Rock that carry week 3 - basic Ruck

There we go - nothing like practicing those rucks!

This is one of my favorite tutorials from Babywearing Faith - it shows how to pin the seat to avoid 'the butt pop'.

And this is Wrap you in Love showing some finishes to play around with.

Rock That Carry Week 2 - Kangaroo

Ok, after last week's challenge I can now finally work Robin's hip carry. I'm still messing it up a bit when trying it with an extremely grippy wrap, but way better than it was a week ago. :)

So, this week's challenge. How about a basic Kangaroo? 

Again, Wrapping Goddess Wrapping Rachel has a great tutorial on Youtube:

Also, the very helpful tutorial from Hedwych from Wrap You in Love is one to watch when you're looking for a reinforced version of the Kangaroo carry. Oh, and try to follow Wrap You in Love on Facebook - she has great reviews and pictures on there.

Poe Wovens Herringbone Merlot review

Wrap brand: Poe Wovens

Type: Herringbone

Colorway: Merlot

Material: 100% cotton

Size: 6 - 4.7 meters 

Width: 

Thickness: Medium. 

Well, what do we have here?

I got this wrap as a tester (yay!), so it was already broken in when it arrived. That's probably why it was so soft when I opened the package. Classy color. Reminds me of tweed. And chilly autumn days in Great Britain. Long hikes in the woods. And game for supper. It felt thinner than most of my other wraps (I'm a thick wrap kind of girl), but not too thin.

Seeing how classy this wrap is, I obviously took it to IKEA. Ha!

Wrapping qualities

This wrap wraps itself. Rock solid Double Hammock within minutes. Passes glide into place. This would be an amazing wrap for beginner wrappers. The same goes for experienced wrappers, because it's a great wrap to try out new carries. So so easy to wrap with. And for being a size 6, it doesn't feel like you're wrapping with a whole bunch of fabric. 

As for happy shoulders: yes, when I sandwich the shoulder passes. I have picky shoulders, but I wouldn't pick this wrap for long hikes. Even sandwiched, I did feel some dig after an hour. That being said - this would not keep me from purchasing this wrap. It's a permastash kind of wrap. That makes it so easy to wrap when you're in a hurry. 

Newborn or Toddler

Both. Definitely both. It is thin enough to not eat up a tiny baby, but (in layered carries) sturdy enough to carry the big guys and girls. :) 

So, keep or sell/trade

Keep. This wrap has permastash written all over it. However, if you have picky shoulders and are wrapping a bigger kid - sandwiching the shoulders is a must.

Rock That Carry Week 1 - Robin's Hip Carry

I really really really need to try different carries. At the moment I need to work on a comfy hip carry. So, this week's challenge will be 'Robin's Hip Carry'.

Good old Youtube helped me out on this one and I found two great tutorials by Wrapping Rachel and Babywearing Faith!

Wrapping Rachel's Robin's Hip Carry

Babywearing Faith's Robin's Hip Carry

So, I'll let you know how I messed up tried and tried and rocked this carry in about a week. Wanna join me?

Poe Wovens Giveaway

Giveaway time!

Would you like to win a Poe Wovens scarf in either Herringbone Merlot or Herringbone Lake to match your wraps? Classy. Sophisticated. Stylish. Sure to keep you and your little one toasty warm. Did I say stylish yet? Oh yes, I did.

Poe Wovens' Herringbone weave is soft, softer, softest. And yes, I think you could use these scarves as a shortie (for newborns - too short for bigger kids). Or a doll wrap. :)

So, do you want one? I think you do. 

If you want to enter this giveaway, you'll have to:

1. Fill out the form below;

2. Like Silly Girl Parenting on Facebook;

3. Like Poe Wovens on Facebook:
4. Share this giveaway on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Instagram/Social Media;

5. Tell me which Poe Wovens wrap design you like the best (that one is just for fun!).

Google Form

There are two rules and two rules only:

1. You can only enter once;

2. Shipping within Europe is included. Worldwide shipping would be USD 10 through Paypal (gifted).

This giveaway will be open till October 8th 12 AM CEST. Winner will be drawn through random.org and published on this blog on October 8th - sometime before 10 PM CEST. Good luck!

