comments, among others, are some that people have said to me.

 

 

Let me tell, I have never had so many people talk to us and comment on how cool the Lalabu Dad Shirt is than when my husband wore this shirt. It seemed like every step we took someone different asked us about it. People just couldn’t get over how genius the shirt was!

 

 

Lalabu is a small business that’s based in Atlanta Georgia. The husband and wife team were first interested in babywearing when they were on a trip to Africa. Babies were soothed by their mom’s presence and were a part of their parents everyday lives. When connected to their parents, babies feel very safe and secure. Babywearing jump starts learning because they can easily observe how the parent moves, talks, and interacts with the world around them.

The creators of Lalabu wanted parents to be able to wear babies easily so they would wear them more often. Simplifying babywearing was the perfect solution; they combined the clothing and gear into one brilliant design – the Soothe Shirt for moms and the Dad Shirt for dads.

 

This dad shirt is different that all other baby carriers because it makes babywearing simple. It is seriously so easy to wear your newborn baby with this shirt. The simple design allows anyone to be able to figure out how to use it. There is no wrapping, adjusting, or tying involved when using this shirt; just simply slip the baby into the open pouch an go!

The slim-fit design looks flattering on any body type. I love how the shirt looks like a normal t-shirt; it just has a cute little pouch to keep baby in. The v-neck neck line allows the shirt to be stylish even without baby in it. So, once baby weighs more than 15 pounds, dad can still wear the shirt!

The polyester, rayon, and spandex blend that creates the softness of the shirt is just that – soft! Not to mention, the inner mesh panel provides breathability which is perfect for men. My husband is always warm, so when he’s wearing the baby you better believe that he’s going to be hot. This mesh panel is great because it allows him to be cooler and not sweat as much as he normally does.

 

The adjustable head-support panel is a great feature. It can fold down into the pouch when not in use, then while baby is growing you can flip it out to extend the life of the shirt. We liked using the panel when baby is sleeping. It gave his head extra support, and it was great to cover his face up a bit and keep passerby’s from getting too close. On sunny days the panel is perfect for keeping baby’s head protected from the rays.

 


Dads can be basically hands free with this Lalabu dad shirt. It is such a life savor when you have multiple kids. My husband was able to play and interact with our 18 month old while holding our newborn in the shirt. He defiantly needed to be careful and keep a had on the back of baby’s head just to insure safety.

 

I especially love that Lalabu gives 2% of every individual sales is given back to fund the dreams of families. You can now choose what cause you want your 2% to be given towards. Choose from four different categories that you have the opportunity to give back to. To learn more about their For New Lives Giving – give back program click here. 

Connect with Lalabu

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This company is really awesome and we absolutely love the dad shirt. I love that my husband can wear our newborn so easily and enjoy it! Kiddos grow up so fast, so this babywearing shirt that allows dads to connect with their kids from the beginning is great. Lalabu makes mom shirts too, so be sure to check them out on their website.

 

LILLEbaby Carrier Giveaway

Lillebaby is well known for having a huge selection of high-quality baby carriers. From soft structured carriers for babies and toddlers with a great fit, patterns and options, ringslings and even a wrap, Lillebaby has you covered! Enter to win your choice of Lillebaby carrier below:

Lillebaby has several style carriers that I often recommend for babywearers looking for everything to fit just right. Styles include the Complete 6-in-1, the Essentials 4-in-1, the Carry-On Toddler, Seat-Me Hip-Seat, Ring sling and Wrap.

Complete 6-in-1 Baby Carrier

  • Available in original, air flow, all seasons, organic, embossed and woven.
  • SIX ERGONOMIC CARRYING POSITIONS – Includes every carrying positon without the need for an infant insert: Front-fetal, Front-infant, Front-outward, Front- toddler, Hip and Back carry. The COMPLETE grows with your child through all the baby wearing years, from 7 lbs to 45 lbs. The patented cupped seat adjusts to keep baby ergonomically seated in all six carry positions through every development stage. Owning an ergonomic backpack is good as it reduces the likelihood of back strain.
  • LUMBAR SUPPORT – Increases comfort, maintains healthy posture and alignment, and prevents lower back strain. Combined with an extra sturdy waist belt to maximize parent’s comfort.
  • TWO-WAY STRAP NEW! – Enable wearer to carry “backpack style” or with straps crossed in the back. Dual adjustment buckles simplify breastfeeding and adjusting straps on the go.
  • SLEEPING HOOD– Features dual adjustment points to provide tailored support for baby’s head while sleeping, sun protection while exploring, and privacy while nursing. Removable.
  • EXTRA TALL, EXTENDABLE TORSO – So comfortable your baby will fall asleep. Provides extra neck and back support and keeps taller babies secure in the carrier. The adjustable width gently cradles baby’s head. Elastic straps provide support while allowing for movement and easy adjustment.
  • POCKET- Zippered cargo pocket on the panel for easy storage of essentials.
  • WIDE, PADDED SHOULDER STRAPS & WAIST BELT – Evenly distribute baby’s
    weight for maximized comfort.

