Ninemonths.com.au » Baby Clothing

Babywearing ideas

Sarah Hawker — Tue, 10 May 2011 05:06:43 +0000

Babywearing is the broad term used for carrying your baby in some sort of sling or carrier, over carrying them in your arms or pushing them in a pram or stroller.

Babywearing has becoming increasingly popular over the last few years with a great variety in carrier types. Many parents become quite obsessed with babywearing and will purchase several different carriers or slings for different purposes. Gone are the days of the Baby Bjorn being the only option for babywearing.

Below are a few of the different varieties of carriers that are available.

Slings

A sling is a carrier that you wear over one shoulder with the baby laying within a pouch. There are pocket slings which are a piece of fabric sewn into a tubular shape, they must be fitted correctly to the babywearing person. Alternatively there are ring slings which are made of a length of cloth fastened at one end with a set of rings so they can be adjusted depending on the size of the child & the person wearing them.

They are easy for short trips, like dropping older siblings at school or other activities, as they are easy to slip on, pop baby in and go. They can, however, put a bit of strain on your shoulder if you have a large (or older) baby or if you are babywearing for a long period.

Wrap Carriers

Wrap carriers are essentially just a very long length of stretchy or woven fabric that the babywearer wraps around their body and the child in specified ways to make it safe to carry the child.

Whilst at first they may be difficult to wrap for the first few times, these are great carriers once you get the method down pat. There are a lot of different options for wrapping the carriers, which means that you can carry a newborn up to quite a heavy older toddler. The only problem is that with an older child, a stretchy carrier may start to sag under their weight so a woven wrap is more suitable for older children.

Mei Tei Carriers

A Mei Tei is a square or nearly square piece of cloth with parallel straps emerging from each corner, as a general rule, the straps tie together. Mei Teis are an in between sort of carrier, a bit more complicated than a sling but can be used for longer like a wrap carrier.

Structured Carriers

The structured carrier refers to carriers of a similar design to a Mei Tei carrier, but they are different in that they have padded straps & waistbands and use buckles as compared to tying. Some examples are the traditional Baby Bjorn carrier or the new ErgoBaby carrier.

These sorts or carriers are good for babywearing for an extended period of time as they are nicely padded across your shoulders and the weight is distributed even over both shoulders and the wearers back. The main concern with structured carriers is the way the baby is held within the carrier. Make sure that baby’s weight is being held by their bottom (ie they are sitting) rather than allowing their legs to dangle with their weight on their crotch as this can cause damage to baby’s back.

With all styles are of carriers there are some general safety rules that need to be kept in mind when babywearing (in no particular order)

Ensure that baby’s back is straight & supported.Babywearing positions should mimic how you carry your baby in your arms. For upright positions, baby’s head should be in the right spot for you to easily bend your neck to kiss her or him on the top of the head.
Only do things you would ordinarily do with a baby in your arms, for example jumping on a trampoline or jogging are unsafe with a baby in your arms, therefore should not be done while babywearing either.
When baby is in a laying position, ensure s/he is not curled up too tightly so their airway does not become compressed, ie make sure baby can breathe easily.
Be aware of your surroundings and what baby can reach out and grab, particularly with back carries.
Ensure that the child fits within the carriers height & weight restrictions.

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Where to find delightful handmade baby stuff online

Suzanne Hutchinson — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 22:32:41 +0000

A lot of baby stuff out there is pretty bland and generic. In stark contrast is the boom in simply gorgeous, high quality, unique baby things being hand crafted by a growing legion of creative people.

The internet is now well established as a way for these artisans to make a living making things by selling to customers like you. Here are just three places to look online for some handmade treasures for your baby, saving you hours of walking through markets.

Georgielove.com.au

Sally from georgielove.com.au was the first in Australia to realise the huge potential of using the internet to allow independent artisans to bypass markets to sell direct to customers.

Her gorgeous website has a lovely selection of Australian maker’s handmade stuff for babies and kids. The advantage of using georgielove.com.au is that you can buy from a number of makers on the one order as Sally is the central distributor of everything on the website.

Etsy.com

Etsy.com is a huge online network committed to allowing makers of handmade treasures to connect to buyers. Creative people all over the world have set up their own shops on etsy.com selling their baby’s toys, clothing, furniture, accessories, art, and quilts. With a strong Aussie dollar buying something handmade from somewhere like the USA or UK and having shipped home is quite affordable.

Or, you can stick to buying local by checking out the Australian stores on there. However, finding an local maker of baby stuff isn’t that easy. You can search by location but no further selection criteria is offered – you’ll just get a long list of all Australian makers of all sorts of things (which isn’t that bad if you want to look for something for yourself too!)

Madeit.com.au

Like etsy.com, madeit.com.au is an online marketplace for makers of handmade delights but it is purely Australian. It is a real joy getting in contact with a local maker and maybe being his or her first customer. From fun bibs to colourful change mats, personalised wall hangings to pretty nappies, the creatively of these makers is exciting to see.

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Modern cloth nappies: the benefits worth considering

Suzanne Hutchinson — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:45:49 +0000

Cloth nappies have come a long way since the time our parents had to wrangle us into squares of toweling whilst wielding pins. That basic type of nappy is still available, however modern all-in-one cloth nappies offer a better alternative. They have an absorbent liner inside a breathable outer cover that does up with snaps. To help you consider if they could be right for you here are the benefits of modern cloth nappies.

