AURORA MEETING IS CANCELLED 11/21/15

Due to the heavy snowfall expected this morning, we are canceling the Aurora meeting. If you would like to keep your carrier until the next Aurora meeting, you may do so. Jacquelyn Jennings will be holding a carrier swap at her house on Friday, 11/27 from 10am-noon. Please pm her for the address if you plan to swap.

It's raffle time! 

Every year, as part of our International Babywearing Week celebrations, we hold a gigantic raffle extravaganza. This serves as our primary fundraiser for the year and gives all of YOU the chance to win some truly cool prizes. We are so grateful to all of the businesses and individuals who donate to our raffles. We think the prize packages this year are the best yet! Before we get to the goodies, here's an overview of how the raffles will work this year.

How do I purchase raffle tickets?
Tickets will be sold primarily at our big Embrace Your World event in Elburn on Saturday, October 10th. If you cannot attend the event but still wish to purchase tickets, please email us at IBW2015NCIL@gmail.com and we will assist you in purchasing tickets prior to the event. If you are not attending the event, your tickets must be purchased by 8 PM CST on Friday, 10/9 in order to be entered into the raffles.

When will you draw the winners?
Winners will be drawn at the end of our big event in Elburn on Saturday, October 10th, at approximately 3:30 PM CST. You do not need to be present to win! If you are at the event and win, you will be able to take your prize package home with you. Otherwise, we will work with you to arrange pickup at your nearest BWI of NCIL meeting. (And if you can't make regular meetings but still wish to participate, we can work that out too.)

How much do tickets cost?
Tickets are available in the following quantities:

• 1 for $3 
• 2 for $5 
• 10 for $20 
• 20 for $35 
• 30 for $50 
• 75 for $100 

In previous years, we have asked you to write your last name on the back of every ticket that you purchase. We realize this can be very tedious and may discourage you from buying as many tickets as you'd like! This year, when you purchase your tickets, you will be assigned a 3-digit number. You'll write that number on each ticket before you deposit it in the box. If you happen to forget your number later, we'll have a record of it too. We hope that this will keep things organized and also save you the hassle of writing your name out or keeping track of bunches of tickets. (If you're like me, you don't need any extra stuff in your diaper bag.)

The Prize Packages
So now that we've got the logistics out of the way, who's ready to see what you can win?
(Donors are listed in italics.)

Package 1: The Getaway

Combi Featherlight F2 Stroller (Rashada Hamlin)

Natibaby Nalu hemp/cotton blend ring sling size Medium (Marsupial Mamas)

Stroller cover

Tie dye flour sack towel by Twisted Sisters Tye Dye 

BWI beach ball 

Bonus lei! 

Estimated retail value: $325

Package 2: Surf 'n' Turf 

Iddy Biddy Pool School birthday party package

Wrapsody WrapDuo water wrap in Lagoon (anonymous donor)

Ream's Elburn Meat Market $25 gift card and reusable cup

Tie dye flour sack towel by Twisted Sisters Tye Dye

BWI beach ball 

Estimated retail value: $354

Package 3: Welcome to the World

Moby wrap in black 

Moby baby hat

Centegra Breastfeeding Resource Center $25 gift certificate

Kelli Belle Photography mini session gift certificate (available dates 11/28 and 11/29)

Package of 3 swaddle blankets by Lil Peepers Keepers

Foodii starter kit

 Estimated retail value: $280

Package 4: Pikkaboo!

 Catbird Baby Pikkolo soft structured carrier (Librarians of NCIL)

Beco organic drool pads

Kelli Belle Photography mini session gift certificate (available dates 11/28 and 11/29)

Babies R Us $30 gift card (Toys R Us/Babies R Us)

Moby baby hat

Set of 3 headbands by The Pickled Peanut

BecomingIsis nursing/teething necklace (Justine Garcia)

Tie dye flour sack towels by Twisted Sisters Tye Dye 

 Estimated retail value: $371

Package 5: Technicolor Tumbling

 Kids In Action birthday party gift certificate (Please note there is a $50 fee for this party in addition to the certificate. Total party value = $230)
Coordinating tie dye t-shirt and onesie by Twisted Sisters Tye Dye
Tie dye flour sack towel by Twisted Sisters Tye Dye
Handmade tutu (Melissa Levato)
Chompy Chic Chewlery teething accessories
Hoppediz merino baby legwarmers (Zerberts)
Planet Wise dino snack pack. 

