Baby Sling & Baby Carrier Blog

"I think there should be indecency laws about that, because I don’t want to see it in a public place." This was one of several expressions of disgust made by Lisa Rollins on a recent radio broadcast. Apparently, Lisa feels the natural act of a mother feeding a baby is inappropriate, indecent, and gross.

“I don’t see anything wrong with going into a restroom if you don’t see a specific nursing area and sitting on the toilet seat.” Seriously? A toilet seat!? Lisa continued to say that a woman should sit in her car (even in 100 degree weather) to feed a baby. Or just stay at home, for cryin' out loud! Because all nursing mothers know that staying in the house 24 hours a day does wonders for your sanity. Whatever you do, never let another human being see that you are actually feeding a baby.

Anyway, here's the letter I wrote in response:

Dear Radio Station,

I am a baby who breastfeeds. It's great! Perfect food any time I need it, provided by Mother Nature. I do have a complaint, however. The other day my mommy actually took me into a restaurant and started feeding me in there. Seriously!? Do you know how disgusting it is to see grown ups eat? The slurping and the teeth thrashing and the biting. Repulsive! I almost lost my appetite.

I'm starting a coalition of babies to ban adults from eating in public. It is a grotesque show. There should be laws against that kind of indecent behavior. Have you adults no shame? You can eat in the privacy of your own homes, or in your hot cars. If that's not possible, for heaven's sakes, take your dinner plate into the bathroom. I don't see why anyone couldn't just sit on the toilet seat to eat their spaghetti and green salad.

Sincerely,

A Baby

With the recent baby sling recall, our minds got wondering and wandering about what other baby products have been recalled. We wanted to see what's been recalled and why, and the volume. Here's a nifty infographic of all that info - the what, why, and when of the baby gear recall world.

Pretty interesting stuff.

Click for bigger version, its really, really big, press escape or click on the big version to come back here and share!

Go boobies!  I've said it before and I'll say it again - Breast is Best!  I was not surprised by Monday's report from The Journal of Pediatrics.  It stated that if mothers exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of a baby's life, the lives of over 900 babies per year would be saved, and $13 billion dollars in health care costs would be eliminated.  Seriously!?!  Those are some HUGE numbers!  

Breastfeeding as a necessity took a plunge in the late 60's during the feminist revolution, and became widely viewed as an act that "tied women down".  By 1975, over 75% of American babies were formula-fed.  World Health Organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, and all other medical establishments have straight up said that formula is inferior to breastmilk.  Yet, only 12% of women still breastfeed when their babies are 6 months old.  Why? 

I'm going right into my personal opinion here, and addressing some of the reasons I've personally heard for not breastfeeding:

It hurts!

This one I agree with.  It hurst like crazy!  You'll read books and have consultants say that if you're doing it right, it won't hurt.  But when you're going from zero nipple contact to something sucking on them really hard for 8 hours or more a day, it hurts.  The good news is, it goes away.  I've met very few women who have had pain past 1-2 weeks of nursing.  And a week or two of pain is way better than death and hospital bills, in my opinion.

With the growing concerns from recent baby sling recalls, HugaMonkey wants to reassure baby wearers everywhere that carrying a baby in a sling is still safe.  

Q:  Why were the Infantino slings recalled?

A:  Over the last 20 years, 14 babies have been reported being found dead in a baby sling.  3 of those deaths occurred last year in an Infantino baby sling.   

Q:  What is it that makes the Infantino slings unsafe?

A:  There are three major components that contribute to the unsafe slings: 

1. Baby's Position.  The baby is laying down flat in the sling, making the full pressure of its body rest on the center of the back.  This causes the baby to curl its head toward its chest and cut off its air supply.
2. Sling Position.  The sling is worn with the baby's head below the mother's bustline.  The bust can then hide the baby from view, making it impossible to keep close tabs on breathing and movement.
3. Fabric.  Most of the recalled slings were constructed with 3 layers of fabric that were able to close completely over the baby's head.  Many slings had velour or nylon blend fabrics that do not allow airflow into the sling.

Q: How do I position my baby safely in a sling?

