Snuggy Baby Ring Sling

in the Ergo, on our way to
the Watermelon Festival!

When my son was born two years ago, I didn't really consider myself a "baby-wearer."  I mean, I had a Moby Wrap that he was in almost every day, and we had another carrier we used when he was a little older, but we also used our stroller a lot of times.  But after being a mom for a few years, I feel like I can say, "yes, I babywear" and it's true.  I don't think you have to sell your stroller and only wear your baby to be a "baby-wearer".  I don't think you need to wear your baby every single day to babywear.  I think that if you use a carrier and enjoy wearing your baby, you can consider yourself to be a baby-wearing mama.  I will say that wearing my son has made a lot of things a lot easier!!  When he was a newborn, wearing him in our Moby was one of the easiest ways to make him happy.  And when we go to festivals or the zoo, it's often easier to wear him than take a stroller (and sometimes, its easier with the stroller, so we have somewhere to put our things, or if it's 100 degrees outside!).  Just thought I'd explain my thoughts on babywearing a little before I began :)

Myles in his Moby, at around 3 weeks old

My babywearing journey began with a Moby (which I was kind of in love with).  I also had an Infantino carrier than was similar to an Ergo, which was OK, but not my favorite.  And that was it.  But once my son outgrew the Moby, I found the other carrier to be kind of a pain to get him in and out of for quick trips into the store and things.  So, I got a sling....not a ring sling, but one that I had to measure myself and order the correct size.  I loved it.  It was so easy and quick to use!!  I had seen many of my friends with their newborns in beautiful ring slings, but didn't really understand how they worked.... the rings, adjusting them, etc.  So I never tried them.
I found Snuggy Baby on etsy and was drawn in by the beautiful prints they had for their wraps and slings.  And then I found out that it was a WAHM business, and I liked them even more.  Snuggy Baby was started by a mom with two young children.  She loved the look of ring slings, but couldn't find a place to buy them.  So, she decided to make her own.  It took a while to develop a fashionable, comfortable sling, but, in my opinion, she's done exactly that!!

Although I was excited when Snuggy Baby sent me one of their ring slings, I wasn't sure how I was going to like it--would it really be more convenient than the sling I already had?  How do you adjust it?  Isn't it a pain having to adjust the sling every time I put my son in it?  And then I got it.  First of all, it's beautiful.  They sent me their Rainbow Chevron print (I had a really hard time deciding....soooo many beautiful prints!!) and it's absolutely gorgeous!!  The colors are so vibrant and fun!

seriously....gorgeous and fun!!

They also sent along an instructional video.  Thank. Goodness.  This was exactly what I needed.  It explained everything I had been confused about!  It showed exactly how to wear your baby at different stages (newborn, hip-carry, etc.) and how to make it fit!  And guess what.... it works!!   And it's really easy!  You can actually adjust the sling while your child is in it--make them higher or lower, and move them in closer or further away.  I had no idea it was so easy (so, make sure you check out their videos, which are also online, if you have questions on how to use a ring sling!  The videos are really clear and informative).

So, on to how it works.  This sling is really great.  The fabric is quite thick and sturdy; I had no worries about it sagging or anything with my 27 lb. toddler.  And he loves it.  He's really comfortable in it.  In fact, when I first got it, he kept asking for me to take him for a "ride" in it, all over the house.
The quality of this sling is absolutely amazing.  The stitching is perfect, the fabric is lovely (and really, the prints Snuggy Baby has are amazing!!  Be sure to check them out online), the rings are so strong....everything about this sling screams quality.
The rings themselves are nice and solid.  They don't have any seams/welds, so I don't have to worry that they might bend or break.

shoulder padding; nice, strong rings

I also really like that the shoulder of this sling is padded slightly.  It makes it more comfortable for me when wearing my son around for long periods of time.
The length of the fabric is also great--long enough that it will fit many sizes of women, but not too long that it gets in the way.  I also feel like this would be great for breastfeeding, either with the baby in the sling or out of it--you could use the sling tail as a cover for while you're out and about.  It's multi-functional!

at the baseball game!  I think the
rings should be a little higher,
but Myles was comfy!