Estimated retail value: $285

Package 6: Strong and Stylish

Kelli Belle Photography mini session gift certificate (available dates 11/28 and 11/29)

Salon Ellenbe gift certificate for haircut and wax

Outfit and accessories by The Pickled Peanut

Adam's Fit Tae Kwon Do gift certificate for one-month membership and uniform

Handmade tutu (Melissa Levato) 

Foodii starter kit 

Estimated retail value: $347

Package 7: Autumn Adventuring

Peekaru babywearing soft shell coat size XL (anonymous donor)

Ergo Original soft structured carrier

Beco organic drool pads

Kuipers Family Farm gift certificate for admission for 4 people and 1 dozen apple cider donuts

Moby baby hat 

Estimated retail value: $288

Package 8: Punk Rock Princess

KoKaDi Rockabilly woven wrap size 4 (Marsupial Mamas)

Salon Ellenbe gift certificate for haircut and wax

Avalon Lane organic vegan black mascara

Adam's Fit Tae Kwon Do gift certificate for one-month membership and uniform

Handmade tutu (Melissa Levato) 

Estimated retail value: $283

Package 9: Zig Zag Zoom

Natibaby Zig Zag Colorado linen/cotton blend woven wrap size 7 (Marsupial Mamas)

Royal Oak Farm Orchard gift certificate for 20 activity tokens

4 pairs of admission tickets from the Rockford Park District (Alpine or Sand Park Pool, Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens, Playworld, and Carlson Ice Arena or Riverview Ice House) 

Estimated retail value: $275

 

Package 10: Sweet Dreams

Natibaby Sycamore Dreams hemp/cotton blend woven wrap size 6 (Marsupial Mamas)

Kelli Belle Photography mini session gift certificate (available dates 11/28 and 11/29)

Colonial Cafe Kitchen Sink gift certificate 

Estimated retail value: $310

Package 11: Local Artisan Love

Handmade bear quilt, 58" x 49" (Rashada Hamlin)

Handmade silver link babywearing necklace, centerpiece + chain, by Alloa Baby

Estimated retail value: $275

Check out all of the businesses that donated to us!

Register for our Embrace Your World IBW 2015 Event!

There is so much packed in to our Embrace Your World IBW 2015 Event! 

Click here to get to the event registration!!! 

Amount of experience in babywearing needed to attend our event? ZERO.

Amount of money needed to attend our event? ZERO.

Amount of carriers you need to bring with you to attend? ZERO. (Of course, if you want help with a carrier you have, please do bring that. But we have a large lending library that you will get to sample and use during our classes.)

But there are lots of big numbers to take note of!

17 Babywearing Educators!!! Our amazing BWI of NCIL group is made up of 3 Master Babywearing Educators (MBEs), 2 Advanced Babywearing Educators (ABEs), and 12 Volunteering Babywearing Educators (VBEs).

You get to look at, touch, and try on carriers from our lending library - that's 60 different brands of carriers and about 200 carriers!

And you get to have FUN! During classes, games, and just chatting with others about babywearing!

Where? Great Lakes Leadership Campus 526 N. Main St. Elburn IL 60119

Here is a listing of the entire day's events for you to peruse and decide what you want to attend. Feel free to attend one class, two, or stay all day! Remember, all these amazing classes are FREE!

ALL DAY LONG

• Check in at the registration table and get your gift bag (first 50 people registered for our event).
• Purchase your raffle tickets and enter them into whichever of the raffles you want to win!
• Visit our vendors Marsupial Mamas, Lehan's, and Fluff Envy. 
• Check out information from our other sponsors, Illinois Friends of Midwives (ILFOM) and Stephanie L. Butler, Attorney at Law.
• We have some fun games planned for you to take part in!
• Childcare, sponsored by Kindercare with space donated by Elburn Hill Church, is available for your children who are not being worn in classes. See the event link for more details on this!

Plenty of break time to do all this fun stuff in between whichever class or classes you choose to attend!

