Baby Bjorn and other Baby Carriers

*update*  This is an old review of the Baby Bjorn baby carrier I did when we first got it. Since it has been written I have grown to really like this carrier. The positive aspects of it remain true and as Reveille grew and switched to facing forward she seemed to enjoy it even more. We are now to the point that she is pushing the maximum size for this particular carrier but it has worked well for us.

On a side note I didn’t plan on publishing this but my wife got a hold of it and thought it was funny and decided to share it. It is from a while ago so please excuse the outdated information on Reveille. She is out of her cast and can control her head just fine now.

We acquired a Baby Bjorn baby carrier this weekend and I think the jury is still out as to how great it is or isn’t. While Heather was pregnant I had these romantic notions of carrying our child with us everywhere in a sling style carrier. I would be able to say with superiority about how great it is to “wear” your baby and not have to rely on those cumbersome stroller contraptions. Luckily, life has humbled me and taught me a thing or 2 to the contrary. Reveille was never tightly bundled as a newborn and has never appeared to enjoy that sensation which is what the slings seem to do. It is also difficult to impossible to cross your child’s legs when one of them is in a full leg cast. This is the position the instructions told us to put her in when loading her into the sling. Reveille was a great sport with the slings and never seemed to be in pain but she always had a “why are you doing this to me?” look on her face while in there. Hence that adventure was short lived. On a side note, I think the slings look funny on men. To me they have this lovely primitive simplicity to them, but its hard to get a vision of my male ancestors slinging their children to themselves and going off to hunt or battle. Maybe I am just being sexist. Now onto the Bjorn. First, for a child with a cast this is much easier to get her into and she appears much more comfortable. The harness is comfortable for the wearer and much easier on my back than carrying her in my arms. She seems to fit securely and there is little to no feeling that she would ever fall out or have any mishaps of that nature. On the down side, I am a big fan of simple design and there are a few more buttons and latches than I would like. Reveille does not have much head control at this point and so she tends to end up head butting my chest more than I would like. There is a nice guard that catches her head when she tips her head away from the wearer but it does tend to roll around a bit. By nature of the position the child sits in I would not use it if Reveille was sporting a dress or skirt that day either. Finally, I like the look of the carrier. It has a clean profile and even thought the head guard is there for little dumplings like Reveille you can still see her face from the sides. Only time will tell as to if it will get daily use but as of right now I like the product.

Filed under Products | Comment (0)

Summer Come and Almost Gone

This has been a great summer for us. Despite the economy being in the toilet and our household facing some difficult times, it has been a wonderful few months. Reveille loves to go out and about. She appreciates fine dining as long as she is fed promptly upon her request. She also enjoys seeing new people and hearing about how adorable she is. More than once this summer we have received complimentary items or services because she batted her eyelashes at some unsuspecting person. She appears to be a fan of the outdoors and proved to be quite the camper. Although in all instances Reveille prefers air conditioning to any sort of heat. We have enjoyed multiple trips to the Brookfield Zoo. She has not yet disclosed what her favorite animal is. However, there is one Grandma that is hoping she shares a love for giraffes. We also got to spend an afternoon at the Shedd Aquarium. The sea horses & sea dragons there were the big winners. Reveille had a look of shear wonder as these little creatures, glowing under a black light, would go gliding by. In general she is always enthralled by fish in aquariums. Most of the time, they seem to move at just the right pace for her and their bright colors make them easy targets to spot. She also has enjoyed her time acting like a fish too. Swimming in Grandma & Grandpa’s pool was a favorite activity and it gave her an opportunity to show off her skills in the pool at the church picnic. We stimulated her scientific mind by taking a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry. There she had her 1st introduction to the magical world of Harry Potter. Her mother and I were far more excited about that than she was, yet she had a great time getting to know her Unkie Dew & Auntie Krista. There were multiple doctor’s visits peppered into her summer, but aside from the typical shots nothing too traumatic occurred. All in all it was a fabulous summer. Mom is back to school now and her Grandma Lis and I will be taking care of her during the week. I am sure Reveille is going to be happy with the temperature cooling off as summer moves to fall. Even though her mother does not share in her affinity to cooler temperatures. We are looking forward to sharing our future adventures and holiday fun with you, and hopefully being able to see many of you along the way!

Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (1)