Correction 12/5/08
Thank you Kathleen for correcting the information I have published. The situation is worse. The CPSC is asking for UNIT testing, not just component testing. Here’s the information on the difference and a link to Kathleen Fasanella’s blog.
Component testing is preferable for two main reasons.
Unit testing is not preferable for two reasons:
-Kathleen Fasanella
http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/cpsia-unit-vs-component-testing/
I’m writing to you to express my deep concern for the impending enforcement of the new Consumer Product Safety Commission Improvement Act. While I realize that product safety, especially for children, is of utmost importance, this particular legislation is reactionary and holds potentially devastating economic ramifications.
I personally operate a very small business selling baby carriers and other baby accessories – some made by American companies and some imported from Europe. Under these new regulations, small manufacturers (and crafters who sell as a side business) would be required to submit each piece or lot to prohibitively expensive government approved third party testing. From what I understand, each test would cost anywhere from $100-400, for each COMPONENT of the of the carrier, doll, clothing, cloth diaper, etc.. That’s a test for thread, buttons and each fabric. Considering the fact that each piece is made from completely different fabrics, it would effectively eliminate the ability of small manufacturers, and those trying to make a little extra money for their families, to do business legally in the US.
I have read the CPSIA and there is no exception for quantities made, where the garments/products are made or anything else. To me, this means that grandma selling handmade baby blankets at the church bazaar is selling contraband if she is unable to produce the required safety certificate. It means that for artisans and small business in America one thing… unless you are a multi-million dollar company, you have no right doing business in the U.S. So much for the American dream.
February 10, 2009 is being dubbed “National Bankruptcy Day” by many experts in the apparel and toy industry. I expect that if this legislation is allowed to be enacted, it will affect everyone from port workers to parents looking for legal products. Millions of pieces of merchandise will be destroyed because it can’t be legally sold, causing not only environmental problems, but impacting charities that can’t accept donations without a safety certificate.
As you can see, this legislation is dangerous. I imagine that it was originally written with good intention. However, I can only hope that you will take action in defense of hard working American business owners and help us continue our ethical practices of making and distributing safe products. Please help to defend entrepreneurial America!
Sincerely,
Larissa Wright-Elson
McKinley Kid
I admit, I suck at blogging.
What’s impressive about it though is the power that blogs, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc. have on our society. Certainly this method of networking and viral marketing has shown its power in the recent Presidential election, but, on a smaller scale, it changed a pain reliever ad.
Motrin’s recent “mom” ad featured the pain associated with babywearing. Really, unless you have a crummy carrier, one that’s not suited to your body and baby, you shouldn’t be in pain while carrying your baby. So, babywearers and moms united through www.thebabywearer.com, blogs, Twitter (I’m walrissa on Twitter), Facebook (the group protesting the ad already has over 700 members), etc. What happened next? Motrin pulled the tv ad and will pull the print ad. And they apologized. http://motrin.com/
Some people are annoyed that the “Mommy Bloggers” have such power over corporate America. But, we’re not just mommies without brains. We’re women with opinions that foster key democratic values, like freedom of speech.
And, hey, it’s International Babywearing Week! What a way for controversy to get publicity for corporations and non-profits alike.
Here is more news coverage:
- Larissa Wright-Elson
Ah, I love the convenience and the size of YouTube videos. When i was learning to wrap the videos on Mamatoto were wonderful (despite the sound of the wind blowing) they were teeny tiny and I had to squint to watch them. I love that YouTube videos are big enough to see actual detail!
Anyway, here are a few great YouTube channels, collections of videos all on the same theme.
The first is the Zolowear channel, all kinds of great tutorials on how to use Zolowear slings. They have 39 videos posted, as of this writing, and I’m sure Zolo has more in the works. I love how thorough their customer service is. Here’s one on getting the top rail snug that I particularly like
The second channel is owned by a member of thebabywear.com forums – she has put together a huge collection of babywearing videos from across YouTube. Hers is a great community service and is called the Babywearing Channel and is a fantastic resource of an any sling, pouch, wrap, mei tai, or structured carrier owner.
The third is brand-new and from Wrapsody, formerly known as Gypsy Mama. Kristi’s wraps are phenomenal and her instructions are superb. http://www.youtube.com/user/WrapsodyBaby
-Larissa Wright-Elson
Please invite everyone you know to the party on November 18th! All past, future, and current babywearers are welcome!
Babywearing Ambassador
“Is that a baby in your purse?”
The question startles me as I check out of the grocery store with my newborn daughter tucked close to my body in a baby sling. I glance up at the woman ringing up my purchases, who is looking at me with nothing but friendly interest.
“Well,” I stammer, “Yes, she is my baby, but no, this is not my purse. This is a sling, a baby carrier.”
“Well honey, she looks real happy in there,” she says gently.
