Slings Are All The Rage....

I have thoroughly enjoyed “wearing” my baby (i.e. using a baby carrier) since he was born. With my first child, we used a stroller everywhere we went, but this time around, I love having my little buddy right in front of me.

Slinging my baby frees me up tremendously…I have my hands available to assist my toddler when she needs my help, and it also gives me more mobility to get things done around the house. And as it turns out, I am not the only one who is enjoying one of the oldest and most widely accepted parental practices in the world.

An article in the New York Times entitled, “The Latest in Strollers? Mom and Dad,” discusses how many parents are dumping their strollers in favor of wearing their little one in a baby carrier or sling.

The article states that between 2006 and 2008, overall sales of industry-certified carriers rose 43 percent, and is now a $21.5 million dollar industry. That’s a lot of baby carriers!

You may be wondering why so many people are choosing to carry their baby in a sling or carrier? Well, there are many wonderful benefits to babywearing! Many highly acclaimed pediatricians have identified that babywearing is a good practice for babies and provides benefits that unslinged babies do not receive. Research has shown that:

- Babies who are carried in slings cry at least 40 percent less than those babies who are unslinged.

- Babywearing can help reduce colic in infants.

- Babies worn in slings show more alertness, both visual and auditory, and absorb information much quicker.

- Because your baby is close to you when worn in a sling, he or she is not scared by loud noises, thus allowing them to absorb more sights and sounds around them.

- Babywearing also helps promote speech development, as babies are exposed to more conversations and sounds when held closely to their parents.

- Using a baby sling or carrier can simply make life easier for you and your baby. It is a convenient way to breastfeed while caring for an older child, working or getting chores done around the house. It also is a great way to snuggle babies that liked to be held frequently, but it frees your hands to complete other tasks.

Are you going to join Team Babywearing? Or are you still Team Stroller? Or are you like me and think they both have a place in your life? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Celebrities Love the ERGO Baby Carrier!

Practical and stylish, the ERGO Baby Carrier should be mandatory for every parent…just ask Matthew Settle, also known as “Rufus Humphrey” on the hit TV show, Gossip Girl. His wife, actress/model Naama Nativ is seen on Celebrity Baby Blog sporting an ERGO Baby Carrier, with their six month old daughter in tow. Kids love to ride in this comfy carrier, and parents love it, too!

Why the ERGO Baby Carrier, you ask? The ERGO Baby Carrier's ergonomic design supports a correct sitting position for the baby's hip, pelvis and spine growth. It disperses most of the baby's weight between the hips and thighs, which helps to eliminate compression of the spine when hanging by the crotch which most other designs require. The ERGO also balances the baby's weight to parents' hips and shoulders, and alleviates physical stress for the parent.

The ERGO Baby Carrier also has other wonderful features, such as:
- One inch, high density foam in shoulder straps, making it a comfortable fit
- High Quality buckles tested by SGS
- Waist belt circumference from 25" to 43"
- Fits from 5' to 6'5" body height with adjustable shoulder and chest straps, so it works for most everyone
- Sleeping hood with elastic, adjusts in length to growth of baby
- Reinforcement stitching used at all fabric intersections
- Durability/strength tested up to 90 pounds
- Machine Washable - cold, gentle cycle

The ERGO Baby Carrier is available at Pure and Honest Kids and comes in the Original design, the Organic design and Sport design. Check them out here, at Pure and Honest Kids!

Baby Slings and Carriers from Pure and Honest Kids

Babywearing: Why You Should Do It and
What To Look For In a Baby Carrier

By: Molly Ridenhour, Pure and Honest Kids

Is Babywearing For You?
Babywearing is one of the oldest and most widely accepted parental practices in the world. Many highly acclaimed pediatricians have identified that babywearing is a good practice for little ones and provides benefits that unslinged babies do not receive.

