baby carriers in Alaskahttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

It's amazing how much babywearing has "caught on" up here over the last few years. While Christmas shopping I saw lots of pouches, ring slings, sscs, and even some stretchy wraps! It's so great in the cold weather of Alaska to be able to tuck your little one into a carrier and then under a babywearing coat or vest.
I actually took a stroller with me this year and though our toddler enjoyed the ride (and I enjoyed a basket for shopping bags) I really missed talking to him. Well, we chatted and sang but he was so much further away! It was hard to hear. :(

So, we have a new shipment of the beco Obi in stock. I love the simplicity of this design and the fabric is gorgeous. It's wonderful to have carriers that allow for comfortable and safe forward facing-out positions; the pikkolo is also amazingly comfy and new fabrics will be on the way later this winter.

We're getting into the season for cabin fever and claustrophobia...
A great investment for the next few years is a Peekaru vest or Kindercoat. Both are amazingly warm and versatile enough for Alaskan weather. Easy to wear and relatively stylish, they allow for easy winter babywearing.

I'm in the process of listing organic BabyLegs and a new line of nursing necklaces! I love both of these and they make great baby shower gifts too.

a little more on cold weather baby wearing...

It can be difficult to figure out the best way to keep warm, safe, and comfortable while babywearing in cold weather. This article is meant to present you with options, not finite answers. The best way to figure out what works for you and your baby is to try and then tweak your system on the next outing.

There are heavier carrier that are meant to give a little extra warmth if the weather is cool, no cold. These are also great for wearing under or over cold-weather gear or for quick trips outside. Karma Baby makes a luxurious and beautiful microfleece pouch sling that is like a warm hug. Scootababy's fleece lined choice makes for an especially snug and cozy hip carrier. Coming soon to McKinley Kid are the Calin Bleu microfleece wrap and a minkee-lined soft-structured carrier from Active Mom.

The easiest way for both you and baby to stay snug while walking in the chilly air is to put baby in a sling or carrier in a front position, then put a large coat or jacket on over both of you. One caution when doing this is that you don't overdress baby, causing him to overheat. Just dress him as you would dress yourself under the coat, then add a warm hat and socks and/or shoes. BabyLegs are a wonderful extra layer under baby's pants to keep warm.

Always make sure there is sufficient airflow around your baby's head when you wear him/her under a coat and continue to check on the baby to ensure the situation has not changed. Two wonderful options in babywearing jackets are Suse's Kindercoat and the Peekaru babywearing vest. The Peekaru is a great three season vest for Alaskans (spring, summer, fall) and the Peekaru can be used while wearing your baby on your front or your back. If you are worried about baby's toes getting cold then slip some handwarmer packets into the feet of the snowsuit, though not directly touching baby's skin.

Becos coming too!

Wow. It's a busy week. My order of bECO baby carriers (4th generation) are on the way. bECOs are beautiful and high quality soft-structured carriers.
Before I get these posted on the website they will be available by request (first-come first-served) to customers within Alaska. They are $126 each and carry babies from infancy through toddlerhood.
On the way:
Sky Temple (2)
Organic Avocado (2)
Ladybug
Eggplant Bird (replacing Brick Bird)
Cocoa Butterfly

Infant inserts and waist extenders are also available.

Suse's Kinder Coat

This is the perfect full babywearing coat for Alaska! I have a couple of each size on the way. These run a little large and so a size large should fit clothing sizes 14-16. No extra-large is available at this time but if you need a bigger size please e-mail me and I will keep you posted. These will appear on the site within the next couple of days.

Features:

• You get a waterproof shell babywearing coat with removable fleece liner that can be worn alone .
  
• Adjustable opening in the back. 3 Pockets on inside of shell. One larger one with a zipper on your lower back.
  
• Drawstring below your waist to keep baby warm. And one on bottom of babywearing coat. 2 Drawstrings to adjust back opening from the front on both, shell and insert. .
• 1 Insert for the front to be used with shell alone. Has no lining. (has hood for baby built in - unique to this babywearing coat!)
  
• 1 Insert with fleece lining to be used with shell and lining for colder temperatures (has hood for baby built in)
  
• 1 Half insert for the fleece liner to wear baby in front
  
• 1 hood for baby wearer hidden in collar
  
• works for temperatures to about -25 degree when worn with a sweat shirt or sweater underneath.

• Does not mess up your hair when putting on this babywearing coat!
• Pockets on insert for a finished look
• more buttons on back opening in fleece liner so it can easily and in style be worn as a separate babywearing coat.

ScootaBaby coming!

We'll be adding the Scootababy hip carrier to our line this month. The Ellaroo mei hip has been a great seller but I like the improvements to the generic hip carrier design that Scootababy has made. It's comfortable and easy to use/adjust but the padded waist, like on a Patapum and other sscs, is fantastic. Even with a 35 pound 2 year old it is wonderfully supportive.
I highly recommend it. One thing I love about hip carriers is that you can comfortably sit while wearing your baby or toddler. Last year I took Cormac to a couple of Aces games in the mei hip and we easily fit into the seat. He was cozy and happy and not trying to get down on the icky sticky floor!
Scootababy comes in black canvas with two liner options; the one I have is fleece and the other is a soft cotton print.
These will retail for $107 and are well worth the money for comfort, support, and ease of use.

