It's been nice

But it's time for me to say goodbye. I've decided to no longer lead meetings in Cullman. I will however still be available for any breastfeeding or babywearing support just email me :)

It's been a nice road and I really tried to make it work but it just wasn't meant to be.

Magic City Slingfest Pictures

DIY table

Consignment Table

Drum Circle

Babies are here :)

Both of us have had our babies and our currently enjoying our babymoons. Our next meeting is the First Monday of November 3rd at 11am hope to see you there!

Reminder- September & October Meetings Cancelled

We will resume meetings in November :) Please feel free to contact me directly if you need immediate help or have any questions.

How to Wrap A baby Video from August 4th Meeting

In this video I show you the Pocket Wrap Cross carry. I am using a Gypsy Mama Bali Baby Stretch wrap, but you can use any stretchy or woven wrap to perform this carry. You can also have the pocket on the outside and have the crosses on the inside as an alternate way of doing this same carry.

Our August meeting went on a more toddler carrying dicussion than newborns, but we got a mama interested in babywearing again! so hopefully when our meetings resume in November we will have some new people with new carriers :)

For more videos please visit our Babywearing Channel on YouTube!

Upcoming Events-August 4th Meeting

Our August meeting's topic is going to be about carrying your newborn, but as always we will have other carriers on hand and will help you out with any problems/questions you might have.

Again remember that the September and October meetings are going to be cancelled for the births of our babies, but please feel free to contact us with any of your questions or concerns.

September/October Meetings Cancelled

September and October Meetings will be canceled due to both leaders having their babies! If you do need help in the mean time however please email us as we can help one on one.

Mei Tai Front Carry Photo Instructions

*Always check your straps making sure everything on your carrier is secure and safe *

Start off by first not being pregnant so you can tie around your actual waist, I am actually tying a little lower than I normally would. Notice how I let the carrier hang down like an apron to tie ( hence apron style)

For the knot in the back I usually tie two knots or a square knot

This is where you would place the baby in the carrier, making sure the legs are spread and the knees are above the bum so that the baby is literally sitting.

After you have tied the bottom straps bring the top straps over your shoulders.

Notice how the apron style gives you a seat for the baby and also shortens the body of the carrier slightly.

Cross the straps behind you making sure you don't get any twists. Any type of twist will cause discomfort while wearing.

Bring the straps back around to the front and tie. In this picture I would be tying behind the baby's back which I prefer to do even if they are toddlers but you can tie under the bum or do what is called a Lexi-Twist which creates an X over the front and you tie in the back.

Next is Non Apron style I am using a Silly Goose Mei Tai which was made specifically for this style of tying. Notice how I am holding the carrier in this picture below I am making sure that the back of the carrier is on the front of my body.

Tie the waist straps like you would above making sure there are no twists. Bring the shoulder straps over and cross them in the back again making sure there are no twists in the straps.

In this picture you can see that the whole body of the Mei Tai is showing and not folded under like what would happen if you tied it Apron Style.

Tie behind the baby's back or whichever method you prefer making sure everything is snug. The most common mistake with tying a Mei Tai is tying everything far too loose, you should barely be able to get a finger between the waist strap and your body.

The picture below gives you an idea of how very different each Mei Tai Body makes each carrier.

For more Photo or Video Guides please see the Alabama Slingers website

July 7th Meeting- Asian Baby Carriers

As with every carrier we must discuss the issue of safety. ALWAYS check your carrier for any rips , tears , or defects before using, making sure the straps and where they connect are secure. Most mei tais (prounounced May-Ties) have an X box sewn where the straps connect to the body of the carrier if you don't see those, check for at least two rows of stitching to secure the straps to the body.
First we'll start with Mei Tais which is essentially a body of fabric with two short straps ( waist straps) and two long straps( shoulder straps) attached. These can be angled or straight, padded or unpadded. The body shapes also vary between brands and all these options are out there to find the perfect fit for you and your child. Some people love padded straps, some people love unpadded, it's all in what is the most comfortable option for you.

These are just a fraction of the many Mei Tai Styles available!

Above is a New Style Sachi with Padded and Angled bottom straps notice also the contoured body and added headrest.

Above is an Old Style Sachi Mei Tai with Angled Bottom Straps and Padded top straps, I find this particular mei tai to be a great shape for little babies.

Above is a DIY Ball Baby Overall Pattern Mei Tai ( pattern can be found here), straight straps on the bottom and unpadded straps on the top. I find this to be an ideal carrier for toddlers.

Above is a Silly Goose Mei Tai, this has straight bottom straps and padded top straps. This Mei tai is meant to be tied Non Apron Style because of it's adjustable bottom.

The Difference between Apron and Non Apron is quite simple with the Apron style of tying on your Mei Tai you just let the carrier hang like an apron down and tie onto your waist. Whereas the other is makking sure the back of the strap and carrier on directly on the front of you not folded over. You can view the differences in the next post on How to do a basic front carry in a Mei Tai.