9:45am Come and get a breakfast treat provided by Dunkin Donuts before your first class! 

10am-10:45am Your choice of the following classes

         Babywearing 101 sponsored by The Joyful Giraffe

         Ring Sling Workshop

         Babywearing Workout sponsored and taught by Ryan Darby from Pound 4 Pound Fitness

11:15am-12pm Your choice of the following classes

         Intro to Wrapping sponsored by New Leaf Photography

         Mei Tais and Soft Structured Carriers

         Babywearing Yoga being taught by Lisa Gartley

12pm-1pm Lunch provided by Briana's Pancake Cafe as well as the following fun activities

         Ask the VBE - your chance to ask our VBE's whatever questions you may have!

         Babywearing 102 - Now that you learned the basics in 101, browse and try on carriers from our vast lending library.

1:15-2pm Your choice of the following classes

         Wrapping with Shorter Wraps sponsored by Radiant Heart Yoga

         Ring Sling Workshop

         Babywearing Ballet sponsored by Blue Fox Software and taught by Leah Wheatley

2:30-3:15pm Your choice of the following classes

         Intro to Tandem Wearing

         Wrap Back Carries sponsored by Cherilyn Denler Photography

         Babywearing Zumba sponsored and taught by Center-Fit

3:15-3:30pm Raffle prize winners will be announced! 

In case you missed it at the top of this page...

Click here to get to the event registration!!! 

We cannot wait to see you at the BWI of NCIL 2015 IBW Embrace Your World Event! 

A collage of our IBW 2014 Event!

IBW 2015 Class Introductions

We know you are wondering what is this big event on October 10, 2015? So we are going to tell you a few more details right before registration opens for this FREE event!

Our 2015 IBW Embrace Your World event is going to have a variety of classes that can help you learn about babywearing, about the different carriers, and of course, how to use the carriers to wear your little one. They will be broken down into more specific areas so you can just pick the particular one(s) you want to attend. We have returning favorites like Ring Slings, Wrapping Basics, Babywearing 101, Intro to Tandem Wearing and more. But it gets more exciting than that!

For our 2015 International Babywearing Week celebration, we are also having some new classes for you to take while wearing your baby!

A Babywearing Workout is being taught and sponsored by Ryan Darby from Pound 4 Pound Fitness in Elburn. Wear your baby while doing squats, arm exercises and more. Learn exercises that you can do at home while wearing your baby.

Our Babywearing Ballet class is being taught by Leah Wheatley and is being sponsored by Blue Fox Software. This class is perfect for beginners. No experience necessary.



We have Babywearing Yoga being taught by Lisa Gartley. Get your focus back while you work on your yoga skills and get baby snuggles at the same time.

Babywearing Zumba is being taught by an instructor from Center-Fit. This specially modified class will have those aspects that you love about Zumba mixed with the ability to wear your child while getting in your workout.

IBW 2015 Sponsor Introduction - Briana's Pancake Cafe

Babywearing International of North Central Illinois is thankful to have Briana's Pancake Cafe as a sponsor for the lunch provided during our IBW Embrace Your World Event. Their restaurant is located in Elburn, IL at 151 E. Route 38 and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Be sure to "Like" Briana's Pancake Cafe Facebook page and tell them Thank You for supporting BWI of NCIL!

IBW 2015 Sponsor Introduction - Fluff Envy

Babywearing International of North Central Illinois is excited to introduce you to another of our sponsors for this year's IBW Embrace Your World Event. 

We are very thankful for the sponsorship by Fluff Envy. They will be at our Embrace Your World IBW Event for your shopping pleasure. Options from Fluff Envy will include some of their eco-friendly products that are great for your diaper bag such as glass baby bottles, wooden or silicone teethers, natural health care products, cloth diapers, books and natural toys.

Be sure to go "Like" the Fluff Envy Facebook page and tell them Thank You for supporting BWI of NCIL!

IBW 2015 Sponsor Introduction - Lehan's

Babywearing International of North Central Illinois is excited to introduce you to another of our sponsors for this year's IBW Embrace Your World Event. 

