Ergo vs. Beco Gemini Review

First off, let me say that I like both baby carriers, althought I do prefer one over the other/ I will write about my opinion from using both of these during different needs. I have the ERgo blue Petunia Pickle Bottom special fabric and the Beco Gemini Carnival color which is brown with a festive print in the middle of different colors.

I use them for: hip carry, backpack, nursing, and walking (lifting loads of things and being active).

Right now, after experience for the past three weeks with both, I prefer the Ergo.

Mainly, when I started my search for a baby carrier, it was because I saw research that 1. my Baby Bjorn held baby in wrong hip position and 2. that the forward facing carry is not that great for babies (due to over simulation that they can’t turn away from, often causing trauma to baby mentally.

MY Baby Bjorn was top of the line of the brand and I did use it a lot. I love how the side slip on every easy and both me and my husband can get it on and off very quickly. The problem with my situation was that baby boy was big and weigh a lot. So he grew too fast for my sling and was heavy. The ring sling hurt me, even though the straps where wide and I wore it properly. I had a wrap and it was too hard to wrap all the layers on him because he moves a lot. (At diaper time it almost takes two people to get the diapers on lol).

So I made a mei tai and we love it but the nature of a mei tai is long straps and so we just can’t do it all the time, especially if he will be going in and out and being so active. So I limit the mei tai for when I need my hands at home. (I’ll sew a podeagi soon and will test that as well).

 

 

So here is my review and why I choose the Ergo over the Gemini as my favorite.

Beco Gemini

I mostly used this carrier for the side carry so far. I tried it otherwise but its kind of annoying. Maybe this will change but I like that the Gemini’s straps can be crossed and it makes an easier way to do the hip carry. Only complaint is that it becomes cumbersome trying to get the other strap closed once the baby is already on my hip.

When I had the Playtex hip carry, I liked the fact that it was only one strap that was already buckled, you only had to adjust the size of the strap once the baby was on. I think that if I could, I’ll pre-close the straps on the Gemini and then open them wide to put baby in. Then I’ll pull them and adjust. Doing this after the baby is in is too hard for me because my lil man is a mover. If he is sitting too long without being secure in, he starts to move and try to stand in the carriers.

Buckles are hard to open

MY other complaint is that the openings on all the buckles are child proof and so when you need to get out of the Gemini, its hard as hell to do so….no matter what carry you do, especially if you choose to cross the straps. When the straps are regular backpack style, I find it easy to just adjust the length of the straps instead and then take baby out, rather than opening each strap and then taking baby out. I just really hate the buckles on the Gemini.

Not for small or petite people

Lastly, I did get it because the head piece can be worn up or down and because you can cross the straps and because you can forward face baby or use with a smaller baby because the front snaps can be adjusted smaller for smaller baby (although remember that if you face baby out, only do it for a few minutes and then turn them around so that they do not get over simulation). So the Gemini in general has get features.

The issue with these features is that they are great “ideals” but general seems to not work for small or petite people.  When I back carry, I am always struggling to keep the straps more inside near me. They seem to slide outwards toward the end of my shoulders, even with the chest strap adjusted on the smallest setting. It does seem better fit when doing the cross strap but then its hard to get out of the thing when I need to.

Front Carry

Front carry with the baby facing me or facing out is easier than the back carry in this one because I do not open the straps. I put the Gemini on first and then adjust settings to farthest. Then put baby in. The only open and close is of the chest strap, which is now on my back. But I do have to make sure its moved to the top so that I can reach over and close it. I still run into the problem of the straps being to wide apart for me and have to adjust.

Do not like the hanging cords on top

Lastly, I love the design of the Gemini except the freaking hanging cords that keep the top piece up. My son grabs those and tries to eat them. (Which is dangerous if it tears in his mouth with the small piece at the bottom. It also gets in his way when he is back carried and seems annoying. 