The next carriers are called Podegis (Poe-deh-gees)

Traditionally, a podegi is a Korean baby carrier that consists of a wide blanket with two straight straps on either side with the weight mostly held on the torso. The modern podegi has a narrow blanket with either straight or angled straps and can be worn as a torso or a two shouldered carry. These carriers require more of a learning curve than Mei Tai, but with time they can be an even faster and more convenient way to carry your child. One reason for this I find is that you don’t have an extra set of straps to pre tie which allows you to hold a fussy baby and strap them on w/o having to set them down.

Above is my own pattern for an unpadded Podegi, The blanket( or body) of the Podegi is rounded on the bottom and the straps are angled and without any padding.

Above is another example of an Unpadded Podegi however the blanket/body of the Podegi is angled I find this style works better with older babies.

Above is a Padded Strapped Podegi which I find is the easiest to learn on for anyone new to Podegis.

You can find Video and Photo Instructions on how to use these carriers on the Alabama Slingers website and also in the upcoming posts :)

Upcoming Events/ July 7th Meeting

Our next meeting is July 7th and I am really excited to show our Asian Baby Carriers Off :) We have a few different types to try and would love if you brought in your DIY Mei Tais! http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/ has a few different varieties on her website to make, but my favorite is the Ball Baby Overall Pattern all it takes is 2-3 yards of decorator fabric/twill.

One of the major factors keeping people from babywearing is the expense of quality carriers, so before each meeting I highly encourage people to make something! I'll help in any way I can to make sure you have a quality, safe, and comfy carrier for you and your little one.

Of course we wil have all different types of carriers to try out so if an Asian Baby Carrier doesn't work for you we will find something that will!

All Wrapped Up

The theme for the past meeting was all about wrapping! As we discussed if you learn just one way to carry your baby that is all that matters. Wrapping is just like learning to tie your shoe laces it takes time but soon enough the moves become fluid and routine.

The pictures below show not only contrasting weaves, but also the taper on the tail(the ends) of the wrap. I do prefer a nice taper because it makes the wraps easier to tie especially when you don't have much length left.

First is the Gypsy Mama Bali Baby Breeze which has a nice long taper on the tail of the wrap. This is an excellent wrap for newborns because of it's stretch, but also fairly supportive and one of the most supportive stretchy wraps I have tried. Other stretchy wraps : Moby, Hug-a-bub, and many more.

Second is the Ellaroo wrap which has no taper and added fringe, this is a Guatamalan style woven which is significantly thinner than the German weaves. This is a fairly supportive wrap that would be perfect for summer or in my case just a very hot natured child.

Third is the Hoppediz which has a slight taper with a pocket on the end, some people find that the pocket gets in the way of tying, others love having a place to store their cell phone and keys. This is a perfect example of a German Style Woven wrap it's extremely supportive and not prone to having pressure points ( where the wrap gets bunches easily and makes wearing uncomfortale) This would be a great starter wrap and everyday wrap. Other German Style Wovens include: Didymos, Storchenweige, BBslen, and many more.

Lastly is a shot of how various the weaves are
From top to bottom
BBslen Turkish delight
BBslen Paprika
Leo Storchenweige Marine
Hoppediz Acapulco
Hoppediz Costa Rica

on the sides
Hoppediz Oslo
Ellaroo Christiane

YouTube

Our YouTube Videos are getting lots of hits and comments please be sure to check them out www.youtube.com/kalohabreeze for our babywearing instructional video channel!

First Meeting

Our table full of carriers and instruction booklets

My babe eating his cup of ice :)
Showing the Sutemi Pack a SSC
One of the babes getting away :)
Showing the differences in Mei Tai's (this one shown is a Sachi with angled bottom straps)

Showing a ringsling (the one shown has a an eesti shoulder style)

How it's worn and adusted
A hotsling pouch this one shown is Berkely Lace size 4 with out leg padding
One of the tapestries we got from Day in the Park
Showing the differences between strechy and woven wraps

(shown on left is Hoppediz Panama 5.2m and on right is Gyspy Mama Stretch one size)
This is the tapestry I bought at Day in the Park and showing how to make it into a carrier using the "Make a Sheet a Sling" method ( for complete instructions visit www.youtube.com/kalohabreeze )

As with every first meeting it was slightly hectic, but all in all a great experience.

We demonstrated the differences in all types of carriers and had a fun time.

Since we had so much interest in wraps our next meetings topic will be devoted to

Pieces of Cloth

(so be sure to check out the last pages of your packets for instructions on a no sew wrap or visit http://www.wearyourbaby.org/Default.aspx?tabid=121)

Day in the Park

We had a blast out at the park, it started off rainy and slow, but picked up as the sun came out to turn the dreary into a great day out. Many came up to us and grabbed flyers and a few even stopped by again to ask for a demo of wraps. I hope that all these mamas can come to our meeting and become a part of our babywearing community.

We actually saw two moms there babywearing and one asian lady with a selendang(indonesian baby sling) and it was folded for wear in the traditional way ( a truly awesome thing to see in rural Alabama!)

(Crystal(last pic) is seen with a tapestry bought from the neighbooring booth wearing it using the "make a sheet a sling" technique. Jess seen sporting the Sutemi Pack SSC in the top two pics.)