A big thank you goes to our sponsor, Lehan's. They will be in-person at our event with a variety of their inventory such as Wrapsody wraps and CatBird Baby baby carriers. Lehan's will also have amber necklaces for adults and babies, teething bling necklaces, and Motherlove products too so be sure to check out their table at our Embrace Your World event!

Be sure to go "Like" the Lehan's Facebook page and tell them Thank You for supporting BWI of NCIL!

IBW 2015 Sponsor Introduction - Marsupial Mamas

You've heard that we have an event coming up on October 10th to celebrate International Babywearing Week... Well, let's start telling you about all the exciting things that will be happening that day!

Babywearing International of North Central Illinois is excited to introduce you to one of our sponsors for this year's IBW Embrace Your World Event. 

We are so thankful for our sponsor, Marsupial Mamas. They will be in-person at our event with a variety of their inventory so you can do some shopping! Marsupial Mamas has baby carriers from brands such as Natibaby, Kokadi, Baby-Doo, Fidella, Toto Wraps, and more.

Be sure to go "Like" the Marsupial Mamas Facebook page and tell them Thank You for supporting BWI of NCIL!

Mark your Calendar for International Babywearing Week!

Can you believe we have less than two months until International Babywearing Week? You just need to take one step right now to ensure you get to join us in the fun of IBW 2015 and mark this date on your calendar - October 10, 2015.

 

What's so important about October 10, 2015? 

It's THE BIG EVENT!!!!

And this year's BIG EVENT has even more fun packed into it than last year! We will have free babywearing workshops, games, food, and even a couple other special workshops which will be revealed very soon! 

Also, it is important to note that for the month of October we are only hosting this one big event on October 10 and we are not having any of our regular meetings throughout the month.

Macy's Shop for a Cause

Our group has partnered with Macy’s for their annual “Shop for a Cause” fundraiser on August 29th. This means we are selling Macy’s savings passes for $5 each and that entire $5 gets to stay with our group. The savings pass entitles you to save up to 30% all day (August 29) on select regular, sale and clearance merchandise – even brands that are normally excluded. Save 25% on select designer apparel collections for him & her, Impulse, designer handbags, Wacaol, Tumi, Wustoff, Henkels, Kate Spade home & All Clad. Save 10% on electrics/electronics, watches, furniture, mattresses, and rugs/floor coverings. Passes are good at any Macy’s Store. There is also a raffle ticket included to be deposited at the store you shop at (1 winner per store) to win a $500 Macy’s Gift Card.

We will have passes for Sale at all of our upcoming meetings this month. If you are unable to attend a meeting or the meeting you go to has already occurred you can also purchase passes online through Paypal using the donate button to the right. Please make sure to note with your Paypal transaction that it is for a Macy’s savings pass. After we receive your online payment you will receive an electronic savings pass through email. If you any questions or would like more information please contact one of our admins or visit MACYS.COM/SHOPFORACAUSE.

International Babywearing Week Sponsorship Opportunities

Babywearing International of North Central Illinois is seeking sponsors and donors for International Babywearing Week (IBW) 2015. IBW is October 4-10 and our one big event this year will be on Saturday, October 10th. It will feature classes, games, raffles and lots of fun! In order to help fund these events we are asking for your help in the form of both sponsorships and donations.

Our sponsorship opportunities:

$50 Sponsorship - Receive mention on our blog on a special IBW supporters page until the following IBW, in our Facebook group and during IBW events.  You can also provide us with material (one type of flyers, cards or coupons) that attendees will be given during our Oct. 10 Embrace Your World Event.

$100 Sponsorship - Receive the above plus mention on our IBW flyers.

$125 Sponsorship (3 available) Receive above plus half of the 4' x 10' table in the conference room or a 2’ x 4’ table next to a walkway at our Embrace Your World Event on Saturday, Oct 10 in Elburn. You may hand out information and/or sell items.

$250 Sponsorship (3 available) - Receive everything from the $100 sponsorship level plus mention in print media advertising and a vendor table in the welcome area at our Embrace Your World Event on Saturday Oct. 10th in Elburn. You may staff the table and hand out information and/or sell items. *There is one spot left at this level.*

$75 Class Sponsorship - Receive your name listed on the Event registration as a sponsor, your logo on the class you sponsor at our big event, your material (flyers, cards or coupons) passed out during the class you sponsor and given to attendees at the event. There are 9 spots left at this level. If you would like to teach a class (some examples are babywearing yoga, babywearing workout, etc.), your teaching will be in lieu of cash.

