Lending Library Love

Hi! I'm Alieta. I'm a Volunteer Babywearing Educator for the group. You usually see me at the West Dundee, Belvidere, or Rockford meetings. I took over as one of the BWI of NCIL chapter librarians in early 2016. I knew some of what the librarians do, such as checking in and out carriers so we knew what we have available. Or picking out and purchasing new carriers as we see the need arise and funds are available from your awesome memberships. And reaching out to companies, trying to request donations for carriers as well. But I had no clue it would be such a big job. I should have realized that since our 3 year old BWI of NCIL chapter already has over 250 carriers in rotation.

Yes, you read that correct. Over 250 carriers to keep track of, make sure they are clean and safe for meeting attendees and members to use, and move around so everyone has an opportunity to try out different brands. It really is awesome the resources we have available for caregivers to try on at meetings and try out at home with a BWI of NCIL membership!

I can say without a doubt that having a large lending library is one of two things that makes our chapter great. I hope you know what the other thing is - it's the amazing educators we have in our group. Their hours spent volunteering for Babywearing International of North Central Illinois are what keep the group running each month.

But hey, back to the lending library...and to my beginning.

When I stumbled upon Babywearing International, I had just a Moby. And a 1 year old. So he really had outgrown the Moby and I had no clue about all the other carriers. I thought I was done wearing when he got too heavy for the Moby to provide really good support anymore. I was also pregnant with my second child, which was due in the summer. You all know if you have ever used a stretchy wrap of any kind that they need three layers all spread out over baby to be safe. And those three layers and summer mean one hot mama! So my quest for those first meetings was just to find something to use that was not going to be so hot in the summer while wearing my baby so I could chase my toddler. And I tried on some different things while I was pregnant but was not really checking items out from the lending library at that point in time.

And our lending library could be just a library like that where people can only try on carriers at meetings. There are groups out there that are like that. But once you find a carrier you like after trying them all on, you would then need to go purchase it. No real test drive other than five or ten minutes at a meeting. No chance to see if it might fit another caregiver in your household that would wear the child as well. 

I remember trying on a certain carrier and then finding out how much they cost and thought people were crazy. So I kept visiting meetings and trying things on for a few minutes.

The fun part came once baby number two was born. He hated his car seat more than baby number one. I didn't even know that was possible! And I wanted to actually try using other carriers than my trusty Moby without having to spend big money on buying them. So I checked out a wrap, and then next month a ring sling, and maybe next month a different wrap or a soft structured carrier. I even learned there were carriers for my toddler! So he couldn't run away from me if I wanted to use the stroller for the baby. Or I could wear both kids at once, which was an even more obscure idea at the time. It saved me. It saved my arms from falling off carrying one of the two boys around at home or when we were out and about. It saved my sanity because I could get out of the house with two kids successfully on my own.

Our members of BWI of NCIL can do all those things too. With just a $30 annual membership to our group, they get those privileges to borrow from our lending library for a month at a time. 

But still, five years after finding BWI, with a few favorites that I have purchased and with obviously much bigger kids now, I still check out carriers from our lending library. To try something new. To play with a carrier I otherwise cannot afford. To be able to give good feedback on using it when someone at a meeting asks me how to use a particular carrier. And it still is that fun part being able to do that as well as helping oversee our lending library.

Our lending library is important to our community. It provides a valuable asset to give that tool of babywearing to parents who cannot afford to spend money on a carrier. Some of them can cost only $40 or $50 but we have some that cost $200 easily.

But remember, that lending library is nothing without our educators. So when you see them at the next meeting and they help you with something, appreciate them putting in their own time to helping others by sharing the babywearing love and knowledge they have. And if you love babywearing and want to help in some way, ask us how you can be involved in our group. Because more volunteers are how we keep our group growing and our members are how we keep the lending library growing.

Wearing my 9 month old son in our Moby, my 1st carrier. 

One of my first tries at tandeming was my Moby on front with my 5 month old and a Kinderpack checked out from the lending library of my local chapter that fit my 2 year old great.

Wearing the 2 year old in a ring sling, Natibaby Cyprus, checked out from our lending library.

Wearing Natibaby Clovers in a back carry from our lending library.
This day my son just loved hugging me while I wore him.

Wearing my 4 year old in a toddler size Kinderpack from the lending library.

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.

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!

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.

What is a ring sling?

by Tressa Smith

It is a piece of fabric with 2 slingrings sewn on one end. Simple enough huh? Well, kind of.

