Tag Archives: onya

It’s Here! The Onya Baby Outback Carrier!

03/18/2014 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

Christmas in Jul....March! — Christmas in Jul….March!

Baby wearing is a daily occurrence for Avery and me, and I don’t know how I’d be “Going” anywhere but crazy without it. Since Avery was 2 weeks old, I’ve only used the Baby Bjorn carrier to wear her everywhere. Long walks, store trips, and chores around the house have all been in the Baby Bjorn…..until now!

The very kind Diana from Onya Baby agreed to send us their Onya Baby Outback carrier to use and review on this blog! I first gave news that we’d be getting this carrier for active parents in this post. The Outback was provided to me free of charge, but all thoughts and opinions will be completely my own.

I can’t explain how excited I was when I first spoke with Diana and she agreed to send one. Now that we have the Outback, I’m anxious to go everywhere with Avery while wearing our new “ride”!

I wanted to capture the "Active Parents" part. — I wanted to capture the “Active Parents” part.

Here is a description and list of features on the Outback directly from Onya Baby:

Whether you’re out with your child wandering the urban jungle or hiking with them in the hills, the Onya Baby Outback offers a new approach to the soft-structured carrier. A durable, water-resistant, rip-stop nylon exterior and air-mesh lining makes it perfect for hot weather or hiking the trails. Parent and child will stay cooler with the air-mesh lining, which wicks away moisture leaving you both comfortable. It can be worn as a front-pack or backpack, and comes with an integrated seat that will fit almost any chair – for when you’ve decided to take a break for lunch and the restaurant doesn’t have a seat for your little one.

• Rip-stop nylon body and air mesh lining
• Patent-pending integrated chair harness with safety strap
• Tuck-away sleeping hood
• Low-profile shoulder straps
• Contoured low-profile, supportive waist belt
• Sternum strap for adjustable comfort
• Double-entry, side-zippered koala pouch and patch pocket
• Seat darts for child’s comfort
• Leg padding for baby
• Toy loop on each shoulder strap
• D-ring for attaching key clip (key clip not included)
• Safety-tested to 75 pounds
• Machine washable
• Instruction manual

Since she’s still pretty young, Avery has a bit of growing to do before it has a better fit. But until then, Diana generously provided a “Baby Booster” for smaller babies. I already tried Avery both with and without the booster and can tell it helps to have it in right now. Avery appreciates the extra boost too!

Although a review is the main thing I will write after using the Onya Outback for a while, I will be posting frequent updates along the way. Since part of our daily routine is going for long walks, I plan on providing daily or weekly time/miles spent in the Onya Outback along with any notes.

Also, be on the lookout for posts about exercise routines using the Onya and possibly doing different types of home maintenance inside and out. What I am really looking forward to is taking Avery on a nice trail hike. The Onya Outback is made for hot weather and hiking and I’ll be sure to make use of its features often!

Today, after putting Avery in the Outback for the first time, she was a little fussy, but eventually calmed down. She calmed down so much, she fell asleep for 40 minutes! When Kelley got home, we took it for a test run walk for about a mile and so far I’m impressed! The initial setup was a little difficult, but it’s easy to get used to quickly.

I’m saying goodbye to the annoying weight the Baby Bjorn put on my shoulders and hello to the comfort of the Onya! Make sure to check back frequently for current updates on where I’ve gone with Avery in the Onya and my thoughts.

I want to thank Diana and everyone at Onya Baby for being so gracious and giving me this opportunity to review their premium baby carrier!

Are you a fan of baby wearing?

What’s your favorite carrier and what do you look for in one?

Parenting

How To Tell Your Baby They Are Getting Shots

03/08/2014 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Me: Hi Avery! Can we have a little chat?

Avery: Hi Dad. I was trying to figure out this jumper thing, but I can make time for you. What’s up?

Me: Well, remember the conversation we had about a week ago?

Avery: Yes……….Are we going to G-ma’s again?

Me: We will again soon, but that’s not what I want to talk about today. I am referring to the part about the doctor’s visit.

Avery: Doctor’s visit? Hmm, doesn’t ring a bell.

Me: Oh, c’mon, I know you remember. I told you it will be coming up later this month, the 17^th to be exact. It will be your 4 month check up.

Avery: Crap! You got me, I remember. I was really hoping you forgot though.

Me: Nope, sorry. And, well, you see, this check up will also include giving you several….ummmm….shots.

Avery: What!? Why would you do that to me?

Me: Well, these shots will help protect you against things waaayyyy worse than just a tiny needle. So, just a quick little pinch from the shot isn’t so bad considering you could be in severe pain and agony for days from some of these infectious diseases.

Avery: Hmm, never thought of it like that. I’m sure I’ll still cry, I am a baby after all, but maybe not as long as I would’ve before.

Me: Very true, you are a baby and babies do cry, but I appreciate your understanding. Hey, and just think about the good things, we’re getting a new baby carrier soon!

Avery: Really? Yay! I’ve been getting really tired of my legs dangling in the Baby Bjorn while going on long walks. I mean, just look at me in that picture.

