BWI newsletter Jan-F.. - Babywearing International

The official BWI newsletter
Carrying On
Babywearing International: Bringing Together Babywearers Everywhere
Volume 2, Issue 1
Welcome to BWI’s
official newsletter!
If you have ideas for our
newsletter or would like to
contribute, please contact
Heidi:
[email protected]
We welcome submissions
(articles, photos and other
content) from individuals,
groups, and businesses!
Feel free to enjoy this and
pass it on!
Inside this issue:
Letter from the
President
2
Paperwork!
Managing group
growth
3
January/Feburary 2012
Quality Baby Carriers: Saving a bundle on your bundle
At first glance, most people
would argue that a quality baby
carrier is not going to save them
money. After all, if you are going
to wear your baby, you're going
to have to buy a baby carrier to
do it, right?
And that means spending
probably between $50-150 for
most popular, comfortable carriers. Plus, many people find not
just one carrier they want, but 2
or 3 that together cover all the
bases for 99.9999% of their
possible babywearing situations.
I would like to make the argument that buying (or making)
and using even as many as three
quality, comfortable baby carriers could result in the carriers
actually paying for themselves,
plus some.
First, I would point out that
(yes, as a manufacturer of baby
carriers that I think are great
and that I want you to buy, I am
going to admit this anyway) is
that babywearing can be a do-ityourself activity.
I don't even mean that you
must have mad sewing skills in
order to make a baby carrier.
You really can comfortably and
safely carry your child in a bed
sheet, table cloth, or sarong.
Or you can "make" a fleece
wrap by finding the cheapest
polar fleece you can find and
buying about 5 yards of it. The
person at the fabric store counter will cut
it for you
and
you
could wear
it out of the
store.
Of course,
many of you
are
quite
crafty
and
could sew a
carrier using
one
or
more of the
Photo Courtesy of Catbird
Baby, Inc.
many tutorials available online
for making a pouch, ring sling,
mei tai, buckle carrier, podeagi
and on and on.
If a baby carrier is just another
item that we add to a long list of
items that we feel we must buy
for baby, then no, it's certainly
not going to save anyone any
money in the long run.
But let's say that you really like
the idea of babywearing and its
many benefits and decide to give
it a try; as a result, you might
find that you have less need or
Saving continued on page 5
Baby Carrier Industry Alliance
Advocate of babywearing and babywearing business
It was April of 2010 that I
decided to spearhead the Baby
Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA)
--I knew, then, that our industry
needed a unifying voice.
The regulatory climate had
changed so dramatically in the
six years I had been in business
and was increasingly hostile to
small businesses, and there was
little understanding among consumer advocacy groups of the
essential nature of sling-style
carriers as parenting tools.
We needed to be speaking
directly with regulators and
nonprofits, not just to parents.
To parents, it is easy to make
the point that carrying their
babies not only makes their lives
BCIA continued on page 4
Letter from the President
Page 2
BABYWEARING
INTERNATIONAL
Babywearing International
c/o Ann Marie Rodgerson
3034 Southern Elm Ct.
Fairfax, VA 22031
[email protected]
babywearinginternational.org
Photo courtesy of BWI
of Wrapsody Baby.
It’s a new year, and this year promises to be a big
one for babywearing and for Babywearing International in particular!
In this issue, Beth from Catbird Baby shares with
us some of the important considerations to keep in
mind when budgeting for a carrier. These ideas are
things you can share with meeting attendees to
help them determine a realistic budget, or whether
DIY is right for them.
Kristi from Wrapsody tells us about the
creation of the BCIA and about the hard
work they have done in the last year and
a half. The most exciting is the completion of the ASTM Sling Standard! Congratulations to BCIA on their achievement!
Heather from BWI of Chicagoland tells
us about Chicagoland’s experience handling their sudden surge in group growth
and the steps they have taken to manage
keeping track of their new attendees and
paperwork.
We are excited about our second
newsletter and hope you enjoy it. In
addition to the newsletter, let me share
some of the other great things going on
for BWI.
Babywearing International of DC-MDVA is currently deep into planning for International
Babywearing Conference 2012 which will take
place in Washington, DC June 29-July 2, 2012.
They are really excited about hosting the babywearing world in the Nation’s Capital!
