Thursday, March 10, 2011
The road to creativity
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
When daddy's away the kids will play
I could have opted for the "so busy the kids are beyond cranky but quickly out cold" technique. But since the kids were up till after 9:30 last night, I didn't think that B11 would survive Ash Wednesday mass tonight. between that, hubby gone, and the storm warnings we ended up forgoing the 30+ min drive each way to the hour + mass with 6 kids.
Instead we've apparently opted for the "chaos" way. That's what happens, even if you let them sleep in, when you stay out 90+ minutes past small or Autistic children's bedtimes. Everyone is beyond tired but no one wants to or will fall asleep. You get to play the "mean mommy" then, when you can't possibly waste away 30 mins per kid and still get them all in bed between 7 and 8 pm.
You have all the best intentions, get the crankiest toddler and infant to bed first. The infant that is so tired she could probably fall asleep sitting up, has other plans. The toddler ends up being bribed by a binky and Dora. You take the infant with you to lay with S6, who still won't go to sleep alone. She certainly won't go to sleep with baby L sloppily slurping on her toes though.
After a while you move onto J4, who will go to bed on his own if you get him started. This gives baby L the chance to play on the floor. Oddly enough she wanted nothing to do with playing, until it was bedtime. This would work so much better if your teen doesn't come to tell you that the toddler has decided to have another bath.
I'd go back to J4 or S6 except it's 8 pm. B11 must go to bed at 8 pm EXACTLY. 7:58 pm and the TV show she was watching so she'd leave you alone to do the others, would still be on and you'd spend that 2 minutes arguing that her bedtime isn't until 8 pm. 8 pm starts the time bomb, every time it ticks another second it could go off. Besides, by 8:02 pm she'd be engrossed in another show.
This would be a quick task, right? Go tell the tween to hop in bed, make sure she starts up, and you're home free to go back to the others. You can go tuck her in later. Maybe this works for a normal tween but not B11. Maybe 25% of the time she will actually make it into her bed if you make sure she's at the stairs. She most certainly would not turn off her light and she'd yell for you to tuck her in, every 30 seconds.
Instead you find that, even though she wasn't hungry 2 hrs ago when you made the fish dinner she requested, she is now hungry and eating a potato instead. Once you drag her away from that and get her bedtime meds she makes you wait while she gets her bed wrinkle free and her pillows, stuffed animals, etc just so. Then you may, in the right order or you'll have to repeat, kiss her and tell her goodnight. Just be sure not to touch her pillows, blankets, or bed while doing so.
You see that J4 has taken to hiding under the covers so he's probably OK so you go back to S6. Baby L has other plans though, she's started crying. S6 can't go to sleep next to that so it's decided it's worth the 5 minutes to go put her to bed first. If she would go to bed that is.
What's the chance that all the screaming lulled J4 and S6 to sleep? I probably have a better chance of A2 stomping up the stairs and jumping into the bed that baby L finally settled down in. I wonder if the binky she found and Blue's Clue's will lull her to sleep. I can at least hope she won't wake up baby L, right?
Monday, March 7, 2011
I'd like to sing the world a song
Except I have a horrible singing voice. You'd think I'd be safe in my own house but my hubby likes to tease. Though hubby doesn't have a great singing voice either. Of course everyone sings for Sunday mass. In our house the world runs on a song. Isn't the saying "whistle while you work"? For us it's more hum (or sing), since I can barely whistle at all. If a baby is fussy, how is it that a monophonic lullaby will calm them. Cranky, crabby, fighting kids? Break out the music and dance, it will get some fidgets out and get them laughing.
Most of all we use songs to learn things. We have learned everything hard to a song. Even a 2 year old can learn their phone number when set to music. 3 year olds move onto their address. Forget Roy G Biv, a rap works too. The states in the US? No problem. Preamble to the constitution. Parts of a cell. Bones in the body. My personal favorite is the clean up song. We actually have 2 of those, one we learned from Barney over 10 years ago, the other we learned from Gymboree play classes. Though the girls even sold Girl Scout cookies to song this weekend. "Do a little dance, eat a little cookie. Get down tonight, buy some cookies tonight". I am not even sure if they know the real lyrics to that song.
Of course there is music for fun too. You can't beat watching A2, J4 and S6 doing the Cha Cha Slide. 10 years ago we only listened to educational or kids cassettes in the car. We had songs that taught nursery rhymes, shapes, days in a week, months of the year. Then I upgraded to a minivan with a CD player but before I could collect everything on CD my toddler broke the CD player.
So now we listen to country music. Though I guess those songs aren't as kid friendly. You realize this when your 4 year old wants to know what Tequila is. A drink? Oh, can Kool Aid make my clothes fall off too? 6 years later she taught her toddler sister the word Tequila, we're still trying to teach her that Sprite is not Tequila. Or a year later when she wanted to know what 4 letter word the 4 year old in the song said. This past summer I couldn't get the toddler to take a nap in the car because I had J4, S6, B11 and their cousin all singing "rain is a good thing" at the top of their lungs. I doubt it's a good thing to teach them "don't give a damn" either.
