BabyArmadillo News

Baby sling safety press release

2010-03-23T12:31:00.003Z

UK Sling Companies Put Baby Safety First - Press Release

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has raised concerns about “bag-style” baby carriers. It is thought that 14 deaths have occurred in the US over the last 20 years, all linked to the “bag-style” sling. UK Sling retailers and manufacturers are taking steps to ensure that parents have the information they need to continue to use safe designs of baby carriers and position their babies in the safest way possible.

One design of sling now seems to have potential risks. In “bag-style” slings, the deep pouch where baby sits puts the baby in a potentially suffocating curved position. Excess fabric with an elasticized edge may cover baby’s face and inhibit breathing. The design may cause the baby’s face to turn in toward the carer’s body, potentially smothering the baby. It also obstructs the baby from the parent’s view, due to the high and gathered side panels.

The majority of baby carriers and slings are still safe to use, if they hold baby in proper alignment and fit snugly by design and instruction. These safe designs of sling include shallow pouch-style slings, ring slings, soft carriers and wrap slings.

Advice for Parents

If you carry your baby in a bag-style sling, Rebecca Ward, of the Consortium of UK Sling Manufacturers and Retailers advises you to contact your local babywearing group through Sling Meet, www.slingmeet.co.uk, for advice on alternative slings. She says, “While we are unaware of any fatalities in the UK in these bag style slings at the present time, we would caution against using them in light of the recommendations by the US Safety Commission”. If you have another sort of baby carrier, Rebecca advises, “No safety problems have been brought to our attention with any other baby carriers. Make sure you read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.” When using a baby sling, the advice provided by the Consortium of UK Sling Manufacturers and Retailers is to follow these basic principles:
Keep your baby close and keep your baby safe. When you’re wearing a sling or carrier, don’t forget the T.I.C.K.S.

Tight
In view at all times
Close enough to kiss
Keep chin off the chest
Supported back
~~ENDS~~
Issued by Antonia Chitty on behalf of Consortium of UK Sling Manufacturers and Retailers 22/03/2010

Media enquiries to Antonia on 0845 643 1874 or 07900 580668
Rebecca Ward: 0117 9082479 or 07525650429

Notes to Editors

More information on Baby Sling Safety will be added to www.babyslingsafe.com
To find out more about baby wearing and get advice on safe ways to carry your baby there are several trusted websites to help you:

Slingmeet

TheBabywearer.com

Facebook page for Babywearing Safety

Mothering.com

LaLecheLeague

Benefits of Baby Wearing

In well-designed products, studies have shown that baby wearing is not only safe, but is actually beneficial. Such studies have shown that quality baby slings and carriers have been shown to save lives, improve health, decrease crying, increase IQ, and facilitate breastfeeding and bonding. Studies have also shown that worn babies are happier and spend more time in the quiet alert phase. In this phase they benefit more than their non-worn peers in language development and knowledge acquisition. Babywearing also helps babies sleep better, and physical needs, including breastfeeding, are met more quickly by a close, responsive parent. Millions of babies over time have been worn to their benefit making baby slings and carriers more of a necessity than the often-publicized fashion accessory. [ii]

Consortium of UK Sling Manufacturers and Retailers Members

Baba-licious, Baby Armadillo, Baby Bean, Babyhut, Big Mama Slings, BORN, Brightsparkslings, Calin Bleu, Close Parent, CN Sales, Daisy Chain Slings, HippyChick, Huggababy, Kari-Me, Lifft Slings, Little Possums, Mama Natura, Napsack, Natural Connection, Naturally Happy Slings, Natural Nursery, Ocah Carriers, SaSaSlings, Sling Jax, Slumber-Roo, Snugbaby, The Carrying Kind, Wilkinet

--------------------------------------------------------------

[i] For examples of these cases and further reading see “Increased Carrying Reduces Infant Crying: A Randomized Controlled Trial” an article written by Urs A. Hunziker MD and Ronald G. Barr MDCM, FRCP(C), “Saving My Baby” a blog post written on Fierce Mama’s Blog by Sarah Kaganovsky and Dr. Maria Blois’s book Babywearing

[ii] Source: La Leche League International

MaM 2009 Preorder

2009-10-14T13:28:00.003+01:00

It's that time of year again! We will soon be placing our order for babywearing coats and jackets from MaM Design. Just to help things along, we're having a pre-order sale on orders placed by Weds 21st October. If you'd like to bag a bargainous 10% off our retail price please contact us.

