Ok, this CSPIA stuff is scary! But there is some light at the end of this crazy tunnel. I’m posting something I wrote on TBW so more people (that means YOU) can act.

If you are not on TBW, you can check out what the mama sent, which explains the CSPC’s request for comments, as well as their protocol for receiving these comments, here. (Please note, this is an Acrobat PDF file.)

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YOU CAN HELP!!!! Please make your voice heard. I found this info from this TBW thread: http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3287907. One of the mamas that works for another governmental agency clarified the fact that CSPC MUST read every comment that they receive!

But the deadline for comments about COMPONENT TESTING, which will basically make or break EVERYTHING for many of our beloved BW vendors is TOMORROW!

PLEASE send an email or fax TODAY!!!

Here is a copy of what I sent, for your reference. (Feel free to use any/all of the language. I wanted to write something from a personal, rather than form-letter, perspective.)

Thanks in advance!
renee

To: Sec102ComponentPartsTesting@cpsc.gov
Subject: Section 102 Mandatory Third- Party Testing of Component Parts

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Sirs and Madams,

I am one of MANY WAHMs (work at home mom) who will essentially be put OUT OF BUSINESS, and thus OUT OF INCOME FOR MY FAMILY unless this legislation is amended to make the testing/compliance standards accessible for micro-businesses.

In many cases, these children’s products are either one-of-a-kind, or in such a small LOT, that individual testing of each FINISHED PRODUCT would be either cost prohibitive or utterly impossible.

If manufacturers are allowed to present third-party certification of compliance of COMPONENTS, it will be much more feasible for these small businesses, that make up the fabric of our culture, to continue to thrive AND insure they are producing SAFE PRODUCTS!

This legislation is intended for the SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN. But parents who suddenly LOSE ALL INCOME because they cannot adhere to the requirements of the law are putting their families (not ONLY the children) in EXTREME PERIL! Please act swiftly and ALLOW COMPONENT (as opposed to strictly finished product) TESTING!

Regards,
renee holiday

You got it. We have modified the body/blanket design of the Twilli Pie Podegi, based on feedback from our first round of testing. Now we need a few more families to test the new poegis.

Thanks to the wonderful mamas for providing excellent feedback! You’re the best.

We even re-did (I call it “remix”… a throwback to my old dj days.) this podegi, for a local babywearing mama and her son. She was the first mama to alert me about the blanket width issue. Her darling son is the same age as Twilli, but he has LONG LEGS! We want to keep baby and parent/caregiver comfortable for the long haul. And we wanted to avoid creating different sizes
(ex. Toddler pod, baby pod, etc.) to sort out.

We carefully drafted the body/blanket pattern so it can “grow” with your baby. One of the other testers said she could comfortably hold her 3 year old AND her 5 year old in the new Twilli Pie 2.0!

So head on over to the Twilli Pie Design website and check out the new designs that are available for this limited (hopefully final) round of testing.

Remember, the testers get a $10 discount, PLUS a $20 refund after the questionnaire and photos are submitted.

This is a great chance to try a brand new, one-of-a-kind baby carrier, at an awesome price.

If you would like to become a Twilli Pie Podegi tester, please leave a comment so I can send you more info and determine if you would fit the bill to be a tester.

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!

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.

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!

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…

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.