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Inspiration and new baby gear: My experience at Baby Bloggy Boot Camp!

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This post is written by Alanna Peters on behalf of Liz Lange and Ergobaby.  Product was provided.

February 28th was an unusually wet and windy day here in San Diego county but I woke up extremely excited, in spite of the fact that I had to get up and out of the house several hours than usual (with both kids in tow!) to brave the commuter traffic through the rain. (Let me tell you, people can NOT drive in Southern California during a rain storm!) I was on my way to the Baby Bloggy Boot Camp event at the Bahia Hotel in San Diego, CA, which was part of the Women Get Social blogging conference.

I had registered for the Baby Bloggy Boot Camp a couple months earlier as an expecting mom and wasn’t quite sure if I’d even make it to the conference, seeing as how my baby was due February 20th. Since she ended up arriving over a week early (yay!), I was able to attend, and I happily crossed out the “Expecting a Baby” status on my name tag and filled it in with “Mom to a Baby”. There were lots of other new and expecting moms there and it was so fun to show off my new baby and peek at some other little cuties!

 

INSPIRATION FROM THE ROOKIE MOMS

It was a very inspiring morning as we listened to several speakers and got lots of insight into blogging. I really enjoyed getting lots of tips from Heather Flet and Whitney Moss over at RookieMoms.com. They are full of advice on how to create awesome blog content and advice for working with brands. If you aren’t familiar with their blog, I highly recommend checking it out!

Now that we have a new baby in the house we’ve had to make some big changes in our budget and our lives. I’m about to become a full-time SAHM and, to be completely honest, I’m kind of terrified!  (This means no more “free” days while my older daughter is at preschool. Yikes!) One thing I discovered about the Rookie Moms blog that has me really excited is a feature called “52 Challenges for Rookie Moms“. It is a series of weekly adventures to share with your little ones. I know I definitely need some inspiration for keeping my preschooler (and me!) entertained, as well as ways to include a baby in the fun! I’m really looking forward to getting started on some of the challenges.

 

ADVICE FROM THE SITS GIRLS

We also got some great advice on Rocking Sponsored Content from the SITS girls, Tiffany Romero and Francesca Banducci. They are a wealth of knowledge on what sponsors are looking for and how to attract them to your blog. They also had a lot of advice to share on implementing SEO techniques, which is extremely important for any blogger! I think I gained the most from this session. I have a long list of SEO tips to start implementing on the blog!

 

GETTING REAL WITH AMALAH

After a quick break (with some awesomely yummy snacks provided by the Bahia Hotel!) we listened in on a discussion between Amy Storch and Danielle Wiley regarding the benefits and drawbacks of being a “mommy blogger”. I really enjoyed hearing Amy’s point of view since her blog Amalah.com was one of the very first blogs I read when I was first discovering the world of mommy blogs.

 

After the Boot Camp part of the morning was concluded, we got to meet the day’s big sponsor. Drumroll, please….

 

ERGOBABY!

 

Oh my gosh, you guys…I was SOOO excited when I realized Ergobaby was the event’s big sponsor. I used an Ergo carrier with my first daughter several years ago and we used that thing ALL the time. I was looking forward to using it again with my new baby until I realized that during storage between babies, the belt buckle on the carrier had broken and it wasn’t really safe to use. Imagine my delight when I found out that I would be receiving the brand-new, not-yet-released Ergobaby Four Position 360 Carrier!!! Talk about perfect timing. 🙂

The lovely ladies from Ergobaby gave a demonstration showing us 3 great new products and how to use them. We got to see the Ergobaby Wrap which is great for keeping your newborn close and snuggly, the Ergobaby Swaddler (not a carrier) which keeps your baby’s hips ergonomically positioned while being swaddled, and finally the Ergobaby Four Position 360 Carrier, which is the newest carrier in the Ergobaby family.

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After the demonstration I got to chat with the Ergobaby rep for a bit and talk with her about using the infant insert in the Ergo carriers. I still had the old-style infant insert which doesn’t really provide the necessary support for a newborn so, rather than purchase a new-style infant insert, she recommended that I just use the Ergobaby Wrap until my baby gets to 12lbs or more. It had been about 3 years since I last carried a baby in a wrap-style carrier so I was a little nervous about how to use it with my teeny-tiny newborn. The Ergobaby rep showed me how to use it properly and I felt much more confident. I could hardly wait to get home and give it a try!