You can visit the conference website
(InternationalBabywearingConference.com) or
follow them on Facebook to learn about registration, which should start within the next month. It
promises to be a fantastic opportunity for babywearing advocates, educators, and devotees
to get together and share information, techniques, and ideas.
It will also be a great time to socialize with
other families and visit our Nation’s Capital.
Babywearing International is excited to have
welcomed a few chapters recently as well. Welcome to BWI of the Triangle (NC), BWI of Delmarva (DE&MD), BWI of Fayetteville (NC) and
BWI of Peoria (IL).
Several more groups are working on completing
paperwork in the coming weeks and we look forward to working
with these chapters
as they expand the
number of families
BWI is able to help.
At meetings every
month I hear from
families who are so
grateful for the
work Babywearing
International does
to help parents find
the tools that make
parenting easier and
make their babies
happier.
Please
know that what you
do is an important
service to your
community!
We thank you for your hard work supporting
your local babies to be comfortable and secure
with their caregivers.
Keep up the good work, and we look forward to
meeting you this summer in Washington, DC!
Ann Marie Rodgerson is the President of BWI. She is
also a VBE for BWI of DC-MD-VA.
Paperwork, Paperwork, Paperwork!
Page 3
Managing group growth with new procedures and papers
After merging several smaller
local babywearing groups to
become BWI of Chicagoland
and with the help of online
social media, we suddenly
found our group growing very
quickly.
One thing we didn’t really
prepare for very well was the
more “structured” paperwork
that accompanied all the new
attendees and BWI members
who wanted access to the lending library.
We had been a smaller group
with 2 monthly meetings and
maybe 1 or 2 new attendees
each time with around 7-12
total adults attending.
Suddenly we found ourselves
running nearly triple the
monthly meetings, sometimes
with over double the caregivers
and double or more new attendees per meeting!
The fast rate of growth was
great for the community, but
we experienced some growing
pains along the way. Some of
us felt like we were scrambling
at busy meetings.
We needed to make sure
new attendees filled out our
new attendee form so we
could follow up as needed; we
also wanted to make sure they
were sent home with some
useful information.
As a first step we started by
asking some regulars to become “greeters”. The greeters
would make sure the attendees
signed in, and got any paperwork they needed.
This
worked better for some meetings than others. We’re all
caregivers, with busy schedules,
and kids who get sick, etc.
Then we decided to assemble
a “new attendee packet”. This
was really helpful for VBE’s, so
we could concentrate on helping caregivers, and not spend
so much time tracking paperwork.
Our packet starts with a new
attendee form in front. Then
we include the “Simply Wonderful” BWI pamphlet.
The third piece is a double
sided piece of paper. One side
contains the “Benefits of Babywearing” article printed from
the Resources tab of the BWI
website.
The other side contains our
“Babywearing 101 Handout”. It
is a page we put together that
attendees can take home that
summarizes “Best Practices”
information, types of carriers,
basic positions, and some other
general tips and tricks. It also
includes our contact information.
The last double sided page is
our group guidelines and policies, and includes our lending
library policies.
(We don’t
include the BWI membership
application in the packet; it’s
only given out to people who
want to join officially.)
When we greet a new caregiver we offer them the stapled
packet after introducing ourselves as leaders or greeters,
and ask them to fill out the first
page (attendee form), pull to
detach from the rest, and return that page only before the
end of the meeting. By doing
this, we feel more comfortable
that the new person will be
welcomed, and also go home
with some organized, stapled,
useful information.
Before our meeting breaks up
for one on one support, we ask
if everyone has signed in. One
of us checks the sign in sheet
to make sure VBE’s work with
the new attendees, based on
their needs.
We’ve found this to be very
helpful for our meetings. We
hope if any other groups are
struggling with new member
paperwork, this might help
other groups as well.
Photo courtesy of BWI
of Chicagoland
“When we greet a new
caregiver we offer them
the stapled packet after
introducing ourselves as
leaders or greeters, and
ask them to fill out the
first page (attendee
form), pull to detach
from the rest, and return
that page only before
the end of the meeting.”
You can find BWI of
Chicagoland on the web at:
bwichicagoland.wordpress.com
Photos courtesy of
BWI of Chicagoland
BCIA, continued from page 1
Page 4
Photo courtesy of
Gypsymama, LLC
“In these 18
months, the
climate
around baby
slings has
shifted
dramatically.”
Photo courtesy of
Wrapsody Baby.
easier, but significantly contributes to their babies’ wellbeing.
