Have you ever been in the position of having to justify to someone (say, a spouse…) why you have multiple carriers?  OR, have you ever wished that you had a spare as a backup for when you get to the park with the toddler and infant and realize that your trusty Beco Butterfly is on the couch where you left it after doing laundry?

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As always, PAXbaby is here to help with our “Top 10 Reasons to Have Different Types of Carriers” list!
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10.  Your toddler has decided to rate sitting in a shopping cart right up there with fingernail trims as things that aren’t going to happen NO WAY NO HOW, but you HAVE to grocery shop, and there’s no way you can manage with a small person running amok in the store!  To the rescue?  A small and lightweight pouch sling kept underneath the driver’s seat of the car for such an occasion–they shine in hip carries and you can keep that picky little one right at your side the whole time!

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9. You’re enjoying a rare Saturday afternoon at the mall with a friend and her newborn.  But the poor babe wants lots of snuggles instead of stroller time, and mom’s arms are getting tired.  Rather than cutting the outing short, grab the your trusty Maya Wrap ring sling doing double duty as the  toddler’s blankey in your car and show the tired new mama how to keep her baby close and happy while enjoying some hands-free time!

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8. Baby is sick.  Husband is sick.  You’re not feeling so hot yourself.  Your poor little one has already thrown up on your trusty ring sling AND the well-loved SSC in your stash.  Grab that kiddo and wrap her up in a snuggly yet supportive Gypsymama Bali Stretch wrap!  Wearing a sick kiddo skin-to-skin in a carrier can actually help lower fever (your larger body will serve as a heat sink to draw her excess heat off) and relax you both.

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7. You load up several packages in the basket of your double stroller and take a leisurely walk to the post office.  Upon arriving, you realize that your stroller DOESN’T FIT THROUGH THE DOOR.  (Yes, this has ACTUALLY happened to me!)  You grab your Boba out of the stroller and put your toddler on your back and have your preschooler carry one box “to help mom out,” leaving your stroller outside.  Yeah, you have to worry about someone swiping it… but you can rest assured knowing that your most precious of possessions are right in there with you.

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6. You’re busy “reasoning” with the toddler while trying to get him out of the car.  Without realizing it, you close the door and the waistbelt of your trusty Babyhawk OhSnap! gets caught in the door and shatters.  You email Babyhawk and they’re immediately helpful, but while you’re waiting for their excellent customer support to repair your error, what do you do for a carrier?  It’s always nice to have a trusty and reasonably-priced Boba Classic in your stash for such occasions!

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5. You’re helping out on your preschooler’s class trip to the pumpkin patch.  There’s no way a stroller could navigate the muddy rutted paths, so you plan on wearing your little one snuggled up close to you in your comfy warm Moby Wrap, leaving your hands free to help your older child and her classmates as they find the PERFECT pumpkins to take home with them.  20 minutes into the trip, you hear a series of familiar sounds emanating from your little one and warning bells start to go off in your head.  A quick trip inside reveals the ugly truth…  the diaper’s toast, the outfit is toast, and the Moby is toast too.  You can clean up the initial mess… but what do to about the rest of the field trip?  Happily, you dig the Freehand meh dai out from under the front seat where it’s been living, waiting for its moment in the sun, and your day–and that of your preschooler–is SAVED!

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4. You’ve decided to put together that disaster preparedness kit that you’ve been meaning to work on for several years, but you realize that now you have kids, its contents will need to be much more creative!  Toss in an inexpensive but comfortable ring sling or pouch sling that can be used with various sizes of kiddos in various positions in a pinch… but it won’t hurt too much to have it languishing in a box for months on end either.  If you hit the point where you don’t have any kiddos small enough to wear, keep it in there anyway–you never know what use you might find for it in an emergency!

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3. You’re at a playdate with a friend and her little ones.  She mentions how heavy her six-month-old is getting to carry around in the infant car seat, but the Bjorn she got for a shower gift causes her so much back pain, and she guesses the “babywearing thing” just isn’t for her.  There’s no way you can get through a day with your own infant without a carrier, but since you have extras, you lend her your FABULOUS and well-loved Beco Butterfly 2 so that she can feel comfortable AND stylish while carrying her babe around!  No more back and shoulder pain for her, and she later tells you that her chiropractor thanks you as well!

