KangaMamas

Feeling energized and renewed and a bit about wearing newborns

2011-06-28T18:15:00.003-04:00

Coming out of the first year of a new baby is always like coming out of a fog...everything is clear again. So, here we go! I'm planning a ton of fun events...5k walk, raffles, picnics and much more. Stay on the look out for updates and definitely send me your suggestions and ideas.

B has been a dream baby so far. He's happy (most of the time), sleeps well (some times) and eats like a horse (I haven't decided if that is good or bad yet). I've been wearing him in carriers since birth. He loves it and has started picking them up and asking for it. It's been perfect to have him up so I can wrangle L. Even for quick trips inside the store, I swing him up onto my back.

Sakura Bloom Double Layer Silk
B age 3 days

I've gotten a lot of questions about carrying newborns. Before I go on I will state...these are my experiences and opinions, I'm not shilling for any company or saying its going to work for you and you should always practice any carry with any age over a soft area and in front of a mirror. So, I loved loved loved my Sakura Bloom silk ring sling. I thought it was the most ridiculous thing before I actually used it; however, it quickly ended up being my go-to carrier.

Pros

so nice against baby's skin and mine too
super supportive
silk is good for summer and winter
dresses up or down for the fashionitas

Cons

silk can be a bit iffy when cleaning
no pockets

took a bit to soften

With the ring sling, B and I preferred a tummy-to-tummy carry. Easy to slip him in, he could either watch the world or turn in and sleep on my chest. I carried him in the ring sling from birth to 2 months consistently and I will still throw on a ring sling for quick hip carriers.

Girasol #27
B age 6 weeks

Once we reached enough neck support, I switched to a woven wrap for back carries. I prefer a double hammock for almost all back carries...once you have muscle memory it is a pretty fast wrap...secure for newborns and pretty much wriggle proof for older babes. I never fell in love with a particular wrap but enjoyed the Elleville Zara and Girasol #27. I liked carrying B on my back because it allowed me to go about life with babe snuggled close and safe...and asleep.

I did use a variety of other carriers but really did prefer the ring sling and woven wrap with B. When L was a newbie I loved my pouch and Moby. As I am reminded every day, every baby is different.

So that about wraps it up for now...hope to see you at our next meeting (July 16)!

-kristen

First Meeting of 2011!

2011-01-02T18:59:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the new year! To start it off this month's topic is Babywearing: 101 and General Safety.

January 15, 1:30 - 3:30

Our meetings are always free. Each meeting does have a discussion topic but we always have time to answer questions and help with carriers. We will be meeting at Bellani Maternity, 1276 Bald Hill Rd, Warwick, RI.

Hope to see you there!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-01T11:36:00.001-05:00

We will be taking a break during the holiday season. Meetings will resume on January 15, 2011 at Bellani Maternity.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please email us or post a message on our Facebook page.

Have a happy and healthy holiday season!

Community

2010-10-26T14:34:00.000-04:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In biological terms, a community is a group of interacting organisms sharing a populated environment. In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness.

In sociology, the concept of community has led to significant debate, and sociologists are yet to reach agreement on a definition of the term. There were ninety-four discrete definitions of the term by the mid-1950s. Traditionally a "community" has been defined as a group of interacting people living in a common location. The word is often used to refer to a group that is organized around common values and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household…

Community is a hot word these days. How to build one. This Community. That Community. Hands down we need community. But how do we grow community in our society and can you really foster community? Or is it something that develops on its own?

While driving down my street I saw a woman and her child walking and I thought to myself "Why don't I know her?". To grow my own community, I try to be on the look-out for anyone who will smile at me while walking with my kids, I take casseroles and cookies to new neighbors and I remember to smile and say Good morning!

In light of this I offer two contests.

Contest number 1: post here your thoughts about community and what you do to help grow your personal community. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator on November 15^th at 10:00am. The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to the local business of your choice.

Contest number 2: design a t-shirt highlighting community. It must contain the words KangaMamas, Rhode Island and Babywearing. You can enter as many images as you like. Email high resolution jpegs to contest@kangamamas.com. Images must be submitted by November 30^th. All images will be posted on our Facebook page and voted on by our members. The image with the highest number of “likes” on December 10^th will be declared the winner. The winner will receive a t-shirt and a $25 gift certificate to the local business of your choice.

Good luck!
Kristen

Contest

2010-10-11T21:54:00.001-04:00

Since this is our blog debut, let's have a contest! For a $20 gift certificate to Lovebugs, help spread the word about our new blog.

Post about KangaMamas' new blog on your own blog
Follow KangaMamas on Facebook
Tweet about the new blog

Each one will get you one entry, so do all of them! In order to qualify each entry, post a separate comment for each on the Contest blog post. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator on Saturday, October 16 at 10am.

Good luck!

2010 Fall Educational Seminar and Fundraiser

2010-10-11T21:30:00.003-04:00

To celebrate International Babywearing Week, KangaMamas hosted their first Fall Educational Seminar and Fundraiser. The event was a success! Thank you to our wonderful attendees and volunteers.

Held at a local art gallery, AS220, featuring several workshops, a question and answer and a silent auction, our Seminar had a great turnout. We even had several people walk in from the street.

Sarah, of Brown Eyed Photography, was kind enough to document the event. Here are some wonderful pictures.

And some from Amanda of In Due Time.

I'm looking forward to bigger and better things for 2011!

Lets start with a bang!

2010-10-11T21:01:00.000-04:00

Welcome to KangaMamas' blog! Here we'll blog about the latest news in the babywearing community, tips and tricks as well as keeping you posted about upcoming meetings and events. Stay tuned!