Changes abound!

Changes here at Nature Baby Online seem to be constant.  So goes life, I suppose.  Our small family has added a member (I was married last month!) and made a big move to a rural community in Western North Carolina.  In the midst of marriage and moving, I’ve hardly had time to think business.  I’m in the dire need of restocking our inventory and adding new babywearing products.  Now that we’re settled in our new home, I’m working on placing orders with new companies and adding products and carriers from companies we’ve been working with already.  Watch out for new carriers, new colors, new fabrics.  We have some exciting things coming way.

Our lovely daughter has just turned three (where has time gone?!) and babywearing is continuing to evolve and change with an older child.  Our family is now living and working on a farm (specializing in lavender, blueberries, and dairy goats) and babywearing has helped us adapt to life on the farm.  We do lots of walking and manual labor and Ruby is with us for each step.  Often she is standing next to us, helping collect eggs or trim lavender.  At other times, she needs to be off the ground and out of the way of the animals.  In these moments, I sling her over my back and put her in her carrier.  We do lots of walking and she tires quicker than we do, asking to be worn and carried.

Ruby meeting her new goat friends.

Babywearing with an older child presents new joys and challenges.  Older children still have the need to be carried and held close, while at the same time needing space to explore independence.  It is important to have a carrier that your child enjoys being in and does not threaten her independence.  With our daughter, Ruby, we generally let her decide when and where she wants to be carried.  We still pack a carrier for each trip we go on, whether it be the grocery store or the mountain trails around our home.  It is much easier on a parent’s back to carry an older child for long time periods in a carrier rather than on a hip.  I find that my carriers are still lifesavers and never travel away from the home without one.

These days, our most used carrier is the Ergo Baby Carrier.  Ruby is weighing in at over 35 pounds, making her quite heavy.  We have found the Ergo to be extremely comfortable.  While I can’t say that carrying around at 35 lb three year old is easy work, the Ergo makes it easier.  I might be tired after carting her up and down the hills outside our home, my back doesn’t ache at the end of the day.  The Ergo is a great carrier for parents looking for a carrier option that will last from birth through toddlerhood (and into preschool-hood!).  It can be worn on the front, side, or back and distributes weight in an even fashion, eliminating back and shoulder pain.  Like all carriers we sell, it is easy to use after a few practices.  I find the Ergo Baby Carrier’s video to be an outstanding resource, making babywearing easy even for the novice.  Of course, if you happen to live close by, we here at Nature Baby would be glad to help you get into your new (or old) carrier and help you feel 100% comfortable wearing your child.

We are expecting a large order of Ergo Baby Carriers to arrive soon, including some new prints.  Keep an eye on our site to see what’s new!

Babywearing Class Planning

One of the favorite parts of my job/life is getting to teach other people about babywearing. Sometimes when I mention that my business is about babywearing, people give me funny looks. “What do you mean, dressing babies?” Usually when I explain that I’m talking about an ancient tradition of wrapping your child close to your body, I still get funny looks. It’s unfortunate that the art of babywearing has been lost in our culture. I wonder how things would be different if more people wore their children close to them? Would our children be different?

The number one fear I hear from parents thinking about babywearing is that their children will be clingy and dependent if they are constantly held. “Babies need to learn to be independent and to soothe themselves.” Research actually shows quite the opposite. Babies who are held actually show independence sooner than their non-carried counterparts. Your child will develop a deep sense of trust when held that she will transfer to the world around her.

I began holding Ruby when she was five days old. Her Granny Sarah gave me a wrap as a gift. I had no idea what I was doing, as I had never been around parents who carried their children. What was awkward the first couple times I attempted it became quickly easy, even automatic. Ruby was in the wrap most of the time. She slept there and nursed there. She hung out and watched the world around her.

Ruby, 5 days

In this picture she is in the sage/hazelnut Hug-a-bub, the wrap that began my adventure.  Of course, it doesn’t look like that good of a wrapping job.  I think this is the second time I put her in it.  Not too bad though.  She is fast asleep and going on her first hike.  It didn’t take long until we were expert babywearers–always using the wrap and branching out to different carries and holds.

I have to say, I’ve always felt like a ninja when Ruby isn’t in the wrap but it’s still wrapped to my body, cloth all around me.  I like the ninja feel.

So the title of my post is “Babywearing Class Planning” but I’ve yet to do more than elude to teaching babywearing classes.  In order to complete the post’s not-so-large circle, I’ll return to the title…

I really love teaching people about babywearing, especially those who look at my funny ninja outfit and wonder how the heck I’ve got my baby in there!  It’s fun to see all the soon-to-be parents and then to see many again after their child has been born.  I want to teach more classes.  I am going to spend much of this year trying to make connections to mid-wives, doulas, and childbirth educators.  In the past I’ve come into childbirth classes and given a 30 minute presentation on babywearing, showing the carriers and the different ways to carry children.  Often times I’ll hear from parents after the class, wanting to learn more about wearing their babies.

I’d like to do a lot more than this.  I would like to offer more workshops, where caregivers can try on different carriers and learn different holds.  These can be a lot of fun and also let new parents meet other new parents.  I’m hoping to keep my eyes open for good places to host these events.

Keep checking the website:  www.naturebabyonline.com for up-coming workshops and lectures.  And please let us know if you have any suggestions for spreading the good word of babywearing.

Peace, love, and babywearing-

Becca

Babywearing as a Guide

Changes abound here at Nature Baby and, now, we begin blogging our little adventure. Babywearing is my passion. It is how Nature Baby was begun. (Remember the story? Ruby was born; her Granny gave me a Hug-a-bub baby carrier; people wouldn’t stop asking about it; and I started a business in response.)

And now we are going back to our roots.

Nature Baby’s focus is now babywearing. We will offer babywearing products, support, education, and advocacy. There are so many benefits to wearing your child: 50% less crying, reduced colic, mental/physical/emotional stimulation and development, weight gain in premature babies. Not to mention that by wearing your baby, you will have two hands free to go on with life. Start a business, climb a mountain, plant a garden, do your laundry, cook, the list goes on…

Because we are all about babywearing, we now have more choices: more styles, more brands, more colors. We also have more time to spending doing what we love–teaching others how to “wear” their babies. If this sounds new to you or you have never seen babywearing in action, keep up with what we’re doing here at Nature Baby. We hope for this to be a space to share our life and love of babywearing. You may even learn something. I hope I do!

Love and blessings and babywearing-

Becca