Sadly, however, parents’ arms
were being viewed as dangerous -- dangerous because they
cannot be standardized in the
same way as manufactured
equipment.
In these 18 months, the climate around baby slings has
shifted dramatically.
Vesta
Garcia, our Executive Director,
has traveled with other BCIA
members to Washington, to
Philadelphia, to Florida, to Capitol Hill. She has talked about
babywearing with Congress,
the CPSC, consumer advocay
groups, and many others. She
has shared the results of our
White Paper with them.
With the help of our members, the BCIA has made it
clear that slings and similar
carriers are NOT merely a hip,
fashionable accessory for the
new mama, but are the basic
level of care babies expect. More people are beginning to understand: we MUST
wear our babies.
We must wear them for their
well-being, and we must wear
them for ours. And, as we
have for so many years, the
sling and baby carrier industry
must work to make one of the
safest products on the baby
market even safer.
BCIA has worked with ASTM
international to move forward
with a voluntary standard for
slings. We have helped our
manufacturer, retailer, and
educator members negotiate
an increasingly complex series
of regulations, and we continue
to work to make it easier for
them to comply with benefits
such as a Product Registration
Service.
Together, we have sought
some of the best legal counsel
in the country. We are working with labs to make testing
affordable.
The BCIA is ensuring that you
continue to have a safe variety
of carriers available to meet
your needs. We are working
to keep even the smallest retailers in business, because as
babywearing parents and entre-
preneurs, we know that the
nuances in carriers are important to families all over the
world.
Some of our members also
belong to JPMA and may take
part in other trade or professional organizations. But BCIA
is the only organization that
exists solely to advocate for
babywearing manufacturers,
retailers, and educators.
We are and will remain committed to making it possible for
the smallest of babywearing
businesses to comply with the
law, a task we know can be
overwhelming and feel impossible to a micro-business. We
can help, at a cost far less than
anyone would incur trying to
do it alone.
In order to continue this important mission, we need support from each and every business that is engaged in making
or selling baby carriers, so we
ask you to let manufacturers
and retailers know that you
support BCIA and want them
t o ,
a s
w e l l .
In our short 18 months, we
have accomplished a huge
amount. The BCIA is even in
conversation with government
organizations in several countries about partnering on important
public
safety campaigns,
to bring the message to families
that the safest
place for a baby is
in-arms, and that
supervising a baby’s airway is
essential to safe
babywearing.
We are working to bring
more babywearing research to
light, working with members
from 17 countries to unite the
babywearing industry around
the world.
How can you help us continue
this work, you ask? You can
join the BCIA as a friend or
business member. You can tell
the babywearing educators,
manufacturers, and retailers
you know about us, and make
sure they are members, too.
You can email a BCIA member today and tell them that
you appreciate supporting our
member businesses. Or, you
can simply make a donation.
Kristi Hayes-Devlin's babywearing
journey began during her first
pregnancy in 1999 when she read
an article discussing the link between babywearing and increased
IQ. She began using a sling as soon
as she left the hospital, and loved it
so much she never did buy a
stroller. Kristi started Gypsy Mama, LLC in 2004, focusing on the
manufacture of quality wraparound
carriers in unique fabrics. She
spearheaded Baby Carrier Industry
Alliance in 2010 and was awarded
the BWI Advocate of the Year
award for her efforts. Kristi lives in
Maine with her four children, her
husband, Jonas, and two cats,
where she enjoys tying business
and advocacy work together.
Saving a Bundle, continued from page 1
desire for some other products,
such as baby swings, bouncers,
strollers, or infant car seats.
Perhaps since you end up using
baby carriers so much you decide
that you don't need both a bouncer and a swing. If you decide not
to purchase a swing, that could
save you anywhere from about
$50-150. Now, of course, this is
also the range we've cited for a
good baby carrier, so at this point,
you're just breaking even.
Total potential savings thus far: $0
If you decide you do not need a
bouncer either, that will result in a
savings of about $35-200.
Total potential savings thus far:
$35-200
While an infant car seat (the kind
you click into a base installed in
the car) can be quite convenient
and may fit some infants better,
they are not actually necessary.
A convertible car seat may be
used from 5 pounds and remains
installed in the car. And since you
will have to eventually buy a convertible car seat anyway, you
could skip the infant car seat altogether and simply pop the baby in
the carrier to and from the car.
