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.

MaM Coat 2009

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.

MaM Coat 2007

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.

going... going...

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!!

Choosing a baby carrier or sling

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...