So I would ask Beco to update it and take those cords off. It just seems such a great design to have these cheap looking cords hanging off the top. Just my opinion but I checked online and other moms didn’t like the cord either and a lot others said if you are petite, this carrier is not for you. Otherwise, if you are regular or tall, give it a go. Just beware of the extra protective buckles. My son does seem to be short enough for it when the top is snapped down so I don’t really keep the top up with the cords anyway. This way I can curl the cords under the top and keep them out of the way. When the top was up, the carrier looked ok. I think it looks better down. At least the Butterfly II looks great because there is no top part that is folded down, but the downside of the Butterfly is the inside part where baby is inside that extra piece. The good thing about that is that you can easily transfer a sleeping baby without waking him up because they are already in a safe “cocoon” lol.

Conclusion

 

Mostly I wear the Gemini for short trips or when I forgot to get the Ergo out of the car. I hate to say that. So we will see if I sell it or not. I have a toddler and she also likes being carried so I was planning on keeping both. Maybe my husband would be a better fit since he is bigger. So I recommend the Gemini for bigger people. If you are petite, you will run into some of the issues I had with it. It is extra comfy with the soft padding everywhere and is not as hot as the ERGO…I will admit that.

 

 

ERGO carrier

This is my favorite because of the hood and the ease of use. Period. I breastfeed and it is so easy to do so with the hood. The hood is extra tall and roomy so no one even knows that I am nursing. The other thing about the hood is that it really does keep the light out when my lil one sleeps. And he can breathe because the sides are open. Also when he wakes, he can see from the sides without being over stimulated. He can choose to close his eyes and rest on mommy or not. With the Gemini, I noticed that once he didn’t want to see the world he wanted to rest his head on me and he struggled to sleep because if he opened his eyes, it was still too much for a sleepy baby to take. He was a little more fussy in the Gemini if he is tired or wants to nurse. I will still try the Gemini for nursing, but only at home since there is no hood.

The straps

The straps are fully padded and extra thick. They feel great. You can’t cross the straps but there really is no need for it. I was hesitant about this at first because I wanted a more mei tai feel when they crossed. Which is why I got the Gemini. But the ERGO will fit petite moms better. I can get the Ergo super tight on us without it hurting or being too tight. It feels more secure and the baby is closer to my body. He seems to like this.

Design

They offer different ones. But I got a super cute one that has the same fabric on the straps and body (Petunia Pickle Bottom blue). I think its unique. I saw that the Gemini was offering one that had an all print pattern body but it said online it would be available in April but it still is not available. That was the print design that I did want too.

Wearing Baby

The Ergo is quick to put on and reminds me of the quickness of my Baby Bjorn sort of. I love that I can easily undo and snap the buckles in. There is no annoying extra click on the buckles that you need two hands to do as with the Gemini.

We love backpacking or front carry with this thing. I have not tried the side hip carry yet. I will have to see how it works with the straps and all.

I really like the general overall look and feel of this carrier. It does tend to get a little warm though. My only complaint.

Some people said the Ergo is too short for a tall baby. I find the Ergo is great for a bigger baby…my lil man is bigger than other babies at his age but not tall. So I can’t really say about tall babies, but I did put my toddler in it and she was fine.

Conclusion

I would defiantly recommend the Ergo, even if you think you want a cross strap. You really don’t need one. Maybe I’ll try the Butterfly II or other carriers that can cross straps easily without needing two hands to undo the buckle.

So the Ergo wins so far in my book.

Mei tai I made

My fabulous mei tai that I made for my “trucky bumpies”. He was starting to get too heavy for the white mesh Baby Bjorn, plus at 10 months, he is very heavy……

So after finding out that the Baby Bjorn sits the baby wrong on the crotch instead of the wide frog like correct position for proper hip development, I threw it out and got to sewing.

I have made two ring slings before an a wrap. But this was my first time sewing a mei tai.  I have a Ergo and Beco Gemini soft carrier and at first I was going to make a wrap conversion. However after two prototypes, one with wide straps and one with normal unpadded ones, I decided to make my mei tai sort of like a soft structured carrier. And its supper comfy and larger for him to grow in. The largeness also makes it great because he cant try to worm around and lend back when in backpack mode.

I had him on my back for two hours while he slept and I cleaned my kitchen, washed dishes and did the floors.