To begin with, all ring slings (RS) should be made with slingrings. They are aluminum or nylon rings sold at http://www.slingrings.com/ in pairs. They are safety tested for use in babywearing and free of welds (which can break or catch on fabric and damage it). The fabric used for ring slings can be a strong cotton, mesh for water wearing, silk, or a woven wrap. Calico fabrics or quilting fabric is not suitable for RSs because it is not strong enough for weight bearing. Jan Heirtzler of Sleeping Baby Productions (SBP) is considered by most to be the expert on all things ring sling and there is a ton of information on her website http://www.sleepingbaby.net/

Ring Slings are offered in different sizes ranging from XS to XXL. SBP recommends using your shirt size to pick a size for a RS. The only difference between sizes is where the tail hits you and I have had no issues with using different sizes of RS. Sometimes a long flowy tail is fun while other time I just want the tail out of the way.

So you understand fabric with slingrings and size. Now what kind of shoulder on your ring sling? Shoulder?

The shoulder of a RS is the part where the rings are sewn to the fabric and it sits on your shoulder when worn. There are several types of shoulders for a RS and depending on the wearer some are more comfortable than others. If you can, try different shoulder styles to find the one that is the most comfortable for you.

We will discuss a few of the more popular shoulders for ring slings. Gathered, Eesti, SBP pleated, and a Wallypop pleated shoulder.

Four shoulder styles we will discuss in order from left to right:
Gathered, Eesti, SBP Pleated, Wallypop Pleated

Gathered shoulder

A gathered shoulder is just that, it is gathered and the slingrings are sewn on. No fancy pleats or folding. This shoulder provides a wide spread of the fabric at the shoulder. Because of the wide spread this shoulder may not be comfortable for petite wearers. It does allow the wearer to custom adjust how much fabric is on top of the shoulder or on the side of the shoulder. A gathered shoulder is also what you get when you add slingrings to a shorty to make a no sew ring sling.

Gathered shoulder

Eesti shoulder

An Eesti shoulder is a combination of gathers and pleats designed by Karen Hoppis. Sleeping Baby Productions is the only company licensed to produce this shoulder. It spreads less than a gathered shoulder because of the added pleats but more than a simple pleated shoulder. This can be a great option when a thicker wrap is used and pleats may be too thick.

Eesti shoulder

SBP Pleated Shoulder

A Pleated shoulder is simply several pleats sewn into the shoulder to control the spread of fabric. The Sleeping Baby Productions pleated is the most common type of RS shoulder. Pleated is also one of the narrower shoulders and many petite wearers find this shoulder very comfortable.

SBP Pleated Shoulder

Wallypop Pleated Shoulder

A Wallypop pleated shoulder is just a different form of pleated shoulder. Sarah of Wallypop uses a double inverse pleat for her shoulder. This is also a narrower shoulder. I find this shoulder most comfortable for me when I wear it inside out, but I have always been a little different.

Wallypop Pleated Shoulder (worn inside out)

There are other versions of shoulders out there. Shiny Star Designs has a Seraphina shoulder. Earthy Bliss has a Kenzie shoulder. Zanytoes has an exclusive shoulder in their Splash water RS and offers a full gathered shoulder or a symmetrical pleated shoulder for their other ring slings. Comfy Joey has a hybrid shoulder.

There are a lot of options out there for Ring Slings. Finding a shoulder that fits you well is just one part of finding a comfortable ring sling for you. We have many options of RS shoulder in our Lending Library. So, if you tried a ring sling which was not comfortable for you, try a different shoulder style because it may not be the ring sling that is the issue for you but rather the type of shoulder on the ring sling.

It's that time of the year....

It's that time of the year!

The holiday season?

Nope...


Flu season.

With that comes runny noses and high temperatures (not outside unfortunately) and possibly other yucky stuff. Well, I won't go into too much detail with all the yucky stuff but remember when attending our meetings to use common sense and don't bring a sick child or come if you are sick yourself.

That includes avoiding meetings if you or little one are:
*running a fever of 100.4 or higher within the last 24 hours
*any vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours
*a common cold with discolored nasal mucus or a cough
*sore throat
*croup
*an undiagnosed rash or skin infection
*any symptoms of any childhood communicable diseases
*pinkeye or other contagious infections
*suspected mononucleosis

We have pregnant moms as well as very small infants and children at our meetings and we want to keep everyone healthy!

If you cannot make a meeting and have a carrier to return, simply contact one of the librarians and they can help to figure out an arrangement to get your carrier returned in a timely fashion so that you can avoid a late fee.

And here's some tips to make babywearing your little one who is sick a bit easier on both of you.

1. Pick one carrier (if you've got multiple) and stick with it. You don't really want to get more than one full of those yucky germs.