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I seriously LOVE the Ergobaby Wrap. It is such a lifesaver! If I couldn’t wear my baby I would get absolutely nothing done during the day. My baby likes to be held, or at least touching me, all day long. Now, I put the wrap on in the morning and wear it pretty much all day, popping baby in and out as needed. I love being able to keep her close and still have my hands free to do things around the house! I even wore her out to happy hour with the girls last night and she just snuggled and slept the entire time. Easy peasy! The wrap is very similar to my old Moby carrier, although the recommended Newborn Hug carry is a little different than the carry I used to use. I think the biggest difference with this wrap is the fabric. I love the Ergobaby fabric! It’s soft and stretchy but feels much stronger and sturdier than other knit wraps.

I haven’t used the Four Position Carrier much yet since my little peanut is still under 12 pounds but I did give it a try with my old infant insert. It worked well but I’m really looking forward to using it without the insert. (We’ve only got about a pound to go at this point!) We ended up using a Baby Bjorn quite often when my first daughter got older since she loved to face out rather than in. The ideal position for babywearing is facing in towards the parent, but sometimes babies just want to look out and see the world that you are experiencing. Now they can do it in the Ergobaby carrier as well, while still having their bottoms supported. (No crotch-dangling!) I did notice that while the velcro around the waist seems more secure than the buckle on my old carrier, I’m not able to adjust it while I’m wearing the carrier. I always feel like I need to tighten it up after I’ve been wearing it for a while so I do miss that feature. One new feature I do love is that the sun shade zips into the front pocket. It’s just a cleaner, cuter design than the old carrier, and I love it! I’m really excited to try out the forward-facing option and the hip-carry option once my baby gets a little older.

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LIZ LANGE NEW YORK

Along with all the Ergobaby gear in our swag bags, all the attendees got to pick out a Liz Lange New York maternity dress. I was a little bummed that none of them were nursing-compatible, but they are all designed to be figure-flattering and transitional to accommodate growing or shrinking bellies. And the fabric is so soft on all the dresses we had to choose from! I ended up picking a shorter style dress that I thought would be cute for the spring/summer. I love that Liz Lange maternity clothes feel luxurious but they are totally affordable. (Target has a great selection!) I just don’t understand spending hundreds of dollars on maternity clothes that you only wear for such a short time!

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SUMMING IT UP

We also got some yummy candies from the girls at Sugar Wish, and fun samples from the Honest Co., which I’m sure most of you are familiar with if you’ve been reading Tiffany’s Honest Assessment posts. Such good stuff! (I adore their diapers, by the way. So far they are my favorite of all the brands we’ve tried!) Just FYI, my other favorites are the Conditioning Mist, the Bathroom Cleaner, and the Hand Sanitizer.

All in all, the Baby Bloggy Boot Camp was an absolute success. I’m so thrilled that I was fortunate enough to be a part of it all!

This post is written by me on behalf of Liz Lange and Ergobaby.  Product was provided.

Real Men Wear Their Babies: Boba Carrier Review

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I do love to see a man wearing his little in a carrier. I know other women do, too. You would not believe the oohs and coos that Tim gets (yes, Tim, NOT Darah) when he sports a baby in a carrier! Out of control, people.

But aside from the fact that men look adorable when baby-wearing, babies and toddlers look happy beyond measure. When Darah was a wee one, we would strap her in her carrier for a dinner time stroll. That would nip the crying spell that most babies experience around 5-7pm in the bud. She would get totally quiet as soon as she was in the carrier and outside. It was like magic, people.

If you don’t have experience with a carrier, or if you are on the lookout for a new one, I want to give my most enthusiastic endorsement for the Boba carrier. We’ve had one for about 9 months, now, and I wish we had purchased it much sooner. We had a Baby Bjorn, and it did the trick just fine, but the Boba seems to offer so many other great features for little ones as they grow into toddlers. And if you can get your baby to transition to being worn still as a toddler, your life will literally be extended by 5 years. This is based on nothing, but I believe it in my heart to be true! There’s a time for dallying, as toddlers love to do, and there’s a time to get moving! When a toddler will go into a carrier, you both rest easier, especially if you’ve got a Boba and have the weight of the child evenly distributed for maximum comfort! Sometimes we also use the carrier when Darah just wants to be held. Putting her in the Boba is easier on our backs, and frees up our hands so we can do some chores about the house while holding her.

