A World of Possibilities....
This week is International Babywearing Week. It is a week to celebrate all the wonderful babywearing that happens in our homes and communities and in homes and communities all over the world. And this year the theme is "A World of Possibilities". I wanted to do something a little different this year.
I invited my fellow babywearing mama followers on Twitter and on my Facebook page to send me their favourite babywearing pictures and also tell me in one line (or 140 characters) what babywearing means to them.
The response was absolutely amazing!
I love each and every picture and tweet and message that was sent. My heart was overjoyed opening my many emails and seeing so many happy {and yes, often sleeping} babies and there mamas and daddies wrapped up or buckled into all the different baby carriers and going about their lives.
And so, without further ado, here is what I did with those beautiful babywearing pictures and stories and words....
I hope you like it!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMOasODlMJI&utm_source=trigger&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=you_tube_ready[/youtube]
Happy Babywearing Everyone!
Natasha~
P.S. If you are in the Edmonton area, please join myself and Erin from Cosy Baby Happy Mommy for our in person International Babywearing Week celebration this Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at West Edmonton Mall. Please visit the Facebook Event Page for all the details.
That's OK, I don't like you either.....
We have to say what we believe...whether it is popular or not. ~Howard Dean
There is a lot of animosity on the web these past few days. At least in the mommy world. And specifically in the "I am a breastfeeder" and "I am a formula-feeder" world. Now, I am not going to go into this debate again, because, well, A) you all know how I feel about it and B) it is kind of "useless, never-ending round and round we go saying the same things and not hearing each other" conversation.
This latest round of "She said, She said", has just solidified a thought that has been brewing in my head for a long time. And likely in a lot of other's heads too...
So I am just going to say it.
NO, we DO NOT all have to get along.
It's true. I may not only not agree with you, but I may genuinely not like you. And you may not like me.
And that's OK.
I had the pleasure of sitting in a room full of 200+ women last week. We were described by some as a 'sisterhood', digital women from all walks of life coming together to learn, to network, to connect. Some of these women are moms, some are not, some are more successful than others, and some were 'working the room' like an E-Talk reporter clamoring for sound bites on the Emmy Red Carpet!
And each and every one of us was sizing up the person next to us and figuring out if they were someone we wanted to get to know, someone who is 'competition' or someone whom getting to know would somehow get us further along in the game. THIS is human nature people, it is not a judgement of anyone, it's just a plain and simple fact of life.
You know the sayings..."Like attracts like", and "Birds of a feather, flock together", well, they are true. Just look at your own life. Who is in your 'tribe'? Your core group of friends? They are most likely people who share your beliefs, your values, and who give YOU validation for the choices and decisions that you make in your life.
I met some really amazing women at the ShesConnected Conference. People that I want to get to know better, that I think can offer me something in my life and people to whom I think I can offer something as well. And yes, I also met some people who I was immediately turned off by. People who made no effort to get to know me or who were perhaps just as turned off by me as I was by them. And so I moved on to the next person...
Which brings me back to the 'She Said, She Said' battle again.
And I will use myself as an example.
I believe in living as close to a natural, chemical-free, and so-called 'crunchy' life as possible. Especially when it comes to parenting. I use cloth diapers and practice elimination communication, I wear my babies in beautiful baby carriers, I do not believe in letting them 'cry it out', and I have breastfed each of my children to the ripe old age of three years. I am not opposed to home-schooling and I also believe in a delayed vaccination schedule.
In doing all of these things, I have met a lot of other mamas that feel the same way as me and that share my parenting philosophies. And I have met a lot that do not.
And while I respect all people and all parents to make decisions for their own families....
...who do you think I am more likely to hang out with?
I am not saying that if you don't do things exactly as I do that we can't be friends. Personally, I love diversity in my life and I learn so much (about life and about myself) from people who are NOT like me.
What I am saying is this. Respect others, yes. Agree to disagree, very likely. But do I have to always like everyone and everything they say or do? Absolutely NOT.
I liken this to the nursing in public argument. If it makes you uncomfortable, than JUST DON'T LOOK!
So if I see or read something that I don't like, or meet someone I just don't click with, then I do not have to click on their link, share it, or if it is a person, engage with them, either online or in real life. MY choice. Simple as that.
So with all the talk this week of Mom Vs Mom and more about how we are shaming each other and blah, blah, blah, all I have to say is...
...SUCK IT UP LADIES!
This whole line of 'dialogue' (and yes, I am using the term lightly) is getting us nowhere.
Please just OWN your choices, your decisions, and your opinions. Share your knowledge and your insights if you so choose, but know that once you do this, you are opening yourself up to scrutiny and other's opinions too. Be prepared for what may come, don't take it all too personally and know this.
Not everyone is going to like you or what you have to say...
I will leave you with the words of a brilliant man.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
Renewing my love of the SSC.....
I really like Twitter. A lot. I have ‘met’ so many people through this little corner of the internet, both online and more and more in real life and even though we are located all over the world, I am connected to these people. Some of whom have really changed my life and spurred on my passion and love of what I do!
And on the heels of my first blogging conference all about connecting with brands this post seems quite appropriate. Why you ask? Well, because of all the bigger babywearing companies or brands out there, Boba is one that is doing things right! They connect with their audience and their customers and they share both their own knowledge and those of the babywearing community freely and openly via their Twitter account and on Facebook. I personally have connected with at least three different people in the Boba Family and have much respect for them as people, as parents and as a company!
