Playtime: Play & Co.

We ended February with a trip to a new local indoor play place! Play & Co. is in the beautiful Hidenwood neighborhood beside the Christopher Newport University campus in Newport News. Maxine and Minerva had a blast!

When we walked in, we were greeted by the co-owner, Matt, and he immediately made us feel welcome! He explained the pricing ($10 for an all day pass, $8 for the second kid if I’m remembering correctly) and he mentioned the coffee bar for $3…I couldn’t turn down helping myself to coffee for the entire time I was there! He also told me that there is free WiFi (YESSSSSS). Matt asked Maxine what her favorite toys were and he even showed her around! Awesome right?!

Play and co. had different areas for different toys. I was pleasantly surprised with how organized things are. All the bungalows are very pleasing to the eye and they clearly show what the different areas are. Maxine and Minerva enjoyed the toy dessert shop the most!

We can’t wait to go back to Play & Co! They have a full calendar on their website for the different theme days that they have. They also have it all written on the chalkboard in the cafe area as well. Bring your laptop, grab some coffee, and let the kids have fun playing at Play & Co!!

Check out Play & Co. on Facebook and Instagram!

Review: Ah-Dee-Eh-Dee Cloth Diaper

Woah hey! This is my first cloth diaper review. As much as I’ve talked about cloth diapers over on Instagram, I recently realized that I’ve never written a cloth diaper review!

Over the summer, Ah Dee Eh Dee sent me a really cute all-in-one (AIO) diaper to try out with Minerva. I got it prepped right away and this diaper is now a staple in our diaper arsenal. The diaper has stay-dry Alova Suedecloth and the layers are 40% hemp, 30% bamboo, and 30% organic cotton. The diaper fits kids approximately 15-48 pounds. I did let Maxine wear it a couple times to see if it fit her (38ish lbs) and it does fit her!

We tried out the diaper for daytime use first. The diaper had no leaks and held in the destruction that Min decided to do to the diaper (hahaha!) I was shocked that it didn’t come out the diaper because it was a ton of crap. Color me impressed!!

The next time that we used the diaper, it was overnight. Minerva nursed the entire night it seemed and she peed a ton so there was a little leakage and her jammies were damp. The next time we used it overnight, I added a bamboo insert under the layers in the diaper and she did the nurse all night thing again (ugh) and woke up with no leaks! Her jammies weren’t damp at all.

   This diaper has rises on the front to fit many different sized kids. It even was forgiving with Min’s constant pulling the front of her diaper down. She does that with everything!  I look forward to adding more Ah Dee Eh Dee to my collection.

Check out Ah Dee Eh Dee on Facebook and Instagram!

Review: Ethos Babywearing Toile Bleu

Have you heard of Ethos Babywearing ? They’ve been around for a couple of years and have some innovative blends for their wraps! They also have a pretty cool convertible soft structured carrier. Today, I’m going to tell you about my time with this beauty–Toile Bleu.

When I first grabbed this budget BreatheBlend wrap out of the bag, I was shocked by how thin but dense it felt! It is a whopping 325 GSM. Toile Bleu needed some work and I was up to the challenge! Maxine (~40 lbs) and Minerva (~20lbs) both had plenty of time up in this beauty.  This wrap breathes so well and I really enjoyed it on our humid days especially. It was very grippy which helped me keep my seat popping queen (Minerva) in place once I tied off a carry.

This wrap was in my base size, so I got to try all my favorite base carries! I double hammocked almost every day that this wrap visited. Toile Bleu is ideal for me with double hammock because though it was super grippy, the passes moved easily for me and stuck in place once I moved onto the next step. I also enjoyed this with front wrap cross carry with the passes spread. I rarely do FWCC with spread passes, but this wrap made it a need for me! This wrap had some amazing shoulder pleats as well. It was flat and comfortable on my shoulders.

I recommend this wrap to more experienced wearers and also to those with heavy kiddos! Also, if you love grip you will LOVE Ethos Toile Bleu! This budget wrap is $145 for a size 9 which is great compared to size 9’s elsewhere.

Be sure to check out Ethos on Facebook and Instagram. Also, check out their Facebook group, Wear Ethos! 

Extra special THANK YOU to Ethos for your generous donation of this wrap to the Babywearing International of Hampton Roads lending library! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Review: Soul Onbuhimo

 

Soul is a wonderful company based in Bangalore, India that has taken the world by storm! They offer so many various carrier styles. From slings to buckles–they’ve got it all! They even have some pretty sweet accessories to match their carriers. I first came across them on Instagram a couple years ago and since then I’ve been watching them explode! Recently I was sent a Maze Blues Jacquard Onbuhimo to try out.

Since Minerva is my main wearee, I tested this out mostly with her. I did wear this some with Maxine (40 lbs) and she fit in it well! Minerva is about 20 lbs and 28 inches tall.  She was juuuust big enough to fit well in the carrier. With onbuhimos, all the weight is carried in your shoulders, so one of the most important aspects of the carrier for me  is the padding. Soul hit it out the park with this padding. I have tried a few other brands of buckle onbuhimo and this one had the squishiest padding. It reminded me of memory foam. The padding is thicker than in their buckle carriers which is a good thing.

The Soul onbuhimo has perfect fit adjusters (PFAs ) which help get  the carrier to fit better. With Max, I preferred them all the way out. With Min, I liked them all the way in. The chest clip can be moved up and down to get to a comfortable spot as well. Everything on this is easy to adjust . The Soul onbuhimo fit great in my diaper bag and since there is so little fabric, it is pretty ideal for warmer weather as well. I got to wear it in 90 degree Virginia heat–it was not that bad!

Onbuhimos are recommended for wearees who have sufficient torso control to support their heads and sit up independently. I found that the carrier fit me pretty well. I am plus sized, so that is pretty important for me. It fit me with Maxine  with plenty of webbing to spare and made me very happy!

Be sure to check Soul out on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and  also Join their groups Soul Family/Soul Family US Edition on Facebook!