=SUMMER IS ON IT’S WAY!=
-Keeping  Cool with a Solarweave Connecta-

The  weather is finally warming up and thoughts are turning to Summer.
Carrying a baby can be hot work in the heat, and we have the ideal solution!

The Solarweave Connecta is possibly the lightest, coolest carrier on the
market.  Made from Solarweave fabric, which is incredibly strong and tightly
woven,  whilst  still being lightweight, it also protects baby from UV
radiation from the sun.

The  fabric  has been tested by an independant laboratory and shown to
provide  SPF30+/UPF 40+  protection even after 40 launderings (equivalent to
2  years  of  wear and tear), and 100 hours of accelerated ultraviolet
exposure.

The fabric is 100% non-irritating, even to sensitive skin.

Made to our winning Connecta Baby Carrier design, with the addition of the
integrated sun/sleep hood, the Solarweave Connecta provides all of the
comfort in wearing you would expect.  Featuring a wide seat to keep baby in
the anatomically correct seated position, well padded shoulder straps and
comfortable wide webbing.  Yet it folds up amazingly small,  perfect for
packing in holiday suitcases!

In addition to the sun protection, solarweave fabric is also extremely quick
drying, and the Solarweave Connecta can be worn in the water at the beach or
pool, and also in the shower. (Not for use whilst swimming.)

This year the Solarweave Connecta is available in four different colourways.
Blackberry, Khaki, Scarlet Red and Pale Blue. (Blackberry and Khaki in stock now, preorders for Scarlet and Pale Blue are being accepted)

We had such a lovely time at the Special Beginnings Birth Center this weekend!  We got the opportinity to meet many new and expecting parents, and were able to show them the different kinds of cloth diapers and baby carriers that we had available. 

It was awesome to see nearly every mom (and lots of dads, too) wearing their baby, many who already used cloth diapers or were interested in learning more about them…Lots of breastfeeding mommies (I laughed because beside the La Leche League booth there was a chair, and every 15 minutes a mom would sit and take her turn in the breastfeeding chair:)). 

Along with meeting some awesome mommies, daddies, and babies… we got a tour of the birth center and met with one of the lactation consultants that works there…I was very impressed with how family friendly the birth center is, and it is a beautiful facility.  They had 3 great birthing rooms, each with a birthing tub (2 whirlpool tubs and 1 inflatable tub).  The lactation consultant (who is also a nurse) said that most of the births tend to be waterbirths!  Each room was really nicely decorated, and would certainly feel like a welcoming environment to any family.  They had a great ‘waiting’ area, perfect for those wanting to have their family with them for their special event…there was plenty of space for other childern, as well…with lots of toys:)  There was also a full kitchen that is available to bring your food and really make yourself feel at home during your stay.

I’m not sure who all was working that day, but I was so very impressed when I walked by the front desk and heard some gentleman say ‘Well, it looks like things are starting to go well…the baby is latching on really well…’ I’m not sure what his position is there, but I was happy to hear excitement in his voice about this little baby learning to breastfeed! 

It sure does seem like a great place to have a baby, and if you are anywhere close, I would encourage you to take a trip there and have a walk through of their place…

And beyone those things, there were some really great vendors!  Check out some of the great products that these vendors have for you and your little ones!

http://www.naturalbeautyandspa.com/ A FABULOUS line of skincare for women, men, and babies.  These products are absolutely heavenly!  And Peechee is super sweet!

http://www.greenirene.com/ This is an amazing woman with a wealth of knowledge in her field.  If you want to go green, or go a little greener, she can tell you how!  She shared some amazing information with us that really helped to see that not all changes have to be big, but every little change has a big impact…She does in home consultations to really personalize the recommendations for you and your family

Of course La Leche League :)  There were several very sweet ladies who were, of course, offering a comfy place to breastfeed, as well as check out some slings, baby shoes, and information about LLL membership…Ohh, and I bet they were answering some breastfeeding questions, too:)

Alyhas Alternatives Great store offering lots of baby carriers and cloth diapers, as well as alternative menstrual care products, and lots more…She had a great selection of Moby Wraps, Zolowear Slings, and Fuzzi Bunz diapers for her customers to check out…She is an amazing woman who is a doula and childbirth educator, as well as a busy mother :)  Check out her Birth Business : www.birthdiva.com

Bediboo was there with some cute stuff, too…Along with Freehand and Ergo baby carriers, she also had lots of HABA toys that were absolutely adorable.  Bediboo has a brick and mortar store in Baltimore City, where they offer classes on cloth diapering, babywearing, and much more.   She also has an online store.

