FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Babywearing is made Easy with the Versatile and Trendy Baby Carrier Design that Features a Patent-Pending Safety Seat by Bundleboo™ LLC.

Bundleboo™, LLC. has created a Safety Seat style wrap carrier that not only adds to the comforts of babywearing, but it also provides support to the world wide non-profit organization, The Smile Train.

Winchester, VA., June 21, 2007- During her pregnancy, Bundleboo LLC wraps founder, Rebekah Gonzalez was told her little girl, Katy, would be born with a Cleft lip and/or Cleft palate. Shortly after the birth, Katy, then 3 months would undergo cleft lip repair. In the hospital, Katy found comfort while in her traditional wrap carrier. Following the surgery, Katy was finally getting the attention she deserved as was the traditional wrap that she was being carried in. The interest from this simple wrap was so overwhelming that Rebekah thought she could make a business making them herself. Being taught to sew in her mother's kitchen, and by taking the advice from her to find a unique style that would stand out from the rest, Rebekah started making some much needed changes to her traditional wrap and within 24 hours , Bundleboo LLC was born. "The idea was based around a defined and more secure place for the baby to sit" states Rebekah. Within four months, the "safety seat" style wrap was patent-pending. Once Rebekah could no longer keep up with the demands of sewing, she found a US based manufacturing company that provides, Bundleboo LLC with fabrics that are 100% made in the USA.

Bundleboo LLC wraps are made using machine washable and dryer safe, 100% woven cotton and is designed with a patent-pending safety seat which consists of roomy, comfortable leg holes built into the fabric. Panels are made to evenly distribute the weight of your baby over the shoulders, back and hips which virtually eliminate back pain and pressure points that are common in strap or one shoulder carriers.

With all of the tremendous benefits of a traditional wrap carrier, Bundleboo LLC has provided safety, comfort, and simplicity of use along with peace of mind.

There is no minimum infant weight requirement and it will support toddlers up to 40 pounds. With 10 different carrying positions, it allows you the flexibility to find the most comfortable position for you and your baby. In addition, they also allow for 2 discrete and hands-free nursing positions. "There is a small learning curve but after you have done it a few times, you should be able to put your baby in any of the positions in under one minute." Rebekah adds, "Bundleboo LLC has truly cut the learning curve in half from traditional wrap carriers, making it far easier to master in a short period of time."

Bundleboo LLC offers three different product designs.

Classic Bundleboo is their conservative solid color carrier with cream color accents. The Signature Bundleboo is a fun and unique design fabric center panel. This design re-enforces and clearly defines the "Safety Seat" and after adding extra fabric, it also provides a small about of padding for your shoulders in a few of the back positions. The Premier Bundleboo is a custom line that provides the customer with specific fabrics, patterns, and animal or design appliqués creating an extraordinary Bundleboo wrap. In August 2007, the Organic Bundleboo will be made available for retail purchases. Each carrier purchased includes a tote bag and instructional DVD. Prices vary for styles and range from $69.00-$119.00.

For additional product and ordering information, please visit www.bundleboo.com. Bundleboo LLC will also be attending the DC Baby Carrier Expo on August 25, 2007 and the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, NV, September 7-10, 2007.

I personally would not have named the article the way they did. Just hearing that a wrap is 18 feet long sounds intimidating, and could be a turn off to new moms and dads. I think once you use the wrap a few times the length of the wrap is inconsequential.

I guess the only thing I want to point out about the article is its short list of celebrities that are using baby carriers. Sheryl Crow, Brooke Shields, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Brad Pitt have been spotted using carriers, and evidently Brad was using a Black Moby wrap.

They also mentioned that Yoga instructor Anna Getty has a new DVD set, which includes a chapter on using your Moby Wrap so that mom and baby can do yoga together. Sounds fun!

]]> 2007-06-21T22:27:58Z 2007-06-21T18:27:58-05:00 tag:,2007:/607.49905 2007-06-21T22:27:58Z

The Ellaroo Wrap is a long piece of hand-woven cotton fabric that can be tied in different ways, but usually over both shoulders and around the torso to create a secure and comfortable carrier for your baby or toddler. It is essentially a 15 foot scarf, beautiful, colorful, and lightweight. The wide width allows it to be supportive enough to create the seat or pocket in which the baby rests. The weave of the fabric also gives it a grip or structure that, particularly for back carries, is essential for the right support.

It has been said that baby wraps have the greatest learning curve of the baby carriers, that they are the most difficult to begin using. My own experience did not live up to that warning. My little one was on board and dozing the first evening we tried it out. If you have any need to get your little one settled into your rhythm, whether to take care of other kids, or to soothe a colicky baby, you will have all the motivation you need to learn the basic carrying positions. Then, as you continue, you can learn to finesse the wrap to get the most cozy, comfortable, and practical use of it.

I think it is ideal to have a baby carrier for every occasion, but if I could only have one, it would still be a wrap!