Tekhni Wovens Ceres Chai review

Wrap brand: Tekhni Wovens

Type: Ceres
Colorway: Chai

Material: 55% cotton, 45% Tussah silk

Size: 3 - 3.1 meters

Width: 

Thickness: Medium - thick. 

Well, what do we have here?

I got the Ceres Chai as a tester. My first thought when unpacking it: 'oh, that's a shortie!'. Yup, a size 3. My go to size is a 5 or 6, so I was slightly intimidated. Understatement of the year. ;)

And the color. Wow! It truly has the color of a Chai Tea Latte. No kidding. It does. And it has a nice shine to it, too. Plus, the latte colored silk in the wrap, complements the skin tone that comes with being a natural redhead. Win win!

Wrapping qualities

There had been a couple of testers before me, so it was already on its way to being broken in. Since I'm a Ceres girl, I'm used to wrapping with a thicker wrap and actually prefer it. The wrap felt soft to me. You have to work a bit to wrap with it, but that is the charm of Ceres. Added bonus: it is rock solid. Even as a shortie. Plus, it will get buttery soft with use. I'm sure.

Getting a size 3 as a tester forced me to try different carries. And I did. This Ceres Chai size 3 made me love shorties and made me try different back carries. Thank. You. Chai!

It truly rocks a ruck and a short back cross carry with a candy cane chestbelt. 

Happy shoulders: yes. I did need to sandwich the shoulder passes, but then again, I have picky shoulders. 

Newborn or Toddler

I'd say both. It's sturdy. :)

But, uhm, wait, it's silk! As in - high maintenance!

Well, you'd say so, but I have checked with Tekhni and you can actually throw this baby in the washer. Delicate cycle, low spin. And you'll be fine. Thank you Tekhni for weaving a silk wrap you can actually use as a beater wrap!

So, keep or sell/trade

Keep. Keep. Keep.

Freaky Friday

Courtesy of Baby Q.

Cari Slings Eq Burchelli Mediterrenean and Atlantis review

Wrap brand: Cari Slings

Type: Eq Burchelli

Colorway: Mediterrenean (blue) and Atlantis (green)

Material: 100% cotton

Size: 5 - 4.2 meters and 6 - 4.7 meters 

Width: 71 cm

Thickness: Medium - thick. 250 gms/cm2

Well, what do we have here?

I bought the Mediterrenean through a fsot page on Facebook. Why? I really liked the print of the wrap, but did not know anything about the wrapping qualities. 

It came to me used, and broken in, but after a wash and dry, it still felt stiff and cardboardy.

Uh, what?

Ok, don't just put the wrap up for sale, Miss Judgmental. Wrap with it first. There we go, basic fcc.

Oh boy, I love this wrap! It wraps like a dream! 

Love at first touch? Nope. Love at first wrap? Oh, yeah, baby!

The same goes for Atlantis, which I received brand new. It needs some breaking in, but already gives a solid wrap job. 

Oh, and both colorways are amazing. They look so clean. Great with jeans, but not too casual to wear dressed up. 

Wrapping qualities

This wrap is a beast. A work horse. It's soft to the touch. Like flanel. But it remains a beast. It reminds me of the towel a dishwasher in a busy diner uses. Sturdy. You can slap it around and it still does his job. If I know I risk on spilling chocolate on the wrap or dragging it to muddy mess: this is my go to wrap. It's easy to clean, and I don't feel like I need to baby it. Yay!

Due to its beastiness, I found it harder to slide passes into place than with - for example - a Girasol Diamond Weave. This wrap makes you work a bit. But when in place, it just stays there. No saggy carries. Even with a sloppy wrab job. Score!

It rocks a ruck, a fcc, a fwcc. Haven't tried any other carries with it, but am sure it would rock those!

As for happy shoulders: yes. However, I need to sandwich the shoulder passes. If not, it digs into my shoulder. Then again, I have sensitive shoulders.

Newborn or Toddler

I'd say both. Baby Q is 6 months and 20-ish lbs and I can rock a FWCC and FCC comfortably. Same goes for a Ruck (tied Tibetan preferably). So, I'd say Newborn to Toddler. I haven't tried it with an actual big kid, but I feel like this wrap can handle it.

