Baby Led Weaning + Finger Foods

At Bundle we carry this book, which flies off the shelf.  It was always a bit of a mystery to me, honestly, but then I read this article about the research supporting this way of introducing solid foods.  Turns out it leads to healthier eating as baby grows up.  Oops.  Check it out if it isn’t too late!

GuavaMitts

Sharp baby fingernails + uncoordinated arms = a scratched up face.  Not good.  While I would stick a sock over my baby’s hands, that always looked a little unsanitary, and they would pop off constantly.  GuavaMitts has come up with a super cute, eco, and functional solution.

These mitts are made with Bamboo and Organic Cotton so they are super soft & anti-bacterial.  The bright cotton prints are stimulating for baby’s developing vision.  The fasteners are both velcro and elastic so that they double stay on and adjust to fit form newborn – 6 months.  Cute.  Available in single and 2 packs.

Babywearing Hike TOMORROW Thursday 10/14

Family Babywearing Hike with Belle Baby Carriers, more info here.

Thursday October 13th, 10:30am at the Bobolink Trail (Just west of the intersection of Baseline and Cherryvale Roads in Boulder.  This is a great trail for kids!   Flat, a bit of water, a good mix of shade and sun, lots of birds and wild grasses, plenty of places to stop for a snack.  My kids love hiking the Bobolink, and we will be there – the weather should be fine and I would love to see you there!

Come out and join like-minded parents for a light hike!  All ages and abilities welcome. Belle Baby Carriers will be hosting this hike in celebration of International Babywearing Week. For those that wish to try a Belle Baby Carrier, the company will have an assortment of carriers to use during the hike.

Fall is Babywearing season!

Is there such a thing as a babywearing season?  Let’s go with that premise.  I can tell you that wearing a Moby Wrap in the summer = sweaty mama.  I did it, mind you, but I was hot, and not in a good way.

Now that the weather is cooling off babywearing becomes even more enjoyable.  It can help you regulate your baby’s temperature, and it keeps you extra warm too.  Wrapping up your baby is a miracle worker for calming a fussy baby, soothing a sore tummy, and helping get to sleep.  PLUS you get free hands, which is kind of a miracle too.

I know wrap-style carriers can look a little intimidating – all that fabric and the criss-crossing and the knot tying.  But really it is super simple to put on.  If you want a hands-on demo come into Bundle, we have a stash of carriers for you to try on, and we can show you how to use each one and help you pick out a carrier that is perfect for you.

Check out the Moby Wrap here and here, and the Dolcino wrap here.

For the very cold weather, I like to wear my husband’s jacket, which is roomy enough to zip up around me and the baby.  VERY cozy.

Teething BonBon

Lots of baby showers this weekend!  Have you seen the new colors and embroidery on the popular Teething Bon Bon?  They are great for baby shower gifts.  These are such cuties, you dip the organic cotton knotted ends in water and then freeze it.  The middle is stuffed with organic wool so that it stays warm enough for baby to comfortably hold.

Chewbeads

Teething is Terrible.  Chewbeads are cute.

New styles and colors of Chewbeads necklaces and bracelets just came in and we are loving them!

On Keeping Little Ones Warm

Newborn baby’s are not able to effectively regulate their own temperature, AND they have disproportionately large heads.  Your head, of course, is where you lose most of your heat.  In early childhood (until about age 7) children are still rapidly developing their internal organs, minds, and bodies.  This takes a lot of energy, and when they are not dressed warmly their energy must go to keeping warm instead of to growing their own strength.  Children will almost NEVER complain of being cold.  Until the age of 7 children are usually not connected to their body in the same way as adults are, and so are not able to acknowledge if they are cold.

On an intuitive level, a hat on a newborn head is a way to protect the baby.  You might notice in yourself, or in your child as he gets older, that an extra layer of protection, sometimes a vest or a head covering will make you feel more secure in difficult times.  A hat is a simple way to keep your child protected from the cold, and to keep her soul ‘warm’ and protected especially when going on an early outing.

Oh yeah, and here are some mad cute ones, made with organic cotton and Scandinavian flair:

LIfefactory Sippy Top Caps For Glass Bottles In Stock

I know many people have been patiently waiting for these sippy cup tops to come in stock.  They are finally here, and going fast.

Lifefactory Sippy Tops screw onto any Lifefactory glass baby bottles.

Rear Facing Car Seats

Word is traveling fast on this updated suggestion that kids not face forward until they are at least 2 years old.  But we listed to this quote from the New York Times article, and flipped our 3 year old around too:

“…the evidence from other countries is compelling: Sweden, for instance, where children face the rear until age 4, has the world’s lowest highway fatality rate for children under 6.”

It looks kind of silly, but she likes it!

How To Communicate With Your Baby

Communicating with your baby before your baby can talk is such a joy, and makes taking care of a baby so much easier!  Between all of the classes and books available on this topic it can seem a whole lot more complicated than it actually is!  This is one of those magical fixes (like babywearing!) that everyone can access.  It is truly just as simple as teaching your baby to wave bye-bye, which I’m pretty sure everyone teaches their baby to do!

Here are a few simple tips to get you started:

– Start with ‘motivational’ signs, signs that describe things that excite your baby.  Some ideas: cars, dogs, or ‘sister.’  It is tempting as a mom to stick to ‘helpful’ words like ‘hungry’ or ‘all-done.’  These signs will make your life so much easier, but your baby will more easily pick up a working sign after he gets the hang of signing with fun words.

– Introduce a handful of signs at first.  Integrate about 5 words into your daily routine.  This will show your baby that this is a way to communicate, versus starting with just 1 or 2 signs which may or may not grab his attention.

– Teaching your baby signs is really just as simple as teaching him to wave: you wave while you say ‘bye bye’ in a sing-song voice (this intuitive sign-song pitch actually helps your baby learn, so go with it even if you are hanging out with your hipster friends and feel like a dorky cliche).  Then you hold your baby’s hand and help hm to wave while you say ‘bye bye.’  Pretty soon, waving bye bye is your kids all-time favorite thing to do, right?  This is what will happen with your sign language!  If you teach your baby a ‘dog’ sign, he will LOVE to find a identify dogs.  It is so fun!

– Feel free to make up your own signs.  A book is great for ideas, but really anything works as long as you are consistent.  Be aware of your baby’s motor skills, and look for a gross interpretation of the sign that you are teaching.  And keep your signs simple.

Top concern: ‘I’m don’t want to teach my baby signs because I want him to be motivated to talk.’

Guess what?  Learning signs is actually linked to EARLY talking!  If your child is a late talker try introducing signs, and that might be just the bridge he needs to start talking.  The logic here is that when your baby learns to sign, he is used to communicating with other people and participating in language.  That is a great motivator for your baby to transition to talking, since he is used to being a part of the conversation.  It is also a great way to expand your baby’s vocabulary when he is already talking.  A baby that can say ‘ball’ and ‘mama’ can make good use of a sign for ‘elephant,’ something he may be motivated to communicate but cannot say yet.  Toddlers will often combine signs and words to form complex thoughts.

Good luck!  And share any tips or tricks!