Win a Free Baby So Smart Silk Baby Sling or Mei Tai!

It's that time again, time for another chance to win a FREE Baby So Smart silk baby sling or Mei Tai baby carrier! I love contests, and this one is just in time for the holidays!

Here's how to enter: Make a video of yourself wearing your baby in your favorite Baby So Smart sling or Mei Tai telling the world just how much you love it and why. Now be creative-- sing about it, dance a jig, shout it from the mountain tops-- the more creative the better (please keep it clean, and please no dangerous activities in the carriers)-- and then post your video to YouTube. After you have posted your video love to YouTube, post a link to your video on the Baby So Smart Facebook page, where we can all view it and vote for our favorite. Three winners will be chosen: First prize will be a FREE Baby So Smart EveryDay Silk Sling, Inspiration Sling, or Deluxe Mei Tai of your choice; the first runner up will receive a Baby So Smart gift certificate worth $75; second runner up will receive a Baby So Smart gift certificate worth $50. Entries will be judged based on your creativity, originality, and really just generally on whether or not you made us laugh and be happy!

Wait-- you say you'd like to have a chance to win a free Baby So Smart silk baby sling or Mei Tai baby carrier but you don't own any Baby So Smart carriers to rave about? Let us help you out. For those of you who've been dying to try one of our carriers but just haven't taken the plunge yet, now's your chance. Now through November 30, purchase a Skinny Sling or a Basic Mei Tai of your choice at 35% off the full price and enter our contest for your chance to win another silk baby sling or Mei Tai baby carrier absolutely free! Simply use the promo code CONTEST at check-out to receive 35% off your order. May only be used on full price Skinny Slings or Basic Mei Tais.

So, hurry up and make your video, get it posted to YouTube and tell the world all about how much you love your Baby So Smart sling or Mei Tai and get your chance to win big!

Infantino Sling Rider Deaths-- Sadly, Finally

For the last 4 years+ I've been teaching what I call a "Benefits of Babywearing" class through several local venues-- hospital-based lactation support groups, our local Babies R Us locations, pediatricians offices, small home groups, through chirpractors offices-- you name it. My goal has always been to open parents eyes to all the amazing physical and emotional health benefits that babywearing gives to a baby. It still blows my mind. Not the idea of babywearing, but the science behind it all. It totally makes sense. An infant's development is measurably physically improved by babywearing. I'm just overwhelmed that something as simple as a piece of cloth, used to fasten my baby to my body, can actually measurably physically benefit my baby. It's so simple, it's almost stupid.

But not all baby carriers are equal, and not all of them are safe. And that's also been a part of the classes that I teach. When I teach a class, I bring several different styles of carriers to each class in order to demonstrate the pro's and con's of each style so that parents are then able to make an educated decision about which carrier style best meets the needs of their family. One of the carriers that I include in the demonstration is the Infantino Sling Rider, which would be considered a "bag style" carrier.

My overwhelming concern with this particular style of carrier is the awkward and compromised position into which the baby slips when he is placed inside the carrier. There is no feature to keep the baby's body in good alignment, so the baby usually ends up in what we call the "chin-to-chest" position. I'm a nurse, a pediatric nurse, and just hearing those words said in relation to a infant under three months old is enough to make my skin crawl. The chin-to-chest position is just that-- the infant's chin drops down to rest on their chest (remember your newborns at that age, they really don't have much of a neck), and their little, teeny, floppy airway is occluded-- folded in half, if you will. The infant airway, or trachea or breathing tube, is pretty unremarkable at this stage, at least in regards to it's ability to maintain itself. It's soft, floppy, and extremely narrow; that's why infants are so grossly affected when they're hit with the common cold, for example. Let me just say it bluntly: it is possible for an infant to "cut off" their own ability to breathe if they are placed in the chin-to-chest position. Try it yourself and see; bend your head down and forcefully rest your chin on your chest, and notice how you begin to work harder to breathe through your nose. More forceful, deeper breaths, indicating that's its much more challenging to get a good deep breath in this position. And we don't even have teeny, floppy airways. Now imagine that you are an infant with a teeny, floppy airway.

