Bakit ngayon ka lang dumating sa buhay ko? The Artipoppe edition

-

As my son started outgrowing his Ergobaby Omni 360 carrier, I started reviewing my options for toddler carriers. Yes, I am still babywearing. I'm very thankful to my doctor and the physical therapy team, who helped strengthen my hips and knees months after delivering my baby. They have helped make babywearing as long as I'm doing it possible.

(I was in pain when I entered my third trimester, probably caused by changes in my centre of gravity, the added weight, and changed gait. I'm still waddling these days when I'm exhausted.)

For toddler carriers, I zeroed in on three brands: Baby Tula, Lenny Lamb, and Artipoppe. Baby Tula's ikat prints and Lenny Lamb's rainbow lotus are both eyecatchers; they always get my attention when I check online! But at the end of months of researching, I decided to buy Artipoppe's Zeitgeist with argus pattern in oat.

I must say that the price of the Zeitgeist carrier kept me from buying it before my son was born. It's too high! However, once I tried it on, I realised that I should have bought this before I gave birth. It was very comfortable, thanks to the wide cushioned shoulder straps. My child's weight was also well-distributed because the carrier transferred some of the weight from my front to my back and to my pelvis. 


Afternoon at the pumpkin patch


Bracing for the hike from the beach to the parking lot on top of a cliff


The Artipoppe carrier is fast becoming an accessory that I can't leave behind when my son and I are out of the house. I use it when we're at the mall and it's difficult to maneuver the aisles with a stroller and a shopping cart. I wear it when his sleep throws a curveball and he needs to be carried to sleep (normally, we read a book while seated in a rocking chair and he falls asleep on my lap). I used it once to carry my son as I ran into a restroom (at a fast-food restaurant), with a desperate need to pee (after a long drive); I can't leave him inside the car, alone, while I ran for the restroom. Sometimes, particularly if we're going uphill on a long walk or hike, I'd wear the Artipoppe as a backpack and carry him on my back, similar to how I've seen moms do it in Benin (they use wraps, however).

And so as I mull over how useful the Artipoppe is, I can't help but remember Ogie Alcasid's song, Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang Dumating? If price weren't an issue, I probably would buy another piece. My eyes kept landing on the denim and the yin-yang pieces when I was choosing. However, because my son is becoming increasingly mobile, I doubt that I'd be able to maximise the use of a second toddler carrier.

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for dropping by!

Before moving on, please share your thoughts or comments about the post. :)

Thanks again!

Popular posts from this blog

Skyflakes

-
One of the more famous Philippine exports is Skyflakes , a wheat-based, salty cracker. It is one of my emergency food items: I typically have some stocked at home and in my handbag in case I become hungry (like in traffic jams). When there's no electricity and it's impractical to cook rice (because the leftover would spoil), I'd open a pack of Skyflakes and generously coat each cracker with Cheez Whiz... if I had a bottle of it within reach. Anyway, each time I spent more than two weeks outside the Philippines, I'd be elated to see boxes of Skyflakes inside Asian stores (particularly when in I was Australia and in the USA). Back then, I took it as a sign of homesickness. When I moved to California, I didn't miss Skyflakes because Mommy made sure that there's a steady supply in the house. Skyflakes is embedded in Filipino gastronomy as a snack, a panawid-gutom , that anyone who reacts positively upon seeing Skyflakes outside the Philippines must have spe
Read more

10 things I learned while driving on Marcos Highway to Baguio City

-
I went on a day trip to the City of Pines, which was around a 700-km drive from my house. I drove  going up there and then from the city to Victoria, Tarlac. After that, my dad took over the driving duties. It was day trip with Tita Ising and Tito Sibing with us. Anyway, this trip was my first time to go to Baguio City with me behind the wheel. As everyone who drives up knows, there are three main routes to Baguio from the lowlands: Kennon Road, which ascends from Rosario, La Union. It was out of my options because it's too dangerous to use that road in the rainy season. The second route is via Naguilian Road, which makes my trip a lot longer because the beginning of the ascent is in Bauang, La Union (further north). The last route, and the one I took, was the Marcos Highway, now known as the Aspiras-Palispis Highway. This 47-km road starts from Agoo, La Union and is touted as the safest route among the three.  As I drove up and then down (on the same day; we were in Bagu
Read more

Surat Mangyan

-
Image
In high school, part of the Filipino curriculum was learning about one of the country's ancient native scripts called Baybayin . I learned back then that this script was eventually abandoned because the Spanish, and eventually the Americans, encouraged the use of the Latin script for written communications. But that's in the lowlands; the rules were different up in the mountains. In the lush mountains of Mindoro, groups of indigenous people called Mangyans  live largely in isolation away from the Christianised Filipinos. This isolation has led to the continuous development of the Mangyans' old script, Surat Mangyan . As I walked inside the Ayala Museum , I saw this bamboo tube (I'm not sure if it's an instrument) with Mangyan script written all over it. I suppose that this was equivalent to a book or a song. But I haven't figured out what's written yet, despite the translation guide provided. What I can do, however, is write my name in Ma
Read more