babywearing

fall 2016

calivintage x solly baby fall 2016

October 7, 2016 2 Comments

a couple of months back, i had the extraordinary opportunity to work with solly baby on their fall 2016 lookbook! our household is really big on babywearing (even adam!), so we were really delighted to be involved. and i got the chance to try out some of the fall collection before they hit the stores, including the currently sold-out but soon to be back-in-stock rifle x solly baby wrap seen here in the photos.

poor little edie was unexpectedly sick the day of the shoot, so she ended up sleeping on my chest throughout the entire shoot, which actually turned out to be the perfect thing for her. holding them close like this makes all of the difference because it helps them to feel calm and comfortable, while i’m able to keep my hands free. it’s a win all the way around!

my style, kids, maternity

4th trimester: the jersey dress

July 26, 2016 4 Comments

hard to believe it, but my little baby edith is three months old today! we’ve made it through the “fourth trimester,” and i can no longer call her a newborn. she has been good to me so far, happy and healthy, growing and developing right on track. she’s an excellent sleeper at night just like her big brother, but she does make up for it during the day. i have to fight her pretty hard to get her down for naps because apparently she did not get the memo about the importance of sleep. she would much prefer to hang out and give her mama smiles, or practice tummy time. she can already hold her head up and roll over, and she is desperately trying to sit up already! yikes!

needless to say, babywearing has definitely come in handy not only when i need to get things done, but also when i need to get her to sleep! so i thought i’d share this really simple outfit just to give an example of what to wear while babywearing. it varies depending one what type of carrier i’m using, but i really love to pair my sakura bloom linen ring sling with simple dresses like this maternity t-shirt dress from storq. it might not come across in photos, but this dress is seriously amazing. it is a super soft and stretchy modal jersey, which i highly prefer over cotton because it tends to maintain better shape and is somehow a million times softer. and if you’re anxious about wearing something that clings to the body, don’t worry, it is not flimsy or sheer in the least. i actually wore this dress to the hospital the day edie was born, pulled it on for my first walk around the maternity ward after she arrived, and wore it a ton in the first few weeks after we brought her home. the scoop neck makes it easy to pull down for nursing, so you can even breastfeed while babywearing if you’re feeling up to it!

if you’re looking for more tips, you can check out my guide on what to wear when you’re expecting (which includes this same dress!) or take a peek at some of my 4th trimester outfits.

my style, lifestyle, kids

June 16, 2016 5 Comments

it’s been a pretty busy week, so i didn’t get the opportunity to take any proper outfit photos, but if you follow me on instagram, then maybe you’ve seen a few peeks at what i’ve been wearing. and speaking of wearing, i’ve been doing a lot of babywearing. edith just turned seven weeks, so she’s right in the middle of her “fussy stage.” i’ve read that it starts at around 2-3 weeks, peaks at 6 weeks, and subsides by 3-4 months. which is pretty much in line with our experience when adam was a newborn as well. she’s generally pretty easy going and sleeps most of the time, but i find that she’ll have a fussy time of day either right in the middle of the afternoon, but usually in the evening before bedtime. it’s completely normal, so i try not to let it worry me or stress me out, but i do hate to hear her cry. one of the easiest ways that we’ve dealt with it is to alternate between nursing and carrying her in a wrap or sling until she chills out and falls asleep.

in fact, that’s pretty much where you’ll find her if she isn’t napping, having tummy time, or engaged in stimulating activities like listening to us read or sing, or hanging out in her baby play gym. just as important as it is to fill their little brains with information, it’s important to avoid getting them overstimulated or overtired. holding her close to my chest in a wrap is kinda like having her swaddled, but we both get to bond and share those feel good hormones.

so yes, i’ve been inducted into the cult of babywearing. i wrote this post about it last year when adam was still small enough for me to carry in a wrap. and this time around, i’m having even more fun collecting a little stash. so far, i’m using a very lightweight happy baby wrap in ivory, which is really nice for the super hot weather where we live. and i have two beautiful linen sakura bloom ring slings. i have the classic sling in maple, which is a heavyweight linen. and the chambray sling in twig, which is a slightly softer, lightweight linen. and now i’m on the hunt for a really nice ivory woven wrap. i like woven wraps a lot because there are a million different ways that you can wear them, many of which are able to evenly distribute weight across your back, which makes a huge difference when baby starts to get bigger. and of course i have a lot of fun coordinating them with my outfits, haha!

anyone out there as obsessed as i am? do you have any favorite wraps or slings?