review: tula toddler carrier

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I’m looking for the perfect buckled carrier. I’m a wrapper at heart but sometimes you just can’t beat the convenience of buckles for quick ups and downs. They’re also extremely handy when travelling, as we found in Paris with our Rose & Rebellion. Unfortunately, Lucas has grown out of our R&R and it is no longer comfy to carry him in it, so I’m on the hunt for a replacement.

This week I’ve hired the Tula Toddler Carrier from Kerry at Chester Sling Library. A number of babywearers had recommended the Tula to me due to its comfort and pretty designs, but I was skeptical as I’m not usually a fan of padded-waist carriers.

My first impressions of the carrier as I opened the packet were that it seemed quite structured and stiff, which definitely put me off. I liked the fabric print (Ooga Booga) and as I tried it on (without baby – naptime!) I could tell it would be very easy to use.

When Lucas woke up, I tried a front carry first. I usually like to get to grips with a front carry when using a new carrier so I can figure out things like how the straps tighten before trying a back carry. I tried a back carry later on in the house whilst getting his tea ready.

Waistband: I was very surprised at how comfy the waistband was – although it is quite heavily padded, it didn’t feel cumbersome and seemed to mould very quickly to my waist. It supported the weight of my 23lb baby very well and didn’t press down on my hips like other carriers have, nor morph strangely in the middle under his weight!

Straps: I was impressed at how adjustable the straps are. They adjust slightly at the shoulders and more under the arms. However, because their position is fixed and they are not buckled straps, you cannot cross them over when front-carrying. At first, I thought this was a big negative, because I am fairly slim and have slopey shoulders, meaning the straps slid off quite easily in a front carry. However, after consulting the babywearing community, I think I can make it work by adjusting the chest strap and fiddling with it – I am going to try this tomorrow. On my back, I found it difficult to cinch the straps down enough to stop Lucas from being able to lean back slightly – however, it was less of a problem than with other carriers with standard-sized straps and he still felt very secure and tight to my back. I also think a bit of jumping about to get Lucas into a deeper seat might solve this problem.

Comfort: the carrier is extremely comfortable, certainly for me and I think Lucas found it so as well. It has padded leg cutouts for the baby, which prevents the material from rubbing their skin. Lucas felt absolutely weightless, whether on my front or back, and the padded shoulder straps were friction-free.

Ease of use: I can’t fault the Tula on this point. What could be easier than clipping one buckle around your waist?? I often struggle with getting the carrier over Lucas when he’s on my back, as he likes to try and sit up, presumably pretending I am a horse. It was no different with the Tula, but I found it easy to reach back and grab the top of the panel to shuffle him down a bit (even with my short arms).

Overall: I was very impressed with the Tula and it is on my shortlist of buckled carriers. It’s reasonably-priced for a toddler carrier, very comfortable and easy-to-use and has a wide range of panel fabrics to choose from.

review – the rose garden restaurant

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Last Sunday was Mothers’ Day here in the UK and my husband and son took me for a lovely lunch at the Rose Garden in Didsbury. I’ve been wanting to go for a while and it seemed like a good choice for a special meal.

Dining out with a 10-month-old isn’t always easy, and we don’t always want to be limited to family-friendly chain restaurants or pubs. When making the reservation, we always mention that we’ll have our young baby with us – the reaction is normally telling! I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the Rose Garden to see that they had already placed a high chair in place of one of the seats at our table. I thought this was quite thoughtful and meant we didn’t even have to ask for one.

We’d had a quick look at the menu online before we left and so we were excited about the range of interesting-sounding dishes on offer. We went for the set menu, which was £15.95 for two courses or £17.95 for three. We didn’t even look at the a la carte menu as the selection on the set menu was great.

I went for the cider cream mussels to start and my husband chose the wild rabbit risotto. We also asked for some bread and butter for Lucas, which was delicious and tasted freshly-baked. My mussels were divine – cooked perfectly but not overdone, and accompanied with a brioche bun that strangely had the consistency of a scone, but was very tasty. The wild rabbit risotto was the real standout – the portion size was ideal for a starter and the rice still had a bite to it, which is how we like it.

For mains, we chose sea bass and clams (the special) and lavender duck, cooked pink. Both were absolutely delicious – the duck was tender but crisp on the outside, and the seabass came with cod cheeks, which I love! The accompaniments were potato rosti and greens (sea bass) and roast sweet potato (duck). Although the dishes were rich, they were extremely complex in flavour and the portion sizes were again perfect.

