June « 2010 « Babes in Arms – blogging about select baby carriers and slings from around the world

June 29th, 2010

Review Panel – ERGObaby Carrier – June 2010

I had been waiting patiently (or not so much hehe) for my Babes In Arms package to arrive so I could see what I was to review. I got up one morning and hooray! It had arrived so I ripped open the package and there it was, the one I had hoped for – an ERGObaby carrier.

That first day I was so excited to get it that I went straight out and watched all the instructional videos before I even made my coffee! Next step was to adjust it and wear it. Unfortunately Mia was sleeping so I had to wait. Half an hour later, still in my pyjamas, Mia woke up and straight in the ERGO she went. Mia loved it, and so did I. It was so comfortable and didn’t hurt my back or shoulders at all. In fact, I think it helps keep my back straighter.

Over the next week I used it all the time: walking to the shops, walking the dog, walking anywhere. It has been amazingly helpful getting Mia to calm down as she is teething and gets quite upset. Did I forget to mention that it’s green, my absolute favourite colour! I have gone about telling all my friends with kids and babies that the ERGO is a godsend and that they should all get one because really I don’t know how I managed without one and its only been a week!

When it comes to pro’s and con’s I feel that the pro’s most definitely outweigh the con’s.

Pro – It carries the baby comfortably and close to heart

Pro – It helps keep my back straight

Pro – I get no back pain at all when wearing it

Pro – it is comfortable to wear

Pro – It is easy to put on and take off by yourself

Pro – It is easy to put the baby in yourself (front carry as I haven’t tried back carry because my baby is only 5 months old)

Con – I found that as a bigger woman it was a bit tight but they do have extension belts you can buy and I think I will buy myself one as it only just fits around me with 1 ½ inches to spare (this is the only con I can think of too!)

For future development I think a hood with mesh sides would be better to allow more airflow to the baby when they are sleeping and to allow them to see out if it’s too sunny and mum puts the cover over.

When it comes to ranking the carrier I gave it the following scores

(Scoring: 5 -Excellent, 4 – Very High, 3 – High, 2 – Average, 1 – low/below expectation) - •

Comfort for wearer 4.5
Comfort for baby 5
Ease of use 5
Versatility 5
Overall rating 5

Overall this carrier is the best I have ever seen and I love it so much and so does Mia.

-Erin (24) and Mia (5mths)

June 28th, 2010

Blogger Call Out – Blessingway, Homebirth & an ERGObaby

Posted by Leah in Blogger Call Out - April/May 2010, Parent Testimonials | 2 Comments »

In our fourth Blogger Call Out installment, we introduce you to the gorgeous mother of five, Michelle whose story on her Blessingway, homebirth and initiation into the world of the ERGObaby spiked our curiosity as soon as we read her brief. We hope you enjoy her story.

We invite you to submit your own ERGObaby journey for publication consideration by emailing a brief summary to: community@babesinarms.com.au or, if you are currently pregnant or have a newborn baby, you may be interested in our “Year in the Life of an ERGObaby” Call-Out.

My tribe children consist of my son, the eldest of the lot and four daughters. Jevin (14), Kyla (8), Keira (4), Kaitlynn (2) and Keanna (11 1/2 mos). I’m a home water birthing, baby-wearing, breastfeeding, crunchy mountain mama and I also work as a doula. I learned of the ERGObaby carrier during my last pregnancy. After having used a plethora of different carriers over the years, I was over the moon to have received one that was purchased by the womyn of my homebirth community as a gift for my Blessingway.

A Blessingway is a ceremony that has it’s origins in the Navajo culture. It is a way of honouring the mother and blessing her as she journeys on the path to birth and motherhood. It is a more ceremonious way to celebrate the mother and baby than the traditional baby shower. Songs were sung, a necklace was beaded using a bead contributed by each attendee as well as some that were unable to attend and each attendee painted on my belly cast.

ERGOs were fast becoming a hot item in our homebirth circle and it was seeming that everyone had one in one colour or another. I have found that the versatility and ease of babywearing with the ERGO is a huge selling point and I would highly recommend it as an essential part of any womyn’s baby gear. I bought a double pram before little Keanna came along and I ended up using that primarily for Kaitlynn and Keira, as I almost always wear Keanna. I also use the ERGO to carry my two year old and have even used it to carry my four year old. My daughter Kyla actually ore Keanna at the shopping centre yesterday and on the weekend I carried Kanna all day long at the local Winter Magic Festival here in the Blue Mountains. At one point I was wearing Keanna and carrying Kaitlynn. I surely would not have been able to do that if I were not hands free at the time….