MaM Coat: £120 (preorder £108)

This brilliant coat will keep you and your little one toasty and dry all Winter

TWO-WAY Deluxe Jacket: £80 (preorder £72)

The all-season option with removable sleeves, this deluxe version has zips and a PUL layer for water- and wind-proofing.

Also, we are making a special order of unisex leggings £29.50, long-sleeved t-shirt £29.50, one-piece suit £55, sleeping bag £43 and baby blanket £32 from the ManyMonths Merino Wool range, elephant hoods, body/shirts, long rib booties, mittens and wool tubes are currently available on our sister-site Fanny Fanackapants along with the brilliant Longies and Shorties. Please let us know if you would like any of these items.

Hip Wrap Cross Carry video

2008-09-16T14:37:00.002+01:00

Thanks Nikki for allowing me to post this here!

MaM Coat 2009

2008-09-11T11:44:00.006+01:00

It's that time of year again! New MaM Coats will soon be available. I'm sure I don't need to tell you too much about the MaM Coat, (well you can read back here about it anyway) other than it's a super-dooper very clever design for a warm, highly wind resistant, waterproof-bodied babywearing coat.

This year's tweaks include:

Two-way zips that can be opened from the bottom (great for expanding hiplines or jumping in and out of the car!)

A poppered strap to secure the hem drawstring inside the coat

Cap-hood adjustment is more secure

Teddy-bear ears on the cap-hood!

A hanging loop inside the jacket (my personal favourite! My coat has been languishing on the banister end since I got it.)

The new colours are anthracite (mid-to-dark grey) outer with stone lining and chocolate outer with sand lining. Black is still available in 2008 model in limited sizes.

Babywearing covers will also soon be available in new colours, and with the new cap-hood adjustment method, as follows:

Deluxe covers will be available in black, anthracite/stone and chocolate/sand.

Winter covers will be available in chocolate/leek and black/sand

4 season covers will be available in shiitake mushroom/sand and are available in 2008 model in chili red/sand

Unfortunately, as with all things, our prices must rise this season too. MaM Coats will be £99, Deluxe covers £35, Winter covers £29 and 4 season covers £26. However we are running preorders on the new coat colours, watch out on the 'site for further info.

Some stand pics

2008-07-29T10:47:00.002+01:00

Summer Sling Show - This Sunday!!

2008-07-23T23:55:00.000+01:00

BabyArmadillo is heading south for the weekend! We're exhibiting, in conjunction with Babyidea, at the Summer Sling Show in the centre of London.

We'll be showcasing the MaM and Babyidea ranges of slings and accessories, many of which are patented, all of which are designed by babywearing parents. Come along and have a look!

Baby Sling Safety

2008-06-15T00:06:00.002+01:00

Newsletter subscribers will know this, as will any 'TBW' regulars, but I'm spreading this link as far and wide as I can, and I urge everyone to do the same.

I can't find the words to share how I feel about bag slings, about the risk posed by them and the inaction by their makers in the face of the evidence presented on this site. I'm not in any way a scaremonger generally, and I'm genuinely pleased for all the happy users of bag slings that have found them to be a solution for carrying their baby in a way that suits them. Call it a 'Public Service Announcement' or something, take it or leave it, but make informed choices!

Enjoy your babywearing, and please, don't have nightmares ;-)

to market to market...

2008-04-21T19:31:00.002+01:00

We've decided to give ourselves a bit of 'real life' presence by having a stall at the general market in Holmfirth. Unfortunately due to time constraints we can't do this more than once a month. Hopefully people will get used to us being there on a certain day, and I put signs up last week saying which day that would be, the 3rd Thursday of each month.

It would be nice if that market was as well attended, both by customers and by stallholders, as the Farmers' Market held last Sunday, which was busy despite the cold damp weather, to the point that Coddy's Farm had sold out and were going home by 1pm! They're having an open day for the lambing season on Sunday 4th May, and all being well we'll have a space there too, so if you're in the area do drop by to pet a lamb and you might just see us too :-)

'Dillo and FBS day trip...

2008-04-01T21:02:00.005+01:00

on Sunday, to the fabby trade show Harrogate Nursery Fair We got up nice and early on the morning after the clocks went forward (where's that bozz-eyed smiley??) and got there about 11am. Had a good mooch round, chatted with some people I've met before, poked and played with a lot of cool and not so cool stuff. Had a good long natter with Shani of SlingJax and NapsackBaby and dragged her off for an hour to look at all the different slings and carriers and other bits and bods too, much fun! Hopefully she's now having a well-earned rest, both her feet and her face will be tired from standing up and being nice to people for 3 days solid, lol. We were just about leaving when the 'The exhibition is now closed' message came over the tannoy! Can we chew the fat or what?!

