December Meeting

By Lauren B.

Thank you to those of you that were able brave the snowy weather for our December meeting. For those of you that opted to stay nice and warm at home with your little ones, no worries! You can try out this month's carry with the video below. "Christina's Ruckless Back Carry," demonstrated by Jillian D. at the meeting, can be used with a size 4, 5, or 6 woven wrap. 

Happy wrapping! Hope to see you all at the next meeting in the new year. Have a wonderful holiday with your families. 



  

Cora K. spots Sarah M. while trying the carry of the month.



Lauren M. looks on as Jillian D. demonstrates a back carry.

Jillian D. wraps her toddler.



Cora K.'s sweet toddler enjoys time on Mommy's back.

Lauren M. wears her baby girl in a Beco Gemini.

Jillian D. assists Sarah M.'s husband, Aaron, with a soft structured carrier.



Ladies at the meeting chat about different carriers they like to use.

A Goodbye and a Hello!

Paula R. here.  January will mark the one year since I've started writing posts for the group blog.  And it's been mostly fun, although a bit of work.  January is also when my one and only child will be turning three.  She hasn't wanted to be worn very much at all since turning two.  She's fierce, independent and will not be contained!  I'll also be moving from Colorado, likely sometime within the next month, so come January, the blog is officially out of my hands.  I do have a few post that are still in the works; I'll likely be giving them to Jillian D. to put up for me, but overall, my stint here is just about over and this is my one month's notice!  

Lauren B. has already started stepping up to contribute posts.  We also have a few other members who will likely be chipping in here and there.  For those of you who have yet to meet Lauren, here is her bio below:

My name is Lauren and I have a 7 month old son, Jacob. My husband, Justin, and I are originally from Southern California. We have been married a little over 8 years and moved to Colorado Springs 3 years ago after he finished his army career. Before I was a stay at home mom, I was teaching German on Fort Carson at the Special Forces Language School. I love to try new recipes, do crafty things, spend time outdoors on Colorado trails and get to know other mommas who are in the wonderful thick of it! I look forward to getting to know all of you ladies!

Where We Wore in November

Lauren B. wears her son at the zoo in a Little Frog (wrap conversion) ring sling.  

Isabel T. takes her baby out for a hike at Roxborough State Park in a dyed Didymos NLI woven wrap.

Stella K.'s toddler plays with her hair during a trip to Beckenridge.

Maureen S. wears her son in a Beco 4G, leaving her right hand free to hold to hold a tarantula at the Butterfly Pavilion in Denver.

December Meeting

Our monthly meeting will be taking place the 4th of December, starting at 10:30 at the Casa Verde Common House (the green building).  The Carry of the Month is Christina's Ruckless Backless Carry, so if you have a wrap size 4-6, that would work great!  Jillian D. says this is a great carry for those who aren't fond of ruck straps or have leg straighteners.

If you plan on borrowing a carrier from our lending library, please take the time to read our Lending Library policy.

Winter babywearing

Now that it's getting chilly and snowy in Colorado, you might be at a bit of a loss as to how to keep warm while babywearing.  If you were at the November meeting, you might have seen Isabel T.'s "No-Sew Fleece Poncho" in action.  She recently posted the process on her blog and you can check it out here!

Other options for winter babywearing include buying a regular oversized jacket that you can zip around you and your baby.  If you're sew handy, there is an awesome tutorial you can use by Ocah to make one.  There are also several retail options, such as the Boba Vest and the various coats and jackets at Suse's Kinder.

November Meeting

Lauren B. has stepped up as a contributor for our group blog.  We look forward to more of her posts!  She sums up the meeting below.   

November was another successful meeting with plenty of new faces in attendance!  It's so great to see people coming to learn how to make babywearing work for them! This month's carry is the Double Hammock back carry, typically used with a size 5, 6, or 7 woven wrap. Jillian D. demonstrated and a few experienced wrappers helped other members practice with their little ones.  If you were unable to make the meeting (or if you're just looking to get some more practice), check out the video below:

Some members also brought along a few ideas for wearing baby while in the winter weather. Babywearing jackets, fleece ponchos, or even just an oversized coat already in your closet will do the trick! These items can simply be worn over you and baby while using your favorite carrier.

(Photos taken by Nicole R.)

Galen D. and her son try out the new Moby GO.

Isabel T. hoists her baby on up to demonstrate a Double Hammock.

Alena S. and Sarah M. practice a more advanced back carry with their rings slings.

Gretchen M.'s newborn snoozes in a wrap conversion ring sling.

Jennifer P.'s  baby boy shows off his adorableness while in a Tula.  

Isabel T. demonstrates how to wear her no-sew babywearing poncho.

Galen D. shows off her thrift store find: a $9 coat (with a large neckline) that fits over her and her baby and is perfect for winter babywearing!

