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
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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.