As a professional babywearing educator and baby carrier retailer I am also always on the lookout for great resources and products to bring to the many mamas that come to me for help in choosing and using baby carriers. It is often though the #babywearing community on Twitter that I end up finding out about a lot of these resources and products.
One of these sources is the lovely Elizabeth Antunovic of Boba Inc. Elizabeth wrote what I consider one of the most comprehensive articles that I have ever read about babywearing, positioning of babies in baby carriers and why we recommend the things that we do in babywearing! And she is a super nice lady too!
Boba Inc. is a family run company that produces some really great baby carriers. You are probably most familiar with their ‘Sleepy Wrap", now simply called the BobaWrap, a stretchy wrap carrier and also the Boba Soft Structured Carrier.
So when the lovely people at Boba asked me if I wanted to review their newest version of the soft structured carrier, the Boba 3G, of course I said “YES, please!!”
They sent me this lovely carrier (check out the sweet 'Tweet' print--it is SO me!!) and I have given it a good test-drive for the past two weeks and have tried it with three different sized babies/toddlers.
With 4 month old Baby P
Here is the thing peeps, I love a woven wrap. I have been so focused lately on using my woven wraps (and I have quite a few!) that I have kind of forgotten about my SSCs (soft structured carriers). Oh, I know they are still there and I know they work well, but I guess I have been somewhat of a baby carrier snob and have just been ignoring them!
Well not anymore! The new Boba 3G is a carrier NOT to be ignored!
Not only is it a very supportive and comfortable soft structured baby carrier, it is also incredibly well made and really quite beautiful! And with over a dozen new and updated features, it really does hit on most everything you would want in a baby carrier.
Some of the key features that I really like are:
The foot stirrups. These are great for the bigger toddlers. Putting there little feet into the stirrups ensures that they get there legs and hips into the proper flexed and abducted position (the “M” position I am always harping on about!). This is especially important when the body of the carrier does not fully reach from one knee to the other with a big baby or toddler (and this is the case with Princess L in the Boba 3G) and helps to maintain the optimal ergonomic seated position in the carrier. The foot stirrups are also completely removable, so you don’t need to have them hanging from your sides until you actually need them.
The adjustable ‘chest strap’. This is probably my biggest complaint about most other soft structured carriers, especially when using in a front, tummy to tummy position. I find it incredibly awkward to reach behind my head to try to grab the clips, only to find that they are too far away for me to get to. And then I end up having to find someone to clip it for me or do the also incredibly awkward "clip the chest strap and slip it over your head" move.
With the new Boba 3G, the clips are on a kind of zipper track and can move up and down and be adjusted to the exact position that you need them in, whether you are doing a front or a back carry. This works really well for me--especially because I also have limited range of motion in one of my shoulders and before now could never quite reach back far enough to get to the clip and snap the straps securely on my shoulders.
And speaking of straps...how often do you get baby on you in your carrier and then wonder, OK, now what do I do with my purse/diaper bag?? Well, wonder no more!! The designers of the new Boba 3G were thoughtful enough to add an extra little detail to the top of the shoulder straps, a ‘Purse Strap’! That’s right, this little handy dandy extra piece of fabric snaps over the strap of your purse and keeps it in place on your shoulder!! Nice thinking Boba!
The new Boba 3G is also designed for use with a newborn as well and without a separate insert. I did not get a chance to try this out on a newborn, but I like the idea of it. The body of the carrier snaps down to shorten it and then a teeny baby can be worn upright and tummy to tummy (with legs still in the “M” position, but inside the carrier). I think this is a great feature to have in a soft structured carrier. This truly makes the Boba 3G a newborn to toddler carrier. And all without having to spend extra on an insert that does not keep babies legs in the optimal ergonomically correct position.
And lastly, the sleep hood. This is a must for all SSCs and this one has a couple of nice features to it. One, it is removable. If you don’t need it you can leave it behind, or just store it in the zippered pocket on the front of the carrier. I like the elasticized sides on the hood itself. It makes it very supportive for baby’s little head, and still leaves plenty of room for air to circulate. It is also a nice little ‘cover’ for when you are breastfeeding, something that is totally doable in this carrier and will likely come in handy at least every couple of hours when you are wearing your newborn in the Boba 3G!!
So there you have it folks, my thoughts on the new Boba 3G. I think I can honestly say that this carrier has renewed my appreciation and love for a well-made, well thought-out and designed soft-structured carrier. It is not often that I find a company that so embodies my thoughts and philosophies about babywearing, but Boba Inc. is right up there and I for one really appreciate the work that they do to support and encourage babywearing for everyone.
Fall Babywearing in the Boba 3G and 18 month old Baby B.
Boba Inc. is hosting a giveaway to celebrate the launch of the new Boba Carrier 3G and their new brand image! Enter to win a $500 travel voucher and a Boba Carrier 3G. With the new 3G it is easier than ever to enjoy Freedom Together as a family and Boba wants YOU to put it to use in a destination of your choice.
To enter to win, “Like” them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/boba), follow them on Twitter (www.twitter.com/boba) and tweet about them! Also, make sure to check out Boba’s new website – www.bobafamily.com.