Page 20 - Blog
February 01, 2016
Congratulations! You’re going to be a Mama! Have you been feeling the urge to tackle the garage clutter? Clean out the attic? Organize everything in your house? Guess what - you’re nesting! The nesting instinct is a primal instinct that goes back thousands of years. It’s nature’s way of helping you feel confident and ready to protect, nurture and welcome a child into your home. While this can be a productive moment to accomplish great things — like taking a birthing class, decorating your nursery or organizing your house —it is also important not to get too overwhelmed and stressed out. Remember, your baby doesn’t care if you haven’t organized your sock drawer.
Getting Ready For Baby
A great way for you to have some control and knowledge about what is to come is to educate yourself and make your plans known. While the urge to scrub clean all the grout in your entire house may be strong, take some time and make a list of the highest priority items that you feel must be accomplished
January 07, 2016
Babies walk at different times, they talk at different times, and just like all other developmental milestones, their digestive systems are ready for solid foods at different times. Instead of waiting until your baby reaches a certain age, it’s also recommended to wait until your little one meets all of the Developmental Signs of Readiness. These observable milestones indicate when your little one’s intricate system is ready and mature enough for the introduction of solid foods. Babies usually start meeting Signs of Readiness around 6 months, but it can definitely take longer for some and research is showing that it’s beneficial to wait. In the 1990’s, it was common for most babies to start solids around 4 months. In 2002, the World Health Organization recommended exclusive breastfeeding (formula/combo feeding) for the first 6 months. In 2012, Health Canada, Canadian Pediatric Society, Dieticians of Canada & Breastfeeding Committee for Canada (can you tell I’m Canadian!) released a joint
December 22, 2015
A feel good family of three living life the way nature intended. Mama the holistic prenatal nutritionist and Papa the art director. Baby boy gives them daily doses of inspiration for all they do, see and create. Their approach to life and parenting is laid-back and go with the flow, allowing them to experience adventures together, from the outdoor sort to culinary kind.
click on any photo below to see the gallery and get to know the mendes family.Emotional Benefits of Getting Outside
Spending time in nature with your baby can strengthen the bond between you. The simple act of holding your baby close, feeling their warmth, and sharing new experiences together can create strong emotional connections. It’s also a wonderful way to reduce stress and improve your mood. When my littles were extra fussy, I’d take a walk around the neighborhood. Even though I don't live in an area with trails and surrounded by nature, simply behind outside changed everything. A little vitamin D does
November 30, 2015
We're welcoming Winter with some fresh new designs! We've been posting some sneak peeks, but now we're ready to reveal the collection to you. For our Winter 2015 Collection, we go to the Canadian coastal seaport city of Vancouver to highlight real Ergobaby families enjoying their everyday experiences with their babies in our carriers. A place of vibrant beauty, culture and creativity, some of Vancouver’s most compelling locations serve as our backdrop for a cast of authentic families who are some of the city’s influential movers and shakers. We explore the great outdoors and wander the vibrant city streets.
click on any photo to see gallery and learn more about the new carriers.
[gallery size="wcstandard" link="file" ids="8545,8559,8548,8551,8558,8550,8556,8547,8560,8549,8552,8561"]Emotional Benefits of Getting Outside
Spending time in nature with your baby can strengthen the bond between you. The simple act of holding your baby close, feeling their warmth, and sharing
November 18, 2015
A pressure cooker isn’t necessary, but it does cook your beans faster. I start with dried beans because they taste better and cost a lot less than canned. But (confession), I totally used pre-cut butternut squash for this recipe. I don’t mind passive cooking time, such as putting beans in water to soak at breakfast time or overnight, but like to save time on cooking prep when I can.
Please feel free to improvise with whatever veggies or grains you have on hand. Roasting the veggies in the oven makes them super sweet. My kids have sweet tooths, and both liked this stew.
Ingredients
2 cups of dried black beans
2 sprigs of fresh epazote, or 1 teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves
1 pound of diced butternut squash
3 carrots
2 bell peppers
6 cloves of garlic
½ tablespoon of avocado oil or olive oil
1 cup of kaniwa, quinoa or amaranth
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
1. Rinse the beans, place in a bowl and then cover with 2-3 inches of water. Let sit
November 16, 2015
I remember going to my local baby superstore when I was pregnant for the first time. Complete overwhelm.