What did we look at? And what did we think of it? Well...

There were a load of slings and carriers! Which is encouraging... Samsonite have a new range of bags for mothers, their 'Lady with a Baby' collection, which is stunning to look at, really made me go 'whoa!' from across the hall. Completely gorgeous, and the one for next year that was hiding in the 'back room' on the stand... mmm... While we were oo-ing and ahh-ing at those, we got a shufty at their front-pack. As front-packs go, this one has the usual limitations for the baby, but the way the straps work for the adults make it much more likely, in my opinion, to be comfortable for more people. The straps don't cross, they run straight down over the shoulders before being anchored to the waistband/lumbar support with a slight angle. This should stop the problem of straps riding up and cutting into the neck, this issue plagues me with MTs too, and I solve it in a similar way, I think they've been reading my forum posts ;)

TotsBots have a new 'arm,' TotsLife, with a clever 3-in-1 potty, changing bag and a carrier based on the stretchy wrap. A very interesting concept, needs a bit of tweaking really. Is going into pretty much direct competition with the Close Baby Carrier, in the 'let's make the stretchy wrap less intimidating' market. I think it will fit more people than the Close but the tweaks are important. I'll be keeping an eye out for a proper launch!

The 'Baby and All Bag' is an interesting thing. We were all set to really not like it but it's actually not all that bad. It's designed as a very short term 'emergency' carrier, so the narrowness of the panel that stops the child sliding forwards off the bag isn't so big a deal as it could be. It's a nifty solution for a common issue, really. But I'd like to see more of a seat and less of a 'dangling' effect.

Little Company had a carrier prototype, which, really beggars description! The best thing that I could see from it was the straps, the padding was cylindrical rather than flat so even if it does ride up to my neck it wouldn't cut in. Again I'll be watching out for a product launch.

The Belle Baby Carrier is another 'comfy for the adult' carrier, it's very very narrow in the seat though. And the leopard print does nothing at all for me.

Peanut Shell have some bling stretchy wraps, they're rather long! It was trailing on the ground and I hadn't tied it all that tight. I don't like the designs much but people do say life would be boring if everyone thought the same way.

There were other carriers, some front-packs, some others. Oh yes Napsack! Nice :-) Lighter weight than some, making it more flexible and smaller-packing. Can't say anything nasty about it, I'd get hurt ;-)

'Honourable mentions' for non-carrier products, lol...

The Poteez is a neat idea, a throwaway compostable one-use potty. They come in packs of 5, flat-packed cardboard. It pops up for use, has a self-adhesive panel to stick the lid down after use and can be chucked in the heap! Much greener than a throwaway nappy...

I really need to stock the iPlay swim nappy, if only because the distributors were giving away margaritas and peanuts on their stand, lol, oh and I've spent a good deal of time with them 3 times at shows now and not gotten round to ordering. (Hi Brendan, if you read this!!) The same company also distribute some very nice changing bags, something else I need to get round to stocking.

There was a neat tandem pushchair, the ICandy Pear I really like the adaptability of it. More compact than the Leebruss 'Zoom' though that does mean there's a bit less legroom for the back seat passenger I guess. Anyway, if you need a tandem, it's got to be worth a look.

Difrax do a neat training cup (scroll to the bottom) that doesn't bash the child on the nose! One of those 'oh that's so obvious' ideas... They also do bendy bottles that might be of interest to parents of bottle-fed babies who suffer with wind-intake, or ec-ers looking for a night solution for boys ;-)

Last but not least, I have to mention the DreamGenii maternity pillow. Mostly because Kirsty from FBS, who I dragged round the show, managed to blag one from their UK rep! Jammy so-and-so that she is...

All in all, an educational visit, as always. Lovely to meet people and chat stuff, play with a load of new toys, lol. Might just pull my finger out and have my own stand next year... ah, next year...

the hopeless blogger returns...

2008-02-22T12:25:00.003Z

I was reminded last night what a hopeless blogger I am, and really what's the point of having a blog, and linking to it if you're not going to use it, right? So, here's a little update! We currently have a 'February Sale' on cold-weather babywearing acccessories at BabyArmadillo, along with our longer-standing reductions, and reductions on merino wool clothing at Fanny Fanackapants.

Babyidea have been busy bringing out a load of new products: the fabulous new 'art' eco wrap; new nappies and accessories including new pocket nappies, bamboo inserts, prefolds and flat multipurpose cloths and a cool new backpack-style nappy bag; a cute new range of organic cotton velour clothing made in conjunction with Fizzy Lemon, the German eco-friendly babywear brand.