For instance, a team off pediatricians in 1986 from Montreal concluded that babies who are carried in slings cry at least 40 percent less than those babies who are unslinged. To most moms, that’s reason enough to purchase a baby sling! The study also showed that babywearing helped reduce colic in infants as well.

Research also shows that babies worn in slings show more alertness, both visual and auditory, and absorb information much quicker. Because your baby is close to you when worn in a sling, he or she is not scared by loud noises, thus allowing them to absorb more sights and sounds around them. Babywearing also helps promote speech development, as babies are exposed to more conversations and sounds when held closely to their parents.

Another reason to consider babywearing is that your sweet little baby spent the first nine months of his or her life in your womb, and a baby sling closely mimics the feeling of being inside mom’s tummy. Your baby will feel safe and secure in your baby carrier, and it will promote a bond between parent and baby.

Lastly, using a baby sling or carrier can simply make life easier for you and your baby. It is a convenient way to breastfeed while caring for an older child, working or getting chores done around the house. It also is a great way to snuggle babies that liked to be held frequently, but it frees your hands to complete other tasks.

Choosing the Right Sling or Carrier:
At Pure and Honest Kids, we offer two wonderful slings and carriers for our customers.

Polkadot Papoose
The Polkadot Papoose is truly a baby sling for a modern mom. It is equally stylish and practical. It was designed by a freelance babywear designer with a vision for a product that would capture the hearts of sensible-yet-fashionable moms everywhere.

With a Polkadot Papoose, you take your measurements to be sure of a perfect fit. The folks at Polkadot Papoose know the importance of a correct fitting sling, and they want to make sure they get it right. To determine the correct size, measure from your shoulder to the opposite hipbone with a soft tape measure. Here’s a helpful tip- your sling measurement will usually correspond to your t-shirt size. Then simply order your size accordingly.

The Polkadot Papoose is 100 percent cotton, reversible and hand crafted. It comes with a binkie pocket, so you’ll always be sure to have that all important binkie readily available!

The Polkadot Papoose offers a wide variety of designer fabrics to suit almost any taste. At Pure and Honest Kids, we offer the following patterns: Elisa, Melanie, Sayuri, and Scarlett.

Another great feature about the Polkadot Papoose slings? A portion of every sale is
donated to Project Rescue, a charity which fights human trafficking and child exploitation in urban centers around the world.

The Polkadot Papoose is available at Pure and Honest Kids for $64.00.

PortaMee Baby Carrier
Another great carrier offered at Pure and Honest Kids is the PortaMee Carrier. Chic and easy to use, this awesome baby carrier is essential for active parents and busy caregivers. PortaMee is the exclusive baby carrier with ergonomic lumbar support to reduce back fatigue and discomfort. The side carrier allows caregivers the ability to maintain eye contact with your child, which will increase bonding.

The baby carrier by PortaMee is hands-free, stylish and constructed with fine fabrics with pockets for just about everything - your mobile devices, wallet, diapers and insulated detachable bottle holder. Leave your diaper bag at home when carrying your baby in a PortaMee Carrier and be truly hands free!

The carrier not only looks stylish, but it is very comfortable to wear and is well constructed. With a gel padded adjustable shoulder strap and waist straps, toy hook, and so much more, this baby carrier ultimately considers you and your child's comfort and safety first.

This carrier is designed for babies that can hold their head up unassisted and weigh between 15 - 35 lbs. While most carriers and slings are made for newborn babies only, the PortaMee Carrier is the next step. There is enough lumbar support in the PortaMee Carrier to hold your sweet toddlers, too. Also important to note, if you purchase a PortaMee Infant Headrest, also available at Pure and Honest Kids, babies as small as eight pounds (six weeks or older) can be carried in the PortaMee Carrier.

The PortaMee is made of a high quality nylon rainwear for the exterior and a soft micro-suede for the interior. Pure and Honest Kids offers the black carrier, as well as the brown and pink combination carrier.

The PortaMee Carrier is available at Pure and Honest Kids for $175.00.