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.

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 ;)

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

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

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...

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!

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

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

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

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...