New Zealand Babywearing Week Giveaway with My Natural Baby – WIN a Manduca Stretchy Wrap

We’re on the countdown to New Zealand Babywearing Week (2-11 October 2015) and we are looking forward to celebrating with you.  Our next giveaway is a mandua sling (stretchy wrap).

Courtesy of New Zealand Babywearing Week sponsor My Natural Baby Ltd one lucky New Zealander will win a manduca sling in the colour of their choice, valued at $110.00. As it is 100% organic cotton the manduca sling is a great choice for new babies.  Click here to view manduca sling colours.

Features of the manduca sling:

• One size: 5.50 m long, 60 cm wide – suitable for all parents.
• Made of 100% GOTS certified organic cotton in GOTS certified production site (Turkey)
• Stretchy but supportive: thanks to bi-elastic Jersey (no elastane), the manduca sling offers the perfect combination of lengthways and crossways elasticity.
• Tested and safe for babies from 3.5 kg – 15 kg (7.7 – 33 lbs) – for comfort fit recommended until approx. 9 kg
• Light and breathable: probably one of the lightest stretchy wraps – with a weight of only 620g.
• Easy to tie – thanks to a contrast seam (as recommended by babywearing schools).
• Generously wide: 60 cm provides sufficient fabric for good head support and M-Position.
• Eight beautiful colours

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Please note that this giveaway is open to New Zealand residents only.

To be in with a chance to win, like the New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page then comment under the post about this giveaway on the New Zealand Babywearing Week page, letting us know which colour manduca sling you would choose if you win. View manduca sling colours – click here.

For extra entries in the draw check out these options:

1. Like the My Natural Baby Facebook page and leave a comment to say hi and how you found the page.
2. Like the Manduca New Zealand Facebook page and leave a comment to say hi and how you found the page.
3. Leave a comment under this post to let us know which colour manduca sling you would choose and why you would like one.

Good luck to all who enter!  A winner will be drawn after 7pm on Friday 11th September 2015.  New Zealand Babywearing Week – the countdown is on . . .

WINNER: Photo a Day Manduca Prize Package – NZ Babywearing Week 2013

During October we had a bit of a babywearing photo-sharing-fest on our facebook page.  So many photos were shared – it was fantastic to see the variety of baby carriers you all have and the creativity to fit some of the themes was fabulous   A big thanks to My Natural Baby Ltd who donated a Manduca prize pack valued at $340.00 (pictured above) as the prize for the photo competition. A winner was chosen randomly from all the daily entries.  In case you missed the themes, check them out in the image below:

And the lucky photo-sharing winner is Cherie Grindley.  Big congratulations Cherie!!  Please leave a message via the My Natural Baby facebook page with your delivery address details and your Manduca package will be sent to you right away.

Thanks again to everyone who joined in the photo-sharing fun during October.  If you didn’t see the photos check them out on the New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page.

Photo a Day Competition – WIN a manduca package courtesy of My Natural Baby Ltd

We are excited to once again be running the very popular babywearing pic a day event this year. From October 5 – 31 there will be a theme a day for your babywearing photos which you are invited to share on the New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page. Each image shared will count as an entry in the prize draw to win a manduca package which includes the following thanks to My Natural Baby:

• 1 x ‘NewStyle’ black manduca
• 1 x SilverLily organic cotton ZipIn (Limited edition)
• 1 x SilverLily organic cotton fumbee shoulder strap protectors (Limited Edition)
• 1 x manduca front pouch
• Package value $338.85

The Manduca Baby and Kids Carrier has been designed in Germany by Wickelkinder GmbH.  Orthopaedically designed and packed with features, the Manduca baby carrier is one of the most versatile and comfortable soft-structured carriers on the market.

 Main features of the NewStyle Manduca baby carrier:

• Can be used for newborns (from 3.5kg) and for children up to 20kg (about four years old).
• Includes an integrated infant seat insert
• Has an integrated back-extension for older babies and toddlers
• Has integrated head and neck support
• Is adjustable to fit most people
• The outer material is 45% organic cotton and 55% hemp
• The inner material is 100% organic cotton
• Can be machine washed at up to 30C
• Comes with instructions.

The ZipIn zips into the extendable panel of your manduca to give a fresh and fun look, while the organic cotton fumbees attach easily to the shoulder straps which babies, especially teething ones, love to chew on! The fumbees save your carrier straps from the drool and chewing and can easily be put through the wash, saving you from having to wash your whole manduca so often!

