Peekaru To-Do (And Pee-Pee Too!)

Check out this article on MomLogic.com (which I usually rather enjoy), about the Peekaru (at right is the photo used with the article), and especially the comments.

You'll note that every comment is either "I own one and I love it!" or "Oh my God, it looks funny! Ew!" - Mostly the latter.

Interestly, most of the "have it and love it" folks mentioned that they put their kid's head all the way through the hole, not just peeking out, and most wear them facing in, or on their back - as in the photos below, which I guess does look a little less "Alien-esque."

So, why did the editors of the article pick the (admittedly) freakier-looking photo, and not one of these?

The better to make fun of it?

But, primarily: What the hell is wrong with people?

Here's the comment that I posted:

I wear my baby alot, especially if we’re out and about shopping and such.

She was born (4 weeks early and weighing under 5 pounds) in late October, and we live in a cold climate, so I’m always concerned that she’s warm enough going to and from the car, but not too hot in the store.

It’s not practical to wear a coat in the wrap, or to take one on/off of her once she’s situated in it, so I need something to go over her, or both of us.

I stumbled on a “sweater wrap” that worked well enough, because I could wrap the long sides over her and still wear my own coat over it (but not over her). But, it’s not all that warm unless I held a blanket over her as well, so I rarely do more than just run to and from the car like that.

I think I would be much more likely to take her out for a walk or other, more extended outings, if I had something warmer like this.

(In fact, as I type - in early April - my partner is walking our dogs in snow flurries. If I owned a Peekaru, the baby and I would probably be out there with them, enjoying what is, otherwise, a beautiful day.)

It seems like the only criticism any of the commenters have about the Peekaru is its appearance; I don’t see one negative comment about its usefulness or practicality.

I really don’t understand that. It’s not supposed to be high fashion; it’s baby gear.

Maybe it’s just me, but if my kid and I are both warm and happy and the hell out of the house for once, I don’t care who thinks we look funny.

Also, I think the sleevelessness is a plus. Baby might need more coverage than mom, so she can be comfy without sleeves or, if she needs to, she can put her coat on as well.

On the other hand, what do I know? I went to the grocery store today with baby-pee all over my pants.

Sidebar:
We're having some diaper leakage, suddenly. DoulaK suggested it might be detergent build-up, so I've tried "stripping" them (washed repeatedly in hot water, without soap) and thought that had fixed it, but we had two leaks today.

Since it just started, maybe it's a fit issue, and we need to adjust how we're snapping them?

The leaks seem to usually be out the top, rather than the legs.

Today, I noticed that the lining was very wet at the top, so I'm wondering if we are always getting the stuffer in there good, all the way down to the front.

If she were a boy, I would think maybe it was a "tucking" issue, but how the hell does a girl pee out the top of her diaper?

So, you can probably imagine how I came to be at the grocery store in peedy-pants.

We were at Dr. T's this morning, and Peeper was lying in my lap, nursing, when suddenly, something felt very wet and warm. . . .

"Oh dear."

Another Sidebar:
Dr. T made me feel somewhat better about it with the obligatory "You think that's bad?!" story about her son (who is about 18 months old) taking off his diaper during naptime and "fingerpainting."

I'm afraid everybody has one of those stories, don't they?

Anway, after the appointment, we grabbed some lunch, and then went to the grocery.

I'm hoping that the really cute baby strapped to my chest diverted peoples' attention enough that they didn't notice the big ol' wet spot on the front of my leg the whole time.

At least, when it happened, I was holding her in such a way that it didnt' look like it was MY pee!
(I hope.)

Of course, I'm guessing that the woman who looked at Peeper in her pink/white striped outfit and pink hat and asked "How old is HE?" probably wasn't observant enough to have noticed if I'd just squatted and peed right there in middle of the frozen food aisle.

(I hope.)