Donation Opportunities:

We are also seeking donations for our raffles and giveaways.  Donors will receive mention on our blog on a special IBW supporters page until the following IBW, mention in our facebook group and public page.   You can also provide us with material (flyers, cards or coupons) that attendees will be given during our Oct. 10th Event.

Want to do a sponsorship or donation for this great event? Send an e-mail to bwiofncil@gmail.com to let us know. We only have until the end of August to get everything in place and receive donation items so don't miss out on this exciting opportunity!

An opportunity for you to have an exclusive BWI colorway from Wrapsody!

We have an exciting opportunity for you!

Wrapsody has opened up a preorder for the BWI exclusive wraps, Kailani (Hybrid Stretch) and Laguna (Breeze/Gauze). You can order through the links below. When you place your order, put our chapter name (BWI of North Central IL) in the notes field under the billing address section and $10 from every wrap purchased will go directly to our chapter! How cool is that?

Check it out:

Kailani Hybrid https://wrapsodybaby.com/shop/stretch-hybrid/hybrid-kailani-preorder-bwi-fundraiser/

Breeze Laguna https://wrapsodybaby.com/shop/breeze-wrap/breeze-laguna-preorder-only/

The preorder closes on July 13th and wraps should be shipped in October.

Here's an action shot of
 the Wrapsody Bali Breeze Laguna
 that is in our lending library.

How to get your Facebook Event Invites!

We all know that Facebook goes through updates periodically. This latest one changes how we are doing our event invites. We hear this question often. "When is your next meeting?" So we know you want to be there and we want to make it easy for you to do that!

Our events will be in our blog calendar still but for Facebook, they will only be on our public Facebook page. So follow these simple steps!

1. Go to our public Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/BWIofNCIL and click "Like"
2. On that page near the upcoming events, click "Subscribe" 

Now you will receive invitations to upcoming events, reminders when an event is coming up that you have RSVP'd to attend, and updates such as if there were to be a cancellation due to weather.

Furthermore, in each event you can feel free to post if you are wondering if there is a specific type of carrier that will be there from our lending library or have questions regarding that event.

Budget friendly carriers

Carriers pictured - Comfy Joey Ring Sling, Evenflo Natural Fit Carrier, Babyhawk Mei Tai, Baby K'Tan

So you already spent your tax return, you're saving up for summer vacation and you've been searching for a carrier that will fit into that budget you set for your New Year's resolution, right? There are options in every carrier type so take a look here and see what fits the bill. I'm trying to keep these suggestions all under $100 and nearly all of them do but you'll find some of these are quite a bit lower than that!

Ring Slings

Ring slings come in a wide variety of colors and sizes but also prices. There are good quality ring slings from companies like Comfy Joey, Maya Wrap, Sleeping Baby Productions LLC (SBP), and Zanytoes.

And if you have a short or medium length wrap but are wanting to have a ring sling, you can always buy sling rings from SlingRings.com and just do a no sew ring sling. Here is a little bit more explanation and video on how to do a no sew ring sling from Jan of Sleeping Baby Productions.

Mei Tais

The variety of colors and patterns continue in mei tais and companies like Babyhawk, CatBird Baby, Infantino, and Kozy Carrier will easily fit in your budget.

Pouches

This is a carrier category sometimes overlooked but if you're looking for budget friendly, a pouch may be your best bet. Hotslings and Seven Slings are two you can check into.

Soft Structured Carriers

This is one of those categories of carriers that usually are on the more expensive end but there are still budget friendly options. The standard size Action Baby Carriers soft structured carrier is just under $100. Ergobaby starts above our budget we are working with but you can find discontinued colors or prints sometimes at stores like Marshalls or TJMaxx (which are authorized retailers) for under $100 so keep your eyes peeled when shopping. Evenflo, Moby (the Moby GO), and Infantino have more soft structured carriers you can check out.