My concerns are not invalid, either. Others have been voicing their concerns for several years as well. In fact, one third-party group reviewed the Infantino Sling Rider (along with several other styles/brands of carriers) back in the fall of 2006 or 2007 ( I don't remember which off the top of my head), documented their findings, and presented it to the manufacturer in the following February, I believe assuming that the bag-style carrier in question would be pulled from the market, at least until modifications could be made to make it safe for use.

Here were some of the findings that the third-party reviewers found when reviewing the Infantino Sling Rider in use with actual moms and babies:
1. Due to the elastic gathering at the opening of the carrier, the actual oxygen levels within the carrier were significantly lower than that in the area around the mom. What does this mean? The baby is not being exposed to the oxygen it needs to breathe and oxygenate itself.

2. Due to the poor positioning of the baby in the carrier, i.e., the chin-to-chest position, some babies in the study occluded their own airway. They subsequently displayed the following impairments:
a. The babies oxygen levels went down, probably due in part to the lack of airflow inside the carrier, and in part to the compromised position the babies were in.
b. Their respiratory rates went up (as their bodies were trying to compensate for inability to suck in oxygen/air by increasing how fast the babies breathed).
c. To compensate even more, their heart rates began to rise above normal levels, again, in an attempt to adequately oxygenate the baby.
d. Some babies were noted to begin "grunting" which is a sign of respiratory distress.
e. Some babies were noted to have color changes-- blue/purple around their lips, etc.
f. Some babies thrashed around and cried to try to communicate their discomfort/distress.
g. Some babies just became "still" and didn't move (many parents take this to mean the baby is comfortable, sleeping, safe. Not often the case).

Parents have reported similar behaviors in their infants when using the Infantino SlingRider; these parent reports can be found either at the Babies R Us website or the Amazon website, by searching for the Infantino Sling Rider. Several of the reviews are disturbing, and many describe behaviors similar to what the third-party reviewers found when doing their study.

What's most disturbing to me is the manufacturer's response to all of this a few years ago when they were presented with the cold, hard facts. They shrugged their shoulders. Didn't seem to care, didn't make any changes, and certainly did nothing to publicize these findings. I get angry sometimes, when I'm teaching a class, and I present this information to a room full of parents or parents-to-be, and inevitably someone speaks up, usually a dad, but sometimes a mom, to say-- "If the carrier were really dangerous, I think the maker would pull it from the market. I don't believe what you're saying." Often at this point they accuse me of just trying to sell my own carriers; for those of you who know me, you can back me up when I tell you that that is the absolute last thing I've ever tried to do. I'm a firm believer in "you have to do what works for you." And I've provided parents with websites, stores, lists of resources, even referred them to competitors, to make sure that they were able to find a carrier that actually works for them.

I digress. Unfortunately, it finally happened. The Infantino Sling Rider company "got what it asked for"-- a documented death in one of their carriers, and not just one, I might add, but several. Consumer Reports notes the instances in their article dated October 26, 2009. (For some reason I am not able to input the link to the article here, but it is imbeded in the title of this blog).
They got what they asked for, alright, dead babies and devastated families. And it didn't have to happen.

Sadly, the Consumer Reports article attempts to say that ALL baby slings are unsafe, dangerous, shouldn't be used. Not true. I have pushed people to LEARN how to use their carriers correctly over the years, as even a good carrier can be used incorrectly and potentially be the "cause" of a problem (I say "cause" because it's not actually the carrier that causes the problem, it's the wearer not using it correctly). Three biggest instances of this, in my opinion, are: a "bigger baby, let's say a 6- or 8-month old, that's just really pitching a fit, and the parent is trying to force the baby into the carrier, and the baby is thrashing, throwing itself around, a recipe for disaster. A baby carrier is just that, a carrier, not a restraining device. Next example, a parent not tightening the carrier up, wearing it very loose and low, baby hanging out, again, looking for a fall, or the potential for the baby to fall into the chin-to-chest position. I've seen this several times, usually a ring sling, and the parent is attempting to carry the baby in the cradle position, but is not adjusting the sling to support the baby, allowing the baby to just kind of curl up inside the body of the sling (I've always thought that maybe these parents were trying to wear it the way they've seen the Infantino Sling Rider worn). And the third instance, wearing a carrier that is too big for you-- usually it is a pouch, or pouch sling, and the baby is sliding into . . . the chin-to-chest position, and we've already been through those dangers. It is critical to make sure not only that the carrier you are using fits you, but that you are also using it correctly.