A sales clerk told me I needed a baby carrier. It sounded like a good idea, so I just scanned the cheapest available. I didn't even realize there were different styles, different positions, safety concerns and reason to babywear.
Five-plus years later, one of the first things I recommend to new moms is that they get themselves a soft structured carrier. And then we usually have a conversation about the merits and reasons to babywear. It's a conversation I love to have with new and expectant mothers.
Looking back over my five years mothering two boys, I see how my understanding and reasoning for babywearing has changed and expanded overtime.
Early on, I babywore for convenience. It's certainly easier to shop, prep food, take walks, or work around the house when you don't have to run back and forth to a baby in a crib. Baby can be right with you and you know their waking, sleeping
November 12, 2015
When our friend Jacqui Saldana from Baby Boy Bakery announced her pregnancy on Instagram, she was flooded with companies requesting to gift product to her for her upcoming baby. Jacqui decided to turn all that generosity toward an amazing organization instead of herself and planned a baby shower for Baby2Baby. Baby2Baby provides low-income children ages 0-12 with diapers, clothing and all the basic necessities that every child deserves. Jacqui is committed to honoring her son Ryan's memory by supporting efforts to encourage other kids to live loud and live wild, like Ryan did. We are happy to support Jacqui and her mission.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/Kub0rhb9lUI[/youtube]
Jacqui has reached out to us for support and as huge fans of Jacqui and Baby2Baby, we were happy to join in the fun! So, if you are local to the Southern California area, please RSVP using the Eventbrite page link here. In keeping with the 'baby shower' theme there is a gift
November 11, 2015
For many expecting parents, an approaching due date is time to feather the nest. We complete our registry, set up a nursery, and make sure we have all the baby gear we are going to need. When my first daughter was born, I was caught off guard – floored – by two surprises. One, I knew I would love her, but I didn’t know I would be IN LOVE with her. Second, the postpartum stage was harder than I expected. Much harder. I had dreamy moments of nursing in the glider and cuddling her in a carrier. But there were a lot of challenges I never even dreamed of. Breastfeeding was much harder than I expected, yet I felt strongly, almost rigidly, that it had to be 100% of her nourishment. Having things not go as expected is one of the most common risk factors for postpartum mental illness. And as we know, birth and babies rarely stick to the textbook. The “baby blues” hit 85% to 90% of new mothers, typically on day 4 postpartum, when hormones take a massive drop. This stage usually lasts about two weeks,
November 05, 2015
I was overwhelmed when it was time to start my baby boy Rio on solid foods. He had been breastfed exclusively and had never been sick or had an issues-great sleeper, never had a diaper rash, no skin issues, not even a cold. I was nervous that things would change once I started him on solids. My pediatrician recommended we start him on cereal. I asked if I could do just vegetables and fruits instead and he said that was perfectly fine. I just felt more comfortable giving him real, whole foods that we eat. I really liked the idea of baby-led weaning and I knew that I wanted to follow philosophy for the most part. One of my main goals with Rio is that he is able to enjoy variety of healthy foods. I personally think the key to this is exposure. When I started feeding Rio solid foods at 7 months, I only gave him vegetables and healthy fats for the entire first month (avocado, coconut, sweet potato, carrot, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, cauliflower, zucchini, etc.). After a month I introduced
November 04, 2015
Bundle and Save
The Ergobaby Carrier is designed to carry most children from birth. The way this is possible is through the Ergobaby Infant Insert providing cushion and support. Infants are soft and floppy and lack the ability to hold their head and trunk up on their own. The insert provides this need support that is not present in the carrier without it. Think of a taco holding everything up and in. This keeps the airway open and provides a swaddling effect that both soothes and protects the infant.
The wonderful people at Ergobaby have done extensive research on their products and discovered in order to have one carrier that extends through the growth of a child, it will need a couple parts to custom fit, hence infant insert and pillow option. Whenever you use a baby carrier, make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
The infant insert can be used in two main ways based on size, weight, and development of the child. The whole insert can be used to support a newborn, while