pikkolo™ Coming Soon!

I received my sample pikkolo™ soft structured carrier from Catbird Baby the other day and finally had a chance to test drive it on a hike yesterday. Here's my review:

Overall... what a great carrier! I was really skeptical that the unpadded waistbelt would be comfortable but in fact I think I might prefer it to a padded waistbelt now. The downside of a padded waistbelt (and maybe this is just me) is that it pushes the top of my pants down. I didn't have this issue at all with the unpadded waistbelt, and I really liked how un-bulky it is. And it didn't dig in to my middle at all, even though it seems like it should.

Another thing I LOVE is the memory foam shoulder straps - what a dream! The straps are designed to cross in the back when used for a front carrier but when using as a back carrier it comes with a removeable chest beltto cinch the straps together in front. The chest belt is a bit awkward and doesn't attach to the shoulder straps so would be easily lost, but I believe this is a feature that will be improved in future releases.

I personally don't find the pikkolo™ as pretty as the Beco, but the patterns are neutral and muted enough to appeal to those who don't want a solid color carrier but don't want something that clashes with their outfit or won't be worn by Dad. The pikkolo™ fabric is much stiffer and canvas-like, although I have read that with washing it softens up nicely and it's probably a more durable carrier fabric overall.

Another very cool feature of the pikkolo™ (which I don't get to test as my youngest is 2.5 years old) is a cinching mechanism on the carrier body to make it narrower. This allows for carrying very young babies without an separate insert. It also allows for a comfortable forward facing front carry, which is very handy and not do-able with any other soft structured carrier I don't think (but I wouldn't recommend it once your baby is over 20 pounds as it will throw off your center of gravity and kill your back).

So, I will be carrying the pikkolo™ in addition to the Beco and should be getting my first shipment in mid-April. Please feel free to contact me to get added to an interest list.

Beco Butterfly Voluntary Recall

If you haven't already heard, Beco has voluntarily recalled their Beco Butterfly model carriers produced and sold in January and February 2008. If you bought a Beco Butterfly during this period please read up on the issue and how to resolve it.

Custom Orders at Continuum Family

I'm getting more and more requests lately for custom orders for baby clothing, which is exciting. I love hearing about what people want that they can't find out there and seeing if I can help bring it to them. Here are some recent examples:

1) When Cathy in Australia wanted some split crotch pants for her baby daughter, she mentioned she was looking for something in a wind-resistant fabric. I happened to have some Solarweave on hand that I use to make pouch slings as well as summer baby blankets. Solarweave is a 100% nylon fabric that is wind and water resistant as well as having a minimum 30 SPF. I knew it would be too lightweight on its own to use for the pants, but I suggested to Cathy that we could line it with either a cotton interlock or polar fleece - she opted for polar fleece.



So, here's a picture of the finished pants with the cuff rolled up to show the coordinating fleece lining. I thought they turned out quite nicely, even though Solarweave is not easy to sew with as it has absolutely NO give to it. It was tricky to get it to fit well over the polar fleece.

However, Cathy was very pleased with the pants and sent me this photo and message:

Hi Deirdre,

Just a really quick email to tell you how much we love the pants!! Just tried them today during our unseasonably cold weather (meant to bet he hottest month!) and they fit well, soft and comfy, look great (much more discrete than I expected too), work well for pottying, and misses easily sopped up from the material. Although we don't yet have the cold winter wind I'm so happy to have some pants that are a bit wind resistant. We do lots of walking with her in the wrap, little legs hanging out. And then she is all for exploring - starting to crawl and walk - and the water resistance might make them a bit easier to clean, and definitely to dry them afterwards (I'm envisioning lots of muddy pants this year).

Thanks so much for making them,
Cathy

2) Another custom request we had was from Gloria in Bethlehem, PA who wrote me saying: "I loved the weight of the fleece in the split-crotch pants ... would it be possible to do custom fleece jogging style pants as well?"

I adjusted my pattern a bit and designed what I hoped would be a trim baby jogging pant that fits nicely over training pants or undies. Gloria was pleased with the final result and sent me this message:

Hi, Deirdre.

Thanks so much for the terrific fleece pants. Got them today - and so far, we LOVE THEM. I'd say the pants are an absolutely perfect fit. There's more room through the legs than in a more-fitted straight-leg or legging style pant (love that). The ankles are perfect. The waist is perfect. The rise is perfect. I'd say there might be enough room for a trim-fitting fitted diaper underneath. Not certain. Certainly enough room for diaper belt + prefold. They are by no means too baggy. I love them. They fit like sweat pants are supposed to fit. Perfect! Thank you!

Gloria

I will have these slim-fit fleece pants available on my site in the near future, as either a jogger with elasticized leg as these are or a straight leg pant.

3) Leslie in Honolulu, Hawaii wanted to order a bunch of potty cozys for her attachment parenting mother's club, but wasn't crazy about polar fleece. She wrote "I know this probably doesn't exist, but I would love to have a cozy that isn't made from plastic!" I told her I could make them for her from hemp/cotton fleece, which wouldn't have the water repellent qualities of polar fleece, but is a very durable and naturally antibacterial fabric. She was thrilled with the idea and promptly ordered a bunch of hemp fleece cozys and prefold diaper belts. I thought it was a great idea for a product, so have now added the hemp cozys to my site, for both the potty bowl and the regular potty.