I am sure there are some lessons though. What about "never let your praying knees get lazy"? I'm almost positive my genius of a teen could use the lesson "don't outsmart your common sense". Besides, it could be worse. We don't listen to "I like big buts..." or "it's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes". Heck, they even thought the lyrics were "if you love your baby better put a sling on 'em" until they saw the Chippettes movie. I tried switching to the Christian station but the songs just aren't as catchy.
Most of all we use songs to learn things. We have learned everything hard to a song. Even a 2 year old can learn their phone number when set to music. 3 year olds move onto their address. Forget Roy G Biv, a rap works too. The states in the US? No problem. Preamble to the constitution. Parts of a cell. Bones in the body. My personal favorite is the clean up song. We actually have 2 of those, one we learned from Barney over 10 years ago, the other we learned from Gymboree play classes. Though the girls even sold Girl Scout cookies to song this weekend. "Do a little dance, eat a little cookie. Get down tonight, buy some cookies tonight". I am not even sure if they know the real lyrics to that song.
Of course there is music for fun too. You can't beat watching A2, J4 and S6 doing the Cha Cha Slide. 10 years ago we only listened to educational or kids cassettes in the car. We had songs that taught nursery rhymes, shapes, days in a week, months of the year. Then I upgraded to a minivan with a CD player but before I could collect everything on CD my toddler broke the CD player.
So now we listen to country music. Though I guess those songs aren't as kid friendly. You realize this when your 4 year old wants to know what Tequila is. A drink? Oh, can Kool Aid make my clothes fall off too? 6 years later she taught her toddler sister the word Tequila, we're still trying to teach her that Sprite is not Tequila. Or a year later when she wanted to know what 4 letter word the 4 year old in the song said. This past summer I couldn't get the toddler to take a nap in the car because I had J4, S6, B11 and their cousin all singing "rain is a good thing" at the top of their lungs. I doubt it's a good thing to teach them "don't give a damn" either.
I am sure there are some lessons though. What about "never let your praying knees get lazy"? I'm almost positive my genius of a teen could use the lesson "don't outsmart your common sense". Besides, it could be worse. We don't listen to "I like big buts..." or "it's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes". Heck, they even thought the lyrics were "if you love your baby better put a sling on 'em" until they saw the Chippettes movie. I tried switching to the Christian station but the songs just aren't as catchy.
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Geeky Version
Yes, there is a geeky version, some people like to analyze, visualize or just prefer to be geeked. So here you go.
First a legend, blue is Ergo Sport, brown/pony print is Beco 4th generation, gray is Boba Classic. Oh Snap was so much wider and taller I opted not to include it (plus it is on loan right this second).
I took 1 picture to compare width
but going by the widest point didn't give the most accurate results so I did another
but that didn't show at the actual waistband so I did another
Then I had 3 different orders and none agreed with how they felt when worn so ultimately I went with a worn simulation picture, thank you to my dining room chair for volunteering since Emily was at soccer and Becca was asleep.
That is about how they feel worn. The Beco the widest, followed by the Boba and last the Ergo. You can see how deep the Ergo is in this picture but not really how deep the Boba is. The Boba has some depth but so little that it was hard to catch in a picture. It was not obvious like the Ergo was. The deeper the seat the less close to you the baby is held. With a small baby with short legs and not as much behind to them this doesn't effect as much. But with a taller, bigger child it does. A non darted seat spreads their legs apart as they are hugged close to your body. A darted seat sits them back into the carrier, creating a seat for them to sit on so their legs end up more forward. Their abdomen isn't up against you as much then and their legs aren't as "spread eagle". This makes a big difference in how the width of the carrier is actually used.
The Beco feels wider when worn b/c the seat is all against you. The Ergo feels the least wide because some of the seat width goes out from you not against you. The Ergo still utilizes that width for the comfort of the child though so the legs are still supported. The Boba ends up in between. This really means that it depends on what the wearer likes the feel of. Maybe I should have done pictures of the child seated in it and how their legs are positioned and where the fabric hits, if anyone wants that I can do it when my model is home from school.
I did measure though.
Ergo Sport (the same size as the Original) is 14" wide at all points by 14" tall
Boba Classic ranges from 12.5" wide to 17" wide at it's widest point by 16" tall
Beco 4th generation ranges from 12.5" wide to 16" wide at it's widest point by 17" tall
Some people don't like a darted seat, some people don't like a non darted seat. This very well could be that they are used to the other and therefore are not getting a good seat.
A non darted seat does not create a seat, you have to create it. To do this the waist band should be snug, completely tightened as you will be wearing it before you put baby in. Then the body will go under and then over baby creating that seat. If you do not tighten it first then baby will end up using part of the waistband as a seat.
A darted seat already creates a seat so you need to get baby fully into it. I have heard of people fastening the waist last in order to do this. I cannot judge, well enough, where they should be to do this so still do not get a good seat. Instead I fasten the waist belt loosely. If the waist is too tight you will not be able to get baby back into the seat and all the way down to the waistband because it will be a snug fit. So fasten it loosely so you have room. How loosely depends on baby's size and your comfort level because safety comes first, we don't want baby to fall. My kids are 7 months and a toddler, I've also been doing this for over 10 years, so I can easily fit a fist or 2 in my loose waistband. You lower baby down to the waistband then pull the body away from you as you go under them then make sure to push the seat up snug onto baby's bottom as you lift the body up behind them.