P & D Woodcrafts, Etc.  had some adorable little wooden toys…they are cute and affordable!

Daniel Creations This lady has talent!  She had a great selection of items from handmade cloth diapers, baby carriers, I Spy bags, training pants, and so much more!  Her table had so much good stuff I couldn’t tell what to look at first!  LOTS og really nice stuff:)

I’m sure there were more, but we didn’t have too much time to browse around…we had such a great time being surrounded with people who trust in birth and have a great respect for mothers and their babies.

Thank you so much for supporting our store!  We have worked very hard  to provide our customers with great quality items with great customer service.  We decided to start a blog to keep our customers up to speed on what is happening with our store, to showcase some of our products, and get your opinions and feedback. 

We have had a very busy week, adding a few new items to our store.  We have been wanting to expand our line of babywearing products, and this week has been the beginning of it:)  We just added 2 full lines of wraps, one is the Sleepy Wrap

A very comfortable stretchy wrap.  These are the ultimate in newborn babywearing!  They are so perfect for snuggling up with your new baby, keeping them just as secure and warm as they are used to, while offering the wearer complete hands free time!  Just what a new mom wants!!  They are great wraps, and can be used for newborns as well as toddlers.  Very comfy!

 We also have added the highly respected Storchenwiege line to our store. 

These are very sturdy and durable woven wraps, available in your choice of lengths.  Woven wraps are so popular among experienced babywearers for so many reasons.  They are the ultimate in flexibility, offering such a great variety of ways to tie…you can wear your baby in just about any position you can imagine using a woven wrap.  They are an amazing back carrier.  Woven wraps provide much support for the baby and the wearer.  They are made to be very durable, and should easily last for several years of use.  As a matter of fact, many wrappers will verify that their woven wraps only get better with time, and a nicely broken in wrap is just about as good as it gets!  They are a little more pricey than some other carriers available, but a woven wrap will often maintain its value quite well, and reselling it when you are finished using it can help reclaim some of those costs…

 So…Check out our new wraps!! 

We also just stocked our GAD (Green Acre Design) pocket diapers. 

If you haven’t tried one of these pockets, you are missing out!  They are an amazing quality, they are available in great colors, and the sizing on them make it very easy to get a great fit.  Stuff them with your favorite insert and you are set with a trim and absorbant diaper.  I can definitely see why they are such a raved about pocket diaper!  They live up to their great reputation!

 We also have given our website a little makeover…for those of you who have shopped with us in the past, we would love to hear what you think of our new look!  Even if you didn’t know what our store looked like before, we would still love to have your feedback!

While we were remodeling, we decided to add a few new features to our store!  We now have Gift Certificates available, and perfect timing with the holidays quickly approaching!  Easy gift giving!  Simply enter the name and address of the person you would like a gift certificate for and we will mail it out for you…

We have also added a section to our checkout where vouchers can be redeemed…keep posted for special promotional codes to save you even more money when shopping in our store!

We have also added an easy to use Gify Registry!  We are so excited about this feature!  Now moms (or dads) can sign up in our registry and select the items that they have on their wishlist.  Their friends and family can easily retrieve their information, and purchase the items that have been selected.  What better way to get a new mom exactly what she wants?!

And the last addition to our site is a newly revised article on cloth diapering!!  We know that it can be very overwhelming to figure out what all there is to know in order to begin using cloth, the information is mind boggling!  We have a very informative information sheet to help newbies get started, and a refresher for the rest of us!  I hope you find that information helpful…

We are anxiously awaiting our shipment of the new Thirsties Covers as well as our first shipment of Mums Bums All In One diapers…I will let ya know when those arrive!