 Sleepy dust woven in. :)

So, keep or sell/trade

Keep. Every babywearing girl needs a beasty 'can handle some beating up' wrap in their stash. :)

Babywearing 101

Some days you have all the best intentions to rock that new carry you saw on Youtube. And end up rocking a good old fcc again. Or a wrap dress. ;) 

Don't be that mom - the 'get everything I have' edition

"You should get the XYZ stroller. Definitely. Don't even think about the ABC one. Don't. And the high chair. There's only one brand that you should purchase. I can show you mine."

"Well, actually, I was thinking of..."

"And clothes. I know this great website. Go there and get their offer of the week."

"I have lots and lots of clothes already filling..."

"And the car seat. Can you still return the one you have? No, wait, return the one you have. You must get this one."

You have one of those 'that mom''s among your friends. Probably. Definitely. This 'that mom' is actually very sweet, but crossing the line between giving kind advice and forcing their choices on you. Hard to say 'NO' to, too. ;) Pushy. Very pushy. ;)

Tekhni Limoncello Meandros - Guest review by Tamara

Tamara was kind enough to help me out with a guest review. I often find myself browsing the internet for wrap reviews, but never seem to be able to find a solid database of reviews. I hope that I - with the help of lovely guest reviewers like Tamara - am able to build such a database. Ambitious much? ;)

Well, Tamara, here you go! Your baby is adorable!

Tekhni Meandros Limoncello with Repreve

Release Date: 08/07/2014

Size of Reviewed Wrap: 6 (4.6m)

Age/Size of wrappee: 14 weeks, 16.4lbs.

Blend: 55% Cotton, 45% Repreve

Weight: 280gsm

I can imagine wearing this wrap right now, in the hot summer months, standing at a county fair in the southern United States.  I’m eating cold strawberry ice-cream out of a still-warm waffle cone.  My baby boy is gurgling happily, wrapped in this shimmery, sunny fabric.  The moment is fresh, happy, joyous.

Meandros Limoncello is sunshine.  It’s shimmery.  It’s the perfect, buttery, lush shade of yellow.  It has a wonderfully soft feel in hand.  I am happy when I wrap my baby in this lovely, functional piece of art.

I feel like the wrap was pretty well broken in after the first wash. I ran it through a gentle cycle, then tumble dried on low with two damp towels and several tennis-balls tied up in tube socks for about an hour.  It came out and got a low iron, and then we tried it on.  

It has enough diagonal stretch after the first wash to be easily tightened.  It’s lovely and pliable.  The weave is airy.  I live in the heart of Texas and now, in late August, the summer is really kicking into gear.  We are always warmer when we wrap, but Limoncello was comfortable and breathable enough that my son enjoyed a walk outside in the almost noon-day sun. The classic Meandros pattern gives it grip, but it still glides easily.  It feels lovely on my shoulders.  It doesn’t seem high maintenance - it wasn’t wrinkled when we took it off.  It’s light color doesn’t attract grime like you’d think, with grubby little boy hands. 

I feel that this wrap would shine for both new wrappers and very experienced ones, and also for mamas with tiny babies as well as those with toddlers. 

Tamara Tomko

Bad Parenting 101: the one where you introduce electronics into your baby's world

Letting your 5 months old play with your old work phone. Uh huh.

Tekhni Ceres Coastal with Repreve - review

Wrap brand: Tekhni Wovens

Type: Ceres

Colorway: Coastal

Material: 55% cotton, 45% repreve

Size: 6 - 4.6 meters / 15,1 ft

Width: 73 cm / 29 inches

Thickness: Medium - thick

Well, hello Repreve

Yes, I know, I know. The Repreve hype is controversial. 

Well, bring out the pitch forks. I love Repreve. I already loved it in my Patagonia running gear, but I absolutely adore it in baby wraps. And I honestly don't care what the Repreve hating half of the babywearing community thinks about it. Ha! ;)

I bought the Ceres Coastal wrap by Tekhni Wovens through the Talk about Tekhni Facebook group. Bought it from a very friendly momma in Germany and was pleasantly surprised the moment I had this wrap in my hands. It feels like wool. But it doesn't have the itchiness wool gives me. I have very sensitive skin, so wool doesn't work. But thanks to the repreve in this wrap I can now enjoy all the advantages of wool, without the irritation on my skin. It truly keeps you cooler when it's hot - less sweating: Yay! - and warm when it's colder outside. Whether you like repreve or not - it's really up to personal opinion. I'm a fan an can only recommend trying a wrap with repreve, and decide for yourself whether or not repreve is for you. 