We managed to squeeze in dessert – chocolate orange for me and ‘aren’t mums mint’ for my husband. Although tasty, it was clear that savoury dishes are the real strength of the Rose Garden – but it was a perfect end to the meal nonetheless. And as an added bonus, I was gifted some special chocolates, just for being a mum!

Food: 8/10

Service: 9/10

Ambience: 9/10

things my 10-month old taught me – the bad

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1. If I think “I probably shouldn’t be doing this,” then I’m probably right. Example: leaving baby sat on the sofa while I packed the changing bag – not my finest moment.

2. Wait until baby is dead-to-the-world asleep before even attempting the arms-to-cot transfer. Or I’ve bought myself at least another 10 minutes of rocking/shushing/feeding.

3. That activity I found on Pinterest and carefully planned, set up and got excited about? My baby will at best play with it for 5 minutes, at worst try to eat some component of it (paint for lunch, anyone?)

4. That special BLW meal I found on Pinterest and carefully planned, cooked and got excited about? My baby will at best play with it for 5 minutes, at worst throw it all on the floor and scream at me.

5. I’ve never before in my life known the true meaning of the words ‘tired’ and ‘sleep-deprived’.

6. I have never craved sleep like a drug.

7. I was an idiot to say while pregnant, “I don’t think I could be a stay at home mum, I’d get bored.” Bored is the last thing I feel!

birthday invite

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Lucas is not turning one just yet, but it’s coming quickly! He’ll be one at the end of April and we’re having a small family get-together to celebrate.

I saw a lovely invite on Pinterest, but unfortunately I couldn’t locate the actual image. I really liked the style and the circular image in the ‘O’, so I decided to make my own version.

I used Photoshop to create a postcard-sized canvas, and this free blackboard download as the background. The fonts are Sketch Block, Pacifico and Nevis. I chose a photo of Lucas with a good smiling face and cut it out using the elliptical tool.

I chose the red/white/blue for the ‘ONE’ as we’re huge francophiles in this house! I’m planning a loose French theme for the party, hopefully with a croquembouche and macaroons (good intentions…).

I liked doing this and I’m really happy with the result. I’d like to find more simple design projects.

what we did – january 22nd

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Lucas woke up late this morning, after a very unsettled night. He’s got a cold, a stomach ache, a tooth coming through – not to mention he’s learning to stand, walk and pull himself up. I think his brain must be very busy! He still managed lots of lovely smiles when I went in to dress him.

After breakfast, we walked over to the library. It’s been snowy the past couple of days, but last night must have been very cold as the remaining snow had frozen over. The sun is shining today, casting a beautiful light, even though it is still chilly.

Walking in the park, Lucas was very interested in the sound of his buggy wheels rolling over the ice. He kept looking up at me in amazement; that look really makes me stop and take stock of our surroundings, trying to see the world through his eyes.

He’s been a bit subdued the past few days. He’s dealing with this awful virus we’ve all had very admirably, but I can see him quickly running out of energy and he’s sleeping a lot more than normal during the day (sadly, not at night!). Just as we arrived home, I caught him in a sneeze with the camera. I hope we’re all feeling better very soon.

christmas

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My Christmas was all about this little guy: approximately 20lbs of unadulterated joy and excitement, he gave us the best Christmas ever. We spent ten days at my parents’ in the  North East with its salty air and bracing, freezing wind that feels as if it’s blown straight across the North Sea from the wilds of Norway.

I had a lot of time to think, read and knit – in between eating, drinking and playing with Lucas! It was a peaceful time, which was just what we needed. I hope some of that peace will stay with us through this cold, hard winter we’re having.

1. Surrounded by mounds of new toys, Lucas still prefers Sophie the Giraffe, who’s been with him since birth.

2. We had lots of lovely slinging walks, making sure to wrap up warm.

3. My stepmum is very particular about the Christmas tree and it always looks fantastic. Lucas loved running his hands through the pine needles.

4. I finally completed my Christmas Stockings…just over a year after I cast on.

what we did – august 2nd

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Another lovely day with Lucas, I’m already thinking of how much I’ll miss him when I go back to work. He woke up at 8.45am making ‘eh, eh’ sounds and gave me a huge grin when I leaned over his cot to say “Good morning!”

We went for a walk and marvelled at the dramatic look of the sky. We played on Lucas’s activity gym, and I watched him try really hard to roll from his back to his front (he didn’t quite manage it). I made madeleines while Lucas supervised from his bouncy chair (I used this recipe - turned out great as always with Annie’s Eats). After our busy day, he was tuckered out and fell asleep in his new (to him) blue pushchair, his favourite naptime spot.