“Yes,” I agree. “I never go anywhere without my sling. My baby is so content in the sling that I am able to get out and get things done. She loves the sling and I love that she is peaceful.”
We both seem pleased with the conversation and exchange a smile. She chuckles and adds warmly, “That spoilt little thing. She knows a good thing when she sees it.”
Indeed.
I love hearing people’s feedback when I am out and about with my little ones in tow. Over the past eight years, I have worn each of our four children in a soft baby carrier as I go about the business of life, a practice coined “babywearing” by Dr. William Sears. I do not “wear” my babies on principle, even though as an MD I do know of the benefits of wearing a baby in a soft carrier (for example: reduced crying, improved breastfeeding rates, improved sleep, better attachment and improved parental responsiveness).
No, I wear my baby because it makes her happy like nothing else in the world (except maybe nursing) and when baby is happy, I can feel that she is sorted out and I can focus on other things. This is a sanity saver.
Inadvertently, I have become an unofficial ambassador for babywearing. By merely appearing in public with my baby contentedly riding in a sling, I have received many curious stares and many generous comments. Mostly, people notice first how happy my baby seems and how she never cries. Sometimes they wonder aloud if I am spoiling her.
Comments from folks who are either expecting or juggling small babies of their own are often frankly envious. “Wow,” they say, “your baby is so happy. You are so lucky. Did you make that? Where can I get one?” I am always happy to take a moment and talk shop. Yes, she is happy. Yes, I am lucky. But you can be, too. I tell them how having a sling has made my life easier and I show them how to use it and where to get one.
But I also value the interactions with folks who are not necessarily currently tending an infant of their own. They often sigh wistfully and say “I wish they had those around when I had my own babies.” Or a favorite of grown men, “I wish someone would carry me around like that!” Um. OK. The comments are always positive, they notice how happy and easy my baby is and they remark on it. But they also usually want to know: Why use a sling instead of a car seat? (simple, she hates the car seat) and Gosh, isn’t she squashed? (Well, not as much as she was in her previous living situation) and Gee, aren’t you worried about spoiling her? (see below).
As it turns out, babies are some kind of clever creatures. Yes, babies want to be held, but it goes deeper than that. Studies show that biologically, babies need to be held in order to thrive. A review of current randomized controlled trials suggest that the benefits of holding for preterm babies include shortened hospital stay, decreased illness, higher exclusive breastfeeding rates/longer breastfeeding duration, increased weight gain, improved temperature regulation, and improved maternal sense of competence. Evidence-based benefits for full term babies include improved state organization and motor system modulation; improved temperature regulation; and an analgesic effect, reduced crying, improved maternal responsiveness, and babies who were more securely attached.
In our arrogance, we assume that we have created the need to be held by holding our babies, when in fact babies are born hardwired to seek out that which they need to thrive: food, warmth and human touch. We cannot spoil a baby by meeting their basic needs.
So the next time you see a “lady with a baby in her purse,” smile at her and know that she is doing what she can to keep her baby happy, meet her baby’s needs and tend to her own in the process. She is busy mothering in the best way she knows how. She is the next babywearing ambassador.
Maria Blois, M.D.
Press releases for International Babywearing week have gone out! Here’s how it looked:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
To:
From: FarNorth Babywearing
Contact: Larissa Wright-Elson
Phone: 276-4058
Cell Phone: 748-4930
E-mail: bug@alaska.net
Downloadable press photos: www.flickr.com/photos/babywearingweek
www.babywearingweek.org
Local Nonprofit Group Joins Worldwide Celebration of International Babywearing Week
The FarNorth Babywearing Group of Anchorage, Alaska, will be joining more than 60 organizations from Birmingham to Bangkok to mark the inaugural celebration of International Babywearing Week, which will be held from November 12-18, 2008.
International Babywearing Week is an opportunity FarNorth Babywearing to help focus the world’s attention on “babywearing,” a term coined by pediatrician and author Dr. William Sears and his wife Martha Sears. Babywearing simply means carrying a baby or young child on one’s body using a cloth baby carrier. Not only does babywearing allow parents to have both hands free while carrying their children, but research is also shedding light on how this practice has numerous benefits for children.
A study published in the journal Pediatrics in 1986 found that 6-week-old babies carried at least three hours a day in a soft carrier cried and fussed 43 percent less than others overall, and 51 percent less in the evening hours. Another study, published in the journal Child Development in 1990, found that mothers who were given cloth carriers at birth were more responsive to their babies and had babies who were more securely attached than mothers who received plastic infant seats.
“International Babywearing Week is a fantastic opportunity to bring awareness about babywearing to the general public,” explained Susie Spence, president of Babywearing International, Inc., the nonprofit organization that initiated the week-long celebration. “Babywearing isn’t just about convenience – it’s also a research-proven method of strengthening the bond between children and their caregivers. What parent wouldn’t want to learn more about that?”