The manduca front pouch can be attached to the waist band of your carrier using the velcro strap, or use it with the included shoulder strap. It’s roomy enough to hold a nappy change, keys, phone, money/cards and even some snacks.

The image below lists the themes for each day of this year’s photo sharing event. Have fun! Looking forward to seeing your babywearing pix!

New Zealand Babywearing Week Photo Sharing Competition – Who Won the LimitedEdition Manduca?

During October we had a bit of a babywearing photo-sharing-fest on our facebook page.  So many photos were shared – it was fantastic to see the variety of baby carriers you all have and the creativity to fit some of the themes was fabulous 🙂  A big thanks to My Natural Baby Ltd who donated a LimitedEdition ParadiseHoney Manduca as a prize for the photo comp – a winner was chosen randomly from all the daily entries.  In case you missed the themes, check them out in the image below:

And the lucky photo-sharing winner is Robin N Kopi.  Big congratulations Robin!!  Please leave a message via the My Natural Baby facebook page with your delivery address details and your LimitedEdition ParadiseHoney Manduca will be sent to you right away.

Thanks again to everyone who joined in the photo-sharing fun during October.  If you didn’t see the photos check them out on the New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page.

Guess & Win with Pikau the New Zealand Babywearing Week Kiwi – Winners Announced!

Hi everyone.  It’s Pikau writing to you on this lovely Spring evening.  Sorry it’s taken me a while to announce the winners in my competition but I’ve been so exhausted from my daytime jaunts during New Zealand Babywearing Week  attending some of the events happening around the place from October 6th – 14th. It’s taken me this long to feel recovered enough to get my typing toes into gear!

I had such a great time travelling during New Zealand & International Babywearing week, attending some wonderful events and meeting some great Kiwi parents and kids.  Here I am at the event which kicked off NZBW12 – the Kerikeri Babywearing Walk which concluded at the Food at Wharepuke Cafe.  This is me with the winners of the sponsored prizes!

In this pic I was checking out the famous Stone Store!

I also got to visit the Makana Chocolate Factory, see how some of their products are made and meet some of the staff too!!  And of course there was the sampling plate, hehe . . .

My next event was the Whangarei Babywearing Walk – boy was that thirsty work as it was soon after the Kerikeri Walk which was that morning and quite frankly my bed was really calling to me.  I maintained my professional demeanour however and enjoyed the event, helped out a bit by a lovely young lad called Ethan who installed me into his kids baby carrier – very comfy it was too.  Check out Stiched Purls if you’d like to get one for a small person you know.

Here I am with most of the group in Whangarei!

My next stop was the Babywearing North Shore workshop in Auckland which was a lot of fun. I met some more fabulous people, helped with the prize draws and got to have a ride in a stretchy wrap with a lovely pregnant lady.  I almost dozed off in there!

Next on the agenda was a trip further south so I jumped in the car and hit the road . . .

We arrived in Rotorua in time to join the lovely locals for a babywearing walk which ended at the Rotorua War Memorial Park by the lake for some demo’s and prizes.  It was fun hanging out there.

Here I am checking out the famous Rotorua Museum!

After Rotorua we drove across to Tauranga and joined the Tauranga Babywearers for their celebratory walk which ended at Grindz Cafe for demo’s and prizes.  Here I am with most of our group before we set off on the Tauranga walk:

It was such a busy week for me.  Being a nocturnal chap it was a challenge to stay awake during the day but it was so worth it, I had so much fun.  Thanks to everyone who sent in entries for the guess and win comp – guessing which events I would be attending during New Zealand Babywearing Week.

My prize for the winners is pictured below and includes a set of fumbee shoulder strap protectors (suitable for any baby carrier, stroller/pushchair or car seat straps) from My Natural Baby, a pair of Huggalugs leg and arm huggers from our friends at Huggalugs New Zealand and a copy of the latest The Natural Parent Magazine.  Big thanks to our prize sponsors!! Prize value is $60.00!  (Prize can only be shipped within New Zealand).

And the lucky winners with correct guesses are . . . . actually noone guessed four correct events!! Most entrants guessed two events correctly, and two guessed three correctly.  Sooooo the two people who guessed three events correctly will each win a prize pack!  Congratulations to Kerry Sequana and Tonya Bristow!!  I’ll organise for your prize packs to be sent to you this week!

