Okay, it's only sort of Garbing, in that it is an attempt for us to remain in a 'period' appearance.
In the next little while, Lady Heather and I will be welcoming a new addition, our first born. Our RenFest season has effectively come to a close, as Heather is at the point in the pregnancy where travel is no longer an option. So, we are already getting ready for next year.
One of the things I want to do for next year is have a way to ferry around our new bundle of joy. We already have a sling which will work out well with our garb. However, carrying a small child around all day at the Faire may limit the duration of our visits due to fatigue, and we have to travel long distances to visit each Faire we attend, usually resulting in only one day at each Shire we visit per year. Plus there is all the paraphernalia which comes with the care of a child, and I have only so much room for pouches on my belt.
A solution is to have a carriage of sorts, but I don't want to push our stroller around a Faire. I want to build something that will appear at least like it would belong in the Shire. I was thinking of modifying a wagon to have wooden wheels and maybe a canopy for shade, or perhaps building a small rickshaw type contraption with a dragon (stuffed animal or some other idea) out front as the 'puller', but a handle on the back so I can be the actual propulsion.
Has anyone seen anything like this, or any other form of Faire appropriate baby transport? Photos maybe? Ideas on something that might be (relatively) easily modified or built within a six month (spare time) time frame would be greatly appreciated.
Congratulations!
I did see one of the strollers, last weekend, that had a plush horse's head at the front, but I was not able to get a photo of it.
Here are some wagons, called Pumpkin Wagons. You might be able to find plans to make something similar. I have seen these used at our faire.
http://www.miniwagons.com/catalog/Pumpkin+Wagons?osCsid=697d84e2643e8d3be6c7b9deb24984dc
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jubileel/2751089953/
This was a wagon I saw at Pennsic. It was big enough for the kids plus stuffs. I think it was handmade but I'm not sure. I've seen others like it at MDRF.
I've seen stroller modifications, where they attach wooden or cardboard sides to the stoller to turn it into a ship, or whatever. I would just stick to a regular stroller. These modifications look very hard to handle in crowds and on rocky terrain. If your shire is flat and level, that wooden wagon in the picture above looks wonderful, but I guarentee you will get very tired pulling it towards the end of a hot day.
As a mother of three, I would recommend one of those sporty strollers, with the big wheels, they will be able to grip the pathways, therefor making your day so much easier. Obviously not period, but at least you will be able to relax and enjoy yourself :) If you are really concerned about appearance, maybe you could drape some cloth over it, to resemble a little tent that the court would sleep in on a progress?
At Scarborough, they rent Dragon Wagons, which are wooden wagons, probably 8 inches deep, or so, and when my best friend's son was tiny (2007 season) they would have been great (we brought a wagon from home to use instead). They have canopies made of just a piece of canvas attached to wooden dowels, which then fit into slots in each corner of the wagon.
I have to agree with the sport stroller... I understand your want for something that will look like it fits in, but how much fun will you really have if you end up with something that looks correct but is horrible to drag/pull around? We just put our 8 month old son in his stroller. It was bumpy on the gravel, but we pretty much stuck to the grass and was much easier. When it was nap time for my son, I ended up taking off one of my skirts (I had them layered in the beginning of the day) and draped it across so he had a nice dark area for resting. The waist area was where the little window on the visor was that way I could still see in to him... lol, we weren't planning on doing that, but it just so happened to work well. It was like a big brown hooped skirt on wheels. haha
There was a man at Scarborough Faire this past season that had done a wonderful job in creating a sort of "Cinderella" type of carriage for transporting his little princess about. It looked as though it were a custom job, but it was absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, I do not carry a camera at Faire so I do not have a picture of it, but I do believe if you go to http://www.pygmypony.net/Scarby08MemPt3/pages/100_1267_jpg.htm (http://www.pygmypony.net/Scarby08MemPt3/pages/100_1267_jpg.htm) you will see what I am talking about.
