June 2006

I know how much fun I would have shopping for fabric to make my own sling, so it is tempting. Alas, I have my fair share of slings, and my fair share of unfinished craft projects.

Check out Jan’s site where she leads you through making all these items. Especially great for larger women whose waists might be oppressed by the Boppy.

A link on the MamaToto Project claims that you can make an effective wrap in 5 minutes with $5 worth of fabric. Hmmm.

And this award-winning pattern comes from a web site with a picture of a mom who looks absolutely nothing like my stereotype of a sling-wearing mama. So shame on me for being judgemental.

Or, leave the crafting to the professionals and buy a cute sling at goo-ga.com or Planet Zebes.

I saw this gorgeous baby blanket at TwoTinas.com as featured on Daily Candy (and lots of other places), and I thought, “I can do that!”

I wanted to try to make one for my sister-in-law’s new baby and, with my mother-in-law coming to town, I figured between the two of us, we’d have the needed skills.

You see, my MIL is a master-quilt-maker, and I own a sewing machine (but am afraid of it and I don’t like to measure). She talked me through the needed materials, helped me source them, cut out the pieces (thank you!), and got me started with a few practice stitches. Sadly, she left me with several pieces of my project pinned to each other but still unattached. The kicker is that you need to know the baby’s name (or initial) in order to begin the sewing.

Dalia is pictured (above) chilling in Central Park on my handmade creation. She looks pretty happy and, from here, you can’t really see the imperfections in the blanket.

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Go on, it’s semi-social, you can bring your baby or toddler, and you can Get Things Done.

Many times, Whitney and I meet with the boys to do some Target shopping and wonder if it counts as an outing… I say “yes”.

Yesterday, I met my (child-free) pal, Olivia, and we wandered the aisles at Whole Foods toting the little man in his cart and handing him banana chips at his every sign for “more”. We chatted amiably and I went home with ice cream. Ice cream really puts the kibosh on further socializing, so plan carefully.

Thingamababy offers 10 excellent tips for how to get out of the house and shop all day with a toddler. He includes a great suggestion on what to keep on hand and what to leave in the car. If you’ve tried to take your toddler anywhere and run into frustration, you’ll appreciate the advice.