Thanks again to everyone who joined in the New Zealand Babywearing Week 2012 celebrations – I look forward to seeing many of you again next year!

Pikau xx

Asian Inspired Baby Carriers

To complete our series on the different types of baby carriers, our last focus is Asian Inspired Carriers. There are two types of carrier within this category:

• Asian Style which includes Mei Tai (most common & pictured above), Podaegi, Onbuhimo.
• Soft Structured which includes Beco, Ergo, Manduca and Patapum (baby and toddler size).

Asian Style carriers consist of a rectangular panel with straps:

• Mei Tai are primarily Chinese in origin.  They have a strap at each corner, two for the waist and two for the shoulders.  Some Mei Tai brands available in NZ are BabyHawk, Little Tree Baby, Kozy Carrier and Snugglez.
• Podaegi are Korean.  They have a strap at each top corner, which cross under baby to become the bottom support too.
• Onbuhimo come from Japan, and have straps at the top which thread through a ring at each bottom corner.

A back carry with a Kozy Carrier Mei Tai

The panels can be quite ornate and the straps are usually wide to spread the weight over the body.  The Mei Tai can be worn front and back, but the Podaegi and Onbuhimo are primarily back carriers.  All three types support baby in the desirable squatting/seated position.

Some people even carry their pets in their carriers like this happy pooch who’s riding in a Kozy Carrier!

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Soft Structured Carriers (SSC) got their original design from Asian Style, but buckles and cinches have been added, and a thick, more structured waistband.  The shoulder straps are very padded, with a chest clip for added security.  The waistband takes the major part of baby’s weight, which is easy to carry on the hips rather than dragging on your shoulders like some carriers.  All of them have a sleep hood either rolled up or tucked in the top edge.

Patapum toddler carrier

There are some differences between the main brands available in New Zealand but essentially they have the same basic design similarities with the straps, buckles, waistband and sleephood.  The Ergo has the shortest panel of them all, and the Toddler Patapum, Beco and Manduca the tallest.  The Manduca has an extendable back panel – you can unzip it from the height of the Ergo to just a little higher than the Beco.

The Beco is the only one with a permanent layer between you and baby, which is really useful for switching baby from front to back without reinstalling them.  The others have nothing between baby and parent. The Ergo needs a separate infant insert if used under around 4 months while the Manduca and Beco come with attached infant inserts so are ‘all in one’ carriers. The Toddler Patapum is recommended for babies from 9-12months – before this they get lost in the panel! The Ergo and Manduca shoulder straps can cross at the back when used in a front carry, but the Beco and Patapum straps can’t.

The Manduca showing how straps can be crossed for a front carry.

Daddies seem to like the no-fuss practicality of the Soft-Structured Carriers when compared to other carrier types.

Asian Style and Soft Structured Carriers are great for spreading baby’s weight over two shoulders – ideal for heavy babies or toddlers and for when you need to wear your baby for long periods of time.  Many can be used over 18kg which makes them good value for money.

There are many great brands available in New Zealand, or you can make your own if you have the time and skill – make sure you reinforce those seams and for a SSC use good quality buckles!

Article written by Jessica Richards, Slingbabies.

All images used with permission from the image owners.

New Zealand Babywearing Week Father’s Day Photo Competition

Father’s Day will soon be here – Sunday 4th September 2011.  We want to celebrate the NZ babywearing Dads out there.  For a chance to win a copy of the latest The Natural Parent Magazine, and a manduca front pouch, share a babywearing photo of the babywearing Dad in your family on our facebook page and send in your contact details by email.  A winner will be drawn randomly on Father’s Day.

The Natural Parent Magazine is a treasure containing articles on intelligent living, connection parenting and health & well being.  The manduca front pouch can be used with any type of baby carrier that has a waist belt by securing it with the velcro strap.  It can also be used with the handy shoulder / waist strap.  Compact yet able to carry all the necessities including your phone, keys, cash, cards, sunglasses, snacks . . .  Total prize value $49.85

So post your images on the New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page, then email your name, delivery address and phone number to helen @ mynaturalbaby dot co dot nz  Your entry will need to be received by 9pm on Saturday 3rd September 2011.

Good luck to all who enter!