I've also had some requests for custom items from the gorgeously soft merino wool interlock I'm using for trainer covers, which I'll be working on when I get my next order of wool in later in March. Keep those custom requests coming!

New Beco Butterfly Prints for Feb 08

Wow! Interest in the Beco Butterfly has been amazing! My initial order was obviously too small, as it is now 90% sold as of this writing and I've only had them in stock for 5 days! I've just put in another order for more, which I'm hoping will arrive in early March.

Beco is introducing 5 more prints this month. I've only ordered 4 of them because, well, I think the 5th one is kind of ugly and I don't want to sell something that I wouldn't wear or use myself.

Here's a preview of the new prints:

1) Ava - on black straps:



2) Ethan - on espresso straps:



3) Sophia (pink version of the now-sold-out Addison) - on espresso straps:



4) Joshua - on black straps:



Also still available is the ever-popular Carnival print, and I will be getting a few more of those.

I'll be offering these for pre-sale once I get notice that they've shipped from Beco, so check back with us often or contact me to get put on my interest list.

Beco Butterfly vs. 4th Generation Carrier

Tasha writes:

"Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me what the difference between the Beco 4th Generation and the Beco Butterfly Carrier is?"

Good question! And one that many people have been asking me...

Now, keep in mind that I haven't actually seen or tried the Butterfly yet, as I'm still waiting for my first shipment to arrive. Once I get them in I'll be able to write more of a review.

In the meantime, here's what I've been able to glean from the information out there as to how the Butterfly is different from the 4th Generation:

Shoulder Straps:

• The Butterfly features ergonomically curved shoulder straps that are adjustable at both the top of the carrier and at the sides of the body. This is supposedly to enable easy nursing access. The 4th Gen straps only adjust at the sides. Both carriers feature dual adjusting buckles though, a huge plus over other carrier brands.
• Another feature of the Butterfly shoulder strap is that the base of the strap is not attached directly to the body of the carrier (as with the 4th Gen) but to an inside panel (see next point) that attaches to the waist belt. The other end of the shoulder strap attaches to the body of the carrier.

Body:

• The most innovative and unique feature of the Butterfly is that it has an inside panel of fabric which keeps baby securely inside the carrier even when the waist belt is open. The baby can be put in the carrier first and then the carrier put on the wearer (although you can still put the carrier on first and then the baby if you prefer this order, but it seems like this would be a bit more awkward). The panel of fabric is in a "Y" shape so your breasts are apparently not covered up. This would make nursing possible but probably not as easy as with the 4th Gen.
• Another feature of the Butterfly is a built-in infant insert. With the 4th Gen carrier you had to purchase a separate infant insert. With the Butterfly, it's built in but it lays flat against the back of the carrier if it's not used. The insert is narrower than the actual carrier base so small infants can comfortably spread their legs while retaining the recommended position of knees higher than their bottom.

Other Features:

• The Butterfly also has an attached chest strap that's not independent from the shoulder straps as on the 4th Gen (a minor annoyance!). Instead, it's connected to the shoulder straps and slides along their length.
• Although both the 4th Gen and the Butterfly have sleeping hoods, the 4th Gen carrier has a storage pocket for it on the body of the carrier. The Butterfly has a storage sleeve at the back of the waist belt.
• The Butterfly comes with an instructional DVD included in the price.

In summary, I would say that you should probably choose the Butterfly if:

• you are new to babywearing in general
  
• a bit nervous about putting your baby on your back by yourself
• want to be able to do back carries with a very young baby
• like the idea of being able to pass the baby from one wearer to another or to switch easily from front to back carry
• you prefer the prints the Butterfly is offered in
  

and you should probably choose a 4th Gen carrier if:

• you have an older baby and thereby no need for the infant insert
• you are a fairly experienced babywearer who is used to simply hoisting your baby onto your back and strapping a carrier on and would find the inside panel bothersome
• you like being able to easily nurse your baby while in the carrier
  
• you prefer the prints the 4th Gen is offered in
  

New Hemp Pull Up Pocket Pants

One of my customers recently asked me about getting some non-waterproof Pull Up Pocket Pants. She really liked the design, but she wasn't fond of PUL and prefers to use a wool cover for those times when she wants more protection. So, I asked Bongo Baby to do a custom order and here's what she sent:



Aren't these gorgeous? They're made of hemp terry on the outside and either hemp terry or bamboo velour on the inside. She dyed them with solar dyes to make them a little more interesting. In addition to the purple she also sent some done in an indigo tie dye:



I got a few extra pairs for my store, 'cause I think these are a great option for a stuffable but non-waterproof trainer.

Beco Butterfly is (almost) here!!

I've just been notified by Beco that my shipment of Beco Butterflys is officially on its way! Yay!! I've only got two or three in each fabric coming though so if you see one you like, don't delay! They're available for pre-order as of today!

I've also put the Pony Express and Avocado Feathers 4th Generation prints on sale on a whim so if you fancy one of those, better grab it!