Then for both versions you fasten the chest strap first then tighten the shoulder straps only to take in the slack. Then you tighten the chest strap. Only after the chest strap is tightened and adjusted to the position you want, do you do the final shoulder adjustments. With a darted seat you have to be careful not to overtighten the chest straps as you want baby in the seat, not pulling them out of it. If you start overtightening, the shoulder straps will end up snug under your armpits and uncomfortable. Also, if you start with the shoulder straps too tightened before you put baby on, for front carries, you will have trouble reaching to buckle the chest strap (or getting it over your head if you buckle then put it on as is shown in the Ergo video) and that usually ends up in people wearing the chest strap too high.
First a legend, blue is Ergo Sport, brown/pony print is Beco 4th generation, gray is Boba Classic. Oh Snap was so much wider and taller I opted not to include it (plus it is on loan right this second).
I took 1 picture to compare width
That is about how they feel worn. The Beco the widest, followed by the Boba and last the Ergo. You can see how deep the Ergo is in this picture but not really how deep the Boba is. The Boba has some depth but so little that it was hard to catch in a picture. It was not obvious like the Ergo was. The deeper the seat the less close to you the baby is held. With a small baby with short legs and not as much behind to them this doesn't effect as much. But with a taller, bigger child it does. A non darted seat spreads their legs apart as they are hugged close to your body. A darted seat sits them back into the carrier, creating a seat for them to sit on so their legs end up more forward. Their abdomen isn't up against you as much then and their legs aren't as "spread eagle". This makes a big difference in how the width of the carrier is actually used.
The Beco feels wider when worn b/c the seat is all against you. The Ergo feels the least wide because some of the seat width goes out from you not against you. The Ergo still utilizes that width for the comfort of the child though so the legs are still supported. The Boba ends up in between. This really means that it depends on what the wearer likes the feel of. Maybe I should have done pictures of the child seated in it and how their legs are positioned and where the fabric hits, if anyone wants that I can do it when my model is home from school.
I did measure though.
Ergo Sport (the same size as the Original) is 14" wide at all points by 14" tall
Boba Classic ranges from 12.5" wide to 17" wide at it's widest point by 16" tall
Beco 4th generation ranges from 12.5" wide to 16" wide at it's widest point by 17" tall
Some people don't like a darted seat, some people don't like a non darted seat. This very well could be that they are used to the other and therefore are not getting a good seat.
A non darted seat does not create a seat, you have to create it. To do this the waist band should be snug, completely tightened as you will be wearing it before you put baby in. Then the body will go under and then over baby creating that seat. If you do not tighten it first then baby will end up using part of the waistband as a seat.
A darted seat already creates a seat so you need to get baby fully into it. I have heard of people fastening the waist last in order to do this. I cannot judge, well enough, where they should be to do this so still do not get a good seat. Instead I fasten the waist belt loosely. If the waist is too tight you will not be able to get baby back into the seat and all the way down to the waistband because it will be a snug fit. So fasten it loosely so you have room. How loosely depends on baby's size and your comfort level because safety comes first, we don't want baby to fall. My kids are 7 months and a toddler, I've also been doing this for over 10 years, so I can easily fit a fist or 2 in my loose waistband. You lower baby down to the waistband then pull the body away from you as you go under them then make sure to push the seat up snug onto baby's bottom as you lift the body up behind them.
Then for both versions you fasten the chest strap first then tighten the shoulder straps only to take in the slack. Then you tighten the chest strap. Only after the chest strap is tightened and adjusted to the position you want, do you do the final shoulder adjustments. With a darted seat you have to be careful not to overtighten the chest straps as you want baby in the seat, not pulling them out of it. If you start overtightening, the shoulder straps will end up snug under your armpits and uncomfortable. Also, if you start with the shoulder straps too tightened before you put baby on, for front carries, you will have trouble reaching to buckle the chest strap (or getting it over your head if you buckle then put it on as is shown in the Ergo video) and that usually ends up in people wearing the chest strap too high.
Mails here, mails here
Yep, that's right, my Boba Classic Baby Carrier
came. The Boba looks so much like my beloved Ergo Baby Carrier 
that I have been wanting to try one. The foot rests (or stirrups as I call them) sound interesting. So when Zulily had them for a good deal I had to pick one up. I am not going to compare this to high end, harder to find, custom carriers costing over $150 because I don't think that's a fair comparison because they're out of so many people's price range (not to mention I have only tried some of them). I will compare it to the easily available buckled carriers in the under $150 price range. I am not going to go geek on you. As much as it would be more fun (for me) to talk dimensions, angles, and numbers I will get carried away and fill way more than a whole post with that stuff. That stuff won't tell you what I think of it or if you may like it. I am instead going to give opinion and how I feel it compares to the other carriers I have tried.
Upon opening this it looked very much like an Ergo except that it has a curved top and stirrups. It also felt just as stiff so definitely needs broken in. Once on, I realized that my 6 month old already fits nicely at 22ish lbs. I was worried, that since this is so often recommended for toddlers, that it would just be too big. She was even able to sit with arms out. In the BabyHawk Oh Snap Baby Carrier
she can ride but the seat is wide and tall, not really her size yet.
