TWILLI PIE PODEGI – Out and About & Testing

I’ve been meaning to go to Ikea for a while. So today hubby and I decided to have lunch there and pick up a few things. We got a lot of smiles and looks from people. There were loads of babies there today! And we got a compliment on the podegi from a lovely mama with beautiful month old twin girls!

I decided to wear Twilli in the first TWILLI PIE PODEGI that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. I have been testing the heck out of it. Here are my thoughts so far:

I am pretty pleased overall with this design. I LOVE being able to combine fabrics to create something truly unique. I will probably continue to make all of my carriers reversible. I am very happy with the padding in the straps. (It is double layer polar fleece.) I LOVE the long blanket! It is very easy to adjust how high or low baby rides in a front carry. Twilli can “hide” inside or sleep by tucking her arms in and “sinking” down a bit. And it is MUCH easier to nurse in this podegi than any of my mei tais. I was worried that the traditional straight straps would not work with shoulder carries. But the straight straps are much more comfortable than I had expected. My only regret is that I placed the nice white print fabric too low on the reverse. This print ends up hiding under babys bum. So I really only show the Tatsu print side for that reason

Introducing TWILLI PIE PODEGI 2 – for the progressive babywearing daddy

Now for some good news… I just finished with my first TWILLI PIE PODEGI that is designed with the babywearing daddy in mind! It is also the first podegi I have made with angled straps. It is quite a bit more involved to place the straps at an angle. But it seems to be more popular than the straight ones. (Any podegi devotees: What do YOU think?) And it is GREEN! No. Not the color green… but eco green because it uses some reclaimed fabric!

Check out photos of TWILLI PIE PODEGI 2!

I will post action shots soon! The supermodel baby, Twilli, is sleeping.

Hey dads, would YOU wear your baby or toddler in something like this if it were available? PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT and let me know what you think!

Today Twilli is 9 MONTHS OLD! It has been lightning fast. But yet it feels like she was a newborn last week!

There used to be a national babywearing organization called NINO: Nine In Nine Out. It supported the theory that the first 9 months of a baby’s life is an extension of the womb.

I DEFINITELY agree with the theory. Wearing your baby helps them feel safe and secure.

If I had not been able to WEAR THE BABY, there is no way I would have been able to work from home, or get ANYTHING done, for that matter! And breastfeeding has been a Godsend!! Literally. Not only is is the perfect food, mama milk is SAFE anxiety and pain meds for Twilli.

Babies crave SOOOOO much attention, guidance, and closeness. I am so thankful for the bond between us that has been facilitated by babywearing!

I also am so grateful that I can channel my creative talent, by making slings, to help others bond with their baby in STYLE!

Today we rejoice the second birth of Twilli! She IS a new person. She is mobile now (army crawl). She feeds herself. She drinks from the sippy cup. She has 4 teeth. Her fine motor skills are increasing daily. She poops in the toilet. (Can you tell I’m proud?)

A friend of mine is taking us to the beach today to celebrate. I have my fabulous water sling, so I can safely take her in the ocean! And its UV protective! I will try to take some photos, and maybe some video to post later. [Note: We didn't end up getting to go to the beach. But we will go soon. I promise!]

Please leave a comment and tell us how babywearing has saved YOUR sanity/marriage/business .

Ok. I am a day late for WEARS THE BABY WEDNESDAY. We’ve been sick and I’m still grossly behind in just about everything. Anyway, enough whining. We have new babywearing news and photos for you to see!

We are in the process of creating our own TWILLI PIE line of PODEGI (aka podeagi or podaegi) baby carriers. For anyone unfamiliar, the word is pronounced like this Poe-DAY-gee. The podegi is much simpler in form than a mei tai. It has even greater significance because it is traditionally a Korean carrier. Twilli’s grandparents are originally from South Korea. Unfortunately, we haven’t had a chance to meet them yet. But we felt it important to expose her to some of her Korean heritage early in life.