Pikkolo is coming!

Possibly the most anticipated baby carrier of the season, the new Pikkolo ssc is coming to McKinley Kid!
A great innovation over other front and back carriers like the Baby Bjorn and the Ergo, it uses adjustable straps and has a cool cinching bottom for smaller babies. A waist belt helps redistribute weight to your hips and offers more support for the baby's head and back. It's provides a well supported seat for front carries, unlike the Bjorn's narrow band which puts too much pressure on the baby's hips and crotch. Best of all it comes in 4 great prints and a solid black. CatBird Baby has been a fantastic company to work with and I am thrilled with the innovations they've made to this easy-to-use baby carrier.

cold weather babywearing

We snowshoe in the winter, even when it is below zero. We have a couple of different approaches to it.
I dress Cormac and myself pretty warmly, Cormac a bit more so because he's not moving about, and then have a babywearing garment over us. I think that's important because it is a much better fit.
DH dresses them both warmly and wraps those glove insert heaters in socks and puts them inside Cormac's boots and top mittens. The carrier is always shown this way while with my way it's covered.

The most important things are:

• NO cotton next to baby's skin. The mantra from safety experts is "cotton kills" (I used to have that on my site in the winter babywearing article but my brother said it was too morbid) because it will get damp and refreeze, causing hypothermia before you know it.
• Dress in layers and do continual checks on baby's extremities. They will feel cooler than yours but watch for cold and clammy.
• Be very careful if you are getting sweaty, especially of your baby is sweaty, on winter walks and adjust your layers so you are not too warm.
• Watch exposed skin carefully. You can coat your baby's skin with a bit of lanolin for extra protection but watch obsessively for signs of frost nip and frost bite.

Getting outside in the winter is essential. Once you figure out a system that works for you it is really easy and refreshing whether a walk through the neighborhood or snowshoeing on the trails.

Top recommendation for breastfeeding and babywearing

I wrote this in reply to an inquiry last night and I kind of like it. So, here it is!

"My first recommendation for a carrier that will be nice and secure and help with breastfeeding on-the-go is a ring sling. Ring slings have general size recommendations but are also adjustable. The ring sling I carry have medium size rings so they are not too bulky and some light padding in the rails (the two edges that run along your body) to make it comfy when you are on the go and chasing a toddler. I have a two year old too so I know!

You can adjust the fabric in the rings really easily to adjust for a growing baby or even wearing you little one right now in a hip carry. The fabric on the "tail" (the part that is hanging through the rings) on many ring slings is open and so very convenient for covering up a little when you are nursing the new baby and want to feel a little more discreet. You can make it very secure so if you have to jump up all of a sudden at the playground the baby won't be jolted. For most infant carries and nursing you can easily have the baby in a cradle position in the sling. As he/she grows up you can use it for upright carries facing in or out and then for fantastic hip carries and even back carries with a toddler.

the water park! Hooray!

Cormac cheers "Hooray!" for everything he loves these days, H2Oasis, our indoor water park, being no exception. The flip side to this love for everything is that he wants to be in the water everysecond, not pay to get in, and never EVER leave.
Well, today I broke out the Karma Baby pool pouch and HOORAY! We both loved it!
It was pouring early this afternoon so we wore the pouch on the dash from the car, through the loooong line to pay, during a brief chat with the owner, to the racks to strip down, and then over to the kiddie pool. When we left it was back in the pouch and I was actually able to change into underwear rather than drip-dry all the way home.
I had a great solarveil ring sling I used at H2Oasis, in Hawaii, and as a shower sling when Cormac was little but this was sooooo much better. I am remembering now why a great fitting pouch is just divine. Everyone needs one. I am not kidding. It's even more useful, in many ways, for a toddler than it was for a baby.
And what is it about pouches that makes Cormac give me extra kisses? That alone makes a pouch worth it. :)

Swimming lessons

Cormac has been screaming and crying when we leave Swim Like a Fish at the end of swim lessons. He screams, "Sharkie, Sharkie!" because he misses the little dolphin he likes to play with and he loves loves loves loves loves playing in the water. He has a great time while we're there but I'm really looking forward to getting the Karma Baby swim pouch so I can keep the running away under control while we're trying to get out of there.

lots more coming in

So many carriers are on the way that I am madly creating buttons!
Keep watching for updates!

new site, new products

Well, I spent many, many hours yesterday adding the new products to the online store and making sure everything looks "just right" in my browser. Phew! Now it's time to add the buttons for buying!
I am very excited about the new carriers and the babywearing vest on their way to Anchorage!
I'll post more details about them as sson as they arrive! I think it will be great to have water slings available locally that folks can use at H2Oasis. The Nori fleece babywearing vests look awesome and I wish I had one a couple of years ago. I'm excited to use it this fall with Cormac on my back so we stay nice & cozy while hiking in Kincaid.
More when they arrive...

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