Finally, we are at Little Ones Fair again in a couple of weeks time, it's always a busy event with lots of stuff going on, and we love to see our customers old and new in person!

I'll try to be a better blogger in future, honest...

Introducing Fanny Fanackapants...

2007-10-01T12:27:00.001+01:00

I started this post back in October. Well October was a bit busy for us, and I really got out of the old blogging habit. But anyway. We moved some stuff around and got some new stuff in and we now have another online shop, which we called Fanny Fanackapants. 'Dillo is still about slings and breastfeeding, the potty and nappy-ish stuff has been moved to Fannypants, as some wag (that's wag as in joker, not W.A.G.) called it, along with a bunch of merino and organic cotton clothes from Babyidea. They're all made with the usual attention to detail and with an eye to getting the most possible use, with adjustable this and turn-up-and-down-able that and stretchy the other. I think they're all fantastic, of course! Not enough to have another baby to model them though.

Anyway, better late than never I guess!

MaM Coat 2007

2007-08-29T19:20:00.001+01:00

I've just had some news about this year's version of the coat. It will be available in 2 colours, solid black and 'chocolate/hazelnut' (brown/sand.) Alterations to the construction include:

soft fleece cuffs at the armholes
zips all have panels behind for improved windproofing
slight enlargement of the armholes for easier dressing
internal pocket
back panel drawstring restraints snap fastening instead of elastic
adult-side 'dickey' now adjustable to two sizes
dickeys made of fleece
hemp/cotton dickeys available as optional extra, with more stretch than the fleece dickey and in a choice of colours

The standard child-side dickey in the brown coat is estimated to fit up to 18m, the black should fit any child that fits in the coat.

A major change is that the child-side hood is now designed to be removable to be worn separately as a balaclava-style cap. The caphood fastens to the coat with oval buttons and can be adjusted in height with a D-ring and strap construction. Elastic to the rear and face gives the cap a snug fit and the neck closes with Aplix 500, a soft-touch closure that does not catch other materials. Straps can be attached to the hood and secured on the front of the coat for use as a head support for sleeping children.

Babywearing Covers will also be provided with caphoods. Coat caphoods have 'Bambi-style' ears and covers have cat ears, pictures below.

New stuff and specials for August

2007-08-02T23:54:00.000+01:00

First up, the new stuff...

Just in time for the sunshine we're getting now, we've finally got some Solarveil in! Courtesy of Kirsty at FrontBackandSides...

FBS Solarveil Ring Sling
FBS Solarveil Mei Tai

For anyone unfamiliar with Solarveil, it's a fab lightweight fabric with built-in sun protection, so you don't need to use any nasty gunk on your baby's delicate skin. It's naturally wicking and quick-drying so it's also ideal for use in the shower or pool.

Kirsty makes really great slings and MTs, with a fantastic eye for detail and meticulous care over the construction, plus she's local to us here at BabyArmadillo which cuts right down on those pesky product miles.

And now for those Specials...

Thinking ahead to the school run? Wondering how you'll keep dry and warm along with your younger offpring or mindees? Or just want to enjoy being out and about without worrying about the weather? Well we're having a bit of a clear-out of our cooler-weather stock in preparation for new items arriving in the Autumn, so take a gander at these:

20% off MaM Coat, Babywearing Winter Cover, Babywearing Dickey and Äiskä, plus The Tube and Fresh Mums Long-sleeved Top

These special prices run 'til the end of August, so get them while they're snug and warm ;)

it's funny what one finds at 3am...

2007-07-31T03:01:00.000+01:00

I was fiddling about with a favicon for my new site, which I won't add the link to here since I'm having issues switching domain nameservers... there's always a reason why something is cheap... Anyway I found this nifty site that converts square bitmaps, gifs or jpegs into favicons, which if you don't know are the little pictures that you see on your tabs or bookmarks/favourites list that make it nice and easy to find the site you're after. V handy. I'm off for a browse round their gallery now...

Birth Club boards

2007-07-03T16:57:00.001+01:00

Antenatal club boards are popular but often the clash of parenting styles means that those who make less mainstream choices end up feeling marginalised and in lots of cases leaving the group altogether. So I've set up some boards on the forum on BabyArmadillo, hopefully to give people a space to share information and experiences and support each other. Hope you enjoy them :-)

going... going...