The seat darts on this do not create as deep a seat as the Ergo. It still gives you the leg support and seat you get from the darts but it allows baby to be held closer. The closer feel really is more comfortable. Closer may effect air flow though and be more of an issue in the summer. If you're used to a deeper seat you may have to tweak how tight you wear the shoulder straps and where you position the chest strap for a good comfortable fit for both. It took me about a week to find my sweet spot. Seat darts can really effect a carrier as much as width can.
I took a picture of the Boba, Ergo Sport, and Beco 4th generation together to compare width. I then decided I wouldn't include that because it wasn't a fair comparison because the seat darts (or lack thereof) are different on them. The Ergo is the deepest seat followed by the Oh Snap then Boba. The Beco 4th generation doesn't have seat darts. However the Oh Snap is the widest then the Beco, Boba then Ergo. But when worn the deep seat of the Ergo makes it feel wider than the Boba (and possibly the Beco). I know I am starting to geek here so I will try to get back on track. My point was that you can't compare apples to oranges. To compare width of carriers you really need to compare a straight waist, no dart seat to a straight waist, no dart seat, not to anything else. So when shopping for carriers that are not all exactly the same you need to instead compare to your baby's size and your preferences, not to another carrier.
The curved top also helps support baby closer to you. She doesn't lean yet and A2 is out of that stage so I can't say if it prevents that, I would think it would. The body is not too tall, though, so it's not going to support a sleeping baby the same as the tall, stiff headrest on the Oh Snap would. The body height also makes it easy for baby to go arms out without affecting comfort.
The shoulder straps are also very similar to the Ergo, but feature 2 buckle adjusters each, which makes it easy to make sure nothing is rubbing under your arm and makes it so easy to adjust while on. The chest strap and waist band also have 2 adjusters. At the end of the fabric portion of the shoulder straps there is a flap of fabric that should go under the buckle. However, it is unpadded and doesn't stay in place at all. I don't think being out of place really effects comfort. If your anal, like me, you'll keep trying to fix it and it will bug you. Everything else seems the same to me.
The hood works very much like the Ergo hood, just snapping into place. The hood on the Boba is detachable which I find to be a nice option if your children don't like hoods. It attaches with snaps like on the Ergo Sport except the Boba's is not adjustable like the Ergo Sport. I hope they sell replacement hoods. I can't be the only person who would lose it if I took it off. There is no pocket to use or to store the hood in when not in use. If you read my review of the Ergo Sport you know I don't have pockets anywhere on my list of needed features. A Front Pouch
or Mai Poketto, etc will do a pockets job much better. Instead of a pocket there are elastics to hold the rolled hood in place. This may actually offer more support to the curved top, possibly helping with a small baby's sleeping head, if they are going hoodless. I don't know that it stays in the elastic all that great though. Or maybe I haven't learned the trick yet.
The weight limit on this carrier is 45 lbs so I recruited a 40 lber to test it (ok, really the 2 year old refused a ride but all the 40 lbers were jumping at a chance). The Boba is too narrow to really support a 40 lber. They were up there and supported but would not have been comfortable, with their legs dangling, for long. Especially since there is not a lot of additional padding along the leg edge. That is where the stirrups come in. The instructions say to only use them with shoes on. My tester had on sneaker sandals (Keens) and his feet in NO way fit. My 40 lber is tall but the height worked just fine if your child's not a leaner. If your 40 lber is not tall that probably means they're wider which would make the narrow seat, and too small stirrups, an even bigger issue. The stirrups are velcro adjustable. I had them on the largest setting and his feet still did not fit. I am sure they might have without shoes, but that is not allowed according to the instructions. At 4 he needs shoes everywhere we go so I would have had to remove them to use the stirrups. This would be less an issue with a younger 40 lber.
You'll have to excuse my behind in the picture but it was the only way to get the stirrups in use (and yes, she should have shoes on, this was only for the picture, you only get so much cooperation at night) while still getting a glimpse of where her thighs fall in the actual carrier seat
A cranky toddler at the zoo resulted in a good test with a 29 lb 2.5 year old. She fit fine, though did have slight dangling to her legs. The dangling wasn't so bad that she cared. In fact she rode up there for at least an hour without a single request to get down. I would say, she only used the stirrups for maybe 5 minutes of that. The 1st time we tried her feet in the stirrups she tried to yank them out. The stirrups are full adjustable along the waistband. They easily slide to adjust, which allows a toddler to change their feet position without help. This is a great feature for the child's comfort. Not so great when your toddler's trying to rip her feet out, they just slide to accommodate for the movement. Instead she pushed firmly down and the velcro just broke apart and her feet were out (plus I had to put the stirrups back together). It is not the most secure adjustment. On the other hand, not being extremely secure means that you do not have to worry about injury from getting their foot caught or ripping your carrier. Her feet did fit, on the largest setting, and it supported them when just resting or wriggling. It was just when she fought with them that she won. At the zoo she rode with her feet in them for maybe 5 minutes. After that she was able to remove them easily when she slide them out instead of flailing around like the last time. So stirrups may take some getting used to. I thought she'd think of them like horse stirrups and like them. If your child is small, and not in need of these, you can remove them. Again I wonder if replacements are sold because they'd also be lost, so I leave them on.