Overall, I really really love this ring sling and can't wait to use it when our new baby gets here in a few weeks!  I've found that slings are the easiest thing to use when pregnant, and we used our Snuggy Baby sling just last week when we went to a baseball game (and I was 34 weeks pregnant).  It doesn't get in the way of my belly, and unlike the Ergo, I don't need to make anything clip around it.  Now, I'm still trying to get the hang of adjusting everything--sometimes I don't get the fabric quite right through the rings and have a hard time getting everything in the right place.  But I know with more practice (and a lighter baby, not a heavy toddler) it'll get easier and easier.  And now that I've tried ring slings, I'd really like another :)  Snuggy Baby just has so many beautiful colors and fabrics (I know their linen sling would be great for the summer!).

Snuggy Baby also makes some other carriers y'all should check out!  They have some beautiful, knit wraps that are similar to something like the Moby, but not as stretchy, so you can use it longer without it sagging from the weight of a heavier child.  They also make Mei Teis.  The other thing that I really love, is they make child's doll slings!!  They're absolutely adorable, and how fun for a little one to get to have their own sling to wear their dolls or stuffed animals in!!  I'm thinking about getting one for my son and all his stuffed animals!
The other thing they make is wet bags.  Now, I didn't get a chance to try one out, but based on the quality of this ring sling, I'm going to assume that the wet bags are great.  The prints they have are just so cute!  And they have sooo many to choose from--various sizes, prints, etc.  Next time we're on the market for a new wet bag, I'm definitely going to check here first!

And lucky for all of you, Snuggy Baby has offered a giveaway of a $75 e-gift-certificate to one of our readers!  So you'll get to choose what product you want to try--wrap, ring sling, doll carrier, etc.  Be sure to enter below!!
Snuggy Baby has also offered a 10% off coupon code for their website, until Sept. 23rd:  use code ADDICTION at checkout.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spray Pal at the SuperBowl??

 Spray Pal to the SuperBowl?

How cool would it be to see something so small as in "Small Business" small at one of the biggest sporting events of the year? I am talking about Spray Pal-remember the review I did? It is one of those Mom and Dad made things that make you think "Why didn't I think of that?" or "Why haven't I had this since the beginning?" Pure genius. 

Intuit is offering a small business the opportunity of a lifetime-a 30 second commercial to be aired during the SuperBowl. They are also offering weekly grants as well. This would not only help out Mr. Spray Pal and his wife Jen but help to make Cloth Diapering more mainstream! Could you imagine the reactions of so many people! It would be amazing.

Spray Pal is currently in the TOP TEN! They would love to get to #1 but even being in the top ten has been amazing for them. If you would like to help support them and make it to TV during the SuperBowl, you can VOTE HERE. All you have to do is click the yellow button. You can vote once daily for them! 

Do you have a Spray Pal? Share your story in the comments! 

If you feel like you need one(which you should) head over to their FACEBOOK page or their WEBSITE to order one!

Thank you for the support to help make Cloth diapering mainstream!!

MommyMilk Creations Breast Milk Pendants

Today marks the last day of World Breastfeeding Week and I have a really unique breastfeeding product to share with you! I was given the opportunity to review a Breast Milk Bead Pendant from MommyMilk Creations. Allicia is the mama who makes these, and her trademarked Breast Milk Beads are made from your actual breast milk and then are embedded within a pendant so that you have a way to commemorate your breastfeeding relationship. I will admit that when I first heard about Breast Milk Beads they sounded a little strange to me, but the longer I breastfed Ava the more I understood why a breastfeeding mama would want one. The breastfeeding relationship is such a unique one, and it is a huge part of my life. I am so happy to have a little piece of that immortalized in a necklace to remind me of the time I have spent nursing my baby.

The necklace arrived in this cute packaging, and I was so excited to open it and see how my custom necklace turned out! When you order a MommyMilk necklace there are a lot of options you can choose. You can pick out the style of bead you want, the setting you would like it in, the chain it comes on, and the word or name that you would like on it.

For my necklace I chose to have my breast milk turned into the cute little baby hand beads. I picked out the hand-stamped copper bezel to have the beads set in, and asked for Ava's name to be on it. The ordering process for the necklace was really easy: once you place your Etsy order, you receive instructions from MommyMilk with how to send your breastmilk. You only need to send a very small amount, so even a mama who doesn't usually pump can easily hand express the amount. One thing to remember when ordering a Breast Milk Bead necklace is that MommyMilk has a very long turn around time for these at the moment. She has so many orders that turn around is between 10 and 20 weeks right now. For me this was worth waiting for, but if you have a special occasion you want to order one for, make sure you calculate enough lead time.

I am in love with this necklace! It is such a special way to have my breastfeeding relationship remembered. The beads are really well made and the whole necklace looks really fabulous. I am sure that I will be ordering another necklace someday while nursing my second child!