Baby Daze

Well, creativity is temporarily on hold while I wait for the new baby to make his entrance (3 more weeks!!!). Actually, not totally on hold, but my creativity is focused on baby things and not paper crafting lately. I hope to have a project finished soon to share. :o)

But for now, I wanted to share something I am excited about...a nursing cover. I know, it's a sad day when you get excited about things like that, but alas...it has arrived. I ordered this NursEase nursing cover from WalMart and will be picking it up shortly:



Back in 2006 (when Javan was born) I made a nursing cover of my own creation...the cape. Here's how it looks:
(Sorry that my model wasn't wearing makeup...she's fired)

Folds compactly for travel...

Cute zig zag stitch on a soft blue plaid fabric...

I made my cape because I couldn't find anything that would cover what all I wanted to cover while nursing. I don't like letting my back fat hang out while I am feeding the baby, so I wanted something to cover all sides of me. Anyway, that is what I created.

I am pretty excited to try the new NursEase cover (the one I ordered from WalMart). It still covers the back, but isn't quite so huge. If it works well for me, I may end up making my own pattern from it and sewing another...maybe. I love paisley and am pretty excited about the paisley fabric. Normally I would have just made one myself from the beginning, but when I was trying to measure and figure out how to make one, I thought it wasn't worth the trouble when I could buy one for $17 (okay, or I could have spent $27 on Amazon - now I love Amazon, and generally they have GREAT prices... but this just shows that you need to shop around). Caleb makes fun of me sometimes because I try to make things on my own when I can buy them cheap (things like tortillas or lasagna noodles)...so anyway, I think I made progress.

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My currently in-progress baby creation is a baby carrier. This I am making for myself...for cost purposes and just to get exactly what I want. Here's a few of the carriers I have seen and liked, and hopefully soon I will be able to show what I have successfully made (hopefully!)...

The ever popular Moby wrap:

Basically, this is just fifteen or so feet of fabric that you can wrap in various ways to hold your baby. I have read that it is extremely comfortable and easy on the back, but who wants to deal with 15+ feet of fabric?

The Baby K'Tan:

This has the features of a wrap, but with two sling-type rings of fabric that can be arranged and worn with a sash for various carrying methods. I think this is a great design, but wanted mine to be a tad different...and also didn't want to spend almost $60.

The My Baby Nest:

They call it the "wrapless wrap". Like the baby K'Tan, it has the capability for holding the baby/child the same as a Moby-type wrap, but with less material and no wrapping. The design is very similar...it has two rings of fabric (these are interlocked, like a chain) and then they have a belt with a ring closure for extra support (where the Baby K'Tan has a "sash"). This one is a bit above $60...again, I didn't want to spend that.

As you can see from the pictures, they all pretty much look the same once they are on, but are just different in how they are made. I loved the features of the Moby wrap, but didn't want to deal with all that fabric. I like the other carriers (Baby K'Tan and My Baby Nest), but didn't want to pay the price, and wanted a tad different design. So, what I am currently making is two rings of fabric (not attached) and a sash for extra support. I want the sash wider than is shown on the other carriers because I think it will be good not only for more support, but also just to keep the baby covered and warm. And, I was inspired by the Baby K'Tan to make a matching hat, so hopefully I will get that done as well.