MaM 2009 Preorder

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.

the hopeless blogger returns...

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...

New stuff and specials for August

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 ;)

A couple of new mei tai and Baby Show report

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...

• 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...

slingifantastico!

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

New stuff at BabyArmadillo

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 :)

Buppy Pads

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 ;)