It is definitely a decent carrier that I'd recommend. I prefer the less deep seat darts for the baby. For older kids, I think the deeper seat, like the Ergo's, offers better leg support without extra width by creating a bigger, deeper seat. The trade off there is that the Ergo is shorter in height. If your child likes them, the stirrups in the Boba may compensate some for the lack of width. I don't think, even with the stirrups, it is really the best option past the 30-35 lb range. If I were paying full price I would spend the couple extra dollars for the organic, which seems softer out of the box. I like the simplicity of it. Not having a front pocket makes it less bulky, which is a plus to me. It almost seems like a cross between my all time favorite (the Ergo) and my new current favorite (Beco 4th generation, no longer in production). I say this because it has the curved top of the Beco and is easy to get seated in like the Beco (which has no seat darts) but does have seat darts like the Ergo.
I know this question will come up. Do I think you could use an Ergo (or some other style) newborn insert in it? Because it isn't as deep I don't think the fit will be quite right. It might work, but not the way it was intended or tested. Fit, comfort, and safety could be effected.
Ultimately, this carrier would be among my favorites for young toddlers. Starting around 9 months old (or if you have bigger babies, 6 months like my daughter) up to about 2 years old would be a great age range for this carrier. The stirrups are unique but not sure that is a selling point. Though I am sure kids outside that range will fit too. Past that point you may want something larger like the Oh Snap. Before that you may want a narrower seat like the Beco Baby Gemini Carrier
or an Infant Insert 
like is offered for the Ergo.
By request there is also a geeky version Geeky Version or click Geeky Version under March posts
came. The Boba looks so much like my beloved Ergo Baby Carrier that I have been wanting to try one. The foot rests (or stirrups as I call them) sound interesting. So when Zulily had them for a good deal I had to pick one up. I am not going to compare this to high end, harder to find, custom carriers costing over $150 because I don't think that's a fair comparison because they're out of so many people's price range (not to mention I have only tried some of them). I will compare it to the easily available buckled carriers in the under $150 price range. I am not going to go geek on you. As much as it would be more fun (for me) to talk dimensions, angles, and numbers I will get carried away and fill way more than a whole post with that stuff. That stuff won't tell you what I think of it or if you may like it. I am instead going to give opinion and how I feel it compares to the other carriers I have tried.Upon opening this it looked very much like an Ergo except that it has a curved top and stirrups. It also felt just as stiff so definitely needs broken in. Once on, I realized that my 6 month old already fits nicely at 22ish lbs. I was worried, that since this is so often recommended for toddlers, that it would just be too big. She was even able to sit with arms out. In the BabyHawk Oh Snap Baby Carrier
she can ride but the seat is wide and tall, not really her size yet.The seat darts on this do not create as deep a seat as the Ergo. It still gives you the leg support and seat you get from the darts but it allows baby to be held closer. The closer feel really is more comfortable. Closer may effect air flow though and be more of an issue in the summer. If you're used to a deeper seat you may have to tweak how tight you wear the shoulder straps and where you position the chest strap for a good comfortable fit for both. It took me about a week to find my sweet spot. Seat darts can really effect a carrier as much as width can.
I took a picture of the Boba, Ergo Sport, and Beco 4th generation together to compare width. I then decided I wouldn't include that because it wasn't a fair comparison because the seat darts (or lack thereof) are different on them. The Ergo is the deepest seat followed by the Oh Snap then Boba. The Beco 4th generation doesn't have seat darts. However the Oh Snap is the widest then the Beco, Boba then Ergo. But when worn the deep seat of the Ergo makes it feel wider than the Boba (and possibly the Beco). I know I am starting to geek here so I will try to get back on track. My point was that you can't compare apples to oranges. To compare width of carriers you really need to compare a straight waist, no dart seat to a straight waist, no dart seat, not to anything else. So when shopping for carriers that are not all exactly the same you need to instead compare to your baby's size and your preferences, not to another carrier.
The curved top also helps support baby closer to you. She doesn't lean yet and A2 is out of that stage so I can't say if it prevents that, I would think it would. The body is not too tall, though, so it's not going to support a sleeping baby the same as the tall, stiff headrest on the Oh Snap would. The body height also makes it easy for baby to go arms out without affecting comfort.
The shoulder straps are also very similar to the Ergo, but feature 2 buckle adjusters each, which makes it easy to make sure nothing is rubbing under your arm and makes it so easy to adjust while on. The chest strap and waist band also have 2 adjusters. At the end of the fabric portion of the shoulder straps there is a flap of fabric that should go under the buckle. However, it is unpadded and doesn't stay in place at all. I don't think being out of place really effects comfort. If your anal, like me, you'll keep trying to fix it and it will bug you. Everything else seems the same to me.
