Wordless Wednesday Teela's Beco Baby Doll Carrier

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Zoey's Closet Review

Zoey's Closet is a wonderful shop on Etsy that I love! I keep tabs on Zoey's Closet on Facebook because I find fabulous sales on her wonderful items there. She has made homemade delivery gowns, mommy wrap baby carriers, swaddle blankets, quilts, pillowcase dresses, booties, pillowcases, hair clips, nursing covers, tutus, car seat covers and matching car seat canopies, appliqued onesies, shopping cart covers, burp cloths, reusable nursing pads, wipes cases, diaper bags, etc. to sell in her store. Right now they have homemade delivery gowns, mommy wrap baby carriers, and some swaddle blankets for sale on Etsy.

I also heard on Facebook that the owner, Kendra, is also gearing up to introduce some new things to her store soon. I can't wait! I love being one of her loyal customers. I bought a lovely 18-24mo pillowcase dress for my daughter, Teela, with adorable deers on it that came with a sweet ribbon hair clip. It is even wonderful in the cold months layered with a long sleeved shirt and leggings. I also purchased a gorgeous 35 x 36" soft minky and flannel quilt for my baby daughter, Zari. She loves it and it is the perfect size to throw over her car seat in the cold weather when she is being transferred in and out of the van. Both homemade items are fabulous!

I was also eying her Mommy wraps and saw one that I fell in love with because I love the color and pattern so much. Kendra said I could have it in exchange for publicity and a review on my blog. I love this Mommy Wrap baby carrier! It is so easy to wrap around to carry baby with. It also folds up well to take in the diaper bag so I can have it with me when I need to have my hands free other places other than my home. I took it with me to my mom's house for a after Christmas gathering. It was so great to have! I love babywearing and Zari loves being held close to me.

All of the prices at Zoey's Closet are so affordable and so very worth it for their adorable items! Don't forget to Fan/Like their Facebook page for exclusive sales and discounts.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Zoey's Closet for sending me a free Purple Mommy Wrap to test to and review and the information to share with my readers. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

HunBaba Mei Tai Baby Carrier Review and Giveaway

I received the Purple Dream HunBaba Mei Tai Baby Carrier for free to test and review and when it arrived it was even more gorgeous in person than in the pictures. Coming all the way from Hungary it only took two weeks to get to me. HunBaba was so kind as to updating me about where the package was because the tracking number wasn't auto updating and gave me a status of "Origin Post is Preparing Shipment" throughout its shipping.

I love babywearing! I also love trying out and having different baby carriers. I couldn't wait to try this one out! Since this is my very first Mei Tai carrier I was not familiar with putting it on or how to use it. It came with a very helpful DVD with a powerpoint slide show to walk me through the process of both front and back carry. These carriers are based on traditional Chinese soft baby carriers that can be used as front packs, back packs, and hip carriers. Unlike the traditional carriers though this one has a hood that folds up and over the baby's head so that it is protected from the elements and also supports the baby's head while it sleeps. The Ergo baby carrier has a similar hood they call a sleeping hood. This is an awesome feature that is especially wonderful for here in Oregon where it rains a whole bunch in the winter months. It can also be used as a shade to keep out the sun. I would be careful though that you check on your baby every once in a while while the hood is up to make sure baby is safely breathing. The hood has beautiful embroidery on it and can be adjusted as baby grows with the extensions with snaps.

You can wear it with babies from 3 months to toddlers in both front and back carry positions. I tried out the front carry with my daughter Zari and the back carry with my daughter Teela. This carrier is exceptionally comfortable both ways and distributes the baby's weight evenly. I love the front carry the best because I could kiss Zari's head and it was very much like she was hugging me. Zari loves this carrier and fell asleep in it right away. Teela wanted to be in it again once she was out :) She thought it was a wonderful way of getting a piggy back ride. I am very petite, but was still able to back carry my two and a half year old daughter comfortably in it. It was fairly easy to put on both ways although I thought the front carry was easier since you can see what you are doing. I also liked the front carry better because the straps didn't feel like they were going to slide off. I tried a different way of tying them for the back carry and since I am small I crossed them in front and it worked better for me and was still holding Teela securely. In the picture above I have the Hunbaba the way the CD told me to wear it.

There are only a few downsides to the HunBaba Mei Tai baby carrier that I have found. It is pricey costing $99 plus roughly $25 shipping from Hungary. Also, the straps are very long and the whole thing can be a little cumbersome especially when trying to pack it for trips in a diaper bag.

It is; however, constructed very well and has reinforced padded straps for sturdiness and durability. The shoulder straps are 200 cm+ long for differences in body types. The waist strap can be rolled up to shorten the body of the carrier for little babies and the body is contoured instead of square like some Mei Tais. All in all, it is so worth getting and the craftsmanship is superior than anything I have tried before! The HunBaba would be a great baby shower gift or Christmas gift for someone.

Here is someone doing the Lexi Twist with the Hunbaba Mei Tai:


WIN IT:
Marti has generously offered a HunBaba Mei Tai Baby Carrier of the winner's choice to giveaway to one of my readers.