1. Large cost savings

From birth to toilet training your baby will go through an awful lot of disposable nappies. Even though all-in-one cloth nappies are more expensive than the old flat type, you can still save around a $1000 a year.

2. Proven environmental savings

You probably have had friends quote a UK Environment Agency study that found cloth nappies have no environmental benefits over disposables. What they may not have mentioned is that the Agency issued an updated report in 2008 based on modern fabrics and best practice washing methods, including using line drying which is entirely feasible in Australia. The updated study found reusable nappies are better for the environment than disposable nappies by up to a staggering 40%. Find the report here.
3. Easy to use

Modern all-in-one cloth nappies require no complicated folding or potentially stabbing baby with a pin. They are a better fit, more absorbent and easily do up with snaps.

4. They are not much extra work, really

Washing modern cloth nappies result in about three extra loads of washing a week. The tasks involved - washing, hanging out, bringing in and putting the liners back in the covers - take about a total of 15 minutes. No soaking in harsh chemicals is required and only a tiny amount of washing powder is needed to wash them.

5. They look super cute

All-in-one cloth nappies come in ranges of fun colours and patterns. They are a much better look than ugly disposables.

6. Progressive nappy trials

The main draw-back of modern cloth nappies is the initial up-front cost. They are not cheap and you will need around three dozen. Some local councils are recognising this hurdle and are offering cloth nappy trials. The City of Yarra in Melbourne provides parents with the opportunity to trial 12 different styles of cloth nappies for $20. At the end of the two week trial you can purchase the nappies at a discounted rate.

So give modern cloth nappies some more thought in your preparations for baby, the benefits may pay off for you in the long run.

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Au Pairs A Must-Have for Modern Families

Four pregnancy items to buy now and sell later

Suzanne Hutchinson — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:48:00 +0000

When getting ready for baby it can be hard to see a good buy amongst the huge range of products on the market. Not everything is essential, but some things can be very handy and can pay off if you sell them after you have finished with them.
Judging by current prices for new products and the popularity and prices being paid on www.ebay.com.au the following are four baby items that hold their value well. When you go to sell these, in good conditions, you can expect to get half to two thirds of your money back:

1. An electric breast pump: If you are breastfeeding an electric breast pump, especially a double one, will greatly speed up the process over a manual pump. These are more expensive but considering they hold their value well it is worth looking into to save you precious moments of time to hopefully give yourself a break.

2. Bumbo®: The Bumbo is a very popular specialised baby chair designed to support baby’s posture. It can be used over a long time, being much better value than items baby will grow out of or tire of quickly (e.g. a baby swing). You can use it from when baby had good head control, around three months, which is much earlier than when you can safely use most high chairs. It is light-weight and small, so it is convenient for when you wean onto solids as you can place it anywhere.

3. Grobag®: The Gro Company makes the original and still the best baby sleeping bags designed for safety, comfort and a good night sleep. They are carefully designed to reduce the chance of SIDS and to keep baby covered at night rather than kicking off her blankets. Even Grobags in not the best condition sell well second-hand.

4. Stokke Tripp Trapp®: There is a real shortage of these second-hand, probably because you will use it for years. The Tripp Trapp is a beautifully designed chair for baby that will grow with him into adulthood. It has a foot rest that moves as he needs it to and a back rest which supports him into the right position. The Tripp Trapp is quite expensive, but the long-ranging benefits you can experience with it plus the high resale value and rarity of second-hand chairs means your investment will pay off.

We've found 00.com.au to have a wonderful selection of baby products.
Click here for OO.com.au baby products

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Five simple ways to make your own unique baby clothes

Pregnant Mother — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 06:18:09 +0000

You’re nesting and would love to make some clothes for your baby. But you don’t even own a sewing machine. You drool over the delightful hand-made baby clothes at specialty shops but can’t afford them – especially when you know they will be grown out of in a month.

You can do it! You don’t have to have any skill, just a bit of creativity. Here are some ideas to very easily create your own style for your baby without needing a sewing machine. Buy a basic baby outfit in a plain colour and add:

Ribbons or rikrak: For your baby girl, buy small quantities of ribbons in pretty colours. For your baby boy, buy some pieces of rikrak in fun colours. Lay them on the front of your baby outfit in pleasing arrangements and hand stitch into place.
Cloth badges and buttons: Have a look in op shops or at souvenir stores for cloth badges that say something about you. For example, if you’re a Queenslander maybe a cloth badge from the Big Pineapple? Stitch it on the front by hand. Find some little buttons that match the colour tone and sew them on along the shoulders.
Potato stamp and non-toxic paint: Do you remember doing these in school? Cut a potato in half, cut a stamp shape into the wet side and blot it on a paper towel. Place a piece of cardboard inside your baby outfit, squirt some non-toxic fabric paint onto a paper plate and start stamping! Add more stamps in different colours and thoroughly dry the fabric when done (in the sun or the dryer).
Iron-on transfers: You can find Australian providers online who will print your own words, or some clipart, onto transfer paper for you to iron onto your baby outfit at home in minutes. Or, you can buy coloured iron-on paper to cut out your own shapes. It is cheap, easy and original. Check out www.wearablewords.com.au.
No sewing appliqué: Head to the patchwork section of your local fabric shop, or find a speciality patchworking store online, and buy a small piece of gorgeous patterned fabric. Also buy a small piece of no-sew bond (an iron-on adhesive that bonds two layers of fabric together without needing to sew the edges). Cut out your fabric into a shape and follow the instructions to iron it on.

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