I’m a fairly dedicated wearer of the child, but up here in the great white north it gets a little chilly at times. The very awesome Nori Peekaru Vest designed by par.entrepreneur Melissa Radcliffe & her company Together Be is a great solution.

The Peekaru is a fleece vest that zips over a soft baby carrier to keep you and your child warm. It fits comfortably over all carriers, including Baby Bjorns, Hotslings, Ergos, Mei Tais, and Wraps. We tested the Peekaru with a Bjorn, a ring sling & a mei tai and it worked perfectly over all of them. Available in five colours, the Nori Peekaru is a perfect accessory for the baby wearing crowd. It’s made of comfortable stretchy fleece (which I noticed makes it easy for the squirmy child to squirm comfortably) and has a hole for baby’s entire head or face to peek out of. The Peekaru can be worn with the carrier on your front or back. It can be worn with a coat over top (undone) to add warmth, and even in Canada I’ve found that an open coat is enough because the Peekaru did such a great job of keeping both mine and my baby’s body heat in.
It hugs the body in a rather flattering way (if I do say so myself *ahem*) and covers even my tall toddler’s long legs if he wraps them around me. I also love the small pocket – just big enough for a phone & keys.

Putting on the vest is pretty simple. It feels a little awkward at first but it gets easier every time. Simply place your child securely in your carrier of choice, pull the vest on, with your head and your baby’s head going through separate holes. The left side of the vest is completely open. Next, close the left side of the vest with a zipper and pull a drawstring at your child’s feet for a little more warmth if you like. My only suggestion would be an adjustable head opening for the child – perhaps a zipper or some soft Velcro to make it a little easier to pull over their head or to leave loose for those kids who don’t like things around their necks. It’s minor – I still love the Peekaru – but it would be a nice addition.

Enter to win a grey Nori Peekaru Vest in your own size. Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Peekaru in the subject line and the correct answer to the question What are the five available colours of the Peekaru? Contest closes 4/23/07 @ midnight MST. Congratulations, Katalin!