This would result in a savings from
approximately $100-250.
Total potential savings thus far:
$135-450
While it is common to use infant
car seats to transport babies to
and from the car, using stroller
frames that accept infant car seats
around town during many activities is also seen by many parents
as an easy and convenient alternative to carrying the car seat with
the baby in it.
If a baby carrier is used in these
instances instead, you can forego
the seat obviously (tallied above)
and the frame (range: $50-125).
Total potential savings thus far:
$185-575
Admittedly, the vast majority of
people who babywear are also
stroller owners. But there are
some who never feel the need for
a stroller, which will save you
anywhere from $25 (*very* cheap
umbrella stroller) to $1,000.
However, if you frequently rely
on babywearing as a method of
transit but still feel you need a
stroller on occasion, perhaps the
stroller you end up buying will be
a simpler, less-expensive model
than you may otherwise choose.
For example, I know someone
who bought a mid-range stroller
(around $350), a 3-wheel jogging
stroller with air tires (around
$400) and a quality umbrella
stroller ($120) before discovering babywearing.
With her second child, she sold
the first two and occasionally
used the umbrella stroller with
her older child while wearing
her newborn. So, she spent
around $1000 on strollers and
the one that cost $120 was the
most useful. She could have
saved $880 on strollers.
For the sake of our math, let’s
say the average babywearer
spends $150 on a stroller and
the average non-babywearer
buys two strollers totaling $350700, saving the babywearer $200
-550.
Total savings thus far: $3851,125
A baby carrier can also serve
as a useful tool to make breastfeeding easier. I know it's not
magic and doesn't solve every
breastfeeding difficulty, but many
moms do find that babywearing
makes breastfeeding easier and
they can remain more active
than they would or could otherwise, thus precluding or reducing the use of formula.
While the costs for formula
will obviously vary depending on
baby's age/weight/nutritional
needs/allergies, estimates for full
-time formula feeding range from
about $75-150 per month
(obviously much less if only parttime formula feeding). If we do
the math for the first year,
which is also a realistic amount
of time for babies to be worn,
the total is $900-1,800 for those
12 months.
Since a quality breast pump
may be key in helping some
women to continue breastfeeding as well, we’ll deduct $300
from the savings breastfeeding
generates, which puts the range
at $600-1,500.
Total potential savings thus far:
$985-2,625
Let's say that you end up buying a stretchy wrap for $40, a
mei tai for $85, and a ring sling
for $55, for a total of $180. And
let's say that you use one of the
carriers for at least 15 minutes
per day every day for baby's first
year, and then half the days for
baby's second year. That is 547.5
days (let's round down to 547) and
comes out to just under $.33 per
day!
So, for roughly $.33 per day
($180) for your baby’s first two
years, you could potentially save
nearly $3000.
It goes without saying that it's
possible to engage in conspicuous
consumption in this area as easily
as any other. Some people end up
loving baby carriers so much they
buy 10 (or more) and that's obviously not going to save you any
money. Others want to have one
of everything to make sure they
have all the tools they might want
or need. Still other babywearers
find that one carrier is all they
need and use it for years.
Don't think I'm accusing anyone
who makes the choice to purchase
a stroller or strollers, a bouncy
seat, a swing, a play yard, baby
gym, exersaucer or any other
piece of baby gear (or all of them)
of being foolish, extravagant, or
ridiculous. Different people have
different styles, tastes, and needs.
But it's interesting to think about
babywearing as an investment. A
few quality carriers have the potential to have a big impact on our
parenting, as well as what we end
up spending on baby gear, in a way
that could significantly benefit our
bottom lines.
Page 5
Photo courtesy of
Catbird Baby, Inc.
“While an infant
car seat (the kind
you click into a
base installed in
the car) can be
quite convenient
and may fit some
infants better, they
are not actually
necessary.”
Beth Warrell Leistensnider started Catbird Baby after her
experiences using mei
tais with her daughter
who was born in 2003.
Since
starting
the
company
with
the
original mei tai carrier,
Catbird Baby has added the popular Pikkolo
buckle carrier, winter
baby carrier cover, and
babywearing support
belt. Beth lives and
works in Chicago with
her husband and two
children. Her original
catbird baby is now 8,
and her son is almost 5
years old.
Photo courtesy of
Catbird Baby, Inc.