2007-06-07T00:56:00.000+01:00

Posted out the last sparkling pink 'The Pot' potty today. I have 2 each left of the blue and silver, wow they're nearly all gone! I'll feel very sad when they're gone, I had really high hopes for them as a sellable product and as a concept. Astrid Bartsch, if you're out there and know who has the design rights, please get in touch!!

All systems go!

2007-05-25T11:59:00.000+01:00

Woohoo! I've got my VAT number!! And after long hours slaving over margins and mark-ups and net and gross and zero rated and standard rated and pack sizes and minimum quantities (and taken a breath!) I have a new wholesale pricelist.

All I need now is companies interested in the products to send it to, lol. But seriously, if you are interested then drop me a line to info at babyarmadillo dot com There are lots more products there than are currently listed on the shop, including breastfeeding tops, cloth nappies, blankets and soft shoes. All Babyidea products are made with an eye for sustainability and fair working conditions, so if that's your bag, so to speak, do have a look at what we do :-)

Server issues part deux

2007-05-23T12:44:00.000+01:00

Server now sorted, though there may be some short periods of downtime over the next few days while things are ironed out. Do let me know if you find any problems, and thanks to our hosts for sorting it promptly in what's been a really tough few days for them.

Server issues

2007-05-22T23:37:00.000+01:00

Just a quick note to say that anyone looking for BabyArmadillo at the moment won't find it as the server is broken :-( I can be contacted via tracy.oldfield@ntlworld.com or by phone on 07861 245932

Thanks for your patience.

A couple of new mei tai and Baby Show report

2007-05-16T11:56:00.000+01:00

FrontBackandSides

I've added a couple of new FrontBackandSides Mei Tai to the shop today, hope you like them. Kirsty makes really great slings and carriers, with strong attention to detail and a particular care for the safety of the babies and children in the carrier. When our friends at
Big Mama Slings asked me whether they were well-made I said 'I know how picky Kirsty is.' LOL Watch this space for Solarveil Mei Tai...

The Baby Show

Last Sunday I went to The Baby Show at the NEC, Birmingham. The morning was beautifully sunny and I dressed accordingly, but when we arrived it was freezing and wet, oops! The hustle and bustle inside quickly warmed me up though. It was quite sad to find that while there were cloth nappy stands, who were doing really well (like Geobel who distribute Bambineo bamboo nappies, and had to go home on Saturday because they'd sold out!!) the only slings on display were the BabaSling and the BabyTrekker, alongside a few padded front carriers and framed backpacks. Perhaps there's a gap in the market, there were several people walking around with stretchy wraps and MTs on, but there again I know other retailers who've done shows, so maybe they've found it not worthwhile? I don't know...

So what did I look at? Well there were some old friends, like Morrck, and some really bizarre ideas like the Yes! Superbaby nursing shirt, which, as one forum-poster said, really makes you look like a walking activity mat... I bought some Dryer Balls and went to Subway for lunch, I knew they take plastic and the quality's consistent at least, lol. Mostly I accosted people wearing their babies, either to suggest adjustments or just to chat, and marvelled at the unnecessary stuff that people market, the separation-ist stuff and the downright daft. One woman I talked to, who was wearing her dd in a Calin Bleu microfleece wrap, said 'the only things mothers really need for their babies is arms to hold them and breasts to feed them.' For the most part I heartily agree, though there are women incapable of breastfeeding for whatever reason and for mothers of more than one, sometimes somewhere to put your baby down for a few minutes is really useful, and obviously slings do help take the strain off those arms a bit! But yes, getting used to life with new babies is complicated enough without adding in all the gadgets and gizmos that we get bombarded with. Just boobs and arms is enough to start with.

Jobs for today...

2007-05-10T12:10:00.000+01:00

talk to Trading Standards about something...
talk to my insurance broker...
see if it's too late to book a stand at Honley Show
upload a couple of new 'frontbackandsides' in-stock mei tai
unbung the dishwasher :-

ah the joys...

what a weekend! or oh how the mighty fall, or something...

2007-04-16T12:22:00.000+01:00

Ugh! What can I say?

Friday 13th. I guess it's more bad judgement than bad luck that the lights inside the car were left switched on overnight, meaning my battery was flat when I came to set off. And more bad judgement that I took a wrong turn, and instead of just turning round (which I couldn't do to start with as it was a dual carriageway and no way to cross it) I thought 'there will be a way to get across to the other road.' Well, there wasn't. And somehow I ended up going the whole way round Derby ring road again before coming back to the roundabout. So it wasn't bad luck at all that meant I was setting up for a couple of hours after the show opened :-|

It was definitely bad judgement, but not mine, that chose a venue for a show that only had enough parking for the stallholders and not for customers. That was hard to find, badly publicised and badly set up.