I don’t have any personal experience with an Ergo carrier, but they seem to be the gold standard. The Boba compares very nicely with it, and actually offers a few things that the Ergo doesn’t, so if you are looking for a long-term carrier and are considering the Ergo, check out this comparison chart, and I think it will put Boba on your radar as a very serious contender:

features Boba Baby Carrier Ergo Baby Carrier
made with 100% certified organic cotton (Boba Organic) or 100% Natural brushed cotton (Boba Classic) regular or organic cotton
weight recommendation 15 to 45 lbs (7 to 20 kgs) 15 to 45 lbs (7 to 20 kgs)
lining soft brushed cotton canvas (organic cotton used for Boba Organic) poplin or organic sateen
batting 100% organic cotton (Boba Organic)100% natural cotton (Boba Classic) 100% cotton
front carry yes yes
back carry yes yes
hip carry no, we do not promote off-center carrying as it is not ergonomic for the wearer yes
waist buckle centered military grade buckle buckle on the side with safety elastic to catch release
height of carrier 16 inches – clings to and supports child’s entire back, brings child and center of gravity closer to you 13 inches – may only come to mid-back of toddler, leaning-back feeling on wearer due to lack of upper back support in child, may put pressure on shoulder and chest straps
width of carrier 13 inches in the seat/17 inches mid section to hug your child 14 inches
rounded top yes – envelops and pulls child’s entire back close to your body no – straight top may pull baby closer with horizontal line of pressure against toddler’s back
sleeping hood yes – removable hood yes
foot straps yes – provides a place to rest bigger legs, improves circulation, no pressure on nerves. Pelvis tilts under, hip sockets fill out, spine aligns properly in toddler no
made in Boba Organic – USA
Boba Classic – China		 China and India
price $100 for Boba Classic
$128 for Boba Organic		 $115 – $120 for organic

 

What do you carry your little one in? Do you have any questions about Bobas that I can answer or get someone from the company to answer for you?

Disclosure: I received a complimentary carrier in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

ERGO Vs. Boba: The Toddler Carrier We Chose!

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You may recall that a few weeks back I told you that were were getting a new carrier. Some of you may be scratching you head, thinking, “I know your child is no longer an infant, so why would you need a carrier?” My friends, we have a child who loves to be held, especially by her beloved daddy. When she fit in her Baby Bjorn, she was at her happiest in that thing! There are carriers that are made to carry toddlers, we just didn’t have the good fortune to own one.

Until now! And where did we get it? That fabulous place we all know and love:CSN Stores. If you aren’t familiar with CSN Stores, oh my word are you in for a treat. This is a collection of over 200 stores in the CSN family, and they sell, well, just about everything you can think of that you might need or want in your home, including furniture, decor, clothes, toys and yes, even baby carriers. I was more familiar with their toys and their furniture from my previous shopping experiences with CSN Stores, and was surprised to find an impressive selection of some of the top carriers out there.

Boba vs. ERGO carrier We diligently did out homework, and thought we wanted to get an ERGObaby carrier, since they get such rave reviews. Unfortunately, CSN was out of the ERGOS when we went to make our purchase. We thought about waiting until they came back in stock (you can sign up for email notification when a product you want is re-stocked), but then went back and did a bit more research on another brand I had heard was excellent: Boba. We actually found a great comparison post written by a mom who owned both carriers, and she came out a bit more in favor of the Boba.

Bottom line, I think we would have been extremely happy with the ERGObaby. But I can also tell you that we are thrilled with our Boba! CSN Stores had a nice selection of colors from which to choose, and we went with the Dusk carrier. It is absolutely beautiful! Darah is snug as a bug inside of it and it has certainly made going on walks MUCH easier.

CSN Stores offers free shipping on all of its Boba carriers, and you are notified when your package is sent out and can track it. While it would have been great if they could have had our first choice in stock, I’m so pleased that they also carried another brand that moms and dads seem to like just as well. I don’t think we compromised one bit when choosing our carrier, in the end!

Do you use a carrier? Do you have a favorite brand?

Disclosure: CSN Stores provided me with a $75 gift certificate in exchange for my honest review about shopping with them. I paid the difference between what the certificated covered and what the carrier cost. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links.