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2. It’s late afternoon and your kiddo who has recently dropped his nap is having a minor meltdown that’s quickly escalating to the major stage.  A nap might be called for… but then bedtime will much later than YOU want to stay up!  Quiet him down by telling him that you’re going to pull out something special–the super special Superman Babyhawk!  “It’s only for SPECIAL times, sweetie–do you think this is a special time and we should use it?”  Pop him on your back and go for a short walk to recharge everyone’s batteries with some fresh air!

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1. You’re having one of THOSE days.  You’ve been in the same pair of jeans for three days straight, you can’t remember the last time you got your hair cut, and the last you saw of your makeup was when the kiddo was gleefully painting with your lipstick.  YOU need something fresh, something different, and something fun!  Treat yourself to a custom carrier from PAXbaby’s Pimp My Carrier program so that you can find something that makes YOU smile!!

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*happy babywearing*

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The post Baby carriers for extreme situations appeared first on PAXbaby.

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We’ve blogged before about counterfeit carriers, including the PAXbaby favorite Freehand meh dai.  In continuance of our efforts to give you the most complete info available about potentially unsafe and definitely ILLEGAL counterfeit carriers, PAXbaby has specific information about counterfeit Beco Butterfly 2 carriers.

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Yes, sadly, the beloved Beco Butterfly 2 has been counterfeited and can be found on Ebay through various sellers.  These sellers include but are not limited to heminyi2011, evan121221, and jack6800_tw.  Don’t assume, however, that a seller is safe if it’s not listed here—these sellers often close down one username and create another to continue to sell their counterfeit products in violation of Ebay’s terms of service!  These sites may have stock pictures of REAL carriers in boxes or on models that they’ve stolen from the Beco website.  That doesn’t mean that the carrier they send you will look ANYTHING like the one pictured, and definitely will not be constructed in the same quality as a genuine Beco.  Remember: just because it’s pretty on the outside doesn’t mean that it’s pretty on the inside!  One big red flag is when the item ships from anywhere in Asia—usually directly from the factory that produces the counterfeits!  Two patterns that are almost CERTAINLY counterfeit are the former Japan-exclusive prints of Jasmin [pictured below] and Vanessa.  If you’re interested in one and the seller can’t provide a history that links back to an authorized seller, BEWARE.

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How can you spot a fake?  Here are some tips to help you!

• All authentic Beco Baby Carriers are currently produced in California, with the exception of the Metro Black and Espresso carriers.  This is clearly stated on the listing page on every product on Beco Baby Carrier’s website.
• For Becos produced prior to January 2010, there are a few different manufacturing locations.
• Beco Butterfly 1 carriers made between November 2007 and February 2008 were produced in the Dominican Republic.
• Beco Butterfly 2 carriers made between August 2009 and January 2010 were produced in China.
• Each unit has a white tag on the inside with black printing which clearly states the BATCH NUMBER and DATE OF PRODUCTION (for example “Beco Baby Carrier Butterfly 2 produced in January 2010” would be “BBC012010BTR2”)
• If a unit happens to have a batch number/date of production different than this and still says “made in China”, then your carrier is almost certainly a counterfeit.
• There are TWO authorized North America Ebay sellers for Beco Baby Carriers.  These are BigBlueCastle (with an Ebay feedback score of 38054 and counting) and ImaginaryKids (Ebay feedback score of 20056 and counting).  Both have 100% positive Ebay feedback and have been valued Beco retailers since 2007.  Beco encourages anyone specifically wishing to purchase a Beco from Ebay to patronize these legit businesses.
• Beco must authorize sales for its authorized retailers; if a product is shown for less than list price at one retailer, all the retailers should be offering a similar sale.  MSRP for the Beco Butterfly is $139 and Gemini is $129, with a Beco-authorized sale currently running that prices them at $129 and $105 respectively.  If a price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• The websites of authorized Beco vendors contain the Beco seal of authenticity which links back to the Beco Baby Carriers webpage.  Fake sites often do not have this.

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To sum up: Counterfeit baby carriers are bad for businesses and bad for babywearers.  While authentic Becos are constructed using organic body fabrics and the highest grade of stitching, buckles, and webbing and fully CIPSA-compliant, counterfeits are made of substandard materials that have not been tested for safety in use with children’s gear.  Reports of issues with counterfeit carriers include buckles cracking (imagine climbing a staircase and having a buckle release, tumbling your precious cargo down the stairs!), stitching coming undone, and poor construction leading to straps that pull out from the body when even a minimum amount of force is applied.