A:  In a HugaMonkey, or similar sling, the pouch seam acts as a positioning guide where the baby's bottom should always rest.  In this position, the baby's head is above the mother's bustline with its head up and exposed to the air.   The sling should also be snug so the baby does not roll around, sink, or shift.  In this position, the baby is easy to hear, see, and feel.

Q:  What are HugaMonkey baby carriers made of?

The Department of American Foot Transportation (DAFT) is planning to issue a warning in the near future regarding the danger of footwear, specifically shoes.

"We have seen countless accidents, both minor and serious, and even deaths occur while people are wearing shoes," said Gloria Fitzfootster of DAFT.  The government agency feels it necessary to invade and intrude into every possible sector of traditional American lifestyles, stating that "intervention is the best invention".

Urgent action and panic should be taken by all US citizens regarding the safety hazard of shoes and shoe wearing.

- - - - - - -

In no way do I want to undermine the injuries/deaths that have occured over the last decade because of certain types of baby carriers.   But I am also furious with the idea that the government feels the need to step in, instead of the companies themselves doing their own regulating, checking, and improving. 

I'm also upset at the unneccessary fear this is going to cause.  Is your baby going to suddenly and spontaneously fall from her baby carrier and get seriously injured?  Most likely not.  There have been injuries resulting from everything from high chairs to cribs to bouncer seats.  And you're still using those, right?  With any product, baby related or not, there are inherint risks.  The important thing is for you, the parent, to be informed, active, and secure.

Why is the toaster forgotten?  In a world where blenders can turn golf balls to powder, where ovens can cook a whole turkey in under an hour, where microwaves have as many functions as iPhones - the toaster stands forgotten.

We recently spent a lovely week in San Diego and were graciously hosted by some family in their very fancy house.  The kitchen was a dream!  Perfectly organized, a humongous fridge, top-of-the-line stainless steel EVERYTHING!  Then good old Uncle pulled out the toaster.  I'm guessing the thing was circa late 1980's.  Today's modern bread was too tall and stuck out of the top.  It looked like it had been through the war.  Bagels?  Ha!  Forget about it.  Poor little toaster.

A little while back, my in-laws redecorated their kitchen.  Well, redecorated is an understatement.  They gutted the kitchen - ripped out everything and started from scratch.  It was once a 1950's country themed, blue and white tile up the wazoo mess. Now it's a sleek, comforting, masterpiece.  I want to give the walnut floors a big hug every time I go in there.  The lighting is gorgeous.  The appliances are fantastic.  Except that toaster.  I'm not even going to take a stab at the age.  The fact that the cord was wrapped in raveling thread should be indication enough that this thing was ancient.   I'm surprised you didn't have to place it near an open fire and turn it with your foot.

Casseroles make my spine quiver.  It seems that every recipe exchange I participate in is laden with delicacies that follow the same basic principles:  chicken breast (or even can of tuna), a can cream of something soup (shudder), a cup or two of shredded cheese (gag), and topped with crushed potatoe chips or snack crackers (seriously?).   One such recipe even said, "I use cream of celery soup to add a vegetable."  Attention humans: cream of celery soup is NOT a vegetable! 

For someone who avoids casseroles like the plague, I surprise even myself by love love loving this recipe.  It is so earthy and homey.  For as simple as it is, it's complex and interesting.  And it's really as easy as slice, pour, top, bake. I make it in a 9x13 pan and increase this recipe by 50% so I can have some for lunch.  That's what I'm having today.  Hooray!  This will serve 4-6 adults.

Mediterranean Gratin

4 large russet potatoes, well scrubbed

4 tomatoes

1/4 to 1/2 yellow onion

1/2 c. low fat sour cream

3/4 c. skim or plain soy milk

1/2 tsp. garlic powder or 1 clove minced garlic

2 Tbsp. fresh thyme (yummiest) or 1 Tbsp. dried thyme (can also substitute Italian Seasoning)

1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Baby #4 is not being kind to me.  Weeks 8 throught 10 found me barely able to drag my ugly, unshowered self out of bed.  I had to lean on the counter while I stirred dinner, which was usually pasta with sauce out of a jar.  I slept 10 hours a night and took a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.  Seriously!  And the nausea!  I count myself lucky that I have yet to throw up during a pregnancy, but it still sucks that I feel like I just might throw up any second.   And stop reading if you don't want TMI, but I have painful gas almost every night from 7 to 10 pm.  My belly gets all bloated and it hurts.  So weird.  Where the heck did that come from?