The hood works very much like the Ergo hood, just snapping into place. The hood on the Boba is detachable which I find to be a nice option if your children don't like hoods. It attaches with snaps like on the Ergo Sport except the Boba's is not adjustable like the Ergo Sport. I hope they sell replacement hoods. I can't be the only person who would lose it if I took it off. There is no pocket to use or to store the hood in when not in use. If you read my review of the Ergo Sport you know I don't have pockets anywhere on my list of needed features. A Front Pouch
or Mai Poketto, etc will do a pockets job much better. Instead of a pocket there are elastics to hold the rolled hood in place. This may actually offer more support to the curved top, possibly helping with a small baby's sleeping head, if they are going hoodless. I don't know that it stays in the elastic all that great though. Or maybe I haven't learned the trick yet.The weight limit on this carrier is 45 lbs so I recruited a 40 lber to test it (ok, really the 2 year old refused a ride but all the 40 lbers were jumping at a chance). The Boba is too narrow to really support a 40 lber. They were up there and supported but would not have been comfortable, with their legs dangling, for long. Especially since there is not a lot of additional padding along the leg edge. That is where the stirrups come in. The instructions say to only use them with shoes on. My tester had on sneaker sandals (Keens) and his feet in NO way fit. My 40 lber is tall but the height worked just fine if your child's not a leaner. If your 40 lber is not tall that probably means they're wider which would make the narrow seat, and too small stirrups, an even bigger issue. The stirrups are velcro adjustable. I had them on the largest setting and his feet still did not fit. I am sure they might have without shoes, but that is not allowed according to the instructions. At 4 he needs shoes everywhere we go so I would have had to remove them to use the stirrups. This would be less an issue with a younger 40 lber.
You'll have to excuse my behind in the picture but it was the only way to get the stirrups in use (and yes, she should have shoes on, this was only for the picture, you only get so much cooperation at night) while still getting a glimpse of where her thighs fall in the actual carrier seat
A cranky toddler at the zoo resulted in a good test with a 29 lb 2.5 year old. She fit fine, though did have slight dangling to her legs. The dangling wasn't so bad that she cared. In fact she rode up there for at least an hour without a single request to get down. I would say, she only used the stirrups for maybe 5 minutes of that. The 1st time we tried her feet in the stirrups she tried to yank them out. The stirrups are full adjustable along the waistband. They easily slide to adjust, which allows a toddler to change their feet position without help. This is a great feature for the child's comfort. Not so great when your toddler's trying to rip her feet out, they just slide to accommodate for the movement. Instead she pushed firmly down and the velcro just broke apart and her feet were out (plus I had to put the stirrups back together). It is not the most secure adjustment. On the other hand, not being extremely secure means that you do not have to worry about injury from getting their foot caught or ripping your carrier. Her feet did fit, on the largest setting, and it supported them when just resting or wriggling. It was just when she fought with them that she won. At the zoo she rode with her feet in them for maybe 5 minutes. After that she was able to remove them easily when she slide them out instead of flailing around like the last time. So stirrups may take some getting used to. I thought she'd think of them like horse stirrups and like them. If your child is small, and not in need of these, you can remove them. Again I wonder if replacements are sold because they'd also be lost, so I leave them on.
It is definitely a decent carrier that I'd recommend. I prefer the less deep seat darts for the baby. For older kids, I think the deeper seat, like the Ergo's, offers better leg support without extra width by creating a bigger, deeper seat. The trade off there is that the Ergo is shorter in height. If your child likes them, the stirrups in the Boba may compensate some for the lack of width. I don't think, even with the stirrups, it is really the best option past the 30-35 lb range. If I were paying full price I would spend the couple extra dollars for the organic, which seems softer out of the box. I like the simplicity of it. Not having a front pocket makes it less bulky, which is a plus to me. It almost seems like a cross between my all time favorite (the Ergo) and my new current favorite (Beco 4th generation, no longer in production). I say this because it has the curved top of the Beco and is easy to get seated in like the Beco (which has no seat darts) but does have seat darts like the Ergo.
I know this question will come up. Do I think you could use an Ergo (or some other style) newborn insert in it? Because it isn't as deep I don't think the fit will be quite right. It might work, but not the way it was intended or tested. Fit, comfort, and safety could be effected.
Ultimately, this carrier would be among my favorites for young toddlers. Starting around 9 months old (or if you have bigger babies, 6 months like my daughter) up to about 2 years old would be a great age range for this carrier. The stirrups are unique but not sure that is a selling point. Though I am sure kids outside that range will fit too. Past that point you may want something larger like the Oh Snap. Before that you may want a narrower seat like the Beco Baby Gemini Carrier
or an Infant Insert like is offered for the Ergo.By request there is also a geeky version Geeky Version or click Geeky Version under March posts
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Looking my age
I've had a great hide your age week (note the sarcasm). I'm so tired of more and more grays popping up, so I look older than hubby, who is older than I. I hadn't dyed my hair in a while because hubby wouldn't let me when I was pregnant. So I decide to buy some dye while at Target. I'm way too cheap to pay someone to do my hair, besides, who has time.
I heard Feria was a good brand. I've tried many brands. The Fat Foam was the easiest, cheap, and had great color but didn't color grey well. So far the only that colors grey well are the ones specifically for grey, and they don't have as good a color selection.
