Baby carriers

So I've had a busy week with work and trying to get the nursery sorted. Well moving everything around in the flat so that I can turn my office into a nursery. Only 12 weeks left but I'm sure I'll get it done on time ! (my wife doesn't think so ! - But then this room currently has more crap in than when I started tidying !)

I did have time though to try on a mate's BabyBjorn carrier. Although he said they didn't use it too much. I think I'll be using it quite a lot, well just until I've grafted a handle on to the babies back for easy carrying ! 

Seriously though I could put the carrier on easily and do everything up with one hand and it felt comfy and secure

Not sure how easy wit will be with a wriggling baby in there, but I guess I'll find out !.

Looking at this brand which looks good they range from £50 to £120, although they all look very similar. 

Anyone know any differences ? 

Also are the other brands any good. 

I'll probably head to John Lewis and try them all out when I have some free time.

This weekend though I'm flying off to Sicily to go see my sister and my new niece who was born a few weeks ago. Time for some practice lifting and throwing the baby around. At least I can see how I manage with some easy tasks and that gives me a few months to work out if I need to adapt more.

Will let you know how it goes.

  

Booklets, Car seats and well it's Friday

I thought I'd just update my blog as it's Friday.
So this week I did get the booklet through that I said about before.
One handed parenting, from the DPPI
Actually a useful book, with ideas and tips and also lists lots of resources. Very handy so I can actually buy some of these things, not just read about how someone designed this cool thing I need, but then never find it !


Also had a look at the car seat that we bought off a friend. It's been in the flat for sometime so I tried it was an extra frame thing they had to see if I can easily take the seat in and out of the frame. Sometimes I prefer looking like a cripple more at home than in a big department stall.


* I might comment and call myself a cripple and I know I'm not, just slightly handicapped, and I don't mean to cause any offence by the term, but easy when using it off the cuff rather than saying "I don't want to look slightly handicapped in a store"
Also the term comes from my old Gym teacher who took me to one side and told me to "Stop Acting like a Cripple" which kinda stunned me when he said it, but soon realised what he meant. Don't use my disability to avoid doing things...  which in my life, I haven't (apart from Gym class !)
So good advice from Mr Dudley !


Anyway getting back to car seats... so I was trying the Maxi cosi car seat out and as I can only push one button in one side, then the other, I kinda lift it a little and rest it, then do the other side.
This worked fine with an empty car seat. Kinda worked with the funky doggie door stop as a test baby , but found my laptop was too heavy and so I had to balance the seat in such a way, I think it was a little dangerous.
So as long as we don't have a really heavy baby, then I should be okay !


Also I do plan on going and doing a bit more testing with the whole pram / pushchair / carry-cot thing we like. Any downside to the iCandy Peach ?


ohh also I realised that the comments were locked to users, so I've switched that off so anyone can comment now. Any ideas or advice you can share then please do.


Night all


Rob

Stop Acting like a Cripple (non baby topic)

If you read my last post then you'll understand the name of this post.

(This is slightly off the baby topic by the way)

It was a phrase that my old Gym teacher said to me years ago when I wasn't really trying the best as I could do  in the gym at school.

He meant don't use your disability as an excuse not to do something, but prove you can do it, even with your disability.

This idea is the way I've decided to live my life since I had my brain haemorrhage at the age of 8.

I think I was lucky I was young, more of a , shit happens, get on with it attitude. 

I learnt to drive an adapted car, I went to Uni and lived on my own (well with some awesome people) Got a job working in a call centre, then moved to IT, and have been working in IT ever since. Currently commuting in and out of London every day and even going on customer sites representing my company.

It does sadden me though reading about the changes to disability benefit that so many people are against it. Yeah I could have registered years ago and been getting disability allowance for years ! But I decided not to. I wanted to be known for me, given a job because of who I am, not because a I tick the "employ 1 cripple a month" policy.

I don't see myself as disabled !

I could have sat on my arse for the last 15 years, getting hand outs, hey maybe a free house, free car. But that's so boring to me. And frankly, I think it's wrong to claim when you have no need to do so.

If I was that lazy, I'd still be in a wheel chair, being a burden on people with only Jeremy Kyle and broken society for company.  I wouldn't have a great job, an awesome wife, such a wide range of great friends, and a baby on the way !

As Renton would say "I chose life.....The job, the family, the fucking big television. The washing machine, the car, the compact disc and electric tin opener, good health, low cholesterol, dental insurance, mortgage, starter home, leisure wear, luggage, three piece suite, DIY, game shows, junk food, children, walks in the park, nine to five, good at golf, washing the car, choice of sweaters, family Christmas, indexed pension, tax exemption, clearing gutters, getting by, looking ahead, the day you die."

*I know there are people that are disabled in such a way that they can't work. These people I fully support in obtaining benefit to help live their life to the full. And asking most of them they'll want to do the same.

  

Changing Mat

So the main problem I think I'm going to have is trying to hold the baby in place whilst changing the nappy.
Currently trying to choose between a changing mat which is moulded to hold the baby in place.
http://www.soft-gear.com/my-deluxe-changing-mat.php
(Although not sure if I can get it in the UK)

Or a mat which has straps on that you strap the baby into.
http://www.kiddymania.co.uk/rabbits-safety-harness-changing-mat-rabbitts.html

Anyone had experience with either ?

Resources

So I was looking on line for some sort of community for people in my situation. Haven't found one yet although please tell me if you know of one !

What I did find though was a useful charity called the Disability, Pregnancy & Parenthood international @ http://www.dppi.org.uk/
I've ordered a booklet that should be helpful, I avoided the one about taking your prosthetic legs off to give birth, that ones not really for me. But they do seem to have a lot of information that other people might find useful.

I'll update you when I get the booklet !

Hello

Hi,
So this is my Blog.
Basically I had a Brain Haemorrhage when I was 8 and left me with not much use with my left arm, and no real dexterity in my left hand.
So okay, the name of the blog is a lie, I do have two hands, just one of them is nearly useless.
But that hasn't stopped me, I drive, work in IT in London and just live life normally.

Now though things are going to change.
My Wife is pregnant and I'm over the moon.
However it has meant I'm thinking a lot of how I'm going to manage to look after a baby, picking it up, changing the nappy, moving it to a car seat etc.
Yes my wife's very supportive, but I want to be able to do these things on my own and not be reliant on her for everything.


The baby is due in June, and so we've been out looking at all the things a baby needs, pushchairs, car seats etc, and it's amazing how many things you need to push down two buttons either side to release the seat ! But I'll blog about these in a separate post. 

As there is not much material on the web for dads in my situation, I thought I'd blog my journey into fatherhood, partly for myself, and partly for any other dads out there that find themselves in  similar situation.