So I was lamenting to my mom in law about how baby #1 was a breeze, and even baby #2 was super easy.  Baby #3 was tougher, but nothing like this.  Do you know what she said to me?  "Well, you're body just isn't what it used to be.  That happens as you get older." 

Get older!?!  I've said those same words, but always with a twinkle in my eye and a little smirk.  I'm 28 for pete's sake!  But that really was the nail in the coffin.  Hearing the words "get older" from an outside source really sunk it in.  I am getting older!  And it's hard.  Is there a little icon for a tear running down my face?  :_ _ (   That works.

Bread terrors?  I don't know why, but I've talked to a lot of people who have a fear of making bread.  It's time consuming, difficult, won't turn out right they say.  Nay, I say!  I'm going to share with you my super simple, no fail, ultra delicious 45 minute rolls.  In less than an hour, you can have the amazing smell of fresh bread wafting from your kitchen and be the envy of homemakers for miles around.  And all this will cost you nothing, although you should probably buy like four or five HugaMonkey baby slings out of gratitude and/or amazement.

I mix these up in my life saving, can't-do-without KitchenAid mixer.  You could use a hand mixer with a dough hook attachment, a food processor if you know how (I don't), or a wooden spoon and your bare hands if you're tough. I've never tried this in a bread machine.  When I had a bread machine, it seemed more trouble than it was worth.  My little bitty kitchen cannot have single-function items hogging up all the space when a KitchenAid can do it just as well, plus about a thousand other awesome things.  Looks like that's going to have to be a blog post all its own.   Ah, yes!  The recipe!

45 Minute Rolls

1 c. hot water

1 package (2 1/4 tsp.) yeast

2 T. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 T. oil

2 to 2 1/2 c. flour

I know after the last post you were all thinking, "Great!  I can save money cooking from scratch!  Now what?"   Cooking in any way can be a daunting task, so here are some expanded suggestions to help.

As a young wife, I bought Bisquick regularly.  We were both in college and working, so it was a very fast "go to" for breakfast or dinner.   Then the cost of the stuff started gnawing away at my budget brain.  Ounce for ounce, it was one of the higher priced items on my receipt.  So I looked up "make your own Bisquick" online, and found some easy recipes for about 1/4 of the cost.  The best part was that I could even make it with some whole wheat flour.  But it required shortening, and that gnawed away at my healthy brain.  After making a couple of batches, I had a realization:  "Is this really worth it?"   

What was I making with Bisquick?  Pancakes, bisquits....  That's about it.  Do you realize how incredibly easy it is to make pancake batter from scratch?  I've got it down to about 3 minutes!  And biscuits are a cinch, too.  I've got a super easy drop bisquit recipe, and a more labor intensive one for when I have more time. So I quit buying Bisquick, and have never gone back.

"I'm terrified of the library!"

Those are the exact words a good friend of mine said to me tonight.  It knocked my socks off!  How can anyone be terrified of the library?  I suggested that she get a cook book from the library after she confided that she was terrified of cooking as well.  I felt like I was worlds away from my dear friend at that moment. 

We were having a lengthy discussion about cooking.  No, not heating up.  Putting a frozen lasagna in the oven or adding water to pancake mix IS NOT cooking.  I mean real live, measuring cup, pure flour, raw ingredient cooking.  It's becoming a lost art, isn't it? 

After nearly crying about enormous credit card debt and saying that 80% of their meals are eaten out, and the remainder came pre-made/out of a box,  I told her about the enormous value of cooking.  Just a few quick reasons: way cheaper, tastes better, healthier, no artificial ingredients, colors, preservatives, you're in control, emotionally rewarding, and it's fun!