2. Make that one carrier you're using with your sick baby something that is easily washable. And when they're feeling better go ahead and wash it so they don't start sucking on their favorite spot and get themselves sick all over again. (If you have a carrier checked out from our lending library, just contact a librarian if you need to wash. We'll give you instructions on how to wash that specific carrier.)

3. Make sure you pick a carrier that's comfortable for you and your baby, not your one you use for quick up and downs. That sick baby may just go to sleep and take a long nap. You don't want to interrupt that just because you picked a carrier you use for short periods of time.

4. They may have a fever and want snuggles but make sure not to overheat your little one. Pay real close attention on how many layers (pajamas, wrap, favorite snuggle blanket they must cuddle) they really are covered with.

5. If you're both exhausted from being up all night and sickness, remember that it is not safe to wear your baby while you are sleeping. Not laying in bed, not sitting up in your favorite rocking chair, not anywhere. You need to be awake when babywearing to monitor your wearee at all times. If you need sleep, let someone else wear the baby who can be awake.

6. Babywearing is great for those babies who need a nap but are too congested to be laying down comfortably. But always remember tip number 4.

7. It is possible sometimes to transfer a sleeping little one to a crib or bed. Make sure you don't leave the carrier with them in such a way that they could inadvertently injure themselves by pulling the long wrap over themselves or getting caught in a carrier strap. Slide the carrier out from under them.

8. Enjoy all the cuddles, especially when your little one is sick and is more snuggly than usual, because they grow so fast and soon enough, these days will be just fond memories!

What's the Difference?

We often get questions about the differences between SSC (Soft Structured Carrier) Brands. The differences are often small but can make a big difference in comfort from person to person. People tend to want an easy answer to the question “which SSC is best for me?” The problem is that especially with SSC’s there tends to not be an easy answer to the question of which one is best. Just as each brand of SSC varies from another; every wearer’s body varies from another. This means that while one brand may be a perfect fit for one caregiver, it is not necessarily a perfect fit for the next.

There are a few main differences that can often be found between brands. For example, some brands place the waist buckle in the back and some place it on the side. Some brands only pull one direction to tighten waist and arm straps while others pull both directions. Those differences aren't the focus of this post though; here I want to concentrate on subtler things that can make a difference in how a carrier fits you. In order to demonstrate those differences I am going to compare two standard size Action Baby Carriers (ABC’s).

Action Baby Carrier changed ownership a little over a year ago and many people have noticed that since the ownership change there have been some changes in the carriers as well. This is not a bad thing. It happens. Carriers change and companies change. It is however an easy way to show how small differences in the same brand and size of carrier can change the way that carrier wears and feels for caregiver and baby. Below you will see pictures comparing an older ABC and a newer ABC(after ownership change) and I will point out some differences between the two carriers.

In the photos below both the Pink/Green wave and the Green/black carriers are older ABC’s. The Grey Carrier is a newer ABC. The waves carrier is exactly the same as the green one except for the fact that the green is one of their organic carriers. These are all standard sized carriers.

 Inside of the grey and green ABC’s

Outside of the grey and Pink/Green Waves ABC’s

Height comparison with hoods down.

Close up of Height comparison. (grey, Pink/green waves. Hoods up)

Height Comparison with hoods up. (Grey and Waves)

Height Comparison with hoods up. (Grey and Green)

You can see above that the padded portion of the waist band is very similar and approximately the same length.

The waist straps however are significantly different in length. The longer one on top is the newer grey carrier. This means it would fit a wider range of body sizes.

This photo shows the placement of the arm buckle from the front. You can see that the grey carrier(Far left) has a much different placement than the other 2.

Comparison of arm buckle placement from the inside of the carrier.

Grey Carrier.

Same child in green carrier.

Same child again in grey carrier

For me personally wearing an almost 2 year old and being short I found the older ABC's more comfortable than the newer one. One reason was height difference in the carriers. The advantage of the shorter body on the newer carrier is that it can be used sooner with a small baby. The disadvantage is that it doesn't provide as much support when wearing a toddler.

Height difference aside as that aspect would only be an issue if I was wearing for a long time, I did not like the placement of the arm buckle on the newer carrier. When tightened to where I needed it the difference in placement meant that the buckle on the older carriers hit me fine but on the newer carrier it dug into my armpit. Someone taller would not have the same issue, which demonstrates the point that every wearer and every SSC is different so what works for one may not work for another.

The 3 main things I pointed out here: Height difference, arm buckle placement and waist strap length, are not huge differences. They are however things that can make a difference in how the carrier fits both wearer and baby. They are also not necessarily things you would notice much unless you tried the carrier, which is why there is no easy answer to the question “which SSC is best for me?”.