How to turn an Ergobaby Carrier into a TARDIS

It's been over a year since I posted a blog and something fantastic has happened since then; I gave birth to a baby girl! Arielle Eve was born at home on May 1 after an intense labor. Like many babies, she wants to be held and we have started over with Adventures in Babywearing. A new carrier I've tried this time is a linen ring sling, ours made by Willow Tree Slings. Jenn was kind enough to make me a "plain" one and I embellished it with this Van Gogh inspired Doctor Who fabric pocket. 

Apparently, this was not enough to satisfy my need to mix babywearing and Doctor Who. When I learned that Ergobaby carriers are fairly easy to dye, I had to try it out with our Galaxy Gray Ergo. Even the name, galaxy gray, sounds like it is describing the lonely, ageless space traveler and I thought it would be perfect to turn into a TARDIS. 

First, I gathered all the dyeing supplies I would need: Plastic bin to tub dye in, Super Washing Soda to help fix the color, a nylon ladle to mix and distribute the dye, three packets of Dylon brand dye in Jean Blue, non-iodized sea salt to add to the dye mix, kitchen gloves, a large measuring cup and a recently washed Ergo. I also got a seam ripper and took off the tags from the hood and pocket of the carrier. Next I soaked the Ergo in a mixture of 1 gallon warm water and 1 1/3 cups Super Washing Soda for 30 minutes (not pictured). I then drained off the mixture, wrung out the Ergo and let it sit over night so I could dye it the next morning while my daughter was napping. Then I dyed the Ergo with the 3 packets of Dylon dye, 12 tablespoons salt and 12 cups of lukewarm water. Mix the salt into the water then add the dye packets. Stir thoroughly until the dye is fully incorporated and not "crunchy" at all. Add the soda soaked damp Ergo to the dye and swish it around in the tub for 45 minutes. Don't let it sit in one spot for more than a couple minutes or the dye job might be uneven. I also threw in a couple onesies so they would match the Ergo. Then rinse with cold water for forever. Ok, not quite that long but until the water is totally clear which is going to take a while. Give it a wash in hot water and liquid detergent and air dry. Now your Ergo is Tardis blue! The stars don't dye because they are polyester and the color reactive dye only works on the natural fiber of the cotton on the rest of the Ergo. 

Now I wanted to add the appropriate wording to the Tardis colored hood. I ordered these patches from Pandora Productions on Etsy.  The Police Box patch is 7x1.25 inches and the Pull to Open patch is 2.53x2.04 inches. All I needed was to make the windows out of felt!

For this step, I would recommend using a rotary cutting tool and a self healing mat to cut your windows. Mine were supposed to be 3 inches long by 2 inches high but I eye balled this and cut them a little short. Use the grid on the mat to help mark off one inch squares with a disappearing ink fabric pen. 

I then used all six strands of embroidery floss to back stitch the outline for the windows.

I decided to use permanent, washable fabric glue to apply the patches so I didn't have to sew them through the hood. Placing the patches was difficult because the hood of the Ergo is not flat. The easiest way I found to do this was to buckle the carrier around a chair and poof it out like there was a baby in it. Then you get a sense of how the fabric falls when it's actually worn. The line in the "P" for Public was the center line of the Police Box patch and I used the seam in the hood as a center guide. After it was pinned, I glued it carefully with Fabric-Tac, paying close attention to the corners of the patches.   

I let the glue dry while it hung on the chair. 

I really love how it turned out. I plan to have a friend knit a blue hat with a white pom pom on top so that baby's head is the light at the top of the Tardis. Add a pair of navy Babylegs and it's an awesome Doctor Who babywearing Halloween costume. I can't wait to take this fun Ergo through time and space. Allons-y!

~Brittany  

Adventures in Babywearing

Much like my foray into Elimination Communication, baby wearing wasn't something I knew I was absolutely going to do before I became a parent. My mom had worn my younger brothers in slings so the concept was not foreign. But until you meet your baby and grow to know their personality, it's difficult to know what will and won't work.  After Asher was born, it became clear that he liked to be held and my arms ached from carrying my chunky boy. Babywearing was the answer. Here is a little about our journey to find a carrier that worked for us (and please excuse that most of the photos are bathroom self-portraits). 

One week old sleeping in a sling

My mom is an expert baby slinger and tried to show me while she was here after Asher's birth how to use one. Although I tried, I never really felt comfortable with the sling. The positioning never seemed right or the baby would sit too low. 

Two months old in a Bjorn

I picked up a conventional Baby Bjorn at a consignment shop. As Asher grew bigger, he wanted to see the world and enjoyed facing outward in a the carrier. The Bjorn doesn't provide a lot of support to baby's hips and made my back and shoulders ache as Asher approached the 15 pound weight limit. We searched for another option. 

6 months old in a stretchy wrap 

A few months later, my friend Kristin was kind enough to make Asher and I a vibrant red stretchy wrap. You can find instructions for a super easy no-sew wrap here. It took a little bit of practice to learn how to tie the wrap, but once we had it figured out, I really loved carrying Asher this way. The bright color of the wrap and the unusual carrying method garnered Asher and I a bit of attention when we went out and people stopped to ask about the wrap frequently. 

7 months old in a stretchy wrap

 We were in a store one time and an older woman stopped to talk to us about babywearing. She loved the wrap and insisted on taking a picture of Asher and I with my cell phone camera. "You'll want these pictures some day!" the lady insisted. They came out a little blurry, but she was right. 

10 months old at the zoo in the ErgoBaby

Alas, my baby grew and grew and soon was too heavy for the wrap. It was time for something new again and I opted for  soft structured ErgoBaby carrier. I kept an eye out for them to pop up on BabySteals.com and lucked out when they were the "Steal of the Day" a couple weeks later. 

Napping under the sleep hood on the ErgoBaby

The Ergo is far and away my favorite carrier (and they didn't even pay me to say that!). Though it does not have forward facing out as a carrying option, Asher loved being in the Ergo and often fell asleep riding around. It was the most comfortable carrier for me and could easily be adjusted to fit my husband. I even learned how to nurse while wearing Asher in the front. As Asher grew bigger, I carried him on my back. We even when through a phase where bouncing on an exercise ball with Asher in the Ergo was the most effective way of getting him to sleep at night. I became a pro at getting a sleeping baby off my back and laying in bed without waking him up.   

22 months on my back in the Ergo

Even now, at nearly two years old, I still wear my toddler to run errands. Keeping him close keeps him happy and we can quickly be in and out while I still have my hands free. If I were to do it again, I would probably use the stretchy wrap with a newborn and transition to the Ergo. Babywearing is definitely not one-size-fits-all and the kind of carrier that works best may evolve as your child grows. Life sure would be easier for a mama if she had a pouch like a kangaroo, but since we don't, babywearing has been the next best thing!

~Brittany