So I challenged her to make pancakes without Bisquick.  Pancakes aren't terrifying, right?  I'm sending her some great, simple, healthy recipes.  You can't suddenly just start making 3 meals a day from scratch.  You'll pass out.  Start with two recipes a week: one breakfast and one dinner.  It takes me about 5 minutes to whip up a batch of whole grain waffles, and costs just pennies compared to Eggo's.  And when they come hot off the waffle iron with some warmed apple slices and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top... Heaven!

Home to Richfield to home to Weber Canyon to home to Boise to home.  Driving is the pits!  20+ hours in the car is not my idea of a good time, especially when it involves three kids and a pregnant me.  My salvation is this very laptop on which I am typing.

What in the blamin' bleep did people do before in-car movies!?  I spent a few minutes last night transferring about a dozen movies from our external hard drive onto my computer through the magic of wireless magic.  Stick the lappy on the lap of the eldest, most responsible child, and BLAM!  I barely hear a peep from them.  Eldest child knows how to start a new movie on her own, and toddler generally falls asleep in minutes.

To make matters better, our sweet minivan (Honda Odyssey, get one, love one) can turn the rear speakers off so Dylan and I can listen to an audio book up front while the kids rock a movie in the back.  It's like the mullet of traveling.  You know, business up front, party in the back. 

So even with numb buns, gas station restrooms, pretzel debris, and rock chips, we're surviving.  Seeing our friends, family, and beautiful places on God's great earth make it all worth it.

PS  BEST TRAVEL BED EVER!!!  Dylan and I are super picky about our sleeping arrangements.  Everywhere we go, we take 2 twin size air mattresses and a big king size memory foam mattress topper.  The two twins are brilliant.  When he rolls over, I can't feel a thing!  It's soft and comfy and we don't end up with our butts on the floor in an air mattress taco.  And, hello - king size!  Trust me, it's pure genius.

You've been on the brink, I know.  I told you I'd write about meal planning, and it's been a while.  Sorry for the terrible suspense!

Meal planning is a HUGE help in making trips to the grocery store easier.  It also eases a lot of mental anguish around meal times.  As another plus, food does not go to waste, unused and rotting in the depths of your fridge.  You'll know exactly what you have and where it's going.

Over the last several years, I've switched up my meal planning strategies to keep things livened up.  Sometimes I have assigned every day of the week a "theme", if you will, and continued the themes for a month or two at a time.  Example:  Monday - Mexican, Tuesday - Italian, Wednesday - Soup,  Thursday - Sandwich, etc.  So the four Mondays of the month could be burritos, enchiladas, posole, and nachos.  I really love to cook and try different foods, so I like to throw in several nights a month for a new cuisine.  We'll have Greek, Arabic, Australian, or German recipes on occassion. 

That method doesn't always go exactly as planned, because sometimes I have something time consuming planned on a night that just isn't working out right.  So here's my new method:

1.  Meal list.  Easy as that.  On the computer I have a document entitled "Fave Meals".  On it, I list the things we like to eat.  If I try a new recipe and like it a lot, it goes on the list, along with the source for where I got it.  Recipes we don't like don't make it on the chart.   It started simple:  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinners.  It has grown to sections you'd find in a cook book: Chicken, Rice Dishes, Salads, Sandwiches, Soups, Eggs, etc.  This is just a simple reference list I can quickly skim over and see things we like that maybe we haven't eaten in a while.

Today we went to a Speed Pitching event to ask total strangers for money for HugaMonkey.  It was exhausting!  But I was perfectly suited for it and this is why:

Repeating the same thing 10 times in a row.

Sound like something a Mom would be good at?

Also, I said this sentence yesterday: "Don't stomp on my sandwiches!"

HugaMonkey baby carriers are featured in this year's Utah Baby Guide.

Found on page 23 of the guide along side one of our Utah based competitors who focuses on posh baby gear. HugaMonkey's has always been focused simple, practical and affordable elegance. We've created a special Why HugaMonkey page with more details about why we think the HugaMonkey is the way to go for moms.

• Web version of the guide: Web version of the guide
• PDF of the Guide: PDF of the Guide