Winner: Classic Moby Wrap donated by Moby Wrap NZ / Scarecrow Farm

Thanks to everyone who has joined us on the New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page as we count down to October 10th. To celebrate 700 page members we have a classic Moby wrap in the winner’s choice of colour, donated by Moby Wrap NZ to give away to one lucky page member!

And the lucky winner is:

Katherine McMenamin

Congratulations Katherine  And a big thank you to Moby Wrap NZ for sponsoring this giveaway.

Keep an eye out for the next giveaway announcement as we count down to New Zealand Babywearing Week 2011 . . .

New Zealand Babywearing Week Giveaway with Moby Wrap NZ

Hello everyone.  We’re on the countdown to New Zealand Babywearing Week (10 – 16 October 2011) and we are looking forward to celebrating with you.  Over the next few weeks we will be continuing our fantastic giveaways thanks to some generous product sponsors.  The next giveaway will be drawn once we reach 700 page members over on the New Zealand Babywearing Week facebook page.

Our 700 liker giveaway sponsor is Moby Wrap NZ (a subsdiary of Scarecrow Farm). One lucky ‘New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page’ member will be randomly drawn to take home a classic Moby Wrap in the colour of your choice valued at $71.50. (Open to NZ residents only).

The design of the Moby Wrap uses your entire back, as well as your shoulders, to carry the weight of your baby. Unlike other carriers, which have narrow straps or go across one shoulder, the Moby Wrap is a wide piece of durable, high quality fabric that is wrapped over both shoulders. It is amazingly comfortable and easy to wear. There are no buckles, snaps or other fasteners (that may break or bend). It is easy to adjust the fit of your Moby Wrap by varying how tightly you wrap yourself and baby. Moby Wraps are one size which means all caregivers can easily and comfortably share one wrap.

Moby Wrap NZ are offering a free Moby Knot Hat to followers of New Zealand Babywearing Week when you purchase a Moby Wrap between now and 16 October. To take advantage of this offer simply tell us what colour and size you would like in the comments box at the checkout when you order through www.mobywrap.co.nz or www.scarecrowfarm.co.nz. (Not valid with any other offer).

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To be in with a chance to win, join us over on the New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page – that’s it!  Simple, easy.

For extra entries in the draw check out these options:

1. Like the Scarecrow Farm Facebook page
2. Update your Facebook status with the following: “I’m in to win a classic Moby Wrap with @New Zealand Babywearing Week and @Scarecrow Farm”.  You will need to ‘like’ both New Zealand Babywearing Week and Scarecrow Farm for the tags to work and remember to make sure your update is shared with ‘everyone’.  To do this click the drop down menu with the padlock icon under your status update and choose ‘everyone’
3. Leave a comment under this post to let us know why you would like to win a Moby Wrap.

Good luck to all who enter!  And thanks for helping to spread the word about New Zealand Babywearing Week – the countdown is on . . .

Babywearing Groups in New Zealand – Spotlight on Waikato Baby Carriers

In the lead up to New Zealand Babywearing Week (Oct 10 – 16, 2011) we will be featuring the babywearing groups that run meetings in New Zealand. So far we have featured Slingbabies and Babywearing Wellington – this week we learn about Waikato Baby Carriers!

First, meet Kerry and Claire who run Waikato Baby Carriers – this is Claire:

and this is Kerry:

Claire & Kerry answer some questions for us:

When did Waikato Baby Carriers get started and why? Our first ever meeting was 3^rd August 2010.

(Claire) We started WBC because we are passionate about babywearing and its many benefits.  I used to get stopped by people who thought my baby looked snug and happy and wanted to know how/where/why etc.   It’s cool to be able to do something you love so much with a dear friend and it means we get to spend time playing with gorgeous carriers while helping other Mums.  It feels really good to be able to share the babywearing love.

(Kerry) What she said :0)

When and where are your meetings? We meet on theTHIRD THURSDAY of the month at Parent’s Place, 87 Boundary Rd, Hamilton. It’s the back room – go down the driveway and through the gate to get there.

What happens at a typical meeting?

