April 2016 - Page 7 of 7

As a new parent, I had no babywearing experience or knowledge of types of carriers before Avery was born. Without researching, we picked up an original Baby Bjorn carrier and felt that’s all we needed.

Several weeks and two very tired shoulders later, Going Mom and I felt there had to be something better. Turns out, there is!! A simple Google search will inundate you with baby carrying brands and choices like slings, wraps, soft-structured carriers, etc. I was confused!

I can’t believe how naïve I was about babywearing at first, and now I’m a huge advocate! Without getting into too much detail, babywearing provides a sense of comfort and attachment with your baby and is superior in every developmental aspect over other carrying options like carseats. Read all about the Benefits of Babywearing vs. Carseat Carrying on Onya’s Blog.

Enter Onya Baby; a family-owned business created by a loving, active mother. I scrutinized numerous blogs and websites to find the best baby carrier, and finally found an extensive comparison on The Portable Baby. The Onya immediately stuck out to me.

I’m an active guy and want to do active things with my daughter. With the Onya, I can be active while keeping Avery secure and the both of us comfortable. The material is a water and fade resistant nylon with a separate layer of mesh to allow airflow and keep us both cool in the Texas heat. Good, because I sweat a lot!

The force of sweat is strong with this one - Darth Vader — The force of sweat is strong with this one – Darth Vader

The colors offered are gender neutral and even stylish for mom or dad. I’d even wear it as a giant fanny pack…..if I wore fanny packs and it was the 80’s. Even the hidden strap buckle is a nice feature.

Now that Spring is here, I want to show Avery all the world has to offer in nature, and not be stuck in the house. After all, I’m not just a stay-at-home dad, I am a Going Dad!

I wrote Diana at Onya Baby, worried that my blog was too small, to see if she would be willing to send the Outback for me to review. Not only did she write me back, but we spoke on the phone and I could tell from her voice how kind and caring she is! Diana graciously agreed to send us an Outback carrier to review and even included a Baby Booster since Avery is just under 15 pounds.

I couldn’t shut up about how excited I was to receive the Onya Outback, and I know Kelley was tired of hearing it after about the 10^th time every day! Check out Onya’s blog for great info on babywearing and research on why it’s so much better for parents and babies.

Once it arrived, I eagerly took Avery on our first walk and immediately noticed how much better it felt than the Bjorn. No achy shoulders for me and no dangerously dangling leg position for Avery; win-win! Avery was asleep just minutes into the walk, so I’ll speak for her and say she’s pretty happy as well.

A feature that sets the Onya Baby carrier apart from all the rest is the integrated chair harness you can use anywhere there’s a chair. This feature was Diana’s main motivation in creating the Onya as it helped simplify her life by not having to haul around another baby item when on the go with her baby.

Avery is not able to sit up on her own yet, but I know this will be a useful feature when we are out and about later on. No booster seat or high chair? No problem; we’ll have our Onya! Here’s a helpful video Onya provided to show how to properly use their seat harness.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0TssKVGbd0?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

We’ve had the Onya for over a month now and have logged almost an hour of walking a day. If not walking, I wear Avery while shopping for groceries.

At first, the straps seemed a little cumbersome to use and can still be tricky, but that’s most carriers. For the security it provides, I don’t mind one bit. I do get a little annoyed with the excess length of the straps blowing in the wind as we walk, but that’s my fault since there are bands to use to roll them up.

Although the air-mesh lining makes things a lot cooler than they would be otherwise, I still sweat as you see in the picture a few paragraphs up. But, this is going to happen with any carrier when it’s hot, and I’d rather it be in the Onya. A great tip is to use freezer packs in their handy storage pocket so you and baby keep cool in the heat.

Other than walking in the neighborhood and store trips, I’ve successfully used our new Fiskars Reel Mower to mow the lawn and went on our first trail hike with the Onya. Both experiences resulted in Avery falling asleep, so it has to be a pretty comfy carrier!

The built in hood is something I didn’t think I’d use very often, but now I use it all of the time. It’s great for when Avery needs to take an emergency nap or to block her head from the sun, rain, or even high winds. Yeah, look at my hair in this picture; I wish I had a built in hood!