Essentials 4-in-1 Baby Carrier

  • Available in all-seasons and original
  • FOUR ERGONOMIC CARRYING POSITIONS – The ESSENTIALS provides four carrying options – Front – Infant (with the addition of the infant insert – coming soon), Front – Facing In, Hip, and Back. The ESSENTIALS is recommended for children 15lbs-45lbs. With the addition of the infant insert it is approved for use from 7lbs-45lbs.”
  • PERFECT FIT ADJUSTERS (NEW!) – The ESSENTIALS is outfitted with Perfect Fit Adjusters, or PFAs, which allow the wearer to adjust the length of the shoulder straps and positioning of the carrier panel to achieve a truly customized fit.
  • TWO WAY STRAP – Our two-way adjustable straps enable wearers to carry “backpack style” or with straps crossed in the back. Dual adjustment buckles simplify breastfeeding and adjusting straps on the go.
  • SLEEPING HOOD – The ESSENTIALS all-weather sleeping hood is constructed from a soft, breathable mesh, which provides excellent air flow for your sleeping baby and improved visibility for parents.
  • POCKETS – Our large zippered storage pocket offers ample storage space for all your other essentials, and the easy-reach pocket is ideal for storing the hood when not in use.
  • MESH PANEL (All Seasons Only): The Essentials All Seasons features a mesh panel keep you and your little one cool on warm days. Simply unzip the 100% cotton flap and secure to reveal soft, breathable mesh!
  • You can read Mama Banana’s Adventures Lillebaby Essentials Review.

Carry-On Toddler

  • Fits children 20-60lbs
  • ERGONOMIC CARRYING – Carry on your front, hip or back. The CarryOn grows with your child up to 60 lbs.
  • LUMBAR SUPPORT – Increases comfort, maintains healthy posture and alignment, and prevents lower back strain. Combined with an extra sturdy waist belt to maximize parents comfort.
  • THREE-WAY STRAPS – The carrier offers near limitless adjustability! Enables wearer to carry “backpack style” or with straps crossed on the back. Dual adjustment buckles simplify breastfeeding and adjusting straps on the go. The CarryOn also has an adjuster on the front so that you can easily position baby closer to you.
  • SLEEPING HOOD – Features dual adjustment points to provide tailored support for baby’s head while sleeping, sun protection while exploring, and privacy while nursing. Removable.
  • EXTRA TALL TORSO – So comfortable your baby will fall asleep. The carrier features an extra roomy torso with wider and padded support for baby’s legs, as well as a tall torso that reach high on baby’s back.
  • POCKETS – Large zippered storage pocket, plus easy-reach pocket for storing hood and essentials.
  • WIDE, PADDED SHOULDER STRAPS & WAIST BELT – Evenly distributes baby’s weight for maximized comfort.
  • UNIQUE WOVEN DESIGN – (Woven carry-ons only) Sleep Dust pattern is woven directly into the fabric.
  • You can read Mama Banana’s Adventures Carry-On Toddler Review.

Lillebaby Seat-Me

This multifunctional carrier can also convert to a soft structured carrier. The ridged shelf seat insert can be removed and easily converts the carrier to a regular soft structure carrier! Features include:

  • Multiple carrying positions: front-inward and front-outward (with or without panel), and hip and back (with panel).
  • Weight range: 12-45 pounds (5.5 to 20 kgs)
  • Comfortable and ergonomic for baby with large, cushioned 3D Platform seat
  • Comfortable and extra stable with wide, supportive waistband that attaches with Velcro and buckle
  • Tuck-away baby hood for protection and privacy
  • Two large easy-access zippered pockets
  • 100% premium cotton
  • Lightweight
  • Machine washable

In addition to these carriers, Lillebaby offers a Tie-the-Knot wrap and a beautiful selection of ring slings. One lucky USA or Canadian person will win their choice of carrier! See all of the carriers available at Lillebaby and good luck!

 

 

Lalabu Soothe Shirt Review

I am so excited to review this product, because I just love it! My husband and I both tried out the Lalabu Soothe Shirt and are quite impressed with how awesome they are! It almost feels like you have a third arm helping carry the weight of your babe, which is amazing! My very long baby boy (25.25 inches!) is growing so fast that I probably won’t get to use it for babywearing for too much longer, but the amazing part is it doubles as a nursing shirt!