(Claire) Our meetings are very relaxed and people just come and go as they please.  Some people come most months and some just when they need a hand.  We welcome everyone with an interest in Babywearing whether they are looking to buy a carrier, learn to use the one they have or simply have a cup of tea with other Mums.  We try to focus on safety and are largely guided by the wants and needs of the people at each meeting.  One day we might do a back wrapping demo while other days there is a lot of interest in SSCs or trying a stretchy.  Our aim is to meet people’s needs and by and large I think we manage that.

(Kerry) Our meetings are pretty informal and people can come for advice or just to connect – though our focus is to help people with their babywearing needs and we want to make sure people go away with new knowledge and/or skills.  people We will often do 2 or 3 different demos over the time period according to what people need to see as well as helping individual Mums with learning about new carriers or how to use their current carrier more comfortably. We love teaching people new tricks that make life so much easier.

I’m pregnant but interested in Babywearing, can I still attend meetings?

(Claire) We have a few Mum’s that we met when they were pregnant and they still come along now that their bubs are a bit older.  One Mum that springs to mind has gone from using a stretchy to a ring sling to a Mei Tai and now she wants to learn to back carry. It has been awesome sharing her journey with her.  When i bought my first wrap (a stretchy) I learnt to tie it well before bubs arrived so that i was confident tying it before i added the pressure of a tired/cranky/tiny baby so i think this is a great option.

(Kerry) Of course! It’s a great idea to come along and get a feel for the different carriers and ‘try before you buy’

Are baby carriers available to hire from a lending library? If so, how does the lending library work?  We do have a lending library which is a combination of carriers that have been donated and carriers we have bought ourselves – and many of our Mum’s have enjoyed taking home and trying an SSC, MT, RS etc. Lending is at our discretion and there is a nominal bond for the more expensive carriers. We also have a Tummy to Tummy DVD that is available for Mum’s to borrow.

Who organises and hosts the Waikato Baby Carriers meetings?  Claire and Kerry organize and host the meetings – though we happily would accept help from other experienced babywearers :0)

If each of you could share just one Babywearing tip, what would it be?

(Claire) Practice makes perfect (well nearly perfect lol)

(Kerry) Start with the one type of carry in the one type of carrier that you need most for your circumstances as they are *right now* – you can deal with the rest later

How can people get in touch with the group?  The best way is email (waikatobabycarriers@gmail.com) or visit the Waikato Baby Carriers Facebook Page

Winner: Caboo baby carrier donated by Cheeky Cherubs

Thanks to everyone who has joined us on the New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page as we count down to October 10th. To celebrate 600 page members we have a Caboo baby carrier in ‘Winter Spice’ (pictured above) donated by Cheeky Cherubs to give away to one lucky page member!

And the lucky winner is:

Sasha Bands

Congratulations Sasha!  And a big thank you to Cheeky Cherubs for sponsoring this giveaway.

Keep an eye out for the next giveaway announcement as we count down to New Zealand Babywearing Week 2011 . . .

New Zealand Babywearing Week Giveaway with Cheeky Cherubs

Hello everyone.  We’re on the countdown to New Zealand Babywearing Week (10 – 16 October 2011) and are looking forward to celebrating with you.  Over the next few weeks we will be continuing our fantastic giveaways thanks to some generous product sponsors.  The next giveaway will be drawn once we reach 600 page members over on the New Zealand Babywearing Week facebook page.

Our 600 liker giveaway sponsor is Cheeky Cherubs. One lucky ‘New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page’ member will be randomly drawn to take home a Caboo baby carrier in Winter Spice valued at $165.00. (Open to NZ residents only).

Caboo (urban definition: to be close to someone) follows in the footsteps of the multi-award winning Close Baby Carrier.  The Caboo is identical in function to the Close Baby Carrier, with some improvements in structure and fit.  It is a stylish, one-piece, luxuriously soft, organic baby carrier that cradles the baby’s bottom, back, neck and head.

The Caboo is safe, practical and comfortable for both baby and wearer. It allows freedom for the wearer, while offering comfort and security for the baby.

• It is safe, practical, easy to use and comfortable for both baby and wearer.
• Easy to use, simply put it on over your head.  No buckles or clips.
• 5 different carrying positions, depending on personal preferences or age of the baby.
• It allows freedom for the wearer, while offering comfort and security for the baby.  
• Helps you to bond with your baby easily while leaving your hands free to do other things.