Me: Yep, we’re getting an Onya Outback provided by Onya themselves! Daddy is very excited and happy about this and can’t wait to take you on adventures while wearing you in it. Plus, you will be in a more natural, wide-legged position that will be more comfortable for you. Another benefit is that the weight won’t be all on my shoulders and your legs won’t be dangling in front of me which makes it really hard to pee straight. You know, it’s the little things.

Avery: Yeah, I do like to kick a lot. Sorry about that. The Onya Outback sounds like it will be much better for the both of us and I can’t wait until we have it too!

Me: It won’t be long dear, and I’ll even be able to buy teething pads made just for the carrier. No more eating the fabric on the Bjorn! We’ll be getting a really cool color scheme of burnt orange and grey which looks good on both mom and dad too. Another cool thing is that Onya supports cloth diapering, which we do with you. I could go on and on, but we’ll discuss this in more detail once we have it.

Avery: Okay dad, sounds good to me. Can I get back to my jumper now?

Me: Sure thing dear, jump away!

Disclaimer: This conversation really never occurred and would be kinda weird if our almost 4 month old could talk so well. But, it’s always fun to pretend, right? As for most of us with babies this age, you can’t really tell them they are getting shots, it just happens.

How are your kids about getting shots?

Did they ever feel a little ill afterward? Avery was just really tired after her 2 month shots, so we’ll see how these go.

Parenting

Our Visit to Mommy’s Work and What to do Without a Swaddle

03/07/2014 R.C. Liley 5 Comments

Avery is 16 weeks old today! Where did those other weeks go? I know I am impatient wanting her to grow so we can play and interact more, but geez, time flies! All of those experienced parents telling us how fast time goes with your baby weren’t kidding!

Today we made a trip to Kelley’s work, my old employer, just to see her and old co-workers. After her long morning nap and finishing a bottle, we were off to work….I mean Kelley’s work. That’s so fun to say; being a stay-at-home parent is world’s better in my opinion!

Mommy greeted us at the entrance and I wore Avery in the Baby Bjorn until we were inside. Kelley couldn’t wait to hold her baby and she immediately took her from me once we were in the main area. So, I was looking pretty cool with an empty Baby Bjorn dangling across my body. Not that I really cared, it was casual Friday!

Going Mom and Avery happy to be together!

Avery got to meet a lot of new people that mom works with and used to work with me too. They all took turns “ohhhing” and “aaahhhing” while passing her around. Avery did much better than I expected with all of the new people and she was hardly fussy at all. Go Avery!

We spent about an hour making our rounds and visiting friends/co-workers until it was time for us let mommy get back to work. It was an overall good trip and I was happy to be able to bring her to Kelley since I know how much she misses our darling little girl.

It felt weird wearing this, but a good weird.... — It felt weird wearing this, but a good weird….

Before leaving the campus (it’s a rather large area), I took Avery for a mile long walk around the dirt trails that surround the building. This loop is a walk Kelley and I would take together every day before having lunch, and it was nice to take Avery around.

She seemed pretty alert and interested in the new surroundings, but then fell asleep half-way through. I always hate waking her up to put her back in the car, but since I was in a Fire Lane, figured I shouldn’t press my luck any longer. Oops!

Taking my time before putting her the car seat.

Up to this point, Avery was oddly calm and she just felt like a ticking time bomb for when her major fussy time would blow! Once home, Avery ate a little and showed signs of tiredness setting in. At this time of day, I am usually laying her in her crib for an afternoon nap, but CRAP, her Woombie was wet in the wash and there is no way she can sleep alone without it. We’ll work on that, but not yet.

I put Avery in the carrier and went for another walk with our dog, Abby, since Abby usually gets a walk anyway. I usually have luck getting Avery to sleep while walking, but she squirmed forever while trying to what seemed like climb my chest to get out of the carrier. Finally, she fell asleep as I was half-way through again. I sense a pattern here…. I tried to extend the walk while she slept, but she ended up waking anyway. Is 20 minutes a good nap?

Short answer, no. That time bomb went off not long after coming inside. I offered her more bottle and she finished it fairly easily, but continued to wail and fling her arms about. Still without a swaddle, I just held her close and tried swaying with her. 30 minutes later and her eyes were heavy but still open and she was still crying. Ugh.

At this point I was just desperate to get her to have a little nap before night time, so I brought her to the recliner. With my arms wrapped around her and my hands holding her arms from moving to her mouth (a human swaddle!), I rocked the screaming beauty to sleep. And this is what Kelley came home to….

Kelley washed up and came back to get Avery for a feeding. The nap was successful and held Avery over until laying her down to sleep tonight. Phew, what a day! Poor girl was exhausted!

Aside from the tiring day, I do have great news! I spoke with a nice person from Onya which makes great baby carriers and they agreed to send one to us to review and write about! I can’t explain how happy I am and can’t wait to wear Avery all around with it. Stay tuned for constant updates on where we travel in the Onya Outback!

Have you ever had to make yourself a human swaddle to get your baby to sleep?
Do you or have you used a baby carrier? If so, what kind?