Target had some Feria on clearance. It even had a color I'd chose, Golden Light Brown. So I stand there holding my hair up to the "if your current hair color is...your color will be ...". That looks close to my current color, but nicer, so I get it.
After dying I realize that "golden" to me and "golden" to Feria are two VERY different things. What they call "golden" has a red tint to it. Hubby, on the other hand, just plain calls it "red...well actually its really an orange". Though it did do a decent job at covering the gray, still not as good as the "specifically for gray" brands. I am not sure if my lesson here is to beware of hair dye with vague descriptive words such as "golden". Or if the lesson is, don't buy hair dye on clearance. I'm positive its not, don't dye your own hair, leave it to the professionals. Because if that's the lesson, I didn't learn anything, I'm counting down the weeks before "I" dye it back to brown. Red is growing on me in the meantime.
I heard Feria was a good brand. I've tried many brands. The Fat Foam was the easiest, cheap, and had great color but didn't color grey well. So far the only that colors grey well are the ones specifically for grey, and they don't have as good a color selection.
Target had some Feria on clearance. It even had a color I'd chose, Golden Light Brown. So I stand there holding my hair up to the "if your current hair color is...your color will be ...". That looks close to my current color, but nicer, so I get it.
After dying I realize that "golden" to me and "golden" to Feria are two VERY different things. What they call "golden" has a red tint to it. Hubby, on the other hand, just plain calls it "red...well actually its really an orange". Though it did do a decent job at covering the gray, still not as good as the "specifically for gray" brands. I am not sure if my lesson here is to beware of hair dye with vague descriptive words such as "golden". Or if the lesson is, don't buy hair dye on clearance. I'm positive its not, don't dye your own hair, leave it to the professionals. Because if that's the lesson, I didn't learn anything, I'm counting down the weeks before "I" dye it back to brown. Red is growing on me in the meantime.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Adventures in TV viewing
I have never been a big fan of television. When I watch TV I have a book to read on commercials and dull parts. Even better I'll crochet or sew while I watch. Cleaning, using the computer, or my Blackberry works too. TV is too idle. I guess I push my opinion off on my kids because if it isn't raining (and sometimes even then) I am trying to shove them outside for fresh air instead. When noone's watching the TV I <gasp> turn it off. I also hate that people feel the need to be able to listen to the program from wherever they go in the house. I watch the TV on a volume of 10. They sit down and immediately turn it up to twice that, without even waiting to see if they can hear it just fine the way it is. Every time I walk into a room with a TV I either
turn it down or order it turned down.
It's no surprise I feel relatively the same way about video games. Two things convinced me to allow Santa to bring them a Wii though. 1st, every kid on the block but us having one so in the 100 degree days of summer, them wanting to be at anyone'se house but ours. 2nd; 5 kids, a 9 month pregnant belly and weeks of 100+ degree temps. I decided a Wii would be slightly better at burning off energy, on days they couldn't spend too much time outside, than a movie. I am happy to report that is all it is useful for because I have to actually suggest they use it. Though that first week was cat fights.
With an opinion like that I never thought I relied much on TV. I doubted I'd ever miss it and have even suggested we get rid of cable. That is until it was gone. I really should say half gone. The television turns on and off by itself. The 1st weekend hubby had no desire to spend the money on a new set and swore he'd look at it. The 2nd weekend we looked at them and I was completely overwhelmed. The 3rd we had no time to go pick one up.
Yes, for 3 weeks I have had a TV that may stay on for a whole show or 2 minutes. I do have one in my own bedroom though. The baby sleeps in my bedroom. Care to guess what convinces the 4 and 2 year old to stay away while I put her to sleep? If the TV stays on a whole show it's great. If it shuts off after 5 minutes I hear the stampede on the stairs. The stampede usually starts just as the baby's eyes are fluttering. I have tried several methods of trying to will them closed faster but none seem to work consistantly. When they do close faster I have not been able to run the Lay Down 500. That is, get her laid in the bed and sprint to the bedroom door grabbing the toddler before she leaps onto the bed with her. For some reason, a toddler with legs barely a foot tall, always wins. This is replayed in the evening only the baby is already laid down and I am trying to get the 4 and 6 year olds to bed before I hear the dreaded stairs.
Hubby probably watches the most TV of anyone in the house. The 1st week the TV was afraid of him, it never turned off while he was in the room. There was good reason for this. The 1st time it turned off he went over and pounded on the TV near the power button. He did this with a room full of kids. The TV abligingly turned back on. The next time the TV turned off, with him absent, B11 did the same thing. Another time S6 tried without luck to beat it on. B11 jumped in, pointing out that you had to pound it this way. A2 spent the 1st week confused, who turned the TV off, turn it back on. All this beating though was fun. She now pounds on it, even when it's already on. This, of course, turns it off, replaying the events, each taking a turn until it works. Now when it turns on, it may or may not bring a random menu with it that you can't get rid of.
A TV that turns itself off can also turn itself on. It can turn itself on at 6:30 am when the easily startled B11 is downstairs with only E6. This can result in freaking out or a stop in all progress (in getting ready for school) as she gets distracted. It can also turn on at 10 pm when you're the only one who stayed up late to finish laundry and you get the crud scared out of you. Noone tries to beat it off though, oddly enough the power button will turn it off again (but not back on when it turns off itself).