The Caboo is made from the same soft, organic cotton for which the Close Baby Carrier was Highly Commended at the Organic Expo and Green Show Awards in 2009. It is still manufactured ethically, to the highest safety and quality standards, with comfort and support creating the backdrop for all new developments.

Babies will sit  in a ‘frog legged  position’ which is a very natural position for a baby and naturally places less weight and strain on their developing hips. The Caboo is supremely comfortable for you too, our soft wide straps spread the weight of your little one evenly over both shoulders the fixed cross provides excellent back support and  will help reduce the strain on your shoulders.

Although it looks like a wrap, the Caboo goes on as simply as a Tee-Shirt so there is no need to learn wrapping techniques!  Check out the video below to see how easy it is to put on a Caboo baby carrier:

As you would expect your Caboo adheres to  EN 13209-2:2005 and the T.I.C.K.S guidelines for safe baby carrying.

 Caboo carriers are available in New Zealand from Cheeky Cherubs, Ecomoon & E-Weez.

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To be in with a chance to win, join us over on the New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page – that’s it!  Simple, easy.

For extra entries in the draw check out these options:

1. Like the Cheeky Cherubs Facebook page
2. Update your Facebook status with the following: “I’m in to win a Caboo baby carrier with @New Zealand Babywearing Week and @Cheeky Cherubs”.  You will need to ‘like’ both New Zealand Babywearing Week and Cheeky Cherubs for the tags to work and remember to make sure your update is shared with ‘everyone’.  To do this click the drop down menu with the padlock icon under your status update and choose ‘everyone’
3. Leave a comment under this post to let us know why you would like to win a Caboo baby carrier.

Good luck to all who enter!  And thanks for helping to spread the word about New Zealand Babywearing Week – the countdown is on . . .

Babywearing Groups in New Zealand – Spotlight on Babywearing Wellington

In the lead up to New Zealand Babywearing Week (Oct 10 – 16, 2011) we will be featuring the babywearing groups that run meetings in New Zealand. Last week we featured Slingbabies – this week we learn about Babywearing Wellington!

Image taken at the 2010 Babywearing Wellington Sling Walk

When did Babywearing Wellington get started and why? Babywearing Wellington was started in February 2010 by committee member Sarah Rogers. She sent an invite out on Facebook inviting Wellington babywearers to meet up for coffee, chat and sharing advice, not expecting to get so many responses! After a few informal meetups at cafes, we started holding more formal monthly ‘slingmeets’ in a community room in Petone before moving to our current venue in central Wellington at the start of 2011.

When and where are your meetings? Our slingmeets are held on the first Friday of every month in the Guest Room of the Southern Cross bar on the corner of Abel Smith and Cuba Streets in central Wellington.

What happens at a typical meeting? Our slingmeets start at 10am and finish at midday. We begin with a 15 minute presentation on a babywearing-related topic (for example breastfeeding and babywearing, stretchy vs woven wraps, soft-structured carriers). After the presentation, we provide one-on-one advice to anyone who needs it, and attendees are welcome to try out and/or hire any of our library carriers. For seasoned babywearers, the slingmeets are a great chance to catch up with like-minded people over a coffee.

I’m pregnant but interested in Babywearing, can I still attend meetings? Absolutely! We’ve had several pregnant women attend our slingmeets and it’s been great to then see them come back after their baby is born and find out how they’re getting on. Although it’s definitely easier trying out carriers with a real life baby, the slingmeets are an excellent opportunity to find out about the many different options out there and also pick up some useful tips for when your baby arrives.

Are baby carriers available to hire from a lending library? If so, how does the lending library work? Yes. We have an ever expanding collection of carriers in our library, with examples of each different type of carrier (woven and stretchy wraps, pouches, SSCs, mei tais, and ring slings). Details of what carriers are available are on our blog http://babywearingwellington.blogspot.com/p/carrier-library.html. To hire one of our carriers, people need to become a member of Babywearing Wellington (a one-off fee of $10), then it’s $5 a week for up to 3 weeks hire plus a refundable $50 bond. People can either see our librarian Emma Worden at one of our slingmeets, or email her anytime to arrange a hire at babywearingwellington@gmail.com. Membership and hire fees are used to improve and maintain the library and ensure the ongoing functioning of the group.