Keep in mind, picking a soft structured carrier is like finding your favorite pair of jeans. They fit everyone different. There is no best carrier for every single person so do not discount these options even though you hear of some other brands more frequently. Try them out and see what is most comfortable for you and your little one!

Wraps

Stretchy wraps are a great first carrier with a newborn or infant. There are many companies like Boba, Baby K'Tan, Moby, and Snuggy Baby.

Woven wraps are constructed differently than stretchy wraps, which is why the price point on these is usually more expensive. There are several options like Chimparoo, Fidella, Hoppediz, and Little Frog that have fairly budget friendly prices. 

A great tip when looking at wovens is to consider trying a length shorter than your base size. That will save you some money typically and there are lots of fun wrap carries to try out with a shorter wrap and sometimes with a sling ring or two as well.

Carriers pictured (L to R) - Kozy Mei Tai, Infantino Union, SBP Ring Sling, Moby, Action Baby Carriers standard carrier

Many online retailers carry a variety of brands so watch for sales too!

There are plenty of other resources for finding budget friendly carriers such as Facebooks groups if you are not wanting to purchase brand new. There is Babywearing on a Budget (everything listed is under $100) or you can browse for the brand that you prefer and probably find a buy, sell, trade group for that brand. Saves you sometimes on having to work on breaking in a wrap. Just be sure to ask any questions before you buy, don't hesitate to ask for a more detailed photo of something, and use Paypal so you're protected as a buyer.

And if none of these is quite what you're looking for and you like to try something new, remember you've always got a different carrier each month for a year by using your lending library benefits of our BWI of NCIL membership. Just come to a meeting, maybe learn something or just chat with friends, and check out a carrier to take home and use for the month. All for the bargain price of $30 a year!

We're adding a new monthly meeting!

We have heard lots of suggestions for an evening meeting more on the western end of the counties that BWI of NCIL covers. So we are adding a new monthly evening meeting in Rockford! 

This will take place at Toys"R"Us/Babies"R"Us in their community room near the back of the store. We are so excited to be adding this meeting to help out those caregivers that cannot come to our daytime meetings. Help us spread the word about this Rockford meeting to those who might like to learn more about babywearing! The first meeting at Toys"R"Us/Babies"R"Us is set for Thursday, April 23 from 6-8pm.

You can check out more details on our Meetings-Events-Calendar section of our blog.

**Please take note that we are changing the name of the daytime meeting formerly called the "Rockford area" meeting to Belvidere to reflect its actual meeting location and to make it less confusing when referencing the new meeting location that is actually in Rockford.

Awesome donations!

We have received so many donations in the past couple months that we want to share with you. We are so excited to be receiving these carries for our lending library.

A huge THANK YOU from BWI of NCIL to Beco, BabyBjorn, Lillebaby, and Marsupial Mamas! 

Beco Gemini Arrows

We received three Beco Geminis and three Beco Soleils. Here's a picture of just one of the new Geminis in action with our demo doll. Thank you Beco!

We have two more BabyBjorn carriers - a BabyBjorn One and a BabyBjorn We. Make sure to check these out at your next meeting. Thank you BabyBjorn!

We received these two carries from Lillebaby. Who will be first to check one of these out from the lending library? Thank you Lillebaby!

Left is the Lillebaby Complete Airflow Champagne
Right is the Lillebaby Complete All Seasons Stone

Our caregivers are going to love these three gorgeous new woven wraps from Marsupial Mamas. What a special treat it is to receive these wraps. Thank you Marsupial Mamas!

Left to Right - Natibaby Passiflora Azurite, Pavo Duet Iron, Natibaby Butterflies Blue-Yellow

A couple of these have moved right into the lending libraries and a couple more will be making the round to all the meetings and then be available for checkout soon. Be sure to try them out when you get the chance.

A Wrap Up to our Wrapping Workshop!

Our wrapping workshop on January 31, 2015 was a great success! Thank you to all of you that were able to join us. The VBE's had a fun time teaching a variety of woven wrap carries and we have heard great feedback from the attendees as well who went. Here are some photos from that day.

We will be doing another wrapping workshop this spring so keep watch for when that occurs. Of course, BWI of NCIL members get free registration and the chance to sign up ahead of non-members so it's one of those nice perks of having a membership.