I like knowing the Onya is made to support kids up to 45 pounds which is higher than most! It is a little bulkier than other carriers, but that’s because it doubles as a child seat and has useful storage compartments! I know we’ll have the Onya Baby Outback for quite a while, and can’t wait to use it in the back carry position once Avery is older.

Overall, I wish I would’ve researched baby carriers more from the start. I’m sure I would’ve found the Onya as our first choice then. Besides offering a high quality carrier and portable child seat that’s capable of taking around town and on the trail, Onya offers love and care for their product by a family-owned business. This is what sets companies apart from others, and is what I look for when researching new products.

Make sure to visit Onya Baby on Facebook and Twitter and show them your love by liking and following! Send them some love and support for being such an outstanding company!

See other posts feature our Onya Adventures here:

I want to send a big “Thank You” to Onya Baby for providing all items mentioned in this post! Although these were free to me, all opinions are my own.

Fermented foods offer a host of benefits including blood sugar stabilization, aiding in digestion, and high in several B vitamins. But, go to any store to pick up a jar of kimchi, and you’ll see most store-bought fermented foods are not cheap!

A few weeks ago I developed a strange craving for kimchi even though I’ve never tried it, so I figured I’d buy a jar next time I went shopping. After recovering from sticker shock, I bit my lip and made the purchase for a small 8 oz. jar just to see what it’s all about. I loved it!

Crap, now what? I can’t afford to buy these small jars for close to $8 when I go through the stuff in two days! My stay-at-home dad income is not monetary, and I would never trade Avery’s smiles (my form of currency) for jars of kimchi, so I took to the internet for recipes.

I found an easy kimchi recipe (you’ll see it below) and went to work.

It wasn’t the “easiest” thing to make, but really not difficult either.

As soon as 4 days had passed, I couldn’t resist the bubbly goodness and had to try. It was great! Very pungent, as Going Mom let me know every time I opened the jar, but great nonetheless. Now I’m hooked and am currently eating fermented baby carrots and garlic cloves.

I currently have three jars in the fermentation process with different foods organically grown by one of G-Ma’s neighbors. Cucumbers in one jar, green beans and jalapenos in another, and giant okra too. All have garlic cloves and I’m anxious to try! Update: The giant okra was a giant fail! Unlike pickled or fresh okra I’m used to, these were basically like chewing cardboard. Whomp-whomp.

Pinterest contains numerous recipes for all sorts of fermented foods just waiting to be made. Many recipes call for a “starter” like whey (the liquid you see on the top of yogurt) or a vegetable starter.

These can be purchased online or at most stores, but I’ve only used a salt brine so far and don’t have a problem yet. If you can, just use water and a good quality sea salt for your first try just to get a feel for things. Or, if you have yogurt, pour out the liquid whey that builds up and use it.

1. Figured the best way to start this list is with a……. list! Just a few benefits to motivate you to try making your own fermented goodness!

2. Here’s an easy one to get started….pickles!!

3. Sauerkraut is another simple homemade solution to spending wayyyyyy too much at the store. Tastes better too! Our daughter begs me to give her some of my homemade sauerkraut for dinner every night. #ProudDad

4. Basic essentials to get started making your own ferments. This is good to read if you are a little skeptical or worried about trying for the first time.

5. I’ve never heard of pickled avocados until now, but I’ll be trying soon!!

6. Beets; I can’t get enough of them, and fermented beets sound incredible!

7. If you haven’t heard of or tried kombucha yet, I highly suggest trying at least once. Just beware of some store-bought versions having more sugar than necessary to feed those gut-healthy guys in the drink. I like Synergy’s brand, but making my own is always preferred.

8. This wouldn’t be a good parenting blog if I didn’t include a way to involved the kids. Like mentioned, Avery enjoys trying almost everything I ferment. My wife, on the other hand, not so much. :/

9. Kimchi!!! The recipe that started it all for me! Hey, I rhymed!

10. Salsa is a staple food in our home, and I use it on my salad as dressing every day. I’m pretty pumped to try this one soon.

I hope this list of fermented food recipes and info has inspired you to give it a try in your kitchen. Like most things, once you actually take the time to try something new, you’ll be surprised at how much you can do.

Do you enjoy fermented foods?

Have you tried making your own before?