Mandatory:
1. Go to the HunBaba website and tell me by commenting on this post which HunBaba you like the best.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to my blog by feedburner or by email and let me know which way. (2 extra entries each)

2. Fan/Like me on facebook and write something on my wall. (1 extra entry)

3. Blog about this giveaway on your blog and provide me with the link. Make sure you have the link to this post and HunBaba in your blog entry or it won't count. (2 extra entries)

4. Grab My Button (see sidebar to the left) AND/OR Put My Blog URL in Your Blogroll - Leave Your Link. (1 extra entry)

5. Technorati my blog and let me know your link. (1 extra entry)

6. Fave me on Momfaves. (2 extra entries)

7. List this giveaway on any giveaway listing website or blog giveaway linky and tell me where you listed it. (2 extra entries)

8. Post this on your Facebook wall, Kirtsy, and/or StumbleUpon. (2 extra entries for each)

9. Comment on my regular (not giveaway) posts. (1 extra entry per post you comment on)

10. Follow me on Twitter. (1 extra entry)

11. Tweet this: @finamoon WIN A HunBaba Mei Tai Baby Carrier #giveaway http://bit.ly/esXAmE (Daily Extras are Available)

12. Heart HunBaba on Etsy. (1 extra entry)

Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. If you subscribed, blogged about this, listed it, commented on another post, or faved me on Momfaves leave 2 entries saying you did. This contest ends on Friday December 31, 2010 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to all 18 years and over Worldwide!!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to HunBaba for sending me a Purple Dream HunBaba Mei Tai Baby Carrier, information about the carrier and this giveaway for free. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Subscribe to KIWI Magazine and Get a Free Gift

KIWI is one of my favorite magazines. I am currently a member of their Parent Advisory Board, but even if I wasn't I would proudly say that I am a dedicated reader. I love KIWI!

KIWI is dedicated to helping parents raise their children the healthiest way possible. They introduce families to the latest in natural and organic living and show us how to practice this lifestyle on an everyday basis.

Since I am big on natural parenting I support this magazine 100%. Since I am a blogging Mama I love searching for products that are good for my family and yours and promoting them here. This magazine has everything about parenting naturally and organically. From delicious healthy recipes to how to greenly entertain your guests this holiday season.

Right now KIWI is having a wonderful deal, but only while supplies last!

Take your pick of:
* A Free Beco Mini Doll Carrier for your little one ($29 value) with code BECOMN

or * A Free Organic Chocolate caramel crunch and coffee set from Equal Exchange ($11 value) with code EQLEXC

or * A Free SCI Fidelity music CD, Keller Williams KIDS (music for kids under 10)($13 value) with code SCIFCD

...with your paid subscription or when you pay for a gift subscription for someone else. Note this deal is only for US households and only good while supplies last. Click HERE to participate.

I chose the Beco Mini Doll Carrier for my daughter Teela and her dolls. This promotes babywearing and imaginative pretend play. I hope I got the subscription soon enough to get one because it says that I will not be notified in advance of my order if they run out of supplies. This is going to be a fantastic after Christmas present!

Fan/Like KIWI Magazine on Facebook. Follow KIWI Magazine on Twitter.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Because I am a member of the Parent Advisory Board for KIWI Magazine and a subscriber I wanted to share this deal I couldn't pass up on. I did not receive any compensation for doing this post.

Babywearing is Beautiful

International Babywearing Week is Oct. 6th-12th, 2010. You may have heard about the warning the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently issued about the dangers of using baby slings. Unfortunately they are placing all slings in the same category of danger and a lot of my favorite sling making mommy businesses (like Hotslings) have gone out of business because of it. The "bag sling" type is the sling in question here, not all slings! Here is a post about "bag slings" that all should read if unaware of the difference. Since the CPSC has issued their warning it has unfortunately caused unwarranted widespread panic and misinformation to circulate and now rumors are that they might actually try to do a mass recall of all sling carriers!

Safety of the sling is all in the positioning of the baby in it. There are correct ways of positioning and there are wrong ways of positioning. Here is a great PDF article about the positioning in different slings and holds. Here is more about the subject to read about.

I am a big advocate of babywearing. I have carried all of my children in various carriers, slings and wraps until they got too big for me to. I am petite so it is difficult for me to carry them after a certain point, but my husband has also enjoyed the benefits to babywearing and since he is more robust than I he can carry the child for longer.

I love the bond I get with my babies and children when I carry them. I also love how easy and convenient it is to breastfeed on the go while babywearing. I am very fortunate that I can give my baby the best nutrition around and babywearing also lets me do this discreetly and modestly. I also can give my other children the one on one time they need with me and be hands free to do my multi-tasking.

Babywearing reminds the infant of the womb and soothes them. The rhythmic motion of the mother's walk and heartbeat is a familiarity that the baby knows. Baby is also more involved in the mother or father's world, cries less, and can take in more of the new world around them in a comfortable state of quiet awareness.

I believe that babywearing is beautiful! What more can I say? Please tell me of your favorite carrier, sling, or wrap and how you like to babywear your baby.