BST Etiquette

While many people buy their carriers new, it's fairly common to also buy them used.  BST-ing (Buying/Selling/Trading) in the babywearing world can be a bit complex.  There is a sense of culture, and from that culture, a level of decorum expected (both on TheBabywearers.com, also known as TBW, as well as The Babywearing Swap on Facebook). Group leader Marcia S. shares with us a few of her tips below.  

This isn't Craigslist; it's a babywearing community: a place to build relationships, chat with other mamas as our babies grow, and learn to care more easily for our children.

So. Let's start positive. What are some things that are helpful when you are shopping for a carrier?

1. Do some research. Read up on what you are looking for (Facebook, thebabywearer.com's forums, blogs, etc.). Make sure you know what to expect for pricing for that particular carrier. Some carriers are more expensive because they are rare, some are made from higher quality materials, and some are popular, so they're hard to find. If you know what you're looking for before you start shopping, you'll come out ahead.

2. Make sure you know what you have available to spend before initiating a conversation with a seller. If you need to talk to your partner, sell some household items, ask for birthday gifts, do that all before you start shopping. It makes transactions much smoother. Have your money ready to go.

3. Learn how to use PayPal. PayPal is what most sellers use for transactions. Make sure that your account is set up fully, including your address, and get it linked to a bank account and credit/debit card so that it doesn't send funds as an eCheck. When you use PayPal, you send as goods so that you receive full buyer protection. If you send gifted payment, you are not protected if you need to file a claim.

4. Know what to ask the seller. Learn what is considered to be "normal" flaws: slubs, nubs, known issues with that type of carrier. If the seller lists that there are no flaws, stains, pulls, etc., there is no reason to ask that again. If there are no details listed, feel free to ask. Make sure that if length is extremely important to you, you ask the seller for an exact measurement (then you won't be disappointed if it's different than what you wanted; some manufacturers have different ranges of normal, or some runs of particular wraps are cut too long or too short). 

5. If you ask for a payment plan, make payments on time. Communicate to the seller. Be prepared to fulfill your end of the agreement--the seller is holding the item for you and may be missing out on another sale by waiting for you to pay.

6. Make sure you know conventions. On TBW, it was often that the first person to PM the seller asking for a PayPal address was the one to be able to purchase the item. Other places are different (first to comment publicly, first to ask a question), so make sure you know how the seller operates. Most sellers need the funds quickly, so they're trying to move the item as quickly as possible. Also, asking to be invoiced is a newer idea (because you can use Bill Me Later if you are invoiced by the seller), so sellers may be used to giving the buyer their email address and waiting for payment.

7. Along those lines, pay promptly. Tell the seller if there is going to be a delay in sending payment. Sometimes the seller will post that if payment is not received within four hours, the seller will move on to the next buyer.

8. Keep the seller informed. If you change your mind, tell her so that you aren't leaving her waiting for you to come back.

9. Be polite. Please and thank you go a long way. 

10. Be sure to leave honest feedback, both as a buyer and a seller.

Please don't:

1. Don't offer way less than the seller is asking. If the seller lists that they are willing to take offers, it's usually that they would take $5-15 off of the asking price. Asking a seller to come down more than that may be taken as rude.

2. Don't make excuses. If you can't spend what the seller is asking, there is no need to tell them why. Move on to another item that is in your budget. 

3. Don't ask the seller to hold something if you can't pay. They're potentially missing on a sale that way.

4. Don't ask for a payment plan and then back out.

5. Don't freak out if something is wrong when the item arrives. Calmly discuss it in a non-accusatory tone with the seller. Pulls and broken threads (if it is only one or two) are very simple to fix. There are tutorials on thebabywearer.com and YouTube. I probably wouldn't even message the seller about something that is easy to fix. If there is a stain, or an obvious hole, or something that's a bigger issue: don't wash the item or try to fix it until you have talked to the seller. Washing may alter your PayPal protection or make the issue worse. 

6. Don't make pricing comments on the thread. If you can't afford it, keep it to yourself. Don't accuse the seller of marking the item too high. If you don't like it, move on.

AS A SELLER: 

1. Take good pictures if you can. You're going to get better responses if you include an action shot and a flat shot. (And if the seller doesn't include these, you, as a buyer, don't have to ask them for them; try Google image search first.)

2. Include as many details as you can in your listing. Brand, colorway, size, condition, flaws, detergents, pets in the home, smoking, willingness to ship to certain locations, etc., are all valuable points to include on a listing. Disclose your selling methods: some sellers will sell to the first person who asks for a PayPal email address. Other sellers go by the first to message. 

3. Have the item washed and ready to ship. Then you don't have to scramble to have it clean and ironed after you have received payment. If something happens to the carrier while you're attempting this, it will be on you and you will have to tell the buyer the bad news.

4. Ship as promptly as possible, and if you can't ship when you say you will, keep in communication with the buyer. Don't print a label to appear that you have shipped the item when you haven't actually taken it to the post office. Buyers track that and will be able to see that it's not been dropped yet.

5. Be honest and kind. If a buyer comes to you with a complaint, do everything you can to make it right. It keeps your reputation good.