Who organises and hosts the Babywearing Wellington meetings? Babywearing Wellington has a committee of volunteers who organise and host the slingmeets. On our committee currently we have Emma Worden, Sarah Cronan, Sarah Rogers, Hester Hamilton, Isa Pike, Rebecca Erlewein and Stefanie Dixon.

If each of you could share just one Babywearing tip, what would it be?

Register with www.thebabywearer.com for heaps of instruction videos and tips. Just be wary of developing a sling addiction! – Emma

Enlist help of a babywearing expert and make sure your baby is close enough to kiss – Sarah C

Second-hand carriers are a great way to save money AND increase your sling collection without too much guilt! – Sarah R

Practice with new carriers or carries before you need them. Try them a few times in peace, with a fed and rested baby and a mirror before you try in a rainy car park with a fussy baby – Hester

If you or your baby just can’t seem to get along with that sling, try another carrier, another carry, and ask for help trying them out! – Isa

When you try new ways of carrying your baby (e.g. on the back, or trying a new carrier), have someone spot you who is LESS nervous about this than you are – Rebecca

Try before you buy; beg, borrow or hire before spending what can be a lot of money. As each baby is different, so is each carrier – Stefanie

How can people get in touch with the group? People can contact us anytime for information or advice by emailing us at babywearingwellington@gmail.com or calling Emma on 027 623 7069. We’d also love people to ‘like’ our group on Facebook www.facebook.com/babywearingwellington as this is a good way to keep up to date with slingmeets and other events. In addition, please check out our blog http://babywearingwellington.blogspot.com/ which has posts on various aspects of babywearing as well as details of our slingmeets and carrier library.

Winner: The Natural Parent Magazine one year subscription

Thanks to everyone who has joined us on the New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page as we count down to October 10th. To celebrate 500 page members we have a one year subscription of The Natural Parent Magazine to give away to one lucky page member, and a 2nd prize of a copy of the latest issue for another.

And the lucky winners are:

• One year subscription to The Natural Parent Magazine – Sarah Hayward
• A copy of the latest issue of The Natural Parent Magazine – Heather Kongs-Taylor

Congratulations to you both!  And thank you to the team at The Natural Parent Magazine for sponsoring this giveaway.

Keep an eye out for the next giveaway announcement as we count down to New Zealand Babywearing Week . . .

Weekly Focus: Woven Wraps

In the lead up to New Zealand Babywearing Week (10 – 16 October 2011) we will be focusing on the six main types of baby carriers. So far we have covered pouch slings and stretchy wraps.  This week we’re focusing on woven wraps.  Keep an eye on the New Zealand Babywearing Week week Facebook page too this week for more information about woven wraps including ‘how to’ videos and photos.

Thanks to Jess from Slingbabies for sharing her knowledge of woven wraps for this post:

Woven wraps are made from purpose-loomed fabric, averaging 70-80cm wide and between 2.7 to 5.5m long.  This is tied in a variety of ways to create whatever carrier is needed.

There are a few main differences between stretchy and woven wraps however.  Woven wraps are wider and much more supportive than stretchy wraps.  They are often made overseas by very well-paid workers and then imported, which accounts for the chunkier pricetag!  You can back carry with a woven wrap, which gives a lot more freedom. Parents of subsequent babies often choose to back carry from early on, once they’ve gained confidence carrying the first baby.

There are many carries you can do with a woven wrap – Front Wrap Cross Carry (like the Front Pocket Cross Carry for a stretchy wrap but without the ‘stuff down the front’ step), Front Cross Carry (FCC), Hip Cross Carry, Back Wrap Cross Carry, Secured High Back Carry (SHBC), Ruck Carry the list goes on!

A slight downside to woven wraps is that you need to re-tie them every time you wrap (with the exception of the FCC).  But you’ll get so quick at it, it won’t be a problem soon. My personal favourite carry is the SHBC, because it suits newborn to toddler, and the first diagonal passover keeps baby nice and secure while you arrange the rest.