Details

The straps are extra long, maybe 70'” plus. Even though I am short, I wanted long straps because I like to do the Tibetan tie and Lexi twist. I had a Kozy carrier and it was too short for my little man and the straps only where able to wrap around me once. VEry hard to do a lexi twist. I bearly got it tied.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

The waist strap is padded as well as the arm straps. I also padded the head area for support and the entire piece was lined with stuffing around the edges. The important part was to make sure the head and legs are comfy. The extra pading makes for a better fit around the thighs so that the mei tai does not cut the skin. I plan on adding a pocket with a hood and a toy ring on the straps. I also will add elastic on the ends of the straps so that they are put away when not use. The only problem with longer straps is that it is annoying when not in use or trying to put on when you are not home wearing it.

So mostly I have worn this at home and only out when I know that my little will not be getting in and out a lot. For those types of situations I normally wear my Ergo.

Knot Genie Review

So we were at an awesome kid store shopping and I saw this weird looking comb-um brush……

Well we tried it and it works. IT works very well. On my hair and my daughters. I am so amazed at the Knot Genie because my daughter’s hair tangles so easily and my hair is totally curly to the point where it wants to knot up if I do not wash it in two days.

In addition to actually working, the make up design of the Knot Genie makes it easy for my daughter to comb/brush her own hair. Which before she would try and only manage to tangle it more or knot it in the brush trying to be a big girl.

The weird design allows it to fit easily in the palm of your hand and it seems ergonomically correct for our hand. I love it. I will probably buy one more because now they have a smaller size for kids. This brush is defiantly on my top mommie list of things to have. Go try it out and request it at your local kids boutique!

Save money starting a website…

Today, everyone is online. There are a vast number of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace, but there are also many blog sites as well Blogspot, Wordpress, etc.). So what are ways that you can save money getting online. Let’s review.

1. Purchase your own domain name. –While this does cost money, the price for a domain name is fairly cheap and will last for a year. Most people renew annually or sign up for 2 or more years (which does give you a cheaper price most of the time depending on where you buy it from.) I personally use GoDaddy for my domain services.

2. FREE HOSTING- The KEY point of having a domain name of your own (www.yourname.com) is that you will forward it to a free hosting site to save money. Nowadays, you can find places like www.wix.com or www.webs.com to host your site and contain all of your information and instead of giving out your generic site name from the free hosting sites, you forward everyone from your own domain name that leads them straight there. Plus it looks more professional this way. I would rather go to www.yourname.com than www.wix.com/yourname or any other generic site name that most free hosting plans give out.

If you blog, the same theory applies. Go find a free hosting plan such as Blogger.com or Wordpress.com, sign up for a blog and then forward your domain to the blog. Simple as pie.

3. Uploading files, videos and pictures- instead of finding a web hosting plan to upload your media files, use YOUTUBE for uploading your vids (FREE) as well as other places like FLICKR.com (FREE) for pictures. You can always get the html code or url address to your photos when you are creating your webpages on a free hosting plan.

Most free hosting plans do not give you upload power for tons of stuff, so to skip that part, upload your media files to places online that are free and link them back to your site. Another simple and free way to save money online.

4. Generating Traffic to your website- No website is really a website in my book unless it has visitors. Free ways of getting visitors is to join social networks and let people know you are online and have content that they want to know about. You do not need to be annoying to do this and most sites will not let you mass post for fear of spam, but you can promote and market yourself in simple ways such as:

• posting to twitter and facebook status feeds whenever you post an article or upload a new picture or video
• email friends and family letting them know about your new website
• join other social networks that are in the same topic or interest as your website and discuss your work
• keep fresh content flowing- which tells the search engines that your site is not just sitting there.

These 4 simple things can save you hundreds of dollars each year if you want to get online and get heard. For more professional tips for people on a budget, visit my website at http://www.trendyhippiemom.wordpress.com for more tips!

Balance work with life video- funny

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9brT4tU-sE&fs=1&hl=en_US]

8 months preggers and still going...

This pregnancy has been a very long and hard journey. In life, to achieve a goal, most often we have to endure pain, suffering and complications. Only then can we master self and spirit and overcome negative thoughts and feelings associated with our pain. The journey is almost complete. 2 more months to go. Whoo hooh!

Time Management Tips for Moms

Time Management Tips for Moms
Need A Few Extra Hours? Try These Time Management Tips!