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You owe it to yourself and your baby to make sure that the product you use has been designed and constructed to be as safe as possible.  Please make sure to purchase only from Beco-authorized retailers, make sure to ask critical questions to anyone selling a carrier you’re interested in (including asking for proof of purchase if you’re buying a used carrier!), and pass the word along to others both inside and out of the babywearing community.  One baby death in a counterfeit carrier could cause a whole host of government legislation to turn the US babywearing community on its head—again.  Things were touch-and-go for a while after the Infantino recall; the industry may not survive another such threat.

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Thank you for your attention to this serious matter!  We promise to return you to slightly fluffier blog topics tomorrow. 

The post Serious Business appeared first on PAXbaby.

Babywearing mamas, while you & I have been working so hard to buy the very BEST for our babies, there is a group of moms who would risk the safety of their children to save a few dollars…  a group on FaceBook just imported a bunch of counterfeit “Ergo” baby carriers from China, and the repercussions of this mistake could be terrible!!!!

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#1 – The mom involved with the importation of illegal goods could go to jail!  The FBI is now involved, and things sound pretty serious!  So sad since she is a normal WAHM who just wanted to make her group of friends happy by offering them a “great deal!”

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#2 – Selling/ buying a baby carrier that hasn’t been weight tested or lead tested undermines the Baby Carrier Safety Standards that we have all been working so hard to comply with, in order to prove that babywearing is SAFE.  Due to misunderstandings about the safety and culture of babywearing, the media and “big box” baby carrier manufacturers have been looking for a way to shut us down, and an accident involving one of these “fake” Ergo baby carriers would be JUST the thing to “prove” that babywearing should be restricted and limited!

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#3 – The decision to buy a potentially dangerous carrier is a PERSONAL decision that these moms have chosen for themselves and their poor helpless babies – UNTIL the day comes that they decide to resell their “Ergo” carrier on a carrier swap board, the FSOT boards at TheBabyWearer.com, Craigslist, or eBay!  I highly doubt that they will be listing these carriers as counterfeit Ergos purchased illegally from China!  You or any other babywearing mama could innocently buy a dangerous carrier without even realizing it!

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#4 – Just because it looks pretty on the outside, doesn’t mean it’s pretty on the inside!  Ergo and every other reputable baby carrier company sold through baby carrier stores are following strict instructions on how to manufacture their carrier safely – down to using fabrics and dyes safe for contact with sensitive baby skin and what kind of stitching needs to secure the straps to the body!  There is no way of knowing whether these fake carriers have followed safety standards or whether the straps could rip as shown on this meh dai “knock-off”!!!  For $30, I’m not willing to risk my baby’s safety; what about you!!!???!!!

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A counterfeit Freehand meh dai rips when stress tested.

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By posting and warning the parents who chose to buy the counterfeit Ergos, we are attempting to prevent consequences that could lead to the government regulating the babywearing culture into non-existence. To spot a fake carrier, read this information on how to distinguish a fake from the real deal!!!!  Save our babies – protect our babywearing world – shop smart – keep the proof of purchase when you buy a carrier – don’t get tricked into buying a fake carrier!!!!

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A quick note to thank all of our wonderful baby carrier manufacturers who have paid MORE to keep their production in the USA, who have worked diligently to ensure that the factories being used overseas are fair and equitable, and to the baby carrier manufacturers and vendors who have all stood up together these past 2 days to keep our babies safe!  THANK YOU!!!!!!

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*happy babywearing*

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The post Please beware!!! appeared first on PAXbaby.

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Staying hands free while babywearing is extremely important to this busy mommy!  Out & about, home & nesting, it’s fabulous to be able to bond with baby even with 5 children needing help, even with dinner to make, even with chores to do, even with swings to push & bikes to push up our hill!  Loving our FreeHand meh dai with my PAXbaby #6 – 12 pounds, 5 weeks old, no back pain!  By the way, check out the new FreeHand prints and the return of an old favorite at PAXbaby.com!!!

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*happy babywearing*

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The post Keep my hands free appeared first on PAXbaby.