Thanks ERGO!! What a lovely carrier it is!! It’s great in cold and wet weather, as it covers bub beautifully. It’s so lovely that you can breastfeed discreetly while wearing it and it’s also great that you can use it on your back as well, once they get older. I find they quite enjoy the ability to look around and see the world from the safety of mum’s back. I can’t seem to say enough about this carrier! I suppose if I had to pick something, my favourite thing about the ERGO is how comfortable it is to wear. Prolonged wearing is never an issue, even when wearing my two or four year old!

Here is a link for the trailer for the doco which we’ve been making over the past year or so which features footage of me as well as some footage of my Blessingway:

Editor Note: Babes in Arms respects the rights of all parents to make their own, individual choice about how they birth their baby – whether it’s at home or in hospital, or another safe location.

June 23rd, 2010

Review Panel – Breeze Baby Sling – June 2010

Posted by Leah in Breeze Baby, Parent Testimonials, Review | 3 Comments »

I was so excited to receive a Breeze Baby sling for testing and review. I pulled it out right away, read through the instructions, threaded it and had a play around with it. Not long after, my littlest miss (4.5 months) woke up just in time for a play in it. I tried her in all the carries (except back carry as she is too little). It’s so easy to change from one carry to another where I thought it would be a bit tricky but it turns out after the first carry (tummy to tummy) the rings adjustment becomes nature. Miss 4.5 months loves all the carries, even the kangaroo carry, although she doesn’t tolerate it long as she likes to be facing me but it is great to have the option to face her out if she wants to.

My absolute favourite carry is the tummy to tummy which I found was wonderful as I could pull the fabric up to support bubbas head as she slept. She sleeps so soundly in there all cocooned close to my heart. She never slept well in the cradle carry as she prefers to be upright on my chest. I found it was so supportive for her and she was so well held in there I could happily go about my day with her fast asleep and I never felt like she was going to fall out… even bending over (which happens a LOT while toilet training my older mini missy and running around after my home day care kids as well!!) I felt like she was safe and snug and her little head was so nicely held close she never even stirred. The weight is carried nicely with the wide-spreading fabric over my back.

My favourite thing about this sling though would have to be that I actually was able to have a shower ~in the morning~ before starting my day (rather than waiting till their afternoon naps time) while my littlest bubba slept in her cot or sat in her bouncer my older mini came with me in the shower snuggled close in the sling – I have showered with her a bit but I found it so much easier when I wasn’t worried about her slipping while all wet and wriggly. She loved it so much she actually cried when I took her out of it to dry her and pointed at the sling saying “sling moooore mummy mooore sliiiing!!”.

I now prefer the breeze baby sling to my original simple pouch one and almost exclusively use it for keeping up all our crazy toddler dancing, cleaning and multi-tasking with a snuggling sleeping baby during the day. Even my big tall 19.5 month old girl who is right on 15 kilos now can still sleep in it while out and about – on my hip with her head on my shoulder supported by fabric pulled up to her ears. The Breeze Baby sling has been a HUGE hit with me and both my girls and I am now confident to try out other more complex looking slings / carriers like the ergo.

I honestly couldn’t think of any downsides to the sling except maybe that the weight is a little more on one side than the other but I found it distributed the weight much better than the pouch sling. For future products it would be great to see other colours available as my oldest mini loves the bright colours of the pouch but I did find the nice simple white goes with everything we wear. I would (and have!) recommend this sling to anyone and everyone with a baby or who is about to have one.

I rate the Breeze Baby sling;

• Comfort for wearer 4 • Comfort for baby 5 • Ease of use 4 • Versatility 5 • Overall rating 5

Amy and her two little darlings applied to review a Babes in Arms product through our Facebook callout. They were unaware of the item that they would receive- but it certainly appears that our pick was perfect for them! So exciting to hear that the Breeze Baby is helping Amy to look after her kidlets so easily and even take a morning shower! Thank you Amy for the lovely review.

June 16th, 2010

BabyLegs Has Your World Cup Fever Covered!

Posted by Leah in Competition, World Cup Fever! | 15 Comments »

World Cup fever is a world-wide phenomenon. Many of us stay up late, or wake up early, to watch our team play. (Some of us BFing mammas are up anyway!)

Australia lost their first game….New Zealand drew (congratulations on your first ever World Cup goal!), and we’re thinking that maybe we need to embrace the World Cup a little more, and then perhaps our teams may be more fortunate in the following games.

So, all you BIA fan sleuths, we have a little game of our own for you to play. Leave your answers in the comment section below and you could win a set of BabyLegs soccer legwarmers or socks.