I finally went to the electronics store myself. 50+ TVs to look at and the only difference I saw was between Plasma (which everyone said not to get) and LCD. After hearing I'd "only" be using it for Wii, DVD, and just plain cable the salesman said it didn't matter what I bought because I wouldn't get the "HD experience". I guess that means I can just go cheap. I'd like the TV to last the 10 years my old one did though. Needless to say, the salesman was no help. They do have a buy back program though, you can pay $100 now so you can trade it in for a bit more than that if you trade it in in 2 years or less. That sounds like such a great deal but I think I'll pass.
Now the old one has resorted to turning itself off and on some 20 times in 5 minutes, annoying me greatly. We do have a nice new TV finally though. I only had to completely empty my van so I could fold the seats down so my hubby could go get it without worrying about rain. Empty means removing 2 carseats, 2 booster seats, 2 strollers and countless amounts of garbage. The new one is sitting in a pretty box in the Living Room, where it has sat for 2 days now. Putting up a mounting bracket is about as fun as picking out a TV. Why people would want to do this just to get some bigger and better thing, is beyond me. Maybe that's because I have too much going on to "really enjoy" watching television.
turn it down or order it turned down.
It's no surprise I feel relatively the same way about video games. Two things convinced me to allow Santa to bring them a Wii though. 1st, every kid on the block but us having one so in the 100 degree days of summer, them wanting to be at anyone'se house but ours. 2nd; 5 kids, a 9 month pregnant belly and weeks of 100+ degree temps. I decided a Wii would be slightly better at burning off energy, on days they couldn't spend too much time outside, than a movie. I am happy to report that is all it is useful for because I have to actually suggest they use it. Though that first week was cat fights.
With an opinion like that I never thought I relied much on TV. I doubted I'd ever miss it and have even suggested we get rid of cable. That is until it was gone. I really should say half gone. The television turns on and off by itself. The 1st weekend hubby had no desire to spend the money on a new set and swore he'd look at it. The 2nd weekend we looked at them and I was completely overwhelmed. The 3rd we had no time to go pick one up.
Yes, for 3 weeks I have had a TV that may stay on for a whole show or 2 minutes. I do have one in my own bedroom though. The baby sleeps in my bedroom. Care to guess what convinces the 4 and 2 year old to stay away while I put her to sleep? If the TV stays on a whole show it's great. If it shuts off after 5 minutes I hear the stampede on the stairs. The stampede usually starts just as the baby's eyes are fluttering. I have tried several methods of trying to will them closed faster but none seem to work consistantly. When they do close faster I have not been able to run the Lay Down 500. That is, get her laid in the bed and sprint to the bedroom door grabbing the toddler before she leaps onto the bed with her. For some reason, a toddler with legs barely a foot tall, always wins. This is replayed in the evening only the baby is already laid down and I am trying to get the 4 and 6 year olds to bed before I hear the dreaded stairs.
Hubby probably watches the most TV of anyone in the house. The 1st week the TV was afraid of him, it never turned off while he was in the room. There was good reason for this. The 1st time it turned off he went over and pounded on the TV near the power button. He did this with a room full of kids. The TV abligingly turned back on. The next time the TV turned off, with him absent, B11 did the same thing. Another time S6 tried without luck to beat it on. B11 jumped in, pointing out that you had to pound it this way. A2 spent the 1st week confused, who turned the TV off, turn it back on. All this beating though was fun. She now pounds on it, even when it's already on. This, of course, turns it off, replaying the events, each taking a turn until it works. Now when it turns on, it may or may not bring a random menu with it that you can't get rid of.
A TV that turns itself off can also turn itself on. It can turn itself on at 6:30 am when the easily startled B11 is downstairs with only E6. This can result in freaking out or a stop in all progress (in getting ready for school) as she gets distracted. It can also turn on at 10 pm when you're the only one who stayed up late to finish laundry and you get the crud scared out of you. Noone tries to beat it off though, oddly enough the power button will turn it off again (but not back on when it turns off itself).
I finally went to the electronics store myself. 50+ TVs to look at and the only difference I saw was between Plasma (which everyone said not to get) and LCD. After hearing I'd "only" be using it for Wii, DVD, and just plain cable the salesman said it didn't matter what I bought because I wouldn't get the "HD experience". I guess that means I can just go cheap. I'd like the TV to last the 10 years my old one did though. Needless to say, the salesman was no help. They do have a buy back program though, you can pay $100 now so you can trade it in for a bit more than that if you trade it in in 2 years or less. That sounds like such a great deal but I think I'll pass.
Now the old one has resorted to turning itself off and on some 20 times in 5 minutes, annoying me greatly. We do have a nice new TV finally though. I only had to completely empty my van so I could fold the seats down so my hubby could go get it without worrying about rain. Empty means removing 2 carseats, 2 booster seats, 2 strollers and countless amounts of garbage. The new one is sitting in a pretty box in the Living Room, where it has sat for 2 days now. Putting up a mounting bracket is about as fun as picking out a TV. Why people would want to do this just to get some bigger and better thing, is beyond me. Maybe that's because I have too much going on to "really enjoy" watching television.
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