I'm with the "just go with the stroller" crowd. I'm not a parent, but I've been at Fair with lots of groups that include infants and little kids, and have had stroller/wagon duty... and, frankly, a stroller is *infinitely* more convenient than any wagon, any day. They're made for exactly the purpose you need--moving your little one and all his/her stuff around, on all kinds of terrain, easily. Plus, your child is in front of you, where you can keep an eye on him/her.
Seriously, like modern flush privies, a decent stroller is one of those inventions our Renaissance ancestors WISH they had access to!
And if you *are* handy and can build something nifty--I'd build it off the stroller model, versus the wagon model.
Good luck!
YOu could try just doing something interesting with the stroller base... put streamers on it or make like a tent come off of it with like gauzy stuff to make it like a royal litter or something
I have been thinking the same thing Robert.My daughter is expecting her first child and we have been talking about transporting the baby.This is my thoughts, in watching people at faire there is one couple who has this wooden playpen like on wheels.(not quite as big as a playpen but thats what it remines me of) It appears to be ok, it's big enough that baby can't get out of it.I guess it must come apart at the sides for easy transport.The baby can have their toys in there and nap in it and also move around instead of being stuck in a stroller all the time.If next weekend its there I'll take a picture of it. Looks like its working for them.
Quote from: robert of armstrong on September 08, 2008, 01:46:56 AM
Okay, it's only sort of Garbing, in that it is an attempt for us to remain in a 'period' appearance.
A solution is to have a carriage of sorts, but I don't want to push our stroller around a Faire.
Has anyone seen anything like this, or any other form of Faire appropriate baby transport? Photos maybe? Ideas on something that might be (relatively) easily modified or built within a six month (spare time) time frame would be greatly appreciated.
HUZZAH, Robert on wanting to create a baby transport device as opposed to using a stroller. As a mother of two (4.9 & 6), I detest strollers in crowded places like faires; always have, always will. Never used one at faire, always carried the babe in a backpack or made them walk. They walk all over faires now. We contemplated a wagon, but decided against it because we did not have a place to store it at the time. So if you have space, I recommend a wagon. With a wagon you are generally pulling it behind you so you are less likely to run someone over on accident/or on purpose.
As for carrying stuff, we made an over the shoulder "diaper bag" out of garb remnants....it worked great.
Check out this site:
http://www.woodcraftplans.com/ac119.htm
I think a lot of people's preference probably has to do with WHICH faires they frequent. I, for one, would never have been able to roll my kiddo (aged approx 4 months during her first TRF) around faire in a stroller because she'd have overheated in about an hour. I had a big roomy wagon that she could spread out in and I kept to the shade as much as possible. The one day I was forced to use a stroller, she spend most of the time in my arms, or sitting in my lap in the shade because it was too hot to be bundled up in excess fabric AND she kept trying to pull up to kneeling/standing and I was afraid she'd fall.
Of course, she also had WINGS, so anything that she could sit/kneel/lay on her belly in was infinitely more practical than something she had to lean back in :) I chose the fairy costumes because she was at the age where she spent almost every waking moment on her belly anyway- TRYING to learn crawl, but not having quite conquered it yet. Remember to take into account the age your baby will be at. Older babies seem to be a lot easier to entertain in a wagon where they can have toys and snacks and whatnot strewn about them than in a stroller, whereas younger babies may need the extra physical support that they can get in a stroller (especially if it's one that the carseat/infant carrier sets down into like ours was).
The bottom line, which ever mode of transportation you choose, is the safety and comfort of your kiddo. Nothing will make a faire day shorter than an unhappy wee one.
The way I see it, if your kid is happy, comfy and safe, then any periodesque trappings you can manage are a bonus.
And before anyone says anything; No, I am not saying anyone here is encouraging anyone to sacrifice the safet of the children to be more period correct.
I tried to make my stroller look like a dragon. The key word is tried but it looked cool in my head!