Find the two “soccer” inspired BabyLegs products at www.babesinarms.com.au/babylegs. Post their names in the comment section below and tell us which of the two would be perfect for your little one to wear with their soccer threads this World Cup period! We will select two winners from the entries.

We will also award 1 pair of either BabyLegs legwarmers or socks to a fan who spreads the word via social media. Post to your Facebook page @Babes in Arms or via Twitter @babes_in_arms and let your friends know about our World Cup fever.

Full Terms & Conditions:

A. This activity closes at midnight June 20, 2010 (EST)
B. A pair of BabyLegs legwarmers valued at $14.95 (type listed in above competiton) will be awarded to one entry and a pair of BabyLegs socks valued at $12.95 (type listed in competition) will be awarded to a sceond entry. A third set will be awarded up to the value of $14.95 to an entry that has also spread the word via social media.

C. Winners will be chosen by Babes in Arms
D. Winners must meet ALL eligibility criteria to win
E. Winners will be notified via our BLOG and Facebook and must respond in 14 days
E. Only legitimate comments will be accepted.
F. Babes in Arms reserves the right to deem any entry invalid
G. This competition is only open to residents of Asia Pacific.
H. This giveaway is for Babes in Arms fans only. Comments that self-promote stores or products will not be accepted as eligible, and will be removed.

June 15th, 2010

Brisbane Pregnancy Babies and Children’s Expo

Posted by Leah in Brisbane PBS Expo June, Parenting Expo | 1 Comment »

Guess who is coming to Queensland? We are! That’s right, Babes in Arms is flying north to Brisbane. We will be showcasing the ERGObaby carrier and Breeze Baby sling from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 June 2010 at the Pregnancy, Babies and Children’s Expo at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, South Bank.

Come over to the Bubs Baby Shop area, stand E44 near the stage, and test drive an ERGObaby carrier. Or perhaps you would like to try the Breeze Baby sling? Check it out at Pram Warehouse stand K16/22.

EXPO SPECIALS

ERGObaby Carriers $135.00 (15% off)

Breeze baby Sling $69 SAVE $10

PLUS cheap BabyLegs (3 for $30.00 or $12.00 each).

Watch out for our official product demonstratioms on the stage each morning and afternoon. Times to be confirmed.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

June 14th, 2010

Blogger Call Out – What Katy Did…

Posted by Leah in Blogger Call Out - April/May 2010, Competition | No Comments »

In our third Blogger Call Out installment, we introduce you to the gorgeous mother of two, Katy who began her ERGObaby journey after the recovery from her second pregnancy. We hope you enjoy reading Katy’s ERGObaby experience.

We invite you to submit your own ERGObaby journey for publication consideration by emailing a brief summary to: community@babesinarms.com.au or, if you are currently pregnant or have a newborn baby, you may be interested in our “Year in the Life of an ERGObaby” Call-Out.

Introducing Katy

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Lotte in her ERGObaby

When my son was born I tried another brand of carrier with him but found that it hurt my back and shoulders. I was hoping not to experience this with my next child. I first heard of the ERGObaby carrier through my sister.

I was pregnant at the same time my sister was pregnant. Her son was born 3 months before my daughter. My sister had researched carriers and found that the ERGObaby carrier had a reputation of being the best. She carried her baby from the first day he was born. I loved seeing him in it. He was so cute and close to her. This convinced me that I should get one for my new baby!

Before my second baby was born, I was quite excited about my new ERGO that I used it to carry around my 3 year old son (in the back carry position) I know that sounds weird right? But it worked! I was able to control him more at the shop!!! He was happy and I was happy!

When I finally gave birth to my gorgeous daughter I was really excited to finally have the chance to use our ERGO. Unfortunately, using the ERGO wasn’t going to happen as quickly as I thought.

After my little girl was born I began to have dramas with my head due to the epidural that I had been given during the birth. I developed severe headaches which kept me bedridden. I was unable to do virtually anything with my daughter. I was in and out of hospital as the doctors attempted to work out what was wrong.

The ERGObaby was a life saver at this time. My husband cared for our daughter at this time. He wore her home from the hospital in the ERGO, did the house work with her in the ERGO and even did the shopping with her in the ERGO. I found that I could do absolutely nothing except cry in pain. The ERGO was amazing because it kept my daughter happy.

During another trip to the hospital, the doctors discovered that my brain was bleeding. My husband used the ERGO to bring Lotte to me (and he also brought me whatever else I needed or asked for). During those first few weeks of her life, my daughter and husband developed a special bond. It made me sad that I couldn’t bond with her in the same way, but made me happy that they could share that time.

