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.

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.

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.