I made my first diy podegi a couple of weeks ago from a great tutorial that I found on TBW – TheBabyWearer.com. But I don’t like how short the body is and I wanted to create my own pattern/design. So I made it much longer and gave it a unique shape. For now, we’ll see some action shots of Twilli, in a ruck sack back carry, tibetan tied. This is just one side of the design. The other side has some other cool fabric. Stay tuned for more photos!

Even though she’s a bit crooked, Twilli is still quite content in her new podegi.

The smile shows our enjoyment! And look at those new teeth!

A pensive Twilli relaxing in her podegi with Mommy.

Have you ever seen or used a PODEGI baby carrier before? Please leave a comment and tell us what you think.

It’s Dad’s turn to write “Wears The Baby Wednesday” this week. I’m between daytime gigs right now, so my schedule opened up to attend a Broward Babywearing Meeting this past Monday, where Renee attends regularly.

Mothers of varying experience levels gather to share tips, and allow each other to try out the myriad baby carriers available today. You can try out ring slings, soft structured carriers, mei tais and other Asian-inspired carriers, and mobi wraps.

Due to the large turnout (yay!), Kimberley decided that we would do introductions then have a few demonstrations. The back carry was demonstrated with a few different carriers. After the formal demonstrations of the back carry, the curious to paired up with the experienced for some one-on-one instruction.

The next meeting is tentative for this Saturday, April 26th, at Volunteer Park, in Plantation. Check in with the Broward Babywearing site to find out more.

Here we are at Wears the Baby Wednesday again already! I am getting this post out late in the day. But hey, it’s STILL Wednesday, so it counts. Right?

This week I want to discuss something that has made my life much MORE CONVENIENT. Beyond babywearing, in general, utilizing a BACK CARRY has really helped me be able to do chores!

I take care of a property for a family friend, and I have to scoop the cat litter. At home, Au-teen is assigned this chore. But when I drive to Miami, it’s often just me and Twilli. This time, I decided to try to take photos, in the mirror, of the back carry in our red Twilli Pie Mei Tai.

It was quite a challenge to get a decent photo. But I thought this one, where you see Twilli looking at the camera was especially cute!

I discovered an even EASIER way to get her into the mei tai. Before, I laid the mei tai on the bed, laid Twilli on it, and then tried to tie the waist straps on, and then pull her up by the straps. It was a pain, but still easier than the more advanced “shoulder toss” method. (I’m still too chicken to do that one! Especially since we only have hard floors.) – Here are links to various instructions on back carry, front carry and more.

The other way is something like a “hip scoot” that I use for the Ergo. But I put the mei tai on, hanging in front as usual. (I just don’t tie the waist strap as tight as usual.) Then I put Twilli in and hold the shoulder straps up over her head. Then I rotate the whole thing, Twilli and all, to the back. I know it may be hard to visualize. I’ll do some videos soon.

I’m working on another Twilli Pie mei tai. Here are a few pics of it in progress.

I have had some sewing machine problems, so I got very delayed on this one. I think we’ll REALLY like it though! The inside/back is a yummy yellow chenille. It is SUPER SOFT! I’ve already made a little baby sized ribbon pillow that matches it. Twilli loves the pillow. So I am sure she’ll enjoy riding around in a mei tai with the softness up against her.

And one more thing… I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. BABYWEARING DADDIES ARE HOT! ;-D Here’s a shot of 21st Century Dad wearing Twilli in the BabyHawk mei tai, showing off the other Amy Butler print! They’re TOO CUTE!

Elliott has been grabbing the BabyHawk even more than the Ergo lately. He has yet to try a back carry though. (I guess I’m still ahead of the game! hehehe)

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT or send a link to your babywearing daddies! (If I get enough, we might just have to do a babywearing daddy mashup.)

If it’s Wednesday, it must mean it’s time for WEARS THE BABY!

We have a couple of new additions in our stash. But first I want to share the overdue action photos of the BabyHawk Mei Tai that we got a few weeks ago. It has olive straps and a lovely Amy Butler print. (The reverse is another Amy Butler beauty as well!)

