EllaRoo Baby Carriers
Photo by EllaRoo
Snigger maniacally as you and your bambino breeze past the Sunday morning stroller gridlock. EllaRoo makes a range of baby carriers, including the Mei Hip pictured above, using organic cotton canvas, hemp/tencil twill, and organic cotton batting. While conventional cotton is still used for some of the decorative accent fabrics, the company wants to transition as many of its products as it can to sustainable fibers, despite some complications that owner Vesta Garcia details frankly in a recent blog entry. (I don’t impress easily but her principles? Impressive.)
Some benefits of “babywearing,” (you kooky parents, you) according to SimpleSlings.com—which, incidentally, also has its own baby carriers made with organic-cotton fabric from Harmony Art:
- Parent has hands free to accomplish unlimited tasks.
- Sibling jealously of a newborn is greatly reduced because parents are still able to play with and tend to older children while simultaneously caring for the newborn.
- Breastfeeding can be easy and discreet while wearing a baby in a sling.
- There is no need to be tied to home for nap-time when your baby is used to being in a sling. Babies sleep comfortably in slings.
- Slings distribute the baby’s weight evenly across your shoulders, back, and/or hip and are worn comfortably for many hours at a time.
- Toddlers who were carried in slings are not as clingy as those who were not regularly worn. They are securely attached to their caregivers, and experience less separation anxiety.
The Wrap is handwoven by a co-op of weavers in Guatemala; all other carriers are made in the U.S. (From $59, Peppermint)
Kamrin said,
February 17, 2007 at 12:29 am
As a “sling mama” and a recycler, you can also get the patterns for basic slings free online to help you use that fabric you have lying around waiting to be recycled into something new!
Liz said,
February 17, 2007 at 1:14 pm
That’s it! I’ve been wondering what to do/make/get for good friends of ours who are expecting.
terri said,
February 18, 2007 at 11:16 am
I can attest to the simplicity babywearing gives your life. BUT you don’t have to spend sixty bucks to get it: do you think the mother’s in Guatemala spend that kind of money? 100X28″ of fabric, a couple of D rings, a little sewing. Or just tie it in a knot like they do in Mexico. Don’t be fooled by organic cotton and sweet, slick photography; a marketing machine pointed at he sustainablility crowd is still a marketing machine. Use your noggin.
Jasmin said,
February 18, 2007 at 11:32 am
Re-posted from e-mail:
===
There’s really no need to be rude, Terri. You could have made your case quite easily (and more convincingly) without the bad attitude.
–Jasmin
===
terri said,
February 18, 2007 at 11:56 am
Sorry, I totally didn’t mean to sound rude. Honest. Just that, in countries where baby slings are traditional and still used, they’re not expensive, just a little fabric sewn or tied creatively.
Camille said,
February 19, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Love wearing my baby…when he got older and heavier, I had to shift from baby in front to wearing him on my hip in order to prevent back and shoulder pain. Now that my toddler is right at 25#, my hips suffer terribly if I carry him that way. It’s just not ergonomically sound for me or my son. Solution: a back carrier! Ergo makes one that is organic denim, I think. That said, I think a number of the less-structured slings and carriers can be worn on one’s back - they just take a little more practice to get the right / safest fit for mama and babe.
Thanks for the very useful tip!
The Worsted Witch » Oh Baby! Natural Baby Nurseries said,
February 25, 2007 at 12:34 pm
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