My heart goes out to the families of these beautiful babies whose lives were needlessly lost. The data was there, several years ago, and the manufacturer KNEW about the potential harm that their product could have, creating a compromised position in babies, they just didn't seem to care.

Determining to Make a Difference

Every day I tell myself that I need to get on here and keep up this blog, and every day I fail to meet my goal. I'm always busy it seems-- chasing the kids, making a meal, packing a lunch, changing yet another diaper, making a sling or Mei Tai to fill an order, searching on line to figure out how to better market our beautiful products, teaching a babywearing class or answering emails about babywearing, shopping for fabrics, providing breastfeeding support-- the list never seems to end. And every day I find time to do all those things. I've also been failing in another major area.

The one thing I have been failing in lately is in-- giving. I grew up in a family of givers. My parents gave what little cold, hard cash they had to suppport so many great organizations, and they planted that seed in me. When I was in high school, I remember I began giving a portion of the money I earned-- a tithe--through various jobs to support a child through World Vision. It was exciting for me to know that I was helping a child somewhere around the world to live a slightly better life-- providing them with food, clothes, an education, medical care. And then my income increased a bit. So I began to sponsor another child, then another, and another. I think at one point I was sponsoring close to 10 children in various countries and then I began to find other awesome organizations to support as well. It was liberating for me. I loved it.

And when Adam and I got married in 2000, I realized I had married another "giver." We streamlined our giving, and soon were giving over 20% of our gross income to support several amazing organizations-- World Vision, Jews for Jesus, Arab World Ministries, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Mercy Ships, Samaritan's Purse-- just to name a few. And then Adam lost his job . . . a month after I had given birth to our oldest child. We tightened our belts and had to very reluctantly cut back on our giving. We thought that Adam would fairly quickly find another job and this "hiccup" in our lives would soon be in the past. Two years later, he was still without a job. We had used up all our savings, our retirements, we had stopped giving all together, and things never seemed to "go back to normal" for us.

Fastforward a few years. Adam never has found another job in his field. He finally took a job in a totally unrelated field and has been underemployed for over 5 years now. In those 5 years, we've added 3 more kids to our brood. We've never been able to loosen our belts, it seems. And we've never really gotten back on the "giving bandwagon", if you will.

Every month I tell myself that I am going to give, to tithe, out of my business earnings. I'm thrilled that Baby So Smart has grown so much over the last 5 years and is really doing well. Are we rolling in money? No. But there's no reason why I can't give. And so I've determined to make Baby So Smart make a difference in other people's lives.

Baby So Smart is now proud to announce that we are supporting another great program through World Vision, I've picked a program that provides women, mothers, with sewing machines so that they can then help support their families as seamstresses. Clearly close to my heart. Statistics show that if you help a woman by providing her with education and loans for microenterprise, that this actually significantly improves the entire community, not just the woman and her own family. Hence why I've chosen to support this awesome program by World Vision.

So 10% of every dollar that you spend at Baby So Smart will now go to supporting women around the world in a microenterprise. I encourage you to read more about this program, or other great programs that World Vision operates, and to give as you are able as well. Just click on the title of this blog post to be taken to the World Vision website.

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

Fall 2009 EveryDay Silk Sling Collection

We're adding a few new slings to our EveryDay Silk and EveryDay Silk Demi Sling line of carriers, and they're to-die-for! Lots of beautiful new silk colors paired with some gorgeous new cotton prints are sure to have you hankering for a new sling! Check out these fun "Mini-Me" versions of some of our new slings (and there are more to come, just be patient!). Full-size versions of all these slings will be available for sale on our site beginning in September. "Mini-Me" versions of all our EveryDay Silk and EveryDay Silk Demi Sling are always available for $35.



This first red plum & gorgeous lawn floral is called "Francesca." For those of you who lusted after our "Sofia" EveryDay Silk sling, you will love "Francesca" just as much. Soft, feminine, and elegant, "Francesca" will turn heads everywhere you go.





Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do-- we guarantee you'll say yes to this beautiful "Daisy" EveryDay Silk Demi Sling from our Fall 2009 Collection! Jet-black dupioni silk is partially lined and then trimmed with a fun hot pink and wine print just loaded with spirit.







"Stella", beautiful Stella of dusky plum dupioni silk and lined and edged with a just amazing large-scale plum & tan botanical print. We are in love with this new EveryDay Silk Demi sling, and guarantee you will be, too!



And then there's "Wynsome," or "Wynnie," as we affectionately refer to this beautiful new EveryDay Silk Demi Sling. Cocoa dupioni silk is partially lined and then trimmed in a funky but feminine print done in shades of cocoa, tangerine, pale blue, and hibiscus pink.

And isn't our beautiful little model just great? We certainly think so! For more views of these beautiful new EveryDay Silk Slings by Baby So Smart, join us on Facebook!

And check back frequently, as we have a few more slings to add to our Fall 2009 Collection!

Baby So Smart Product Review

We're excited to share a recent review of one of our beautiful, practical Baby So Smart Mei Tais! Check out what Susan, of www.upscalebaby.com/blog has to say!

The Baby So Smart "Inspiration Sling" Contest Winners!

"Inspiration Sling" Winners!

We had so many great entries to this contest, it was extremely difficult to narrow the entries down. While my intent was to narrow the choices down to just 5 winning entries, because there were so many inspiring entries, I decided to add-on some "Honorable Mention" entries. The individuals who have received Honorable Mention will receive a $50 gift certificate, good towards any Baby So Smart product.

And now the 5 grand prize winners of the Baby So Smart "Inspiration Sling" contest--

1. Jessica Hartenstine (TBW: LunamothMama), with the "Azor Forrest" sling, color combo of chocolate brown, leaf green, and turquoise.
2. Michelle Tonkinson, with the "Kyla Ilene" sling, color combo of pink and cream.
3. Carmela Smythe (TBW: carmelasmythe), with the "Hannah Lashley" sling, color combo of chocolate brown and pink.
4. Elizabeth Easter (TBW:EllieBellie), with the "Tiffany Sabrina" sling, color combo of "Tiffany blue" and lime green.
5. Dana Carries (TBW:Pyrodjm), with the "Natalie Monet" sing, color combo of deep orange and chocolate brown.

And now the Honorable Mentions--
1. Andee Roll, with the "Harper Delaney" sling
2. Jennifer Lytle (TBW:mamarocks), with the "Claire Margarite" sling
3. Heather Russel (TBW:bgexotics), with the "Aidan Carter" sling
4. Shanna Bartram (TBW:anneannahs), with the "River Anna" sling
5. Dawn Partlow, with the "Nova Marie" sling

Congratulations to all of our Grand Prize Winners, and to all of our Honorable Mention winners!

Stay tuned for photos coming soon!

Join Baby So Smart on Facebook!

Want to learn more about babywearing, love your Baby So Smart sling or Mei Tai, or just want to hang out with other babywearers? Then join us on Facebook! Simply click on the title of this blog to be taken to our Facebook page, and then add yourself as a "Fan" of Baby So Smart.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The End of All Small Businesses That Produce Childrens Items??

Some of you may not be aware of all that is taking place currently within our governmental system in regards to legislation in process that may very likely shut down those of us who own small businesses that sell or manufacture items used by children ages 12 and under.

In a nutshell: most of you remember the concerns that were raised when in 2007, many children's toys and other products were recalled due to high levels of lead, said items having been manufactured in mass quantities in China, and sold to us by large companies here in the US who had outsourced their production of these childrens items. Rightly so, Americans were outraged, and the US Congress stepped in to protect us.

This from www.change.org, "they [the US Congress] passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in children's products, mandates third party testing and certification, and requires manufacturers of all goods for children under the age of 12, to permanently label each item with a date and batch number." (Italics mine).

While this appears to be a great step taken to protect American children from tainted products, there are myriad problems with the legislation and the way it currently is written.