This was the first time we had tried a BACK CARRY. All of the tutorials I’ve seen about doing a back carry with a mei tai were a bit daunting because they all involve “tossing” and balancing your baby on your back

Twilli is a bit too squirmy for me to feel comfortable trying to balance her on my back. However, I decided to go the easy way and lay the carrier on the bed, put Twilli on it, and tie it on from there. It worked great! I’ll probably post a YouTube video for anyone else who wants to try the EASY BACK CARRY.

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And now for the GOOD STUFF!

We really enjoy designing, making and wearing these SCANDI MEI TAI baby carriers. For now, I will call them “TWILLI PIE Mei Tai” Baby Carriers, in order to differentiate them from any *commercially available mei tai. I often call Twilli “Twilli Pie” and Elliott thinks it’s so cute.

[*Note: I had originally hoped to introduce these MTs to the market. But the pattern I used is not licensed for commercial use. Sorry, these are for our personal use only. But I will be working on developing my own unique design.]

So here is the second MT we did – TWILLI PIE MT2. It has red corduroy straps (reinforced with a layer of denim, for added strength) and designer fabric that was actually recycled from a pair of Jones New York pants. The fabric is lovely, but I don’t think it should have EVER been on PANTS! It has a satin ribbon embellishment. The reverse side is red-orange satin and red-orange cotton solid.

I’m LOVING the cord straps! They help the carrier stay in place. It’s as if Twilli is attached with VELCRO! These straps are very long! I wanted to make them long to accommodate certain variations of a back carry. But they are a bit unweildly. I’m considering making them shorter. But I’ll probably experiment some more before I do that.

Next up we have the 3rd one TWILLI PIE MT3…

***If you are having trouble viewing the photo slideshow, you may look at the photos here. ***

I made this lovely blue one especially for my Mom, who is visiting from Tennessee. She will be leaving tomorrow. We’ve really enjoyed having her here. But she is missed by Dad and my 2 nephews. I hope they enjoy the mei tai!

I went looking for fabric that would suit her, and found this beautiful cobalt blue canvas. (Blue is Mom’s favorite color.) Then I hunted down some quarter flats that had a tropical or ocean feel and that matched the blue. I think it turned out very pretty!

Mom has shoulder issues and cannot easily tie things behind her back. So I made the waist strap extra long, allowing her to tie it in the front. I was afraid this might be too much fabric around the waist. But I gave it a “test drive” yesterday for several hours. It actually felt good for my back to have the added support.

I finally replaced the sleep hood on TWILLI PIE MT1. It looks so much better! AND it actually functions as a sleep hood now!

So I’ve included some more photos of it, with action shots! (I can’t resist the opportunity to show off the Twilli!) She’s such a cooperative model!

Ok. That’s all for this week. I’m already working on the next one. So stay tuned!

Please leave a comment and let us know what you think of my TWILLI PIE Mei Tai carriers!

It’s official. I am addicted the For Sale or Trade – TheBabyWearer.com Forums. I sold a couple of the carriers I was no longer using.

I got a great deal on a used BabyHawk Mei Tai carrier. I basically saved over $30, compared to getting the same thing new! And I really like it. It is reversible. Both sides are lovely Amy Butler prints. Hubby likes it too! I will post some action shots soon!

Babywearing Daddies are Hot!

Here is a photo of 21st Century Dad sporting the more gender neutral side of my DIY Scandi Mei Tai. Twilli LOVES her daddy!! And I love the fact that my “baby daddy” is cool enough to wear the baby! (She’s here with me right now, going CRAZY over this picture!)

New Line of Designer Mei Tai Baby Carriers

I’m in the process of making my next “Twilli Pie” Mei Tai… It appeals more to the tactile (although it has visual texture as well) than the last one. It is much more vivid than the first one. It should be complete by late tomorrow.

I’m loving this latest creative outlet!! I didn’t realize how much I LOVE fabric! And sewing is so much cooler since I’ve studied architecture. I appreciate the properties of the materials so much more now. I’ve gotten amazing response from local people who saw the first one… so we’ll see.