Recovery was slow, but as I healed I began my journey with my daughter. She was with me in the ERGO as soon as I was capable of using it. I had a wore shoulder, but using the ERGO actually helped it heal. My sister and I could go shopping together with both of our bubs close to us hands and pram free, moving from shop to shop. Those days were great with sleeping, peaceful babies and happy mumma’s with new outfits and make up!

I can’t remember having this much freedom with my first born! My sister and I went to parties and danced together. Our babies were happy to sleep and also socialise in their little “pouches”. Everywhere we went our people stared. They also stopped us to look at the cute babies!

My Sister and I dancing at my Father-in-law’s birthday party, babes in arms

My daughter is now 19 months old and I still use my ERGObaby carrier every day! I’m a make up artist, and sometimes my Lotte gets a little cranky when I do make up on clients when she’s tired. The ERGO allows me to still do my work, as Lotte is happy to snuggle up to me and go to sleep within! Being both a mum and have my career is still possible thanks to the ERGO! I don’t know what I would do without it!

Lotte peeking out of her ERGObaby

From house work to shopping, walking on the beach, doing make up and hair, and bonding with my child.. I could ask for nothing more. This is a beautiful life!

June 12th, 2010

“Babies” – a Year in the Life Call-Out

Posted by Leah in A Year in the Life of an ERGObaby, Competition | 29 Comments »

We showed you a sneak peek of ‘Babies’ the movie only a week or two ago. This movie follows 4 babies from 4 corners of the globe over a twelve month period. It captures their first smile, first taste of food, first steps – a whole plethora of ‘firsts’ in fact.

In the spirit of observing a baby over a period of time, Babes in Arms would like to explore a ‘Year in the Life of an ERGObaby’…..what does the life of a baby and her parents look like when they enjoy the freedom of the ERGObaby Carrier? What do parents get up to when they aren’t tied to settling their babies in a crib? What adventures do they go on when they don’t have to lug a bulky pram? How much easier can life be with an ERGObaby?

We are therefore calling all pregnant mums (or soon-to-be-dads) or new parents who have just welcomed their little one into the world. who would like to share their ERGObaby journey with us over the next 12 months through monthly blog updates.

To get started, we would be happy to provide a new award-winning ERGObaby Carrier and a ‘Heart 2 Heart’ infant insert. Throughout your journey, you will receive regular new products to use with your carrier which may include ERGObaby accessories, BabyLegs, and even a Rearview mirror. And, around the sixth month date, we may kit you out with a new release carrier (but shhh…. that product is still a secret). The total value of products gifted throughout the year will be worth over $500.

In return, you will need to provide monthly updates with a babywearing flavour of your baby’s journey, plus some images and/or video to use on our blog.

Interested? Leave us a comment telling us why you would love to use an ERGObaby with your new arrival and how it could make a big difference to your family life. Please also note your approximate due date or current age of newborn baby.

Thank you and all the very best!

June 5th, 2010

Meet Our Product Trainers – Victoria

Posted by Leah in Product Trainers, Victoria | No Comments »

One of our first Baby Expos was in Melbourne, so of course it holds a very special place in our heart. It is also where we came across one of our very first Babes in Arms demonstrators. Today we introduce you to Suzanne, Mother to Cody (stepson) 10, Malakai 3 and Indigo 1.

What is your preferred ERGObaby position?
I love the Back Carry now that my kids are older. There is nothing better than a hands free piggy back. It is also great for around the house when you are trying to get dinner prepared because they don’t get between you and whatever you’re cooking I loved the front carry when my babies were little. The closeness and security I could provide for them, especially when I was out and about, in the ERGO couldn’t be matched by anything

Funniest/Most unique/most enjoyable experience wearing your ERGO?
Last year my husband and I went to the Royal Melbourne Show with Malakai and Indigo. We brought along 2 ERGO’s, a small backpack with lunch and that’s it. We stashed everything in a locker and enjoyed the sites. When the kids started to get tired, out came the ERGO’s. It was wonderful that we weren’t restricted to areas that we could move around in as some of the enclosures didn’t allow prams. Later in the afternoon Malakai and Indigo both fell asleep and we strolled around the show hand in hand with the babes on our backs. It was so liberating being able to walk around with no baggage. We gained some lifelong memories with our kids and then followed it with some precious mummy and daddy time

What you think you bring to the role of a Babes in Arms demonstrator?
I am so looking forward to educating fellow parents and sales staff about all the benefits of the ERGO along with babywearing in general. You don’t have to be a full time babywearer or a follower of attachment parenting to enjoy the benefits of carrying your baby. Benefits include bonding, safety, cost savings etc. These benefits can be felt by not only mums, but dads, relatives and other caregivers alike.

Babes in Arms – blogging about select baby carriers and slings from around the world