Also, you can check out this link if you want to see some babywearing in action. It starts on page 5. ]]> 2006-09-15T20:28:01Z 2006-09-15T16:28:01-05:00 tag:,2006:/607.38899 2006-09-15T20:28:01Z

The Mei Tai is fast growing in popularity among the babywearing crowd. It is often referred to by several different names. The most common is Mei Tai, and is followed in popularity by ABC or Asian Baby Carrier. I have even seen it referred to as a Mei Tai baby sling, which for me is a bit of a misnomer because it is more of a front or back pack carrier.

tie on before you leave the house

The Mei Tai is much like a Podaegi except the Mei Tai has a total of four straps where the Podaegi has only two. I believe the four straps makes the Mei Tai easier to tie, which has resulted in the Mei Tai being a bit more popular then the Podaegi. Though, Leslie loves her Podaegi and would not trade it.

One of the great things about the Mei Tai is that it can be tied before you leave the house, and once you are ready to wear your little one you can just loosen the straps and slide them in. As with any carrier there is a small learning curve, but after a few times of using it the tying-on becomes second nature.

The three best features of the EllaRoo Mei Tai are the colors, headrest, and comfort.

]]> Headrest

Mei Tai Headrest:
The headrest is great to have when your little one is sleeping, though we have found that as our toddlers have grown that the headrest is not strong enough to support the head while sleeping. Though, while they are smaller the headrest is a must have. The head rest and body both have a magnet sewn inside the fabric, so the headrest nicely folds down and out of the way.

from a distance

Colors:
The colors and the fact that the Mei Tai is reversible makes EllaRoo's Mei Tei standout. In effect you are getting two Mei Tais with one purchase. The real perk is that as a guy I can reverse the Mei Tai and not feel odd about wearing it.

Comfort:
The Mei Tei is super comfortable and it is made of soft organic cotton. I personally like that it is worn over both shoulders, which distributes the weight evenly. The straps are a good width and do not dig in like a narrower strap would.

Overall I would rate the EllaRoo Mei Tei very highly. The only thing I would change about this baby carrier is that I would add a little more support in the headrest, but like I said it really only becomes a problem for toddlers. In a post to come I will do a review of the Kozy Carrier.

]]>

I think what we have learned is that baby was so used to sleeping on or next to mommy that he could not easily fall asleep with me. My hope is that by wearing from the start and getting baby used to falling asleep with me that on those evenings the DW would like to stay up a little longer that the transition to bed will be a smoother one even though she is not there.

I have known that estrogen levels increases in human males before and after the birth, which gives males the needed nurturing boost that they lack. Here is an excerpt from an article in Psychology Today:

The artical is long but interesting none the less.

So my thought is this: I wonder if like marmoset I carry our new baby a whole lot if it will create a more concerned, loving, and gentle me. I'm sure the wife hopes so! :-)

We see babies propped on top of shopping carts all the time, by parents who may wonder why on earth our 20-plus pounder is being carried, hands-free of course. Because it is safer, easier, more pleasant, you can fit a lot more stuff in your cart, and you can leave your husband or mother home because you can handle the shopping on your own!

click to enlarge

This past Saturday we went to the botanical gardens in Atlanta. The gardens were a really great place to wear-in the Patapum carrier. I have worn the Patapum around the house a bit and have liked it, but this was the first time I was outside and really moving around for an extended period of time.

What I like about the Patapum is that it does not have an external or internal frame, so my boys were pulled in much closer to my center of gravity; much like a wrap or mei tai. The only drawback is that it can be a bit warmer than an external framed pack because the rider is actually touching your back. Though, I did end up wearing both my 3.5 year old and my 18 month old in temperatures that were in the upper eighties, and what was lost in ventilation was overcome by the overall comfort of the carrier. I remember my lower back used to bother me a little bit when I wore an external framed pack because the rider hangs back behind you a bit, and with every wobble of the rider it is up to the lower back to make the correction. I experienced none of that with the tight center of gravity that the Patapum offers.

Patapum Rolled up

One other nice thing about the Patapum is that when no one is riding you can roll it up, snap it together, and push the shoulder straps inside the rolled up carrier. That way it is out of the way, and it kind of looks like a fanny pack.

On a side note: if you have not been to the botanical gardens then you are missing out. It is such a kid friendly place. The only draw back was that it was such a great place for the boys to explore that Leslie and I did not get to stop and examine a lot of the plants in detail the way we would have liked. We will most certainly go back.

Leslie and I are not new to babywearing. We have been wearing babies since our first little one was born 3½ years ago. Leslie was ready to start (or I guess I should say, continue) wearing him before he was even born. She bought a New Native pouch, which she carried him in, in spite of the fact that it was extremely uncomfortable, but being that there was no place in Chattanooga to try on a different carrier, she just had to make due. Plus, he just loved being worn, so she just endured the lack of comfort and continued to wear him. When he was old enough to start holding himself up, we started to carry him around in an external-frame baby backpack carrier. At the time, I was use to hiking with a 50 lb. external-frame backpack, so wearing a 15+ pound baby was no big deal, and the pack was fairly comfortable.

Flash forward 3 years, and we now have two boys who are 3 ½ and 18 months, and another little one on the way. Due to Chattanooga's void in the babywearing support department, we started an online store where we sell baby carriers. We also open up our house for a more hands-on experience with baby carriers. Leslie can demonstrate the carries that can be done with slings, wraps, mei tai, podaegis, and structured (front/back pack) carriers.

Our goal here at the Chattanooga Babywearing blog is not to really talk about our store, but more just a place where we will link to good articles, highlight many of the baby carriers on the market, and discuss the babywearing interests of those of us in the Chattanooga and Southeast Tennessee area.