I don't know if I'll do any more shows, and if I do I'll have to do a reccie of the venue first. And I just can't help thinking I could do better myself. But do people really want to go to these things? I'd love to know...

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T01:49:00.000+01:00

Happy Easter! I hope today brings the promise of Springtime new beginnings :-)

I'm up at ridiculous o'clock due to my youngest taking herself up to bed for a nap at 7pm, we hadn't even had tea. And while I have lots of jobs to do, sometimes things take a bit more concentration than listening to Dora the Explorer at 2am will allow. Like comparing types of cloth nappy to decide what a realistic and sufficiently profitable RRP would be on the products one can import. Or writing an email in html to send out to previous customers. Blogging doesn't need quite that level of concentration :-)

The email is a bit of a summing-up of news, I'll put the link here when I can get it finished and uploaded. I hope it doesn't annoy anyone, when I haven't had an opt-in-or-out for a newsletter in the past. The setting of RRPs is so that I can distribute a wholesale price-list, which was the point of registering for VAT. I mean, it's pointless and actually could be expensive if it doesn't increase sales.

Another string to my bow will be setting up some local demonstration sessions. This should have been an integral part of the business from the beginning, and any new sling and natural-baby-care retailer really needs to figure out their niche and local interest, because generally-speaking, people like to see how things work and what they look like, especially when the type of product is unfamiliar. The people who know about slings and are confident with the internet already know what they're looking for and how to find it, but there aren't that many of those, and there are increasing numbers of retailers competing for that relatively small customer-pool.

Anyway, enjoy your day, chocolate-loaded or not *grin*

Happy Easter!

a movin' and a shakin'

2007-04-02T11:04:00.000+01:00

We had a busy week on the admin side of things last week, a new bank account, working on a merchant account and chip and pin machine, ordered some new accounting software and registered for VAT. The latter meant that this weekend we did a complete stock-take, during which I found something I knew was around here somewhere (the pinks and purples longies found here) and I appear to have misplaced some potties. Most disconcerting.

Registering for VAT also means that it will be easier to market my wholesale items to other businesses. So watch out, I may be spamming your inbox soon, lol.

BabyArmadillo went to the fair...

2007-03-27T19:17:00.000+01:00

I drove through the lifting mist and braved the traffic round Bradford this morning to get to Harrogate, to go to the Nursery Fair. Thought I'd have a look-see at what other people were doing and see if there were any interesting products that I wasn't aware of. In particular I was looking for anything sling-related, and something suitable to replace the Helly potties.

There were the usual pushchair, car-seat and cot brand-names. I had a look at the bebe-confort creatis, the car-seat we used for dd4, which now has a quick-fix base which I'm not convinced by... but then I never used ours as a travel system thing. I also had a look at the Britax CosyTot which is meant to have a support cushion of newborns so that they lie flatter and dont have the risk of breathing problems that can arise for particularly small and/or vulnerable babies, but the cushion's not as good as the one in the Creatis IMO.

I wandered round the cot stands, hoping to find a co-sleeper but sadly no. It surprises me really. But I did talk briefly to the woman from The Wool Company, they sell some lovely stuff including wool-filled duvets, really light and v warm apparently (I didn't lie down to test them! Think I would have been asleep, lol.) And this lovely lush underblanket. They go up to super-king-sized. Mmmmmm...

What else did I see? Oh yes...

Baby Cubes which are clever little boxes designed for storing home-made baby food. Being a BLW-er I wouldn't want to use them for that but I will be suggesting them to Merry at BeadMerrily as bead sorting containers :-) Maybe they'd be useful for EBM too?

Close Baby Carrier which looks great, organic cotton, lovely and soft, I like the adjustability thing :-)

The Peanut Shell pouch and the lovely lush ju-ju-be bags from Jellybean, nice, but then so are Sleepytoes ;-)

Great Kids Toys stock the Learning Tower which I've known about for a good while, rave reviews from unschoolers in the US, and the Knee Rider... has to be seen to be appreciated, lol!

The PurFlo mattress. Dust mite free, like hammocks, and supports the baby's natural curvature, like hammocks :-)

There was more stuff but I either can't find the brochure I picked up and therefore can't remember what it was, or it's stuff I might be stocking in the future. Watch this space ;-)

slingifantastico!