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I just love Earth Day, the one day of the year that celebrates our tree hugging mentalities, that applauds our conservation of natural resources, and that smiles upon our general crunchiness with a National holiday!    The traditional question today is, of course, “how green are YOU?” measuring your green-ness against your next-door neighbor, pitting your level of eco-ism against your fellow organically minded familes.  Everyone wants to know what  YOU are doing to be green, but I would like to ask when being green, eating organic and locally grown produce, providing our children with natural toys, and conserving our precious resources will no longer be called living green but simply LIVING….

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I challenge you then to not only think about changing the way you grocery shop, or the amount of trash your family creates daily, or the fact that you would like to one day in the future drive an eco-friendly car, but to actually follow through on some of your “one day” plans and begin your environmentally friendly life NOW!  Baby steps make a surprisingly large impact because once you start to live green, it feels so good and so right that the small adjustments you have committed to changing snowball into larger results, and soon you are not just talking the talk, but also walking the walk!

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Regarding your choice to babywear and keep your child close to you, that is not only a wise decision, but also a green choice!

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A lot of the best baby carriers are manufactured here in the USA, so when you choose to buy an American-made sling instead of a Graco, BabyTrends, or Phil & Ted’s stroller, you are supporting local economy and reducing your carbon footprint by not importing a plastic stroller made in third world countries under unfair & harsh working conditions.  Most baby slings offer an organic option so that you can ensure that your baby is being carried in the finest & safest materials.  Again, the more organic fabric that needs to be manufactured to fill the needs of the consumer, the more “regular” organic will be become, and hopefully non-organic materials will fall by the wayside!  When your baby has outgrown your baby carrier, I know that you will hand it down to another babywearing mama and her new generation of happy babies.  When you are done with your stroller, it is often too trashed to pass along and it will go straight to the landfill.  Baby bucket car seats now have an expiration date due to the plastics getting old and more likely to shatter upon impact, and these too will fill the dumps.  Help to consciously promote natural parenting and healthy living by wearing your baby in a sling and be a wealth of information with a smile and a babyworn baby’s sweet attitude to demonstrate the reasons for wearing your baby!

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*happy babywearing*

The post How green is your sling? appeared first on PAXbaby.

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“On the second day of my parents’ visit last month, I left them with 7 month old Amelia, so I could run a few errands.  I returned a few hours later to a happy baby, bouncing on her Grandpa’s knee.

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“She started to get a little fussy,” Grandpa reported, “so I had your Mom tie her onto me with that carrier.”  He was referring to my Freehand meh dai.  My jaw nearly hit the floor.  They had watched me use it the day before – exactly ONCE!  They must have seen how content Amelia was in it, and decided to try it out for themselves.  I don’t know how they “tied her on”, but I guess it was good enough for her, because she quickly fell asleep and stayed that way for over an hour!

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My Dad wore Amelia several more times throughout my parents’ week-long visit.  (I showed him how to wrap her securely!)  I treasure the photo that I snapped of the two of them.  My parents live across the country, and don’t get to see their grandchildren very often.  Using the Freehand allowed Amelia to share a special closeness with her Grandpa, one which she can dream about until they can be together again.”

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*happy babywearing*

The post Babywearing Grandpa appeared first on PAXbaby.

Wendy Bellissimo Bag Sling

Infantino Bag Sling

If you are approached by “well meaning” strangers telling you that your baby carrier is a death trap, here a few key points to remember!

A bag sling bends your baby in an unnatural C shape, constricting their airway and making it hard to breathe.  YOUR sling or baby carrier can be worn safely in an upright position, called tummy to tummy!  Your baby can breathe in a normal, natural way, and you can easily see and hear that they are alright.  Bag slings have the babies low on the mother’s body out of sight and in harm’s way if the mother were to turn or be bumped from the side.

Safe Sling suggestions for newborn babies:

Moby Wrap – This is a stretchy wrap that conforms to your body and holds baby to you in comfort for both of you!

Sakura Bloom ring sling – Wearing your baby upright in a Sakura Bloom is comfortable and fashionable!

Freehand meh dai – With its padded straps and headrest, this mei tei would be an excellent choice for a heavier newborn!

Beco Butterfly II – The infant insert is adjustable and removable once baby is taller, but for newborns, this soft structured carrier offers a lot of head support and shade thanks to the detachable hood!

Olives & Applesauce – This soft structured carrier also caters to newborns with its insert and straps that can cross against your back in an X!

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