Wrapping qualities

As for the wrap. It's grippy, textured and stretchy. Very easy to wrap with and slide the passes into place. It's not a thin wrap. I'd say it's medium to thick. Which I like. If you're into thin wraps, this wraps is not for you. It is airy and light, though. It does not feel like wrapping a blanket, like some thicker wraps do. 

Once it's wrapped and in place, it does have some (just a bit, nothing major) bounce. In my opinion. It's not rock solid like my Cari Slings Eq Burchelli, but because the wrap is so soft and cushy the bit of bounce does not bother me. My shoulders are happy. :) As is Baby Q. This wrap comes with sleepy dust. And he like grabbing it. Probably because it's textured.

And the print: I love this print. It's clean, geometric and goes with everything. It looks like pixels up close, but gives a leafy print from a few meters away. Fun print. Well done, Tekhni!

Newborn or Toddler

I'd say both. Baby Q is 5 months and 17 lbs and I can rock a FWCC and FCC comfortably. And at the moment I wear Baby Q for approximately 8 hours a day. My Diamond weave Girasol's no longer give me the support I'd like in a wrap, but this wrap does. So, I'd say Newborn to Toddler. If you want me to grab the 7 year old next door, wrap him and report on how happy my shoulders are carrying him around - let me know. I'd probably get him to do it. ;)

So, keep or sell/trade

Keep, I'd say keep. :) If you get the chance to try one of the Tekhni wraps with Repreve, do. Just try them out and see if it's for you. 

How to get back to running after pregnancy

Reading about everyone else's accomplishments might make you feel bad. Even though you know you just gave birth, this won't stop that little voice in the back of your head, that is telling you that you are slacking. 

4. Cross train

It might be easier to do core work outs/strength training/a stationary bike session with the baby sleeping next to you. It will give you that 'I worked out' rush and it helps your running. 

5. Watch that pelvic floor

My PT pointed out that this is a big one. Most new moms seem to forget about this, and end up in pain years after giving birth. By paying attention now, doing your exercises, and not rushing back into running/exercising, you can do everything to prevent this. 

6. Set a reasonable goal

Don't make yourself run a marathon PR months after giving birth. Pick a race that has a high fun factor for you (for me this was running one of the Swiss Alpine Marathon distances - the half marathon with quite some altitude gain- 4 months after having my son), and set yourself a goal of not finishing last. In my case I did not finish last, but was much slower than pre pregnancy, and in pretty much yucky pelvic pain from the half way point on, but I did have a lot of fun and a great experience. 

Do you have any other tips that might be helpful for new moms?

Review time

I am working on a bunch of reviews on baby wraps. If you have any wraps or blends you'd like me to look into and review, please comment to this post or shoot me an email at sillygirlrunning[at]hotmail.com. Would love to hear from you!

You're spoiling him, you know...

'So, that wrapping thing...it's a phase?'

'Uh, I don't think so. Depends on how long Baby Q likes it. It's actually up to him. And I trust him not to demand to be carried around at 15.'

'Right. You're spoiling him.'

'Am I? He's 3 months old. Whether or not I'm spoiling him is not yet an issue. An even if I am, that's my thing to deal with, right?'

'Owwwwwkay...But if you keep carrying him, he will never want to walk.'

'Hahaha.'

'...'

'Oh, you weren't kidding? Uh, well, I guess that won't be an issue. Attachment parenting is not a new thing, and all those kids did eventually start walking, huh?'

'Did they?'

'...'

'Well?'

'Okay, now you're just pissing me off.'

'No need to get all defensive. Just trying to give you some parenting advice here.'

'Well, okay, then. I'll just go on with my day then. Have a good one.'

Wrapping FCC style is completely underrated

That is all. :)

Stuff people say about attachment parenting

From the girl that brought you Silly Girl Running

From the girl that brought you Silly Girl Running - a blog on parenting. Demonstrating the same approach to parenting as she has towards running - that is: winging it. I am trying to do what feels right for my child - and for me. In that order. 

So, expect a series of insanely nutty posts on attachment parenting, baby wearing and poo. And on how to run with a baby jogger - while avoiding sore muscles in my arms. 

I am new to this parenting thing, and do not know what the heck I am doing. But I am trying. To raise a happy little boy. That doesn't believe his mom is too silly.