2007-03-20T15:52:00.001Z

We are pleased to announce, in partnership with frontBack&Sides, a new service for our valued customers! Buy a wrap from BabyArmadillo and you can have it slingified :) Select your wrap and choose from a range of shoulder styles on the wrap slingification page. We also offer this service for pre-owned wraps, simply send the wrap to us and return postage is included in the price. Please note that we do not offer the 7-pleat SBP shoulder on pre-owned wraps as we don't wish to take business from our friends at Angeltails

We also have a range of FrontBACK&Sides Mei Tai baby carriers in stock, including the delicious 'fluff'!

We'd love to hear your views on our site, please feel free to use the comments function here or post on our forum

Helly potties

2007-02-28T13:48:00.000Z

The official, calm and collected part:

Helly closed on 31st of December. My current stock, and that at Tiddlybums in the UK and The EC Store in the US are, as far as I know, all that will be available of the Babywunder Deluxe and The Pot potties. There may be some available from European companies, while stocks last.

The mini-rant:

It's taken me 2 months to find out that one of my suppliers ceased trading. ~~Sod's~~ Murphy's Law states that of course they make my currently most popular products, and one that I was going to take to shows and really push this year, and they didn't even have the decency to let me know that they were closing. Gah!

a funny old week

2007-02-24T23:06:00.000Z

I love it when we get repeat customers, but not so much when the products don't suit them for one reason or another. *sigh*

An enquiry came in for aluminium sling rings (an upcoming product and part of the MaM range) in lots of 1,000. My mind is completely blown that someone out there might be manufacturing 500 slings at a time. I want some of that traffic!!! Sadly we couldn't get the price quite low enough to meet the company in question's current supplier of nylon rings, boo :( The other major frustration has been the disappearance of a supplier, seemingly dropped off the planet entirely, this is not fun as it's one of our more popular products and I'm desperate to place another order!

But on the upside we may soon be offering local workshops and working with local play-gyms to demonstrate slings and carriers and promote babywearing, in conjunction with our 'neighbours' FrontBackandSides so if you're in the area watch this space! The shop is being twiddled with some more (I can't leave it alone, lol) and as the home-page says, there will soon be articles to read as well as the forum and this blog. As usual, if anyone has feedback or suggestions, please feel free to post a comment here or on the boards.

A good friend is in hospital next week for exploratory surgery. I don't want to go into details but I do want to wish her the very best possible outcome and experience. She really deserves an upturn in health fortunes!!

urgh

2007-02-17T23:04:00.000Z

I really hate being poorly. In the past it would be just a case of taking to my bed and coping best as possible with the children, but now it seems especially galling when I've got work to do! My to do list includes changing my bank account, registering for VAT (don't worry, it won't change the prices on the site :) ) writing articles, organising some local events, doing some pr, maybe booking a stand, chasing up suppliers, doing yet more tinkering with the shop... that happens all the time! Kind-of like an itch, can't leave it alone :| go look I've just done some now! Feedback on it would be lovely :)

Choosing a baby carrier or sling

2007-01-24T18:11:00.000Z

I came across an article earlier that was headed 'Choosing a baby carrier or sling.' Now excuse me for my bias of experience but I would have thought, with a title like that, there might be mention of different types of sling and carrier. I was disappointed. So I wrote this:

Choosing a baby carrier or sling

There are many different kinds of baby and toddler carriers and slings. Most people will be familiar with the front-pack style baby carrier, which has a formed seat for the child and padded straps for the parent or carer. These are easily available in many high-street and online stores, as are framed backpack style carriers, generally available in outdoor-pursuits shops. Less commonly available are pouches, ring-slings, Asian Baby Carriers (ABCs), and stretchy and woven wraparound slings. There are several online outlets for these and a few independent baby shops stock a small
range. There is also the one-shouldered 'baby bag' type carrier. Finding a sling or carrier to suit you depends on how much carrying you'll be doing, how big your baby or child is, your baby's body strength and developmental stage, your own physique, whether the carrier will be used by more than one person and last but not least, how it looks!

A few things to look for:

Padding can make slings and carriers more comfortable but it can make them less adjustable, also it can make the space for baby too small and constrictive. It may stop the carrier from holding the baby snugly to the parent or carer.

Carrying babies is generally more comfortable if they're close to your body and high up. Carriers and slings with straps that tie or wraparound slings (essentially long pieces of fabric designed to wrap around the baby and the wearer) are the most adjustable and flexible to use since they can be tied to fit any size or shape. Pouches must fit snugly to be comfortable. Carriers and slings with buckle fastenings must be easily adjustable to keep the baby or child close to the parent's body.

Babies' backs are naturally curved. Baby carriers which form around the baby's back will support the natural shape and allow the baby to develop a more upright posture normally.