Again, from www.change.org: "All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational companies to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each item have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and updating their systems to include batch labels. Small businesses however, will likely be driven out of business by the costs of mandatory testing, to the tune of as much as $4,000 or more per item. And the few larger manufacturers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

Anyone who produces or sells any of the following new or used items will be required to comply with the law: toys, books, clothing, art, educational supplies, materials for the learning disabled, bicycles, and more. Any uncertified item intended for children under the age of 12 will be considered contraband after February 10, 2009. It will be illegal to sell or give these items away to charities, and the government will require their destruction or permanent disposal, resulting in millions of tons of unnecessary waste, and placing an enormous strain on our landfills.

There is a clear disconnect between the sweeping nature of this law, and the narrow range of products that were problematic in 2007. The CPSIA applies standards that were put in place in reaction to the sale of toys contaminated with lead paint and toxic plastics. Rather than focus on these materials, this law places a guilty until proven innocent mentality on all children's product producers by imposing mandatory testing and certification, and in the process will kill an entire industry."

This law, if enacted as currently written, will close down thousands of small businesses, including mine. In these economically difficult times, this will only serve to increase the hardships families are suffering from and increase the jobless rate. I encourage you to contact your senators and congress-people to implore them to provide exemptions for those of us whose products in no way violate these laws or impose and danger to our children.

FYI-- the fabrics that I currently use to craft the beautiful baby carriers available on my website, www.babysosmart.com, are already safe-- the levels of possible contaminants are well-under what the government is deeming acceptable and safe with these laws. However, if I continued to function and manufacture and sell baby carriers after February 10th, the government would state that I am violating the law by producing and selling "hazardous materials", which is NOT true, and I could potentially be fined up to $5 million and face jail time.

Please, please take the time to read the full explanation of all that will happen to America on February 10, 2009 by going to www.change.org, and then also contact those indivual senators and congress people who can grant us exemptions.

Thank you so much for reading this.

Happy After-the-Holidays Greetings!

Just wanted to wish all of you a happy, healthy, prosperous 2009!

You Inspire Us

Most of my fabric choices and combinations that I use to create all of our beautiful Baby So Smart slings and Mei Tais are inspired by something in my life-- my children, a favorite book, a beautiful natural phenomenon, friends-- and my customers.

In honor of all the inspiration in my life, I have decided to introduce the Baby So Smart "Inspiration" Slings. These slings will be inspired by YOU and will be available in several gorgeous combinations and price ranges, providing something beautiful for everyone.

These slings will be available as single layer slings in two separate but coordinating color combinations, or as one gorgeous reversible sling.

Here's a look at the "Avelyn Eithne" reversible silk sling, inspired by my oldest daughter-- Elegant and beautiful, but subtle. Two gorgeous layers of silk, one a silvery green, the other sugared plum, accented by an elegant coordinating cotton print. Two zippered pockets, to make the sling practical regardless of which way you choose to wear it. Available for $249.


And then the single layered versions:

The "Avelyn" sling (my daughter's first name) . . . a single layer of silvery green silk, accented with sugared plum silk and the coordinating cotton print . . . and the "Eithne" sling (my daughter's middle name) . . . a single layer of sugared plum silk, accented with silvery green silk and the coordinating cotton print.

Each of the single layer slings has one zippered pocket and is not reversible, and will be available for $125.

Here's where you, our customers, come in. I want your input to help inspire me with this astounding line of silk slings.

I invite you to send me your baby's name, along with your favorite color combination, a photo of you with your baby, and tell me a little bit about yourself and what inspires you. If I choose your color combination, that sling will be named after your baby, and you will receive a free reversible, double layer silk sling named for your baby in the color combination that you have suggested.

All entries must be received by midnight, Jan. 15, 2009. Winners will be notified by Jan. 31, 2009, and will receive their sling within 4 weeks. All entries must be submitted to tiffany@babysosmart.com. You may only enter once. Entrants may choose to honor one or more children by combining their children's names in an attractive manner. No more than two names and two color choices submitted per entry. Winning combinations will be chosen based upon: my appreciation of your child's name and my appreciation of the color combination you have chosen. Five winning combinations will be chosen from among entrant's suggestions, hence forming the base for 15 new slings.

Good luck, I look forward to hearing from you-- start submitting!