By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com Guide
http://stress.about.com/od/stressmanagementtools/a/time_management.htm
Updated May 10, 2010

Time management is a big concern for mothers these days. Between kids’ activities, household responsibilities and, for many, the demands of a stressful workplace, many mothers have given up on the fight to find time for themselves and are just trying to get everything done. The following time management tips can be used by busy moms everywhere to take some of the stress out of life, and create more time for fun times with children, quality time with their partner, or even that coveted and nearly forgotten alone time.

Be Organized
It’s been said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and nowhere is this adage more applicable than when discussing time management tips for moms. Simply being organized can eliminate stress from forgotten appointments, double-booking, lost homework, and many other stress traps that busy moms face. What does it mean for a mom to ‘be organized,’ and to what extent is this even possible? If you focus on a few key areas of organization, a little work can go a long way. In a nutshell, being organized with your schedule, with your house and with your discipline strategy is one of the best time management tips I can give you. See this article for more on getting organized.

Delegate!
Yes, when they come to us, they are so sweet and helpless, we end up doing everything for them, and these habits are difficult to break. But then we have their children, and realize that it’s impossible for one person to do it all.

While it’s tempting to cover all household responsibilities yourself (to ensure that everything is done quickly and correctly), putting some effort into getting men and children to pitch in can really pay off in the long run. The trick is to break chores into simple tasks and reward people for doing them. See this article on learning how to delegate tasks for more.

Multitask, But Only When Appropriate
Multitasking was once praised as the time management tip to top all time management tips. (Imagine: Getting twice as much done in a day.) Then people started seeing that multitasked projects weren’t completed as accurately, and suddenly ‘staying focused on one thing’ became the new time management fad. I suggest a compromise: Pair mindless tasks with focus-dependent ones when it’s appropriate. For example, you can make business calls while taking your daily walk (don’t forget exercise as an important stress reliever), or quiz your kids on test questions while you clean the kitchen. But if you feel more harried than helped, it’s time to shelve the multitasking for a bit.

Learn When To Say No
Learning to say ‘no’ to people’s requests may be an obvious time management tip for moms, but that doesn’t make it an easy one. Mothers encounter many different worthy requests for their time and attention, that saying no will often disappoint someone. However, what we don’t always realize is that when we say ‘yes’ too much, people also get disappointed because we can’t do our best when we’re spread too thin. That’s why it’s important to look at your priorities and learn to say no to time demands that aren’t absolutely necessary.

Take Shortcuts
As a recovering perfectionist, I’m a big advocate of doing a good-enough job, especially if you’re a busy mom. If you can get pre-cut vegetables or canned sauce for dinner, do it. If you can afford one of those dishwashers that can handle un-rinsed dishes, even better. The time management tip to remember here is to find the shortest route to where you need to be (getting to the office, getting homework done, getting the house clean), and take it. (Here are some more ideas for household shortcuts).

Have a Routine
Routine are a time management tip that can save you mental energy and stress. I’m not talking about merely getting up and going to sleep at the same time, but even having things like the dinner menu, chore rotation and even sex with your partner on a rotation (you have your needs, too.) This may sound a little ‘too automated,’ but hear me out. When you don’t have to worry about reinventing the wheel each week (“What haven’t we eaten in a while?” “When was this floor last mopped?” “When is the last time we…?”), your mind is free to focus on the rest of your day, and the time it takes to plan these things each week is freed as well.

Be Flexible
While it’s important to have an idea of how you’d like your schedule to look, it’s important to keep things flexible enough to accommodate the unexpected things that moms encounter -- sick kids, spilled milk and the occasional meltdown. Having a rhythm for your day but a time cushion and some backup plans can take the stress out of the unexpected, and keep one schedule hiccup from throwing off your whole day (or week).

Take Care of Yourself, Too!
While taking care of parental, relationship, household and workplace responsibilities, it’s easy for mothers put taking care of themselves last on the list. However, not only is self-care a good idea of physical and emotional health, it’s a good time management tip for moms as well. When we’re tired or haven’t had enough healthy food to function at our best, we’re often less productive and organized, and this lack of clarity can translate into more time wasted throughout the day and less time available to get everything done that needs doing. So get quality sleep, eat a healthy diet, and follow other self care strategies for mothers, and you’ll be operating at your best -— and less stressed.