Joel Dewberry custom design Ring Sling

I’ve also been wearing my new handmade (not by me) reversible ring sling with lovely Joel Dewberry print reversing to solid chocolate brown! It is a wonderful size, with plenty of width in the fabric to cuddle Twilli nicely. The pleating at the shoulder is wide enough that the whole thing naturally cups the shoulder and is VERY COMFORTABLE! This is a relief because my previous ring slings had the tendency to slide off my shoulder and over to my neck, which causes pain. It also has a large zipper pocket that extends the full width of the tail.

It is made by an amazing WAHM who is due to have a new baby any day now. Her business is located in Puerto Rico. They are building their Etsy store. I will post a link to it as soon as it launches!

Check out this beauty!

I’ve been wearing my new fluffy Scandi-style MEI TAI for almost a week now and I really love it! There are a few edits I need to make, like a totally new sleep hood and the little loops for the hood to connect/tie onto. (I actually don’t know what I was thinking on this sleep hood! lol) And I’d like to have a utility loop on the belt, probably.

But in terms of comfort, I’m VERY happy! So without further adieu…

So many people are doing Wordless Wednesday these days. So, being the rebel that I am, I have decided to do *WEARS the Baby Wednesday.

I have to give a credit for the clever play on words to one of the first sites I found on my babywearing journey – *WearsTheBaby.com. (Katie, I am not claiming to come up with the phrase. I am just getting mileage out of it, and hoping to send you more link love!)

Ok… on with the babywearing show…

I just posted my very first FSOT listing (For Sale Or Trade, if you don’t already know that acronym, there is a key of it and related ones here) listing on TBW (TheBabyWearer.com, in case you didn’t already read the acronyms page ). I am selling several slings on the listing. But the ones I want to show you are especially cool! These slings are made of a fabric called “Solarveil”.

Solarveil is a lightweight fabric, which resembles netting or gauze, and is ideal for hot, tropical, or desert climates. It’s light and wicks sweat away from the body so that it can quickly evaporate. Solarveil is a UV protective fabric, protecting you from the sun’s damaging rays (one layer provides 70-80% UV protection, and two layers provide up to 90-95%). Unfortunately, Solarveil has been discontinued. So these slings will be increasingly hard to find. For more info about these slings, visit my FSOT listing.

I haven’t posted for a couple of days. This is mostly because I needed to take a hiatus from the glaring screen, do a mild internet detox, and work on my latest and greatest sewing project.

I am not a super crafty type. But I have done a lot of basic stuff with the sewing machine like pillows, drapes, pant hems, etc. But I have been recently bitten by the MEI TAI bug, which has been fueled by photos and talk of the legendary Scandi (Scandinavian) Mei Tai.

These things are well made, beautiful, stylish AND comfortable. But they are very pricey and hard to find. IF you could buy them from the Scandi WAHMs, they would cost about $200+ plus international shipping. But, most of these WAHMs will not export to the sue-happy USA. This is mostly because their insurance will drop them if the send outside of their region. However, a small number of the beauties make it Stateside anyway.

The esteemed Scandi can sometimes be stalked FSOT (for sale or trade) on TBW – TheBabyWearer.com. By the way, TBW is one of the best places to buy or trade a used sling. It also has EXCELLENT instructions on how to use your baby carrier, of any type.

At this time, I cannot buy one of the “real” Scandi MTs. So I decided to try my hand at sewing my own. This is my very first time sewing a baby carrier. But before you start to worry, realize that I am not doing this blindly. I am using a GREAT tutorial from a SAHM who has made some AMAZINGLY beautiful baby carriers. All of the materials, measurements, and steps are thoroughly outlined.

It is pretty complicated to get all of the pieces together nicely. And sewing through the strap padding is something of a challenge. But I am making nice progress. I will post photos as soon as it is complete. [UPDATE 3/12/08 - View PHOTOS of my DIY Scandi Mei Tai here!]

Have any of you made your own baby carrier? If so, please leave a comment with a link to photos.