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More about the Lalabu Soothe Shirt

Lalabu’s soothe shirt is truly babywearing made simple. No buckles, snaps, or awkward ties. Simply just slip your baby into the built in pouch and TADAA!! I feel like a momma kangaroo snuggling my babe and it is awesome!

Shirt Features:

  • Easy-to-use pouch calms newborns
  • Built-in nursing bra makes breastfeeding convenient
  • Inner mesh panel provides cool breathability
  • Pouch extender grows with baby
  • Made in the USA
  • No need to wear a separate bra
  • Two fabric layers for extra coverage
  • Soft elastic band provides support
  • Shirt covers stomach while nursing

Not only is the Lalabu shirt an incredibly made product, this company even gives 2% of every purchase to moms in Africa, supporting mom entrepreneurs through micro-finance.

I don’t know about you, but I just love supporting businesses that make giving back an important part of their business model.

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The Lalabu Story

Okay, so you can clearly tell I love this shirt. I mean it is a genius idea. So how in the world did they come up with this idea you might ask? This husband and wife team took a trip to Africa to visit their aunt and noticed that many of the mothers there all babywear their infants. Babywearing is known to have amazing benefits for baby and their mommy. This led them to question, ” If babywearing is so incredible for both parent and baby, why aren’t more parents in our country doing it?” Then the Lalabu shirt was born. They sought out to create a shirt to make babywearing more simple for all of us Mamas out there. Oh and for all of you men, they didn’t leave you out! Lalabu has a Daddy shirt, too! If your babe is like mine, he just loves snuggling with his daddy! It gives me a nice break to blog, have two free hands, eat a bowl of ice cream, or shower, while daddy can snuggle our baby and still be productive as well.lalabu2

 

My Overall Impression

LOVE! Have I mentioned I love this product?! I must admit when I first put it on I felt a bit self-conscious with my mombod. It is a snug fit, so don’t be alarmed. The snug fit is necessary, however, so that your baby is safe in your shirt pouch.

 

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My husband sort of felt the same way about the fit. He said that he would like one size bigger, but again, with a smaller baby a snug fit would definitely be necessary.

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Even when I can no longer fit my big boy in the pouch, the nursing function is also fantastic and the shirt looks cute enough to wear solo! Guess what else…you can also ditch the bra in this one! Totally enough support built in–wahoo!

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My husband and I both give these shirts two thumbs up!! With Christmas just around the corner, the Lalabu Soothe Shirt would be a super awesome gift for any mommy or daddy-to-be!

Want to know more? Connect with Lalabu!

Instagram: Lalabubaby

Facebook: @simplebabying

Twitter: @lalabu

Pinterest: lalabubaby

Website: https://www.lalabu.com/

 

 

Lalabu Babywearing Giveaway

lalabu-giveaway

Welcome to the Our Little Pumpkin Giveaway Hop hosted by MamatheFox! At each stop in this hop you can find a fun prize that would make a perfect gift for a child this holiday season. Be sure to come back for your daily entries to increase you chances of winning! Good Luck

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Deuter – Kid Comfort Air

deuter_logo
review-photo The Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) is a gem nestled in Northeast Ohio and I am lucky enough to be surrounded by it, it’s literally in my back yard. My husband and I have always enjoyed hiking and once our daughter joined our family we loved taking her with us. With so much information on hiking now, it’s so easy to get out there and reap the benefits. For example, you can find some great hiking tips and advice at Outdoorcommand’s website if you’re new to it or wanting to take a big step in your hiking adventures. She got joy from being outside and seemed to love all of the beautiful views. She got all of the benefits of hiking with none of the effort, so my husband and I set out to find a carrier that minimized our effort and allowed us to continue to enjoy our CVNP with our daughter.
For trail hikes when she was little we used a stretchy wrap or a soft structure carrier. These worked great for us when she was first born. My husband and I weren’t taking long hikes or staying out in the heat too long. As first time parents, our feeling towards infants and the elements was the less exposure the better.
Now that our daughter is one, and we realize that kids aren’t made of glass, this summer we have been spending more time on the trails. As this summer got warmer we quickly realized that our soft carriers were not meant for hiking. My husband sweats enough on his own, add a fifteen pound heating pad to his back, and he might as well jump in a pool. This definitely meant we were due a new hiking carrier. I guarantee though a more sturdy one that won’t make us sweat like crazy, will put our balance off a lot too. However I’ve already sorted that one out by searching up the best hiking poles to use so we don’t topple over!d-5-edit
So when my husband said we were vacationing with his family in the Smoky Mountains, I was on the hunt for an actual hiking carrier. We were obviously excited to be spending time with his family in such a beautiful location, but we needed to consider our daughter. We would be hiking, as the smoky mountains are known for the beautiful trails and scenery, so we did need to work out where we could get a carrier from. Whilst we did that, we were also looking for different places to eat in the national park. Luckily, there are a number of different restaurants in the area. This is good news for us and the rest of our family as everyone will want different meals each night. As soon as we find a hiking carrier, we’ll be able to actually plan some more aspects of the trip, then I can really let myself get excited for our vacation in the Smoky Mountains. The plan was to spend most of the vacation on the trails, so I needed my husband to stay dry for more than a mile. I perused my options on the internet and found The Deuter Kid Comfort Air and I couldn’t be happier it helped make great memories on our vacation and kept my husband comfortable and dry while hauling our little sack of potatoes.