Your baby may prefer to be lying down or more upright, some slings and carriers only allow one position where others are more flexible. Upright carrying is known to be particularly useful for babies with reflux.

Baby carriers can take some time to get used to, eventually you should be able to use it by yourself but please don't be afraid of asking around for help. www.slingmeet.co.uk has details of local and regional meet-ups for sling and carrier users to get hints and tips, compare notes and generally enjoy their baby carrying.

I wanted to keep it short, because the original article was short too, but of course there's much more I could say about choosing slings. Most of it has been said already in other places though, like The Babywearer Seems like it's going to take a bit more effort to disseminate the information to the masses...

New stuff at BabyArmadillo

2007-01-21T13:00:00.000Z

En route from Finland are some new products, the MaM Coat (in sizes S, L and XL, if you want M, please lmk ASAP as there is limited availability and I need to order within the next day or so.) and the MaM ECO Wrap in Sea-Blue, Cocoa, Wine and Lime, in the L/XL size. I've been looking for a stretchy wrap to stock for some time so I'm desperate to see this!

Happy New Year to all BabyArmadillo customers, returning and new :)

doncha just hate it...

2006-09-26T18:40:00.000+01:00

when you dash round getting people organised to walk to the Post Office, just to see the van pulling away when you get there?! Ah the joys of the work-from-home parent...

Walked back through the village past an empty shop, which would be big enough to have a lounge space as well as display space for 'dillo stock. Over it is a flat, most likely big enough to house us all. Such a shame that it would be over dh's dead body for us to move there!

Green Parent magazine

2006-09-13T20:16:00.000+01:00

We placed an ad in The Green Parent for the first time, it's out on Friday but we got our complimentary copy today. And in it is a nice little write-up on the Äiskä! I really wasn't expecting it, it's a much-needed boost :-) And hello to anyone reading who has found us through TGP, say 'hi' and remember to let us know where you heard about us when you order ;-)

For those who don't know, the Äiskä is a poncho-style coat, with sleeves, designed to be worn over a child in a carrier on the wearer's front or back. It's fashioned from an exclusively-made fabric, a double-layer interlock, 100% wool on the outside and 100% cotton on the inside. It has generous cuffs which can easily be folded back, a detachable hood and scarf, the scarf can double as a head-support for sleepy babies :-)

Anyway, I'll be watching my web-stats with interest this weekend! Thanks TGP :-)

UK Babywearing Conference

2006-09-09T09:38:00.000+01:00

Haven't blogged in a little while, partly because I've been busy trying to set this site up. I'm hoping to get plenty of volunteers so that we can keep everything as 'mother-sized' as possible, if you're interested in helping out, do join and use the contact form to let us know. :-)

Shop news: We have booked a stand at Little Ones Fair again, hopefully this time we won't have any mishaps to stop us attending! The next few weeks we'll be concentrating on preparing to attend. We have some things in the pipeline but they're going to have to wait!

As always, if you have any comments or suggestions we'd love to hear them :-)

Buppy Pads

2006-08-30T17:55:00.000+01:00

New in! We now stock Buppy Pads!

These handy creatures are an ideal complement to any kind of potty learning and general savers from toddler mess. Your child's car-seat, highchair or pushchair will love you for it ;)

What we do

2006-08-20T11:22:00.000+01:00

I thought, while I'm here already, I'd post an overview of what BabyArmadillo is about. BabyArmadillo was started while I was pregnant with our fourth daughter (not that we knew that she was a girl at the time!) because I wanted an Äiskä! I also knew that I wanted a Storchenwiege wrap. I saw the Äiskä on a forum thread and said to my long-suffering husband and business partner, "Do you think that if I emailed and said I was starting a baby-stuff business that they would send me one as a sample?"
He said, "Well you could, you know."
"I could what?"
"Start a baby-stuff business..."

And here we are, nearly 2 years later! Still selling Äiskä and Storch and we've gradually increased our range to include more slings, 'lactivism' clothes for babies and children, potties and baby hammocks. We focus on stocking items designed to help parents respond to their babies' needs in a timely way, so there won't be anything that encourages separation here. We're always on the look-out for new products to add to our range, so please add any suggestions and we'll look into them. You can also post on our forum.

Hello and welcome!

2006-08-20T10:08:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the BabyArmadillo business blog. I'm going to use this space to share news about products, upcoming events and shop developments, show you pictures and videos of our products in action and hopefully get feedback on products and services that we currently offer and that you'd like to see in the future.

Please feel free to post comments, pass on the link etc.