Best Methods for Breaking in a Wrap

One of the most common questions new wrap owners ask is how to break in a wrap.

What exactly does it mean to break in a wrap?
Picture that favorite t-shirt or sweatshirt hanging in your closet. You know, the one you have had since before you can even remember and could potentially guarantee you a spot on “What Not to Wear”? It's soft, floppy, fits you just right and is so comfy!  Its seen lots of love and wear in its time which has gotten it to that perfect wearable state it's in now. The same is true for wraps and even other carriers in some cases. Once they are worn and loved for a period of time they can reach a new level of comfort and performance.

Below are several methods you can use to help break in a wrap.

Pre and post wash of a new wrap. What a difference!

• Wash, dry and iron your wrap - The biggest leap in softening a wrap happens after its first wash. Washing before using your wrap also helps set the fibers and remove anything left over from the manufacturing process, especially when talking about wraps that arrive in loom state.  Generally speaking cotton, linen and hemp wraps can be put in the dryer on a low setting, use dryer balls for extra help with softening, or you can hang them to dry. Follow your wash and dry with an ironing and you will usually notice a considerable difference in the feel of your wrap.  ***Always follow manufacturer instructions for washing, drying and ironing.  More delicate fibers such as silk and wool require different care than described above.***

• Braiding or knot dragging - This method works when the fibers of the wrap pass over each other to help soften them up during the act of braiding.  A common misconception is that having the wrap braided helps break it in but that isn’t the case.   It’s the act of braiding and having the material pass over itself that helps break in the fibers.  A related method is to create a knot with your wrap and pull the length of the wrap through the knot.  I show both of these methods in the video below, a slip knot is another good knot to use for knot dragging (not shown). These methods work best when done repeatedly.

 

• Use it as a blanket or sit on it – Cuddle up on the couch with it, use it as a blanket while you sleep, sit on it while you’re in the car.   

• Run it through a set of slingrings – Thread it through the rings like you would a ringsling and pull the length of your wrap through.   

 

• Wrap with it  – Last but certainly not least, use your wrap! This is by far the best method to breaking in your wrap to get it to those perfect soft, gliding, easy to wrap with qualities.  It is so fun to be able to see your wrap evolve into a well broken in piece of cloth, it makes for a memorable journey!

 Breaking in wraps sometimes gets hyped up into something more than it needs to be.  Don’t let it intimidate you!   It doesn’t have to involve extreme measures or be something you have to do before your wrap can even be used.   There are some caregivers that  like the experience of having a new wrap and watching it evolve.  Others like to have a wrap that comes to them already broken in.  This is a great opportunity to take advantage of the secondhand market where you can easily find a wrap that has been well loved and broken in already.  There are also many wraps that arrive really soft and floppy brand new right out of the box and don’t require anything more than a quick wash to get that well broken in feeling.   Whatever method you choose, whether you buy used or new, remember that one of the most important things about wrapping or wearing your child is to enjoy all the memories you create through your babywearing  journey and  cherish all those cuddles!

Happy Babywearing!

 

Updates to our lending library!

I know that lots of people were sad that we took a break from regular meetings for January. However, we have still been busy behind the scenes. So I figured we'd show you what we were up to.

A group of us got together for a long day full of fun, food, and photography. We took all of our carriers (minus the ones you lovely folks have checked out at the moment) and added a new tag to them. This will make it easier to identify the difference between similar looking carriers and also easier for you to sign out when you are checking a carrier out. Just put the numbers from the tag on the form.

Our new tag that is on each carrier.

The massive pile of carriers waiting to be photographed!

There was lots of measuring, sewing, and silliness.

A special Thank You to member Heather Doty who came and helped us with the whole day! She helped sew, model carriers for photos, and the boring task at the end of folding a lot of carriers to go back into the suitcases.

Missy and Tressa's little guys were very good little models for us. 

In all, we handled almost 100 carriers from tagging to photographing. We also rearranged the lending libraries so at the next meeting you attend, you will be seeing a different variety than you're used to. Soon, the blog will be updated with all of the carriers we have, not just a partial listing. There's lots of growth happening with our chapter and we are excited for you all to be a part of it!