About Deuter

“Years of experience and constant development have made Deuter a market leader”
Deuter was founded in 1898 by Hans Deuter in Augsburg-Oberhausen Germany, making them one of the oldest backpack manufactures in the world. Deuter started out supplying the Bavarian Mail with mailbags and post sacks and providing backpacks for the military. They slowly moved into manufacturing mess tents, belts and more. Since the early 1900’s Deuter has used the experience of alpinist and mountaineers as influence for product development.
Deuter has a patent Aircomfort System allowing moist air to escape from 3 sides and is the most popular back support system in the world. Athletes using the aircomfort system sweat 25% less than using conventional backpacks systems. You don’t need to be a athlete to enjoy the 3D Airmesh lining since every pack they make has either the Aircomfort System, Aircontact System or Airstripes System. With Hydration packs, Day packs, Hiking/ Trekking, Biking, Snowsports, Kids packs, Travel packs Deuter is sure to have whatever your adventure requires whether it be a hike through your local parks or tackling Mount Everest. Talk about one stop shop for hiking gear.
From the quality of my Deuter Kid Comfort Air, I can tell you they’re a company that takes pride in every aspect of their products. I don’t think I’ll ever need it, but Deuter offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty on all their products. It covers against defects in materials and workmanship for the lifetime of the product.

Connect with Deuter

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This Mamas Experience

360x500-6507-kid-comfort-air-grey-green Although the carrier is large, don’t let it fool you; it is not heavy (the website says it’s 6 pounds and I didn’t believe it. No false advertising here. I took it to the scale to see for myself and it does weigh 6 pounds, but it feels so much lighter). The Kid Comfort is comfortable for your child but also extremely comfortable for the person wearing the carrier. Features of The Kid Comfort Air that make the baby hiking experience better:
  • The Kid Comfort Air has a sturdy aluminum frame with a kickstand. The stability it creates makes loading your child safe and easy especially with the side access.
  • A padded 5-point safety harness that will adjust to the size of your childd-4-edit
  • Adjustable seat. You are able to adjust the height and width of the seat.
  • Adjustable foot rest, to add to your child’s comfort, although my daughter didn’t use these much since she on the small side, I see the benefit for longer legs.
  • Two grab handles at the top of the carrier. These handles make getting the carrier on and off extremely easy whether you are doing it by yourself or with the help of someone.
  • Adjustable hip belt.

The carrier itself adjusts to the person wearing it easily, simply pull the hip belt forward and it will securely slide into place. Between the grab handles and the easy to use hip belt we were able to effortlessly switch the carrier between my husband and I on the trails without slowing down. I have always dreaded readjusting my other carriers from my size to my husband’s size. It is is a tedious task that just makes me want to invest in our own carriers. Deuter has somehow designed the perfect hip belt.

d-3-edit This carrier has storage too. Our soft carriers lacked the storage this pack offers. It has a convenient zippered pocket on the hip belt, which was perfect for my camera and car keys. There are two elastic mesh pockets on either side. They came in handy to hold snacks, sunglasses and my daughters sun hat; anything we wanted to be able to grab while hiking. My favorite is a large compartment under the seat. It was enough space to pack extra diapers (and cloth diapers take up a bit more room), wipes, a blanket, a water bottle and even our lunch.

The Deuter Kid Comfort Air added to the pleasure of our trip to the Smoky Mountains. Our daughter was able to go to more remote places with us, and my husband and I were more comfortable hiking with her on our backs. We are looking forward to using it on all our adventures and when our family grows again our next hiking carrier will be a Deuter.