This year’s theme, “Celebrate Babywearing,” is being honored the world over by groups such as FarNorth Babywearing. Their week-long focused effort to celebrate, promote and advocate the benefits of babywearing will include many exciting events such as:
Babywearing walk through the zoo, babywearing exercise at the mall, group meeting to share and compare carriers, outreach to new mommies groups, and literature outreach.
See www.farnorthbabywearing.org for the full list and schedule.
At the international level, joint presenting sponsors Babywearing International, Inc., and TheBabywearer.com are coordinating the first International Babywearing Week Awards, recognizing excellence in babywearing advocacy and education. They are also holding a coloring contest for children, which runs through November 18. Prizes for the awards and the contest are being provided by several sponsors. More information about the coloring contest and the awards program is available at the International Babywearing Week website, www.babywearingweek.org
###
About International Babywearing Week’s Presenting Sponsors:
Babywearing International, Inc. is a nonprofit organization which was founded in 2007 in order promote babywearing and support volunteer-run nonprofit babywearing groups. The organization’s mission is to promote babywearing as a universally accepted practice, with benefits for both child and caregiver, through education and support. For more information about Babywearing International, please visit it’s website at www.babywearinginternational.org
TheBabywearer (TBW) was founded in 2003, and is a comprehensive, independent online babywearing resource. TBW features articles, instructions, reviews, a product directory, a photo gallery and very active forums where participants discuss all aspects of babywearing. To find out more about TheBabywearer or about babywearing, and to join its more than 75,000 registered members, please visit www.thebabywearer.com
About International Babywearing Week’s General Sponsors:
International Babywearing Week is made possible in part by the support of our sponsors. The general sponsors of this year’s events are ERGObaby, a Hawaii-based company offering the popular ERGObaby carrier in organic and conventional fabrics, and Didymos, a German company offering organic baby slings in a large variety of colors and sizes. More information about International Babywearing week’s sponsors can be found at www.babywearingweek.org
About your local Celebrating Organization:
FarNorth Babywearing is a group whose goal is to educate, advocate and support babywearing in Anchorage, Alaska, and surrounding areas. Parents, babies, and toddlers are welcome to join us. Families bring any carriers that you need wearing advice on to our meetings and we teach special sessions on winter babywearing, hiking, snowshoeing, traveling, and specific types of carriers. Visit www.farnorthbabywearing.org for the calendar, articles, and more information.
Our governor, Sarah Palin, is well-known as devoted mom but is now on the national scene as John McCain’s vice-presidential pick.
Of course, she’s also a babywearer. Shown here in Juneau wearing her baby in a pouch, it will be interesting in the months ahead to see if she wears baby Trig on the campaign trail. I do wonder if she has other baby carriers… 
I don’t know how we’d go anywhere without babywearing! There was certainly no exception when we went to the State Fair on Friday.
I took my Vicky Storchenwiege wrap and Colin wore our toddler in the Ergo. We had such a nice time! I loved being able to nurse Dinah discreetly and away from distraction in my wrap, and it doubled as our blankie when we stopped for a crawl in the grass. Also, my 2 year old, Madeleine, was saved from several meltdowns snuggled up with daddy. Aww! Isn’t babywearing fantastic!? Amen!
Unfortunately I only snapped one pic, but it’s a sweet one!
Dinah sleeping at the Alaska State Fair
Proclamation requests have been sent to Governor Palin and Mayor Begich! Stay tuned for more news.
When babywearing a newborn it is imperative you make sure the baby’s airway is unobstructed. Most commonly, this includes making sure the baby is not in a chin-to-chest position, which can partially or fully obstruct the baby’s airway. Newborns don’t have head and neck control so they can’t correct bad positioning on their own. Snuffling noises may indicate an airway impediment caused by positioning – always listen to your baby’s noises. Read this article on correct newborn positioning by M’Liss Stelzer. I attended M’Liss’s session at the Chicago Babywearing Conference on newborn positioning and it was a pleasure to meet such an intelligent and educated advocate for babywearing.
There are a lots of great tips about wearing a newborn (in LOTS of different carriers) on TheBabyWearer. This thread from a daddy in Australia is one of my favorites.
Instructions on the web:
Wraps:
Newborn cradle carry with a stretchy wrap, this YouTube video of a European daddy is one of my favorites – I sent it to my brother last summer when his daughter was born and it helped him a good deal.
Newborn carries at www.WrapYourBaby.com.
Ring Slings:
Preemies:
For more information about babywearing a premature infant, see this thread on www.TheBabyWearer.com. Please note that preemies are at enhanced risk for positional asphyxia because of their low muscle tone, and it is critical to keep their airways open and protected. For information about Kangaroo Mother Care, which involves a special kind of skin-to-skin babywearing, see this website.
-Larissa Wright-Elson