I was gonna cover the seat in red fabric( cotton!!!) then I was gonna cover the rest in green felt and around the hood and bottom of the seat I was gonna make felt teeth. And lets not forget the googly eyes!
But remember to keep the little one cool! Dress you little one in the least amount of cloths! remember that you always can add some thing if it gets cooler! Keep every one hydrated! That is if your fair is in the hotter months.
Dont get wrapped up in the coolest thing that you can make and remember that you have to haul the thing around! That wagon looked like it was heavy!
I would suggest the sport stroller, maybe dressed up a bit with fabric or, if you can find one, an old-fashioned pram (the ones with the big wheels and great springs).
I know one of the major pattern companies make stroller covers. If you find that you could cover the stroller, and then adapt one of their patterns to make it look like something cute.
All the suggestions everyone gave were bouncing around in my head over the last few days. I think I found a solution yesterday while visiting my Granfather. It is a mode of transport that needs some modification, but I think it's do-able. I'm going to keep a lid on it for now, I'll get it done as soon as I can and post up photos here. Thanks for all the ideas, everyone!!
Oh, such a tease! Can't wait to see it.
I just found this and I thought it was adorable
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/costumes/ig/Costume-Photo-Gallery/Pirates-in-a-Pirate-Ship-1.htm
Quote from: jaunvie on October 11, 2008, 09:53:16 PM
I just found this and I thought it was adorable
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/costumes/ig/Costume-Photo-Gallery/Pirates-in-a-Pirate-Ship-1.htm
That is a pretty cool travel system, but it might be hard to transport to and from the faire, and then it might be tough getting around the faire with it.
Quote from: jaunvie on October 11, 2008, 09:53:16 PM
I just found this and I thought it was adorable
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/costumes/ig/Costume-Photo-Gallery/Pirates-in-a-Pirate-Ship-1.htm
A couple days ago, I found a pattern (http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=2792) for a fabric 'costume' for a stroller that was in the shape of a pirate ship. It was really cute, allowed you full use of the stroller, and would be easy to clean up should things go wrong. lol :) Only thing that was a negative, in my opinion, was the worry of overheating.... as someone posted earlier, strollers can be extremely hot, and adding more fabric on might not be too comfortable. Still something to check out though. :)
Quote from: ADraeger on October 15, 2008, 08:04:43 AM
Quote from: jaunvie on October 11, 2008, 09:53:16 PM
I just found this and I thought it was adorable
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/costumes/ig/Costume-Photo-Gallery/Pirates-in-a-Pirate-Ship-1.htm
A couple days ago, I found a pattern (http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=2792) for a fabric 'costume' for a stroller that was in the shape of a pirate ship. It was really cute, allowed you full use of the stroller, and would be easy to clean up should things go wrong. lol :) Only thing that was a negative, in my opinion, was the worry of overheating.... as someone posted earlier, strollers can be extremely hot, and adding more fabric on might not be too comfortable. Still something to check out though. :)
wow, that would work great for umbrella strollers. I am still using my Graco, which is bulky, so those patterns wouldn't work to easily slip over mine. Great find, though!
By the time my project list got to covering my little one' stroller, she wouldn't have anything to do with it at faire. As soon as she could walk, there was far to much going on to get her to sit still. I'll probably try going back to a wagon in a year of two, so she has someplace to crash out.
I've seen goat carts, covered strollers, and even peasants lugging infants around in baskets (kids in the under six month catagory).
I've had mixed luck using the big graco stroller, and terrible luck with the umbrella stroller, cause the small wheels do poorly on enven ground. Just for stability and ease of manuvering, I think maybe one of the big jogging strollers, but those would be harder to disguise. Kinda off topic I guess, but there're my two bits.
I saw some one adapt a garden wagon so that it looked like a carriage last weekend at TRF. Under the "bed" of the carriage they put the baby stuff/ purchases. The kiddo could stretch out in the carriage it's self, and when not could get out and walk around on a leash. It was easy to push around , and mom and dad were just royals looking after their little princess. :D