Friday 30 December 2016

Pitter Patter Raindrops...

Those of you who know me, know that I am a huge fan of slings! This time round, we started the day we brought Ace home from the hospital and I even overcame my impatience and learnt to wrap (albeit using a stretchy wrap)! One thing I always found annoying when I used to carry Honey in a sling, was the Great British weather. Warm days were easily tackled by wearing fewer clothes but cold and even worse, wet days were a pain in the proverbial!

This came to a head on one particularly foul weathered pre school run where I discovered that my waterproof coat was no longer waterproof! I was soaked, Ace was soaked and I immediately knew what had to be done. I was already the lucky owner of an Angel Wings hoody which I wore whilst pregnant and have been wearing pretty much constantly since Ace was born too but whilst it it warm and packed full of useful features, I needed something to keep myself and Ace warm AND dry.

I researched babywearing raincoats all day and put them in and out of my online basket more times than I could count but eventually, online reviews and photos suggested that the Mamalina soft shell jacket should meet my needs. I ordered from Slings and Things and received it in double quick time, complete with free chocolate (yessss)!

Since the coat arrived, it's been thoroughly tested by our inclement weather and has passed with flying colours. It came with a pregnancy insert, as well as a babywearing insert which can be worn zipped into the front or back of the coat and has a tiny hood for baby built into it! The coat is adjustable in lots of places so it can be used with babies and toddlers of all sizes and it can also be worn without the insert if you don't have anyone to carry.

A coat like this is definitely an investment and if it's not something you are willing or able to invest in, here are some other ways I've tried to stay dry while babywearing:

- Wearing a bigger raincoat. This is easy to do if your husband/partner wears a larger size than you and he's not using his coat or has a spare. If not, you might consider buying an inexpensive waterproof a couple of sizes too big, specifically for babywearing.

- Putting your child's raincoat/poncho over their head and wrapping it around the sling or carrier.

- Use a specially designed baby carrier waterproof cover like a Bundlebean or a Tomy Freestyle.

- Purchase an insert/expander panel for your current coat. Next did one for their cagoule  last season (you might find one on Ebay) and Zip Us In make inserts which are supposedly universal (but do check, as I couldn't make it fit my old waterproof coat).

- Carry a birdcage umbrella. Not particularly useful if you need to be hands free but an effective way to keep the rain of baby and you!

Mummy and Ace wear... Mamalila soft shell jacket 











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