The photo above shows a Front Wrap Cross Carry in a Wrapstar Neopolitan.  See how there is one layer of fabric over baby, then the sides cross over for support? If you like you can bunch the sides and keep only one layer across baby (like the image at the top of this post with a Storchenwiege – note the optimal positioning for baby’s hips and spine – knees up, bum down), it’s still supportive and good for hot weather.

This picture below shows a Hip Cross Carry with a Storchenwiege woven wrap.  It’s a super easy ‘carry’ to whack on in a hurry:

This next photo shows a Back Wrap Cross Carry in a Wrapstar Berry Stripes wrap at 5 months old. Baby sits down in the small of your back.  I like this as it’s quite a symmetrical carry method and you can adjust the chest belt easily.

The next photo shows a Secured High Back Carry in a Calin Bleu red wrap at 5 weeks old.  Not as symmetrical as the BWCC but still a goodie!

Check out Paulus’ SHBC video too and have a go.

For more detailed information about woven wraps,  photo instructions and videos, please visit Slingbabies.

Remember to check out the New Zealand Babywearing Week facebook page this week for more information about stretchy wraps too.

Babywearing Groups in New Zealand – Spotlight on Slingbabies.

In the lead up to New Zealand Babywearing Week (Oct 10 – 16, 2011) we will be featuring the babywearing groups that run meetings in New Zealand.  The original babywearing group in New Zealand is Slingbabies which operates in Auckland and was founded by Jessica Richards. Jessica’s initiative has inspired the formation of babywearing groups in other areas of New Zealand and we’ll be featuring those groups too over the next few weeks.

Jessica answers some questions about Slingbabies for us:

When did Slingbabies get started and why?  Slingbabies started in May/June 2007, because I was answering the same questions constantly on online forums.  I held a meeting at my house which only two people came to (started small!).  Now we regularly have over 20 people each time.  I started the website in November 2007 as a central place to store all my information.

When and where are your meetings?  We meet on the first and third Fridays of the month, at the Sturges West Community House, 58 Summerland Dr, Henderson.  Our SouthEast branch meets on the 3rd Sunday of the month 1.30-3.30pm, at the Anchorage Park Community House, 16 Swan Cres, Pakuranga.

What happens at a typical meeting?  I do a little history and general blurb at the start, then go through the 5 types and their carry methods.  In the second half of the morning we do the try-on session, people can loan out carriers then.

I’m pregnant but interested in Babywearing, can I still attend meetings?  Absolutely!  We love getting pregnant mums coming along.   It is good to get an idea of what’s out there.  Unless you are going to make your own cheap wrap or similar, I recommend waiting to purchase till after you’ve seen us with your newborn and tried some.  Often babies have different ideas of what they like than we do!

Are baby carriers available to hire from a lending library? If so, how does the lending library work?  We have an extensive library.  For a $20 joining fee and $5 per sling loan, you can borrow a carrier for 2 weeks and bring it back to the next coffee morning (on the 3rd Friday) which often works out well.  SE Slingbabies also has a carrier library, but you need to arrange return with Heather.

Who organises and hosts the Slingbabies meetings?  I organise and host them, with the help of my team and some great regular ladies also.  Heather runs the SE Slingbabies branch, we are lucky to have such an expert to take care of that group.  We run on a shoestring so we appreciate any help and donations we can get.

If you could share just one Babywearing tip, what would it be?    Any carrier you use should mimic how you hold your baby naturally.  If it doesn’t do that, get rid of it!  (Wish I’d known that when I had my first!)

How can people get in touch with the group? Find us on Facebook, or contact Jess via the Contact Us page on the Slingbabies website.

Winner – Father’s Day photo competition

Thank you to everyone who entered our photo competition.  There were so many great photos of Dads (& Grandads) wearing babies in baby carriers entered!  I’m very glad the winner was drawn randomly as if I’d had to choose just one I would have had a very hard time choosing an absolute favourite!

The lucky winner, who has been drawn randomly, will receive a copy of the latest The Natural Parent Magazine and a Manduca front pouch.  And the lucky winner is:

Ally Hay

Ally entered an image of her son William at 19mo in a back carry with his Daddy.  Congratulations Ally!

To view all the fantastic entries visit the New Zealand Babywearing Week Facebook page and click on the photos tab on the left under the page avatar.  Thanks again to everyone who entered and Happy Father’s Day!

Helen