Baby Slings

Babywearing.com has a monthly giveaway that you might want to participate in. Every month they give away a new carrier. If you are new to babywearing or just want to add to your collection then all you have to do is head over to babywearing.com forum and join the community!

There has been a lot of buzz in the babywearing community about the unethical practices of the company behind the Ergo Baby Carrier. The rumors, which I have been hearing for the last 4 months, are that they have decided to try and strong arm the structured baby carrier market. One email that is flying around has a link to the US patent office where supposedly the Ergo Baby Carrier company is trying to get a patent on soft structured carriers. I will not publish the link at this time because the link given says that the patent information is not public yet.

Honestly I guess they are made nervous by the Patapum Baby Carrier and Patapum Toddler Carrier because of its growing popularity on the market.

Here is an excerpt of an email I received today:

They are also now targeting WAHM companies overseas. When they are targeting these WAHM companies overseas, they are looking to collect damages from the distributors that have sold other competing SSCs(soft structured carriers). So, basically, they want the companies that are selling other SSCs to pay them money for each carrier that they have sold.

Personally, I find this behavior wrong on many levels. Ergo used (and still uses) many WAHM companies to get the name of their product out and now that it is becoming more mainstream and more popular, they are going after every company that makes and/or distributes anything similar so they can try to gain a monopoly. It just disgusts me that they are now trying to destroy the same companies that they used to make money for themselves

Anyhow, I thought I’d let you all know what is going on with Ergo so that way you can continue to decide if this is a company you want to support further. Also, if you are a manufacturer of an SSC or a distributor of SSC’s, you may want to seek legal advice just to be sure that you are protecting yourself.

Is there any truth to these claims? Are you a wholesaler that has been contacted by Ergo? Please leave a comment. I would love to see any emails you have to validate the rumors.

Julia Roberts wearing her baby via jj

Looks like Just Jared got some fun pictures of Julia Robert wearing her new son Henry in a Ring Sling. I first thought she was wearing a pouch but it looks like she shifted the rings to the back to give a little more privacy for Henry. What a great mom. The position does look a bit uncomfortable, but I am sure once she was out of camera view she slid the sling forward and did a quick readjustment.

It is hard to tell which baby sling she is wearing. It looks to be a floral pattern with green and blue flowers. I really don’t think I have seen that pattern before. Oh well, if anyone finds out what it is then please leave a comment.

Keri Russell in a PSling

Looks like people magazine has a picture of Keri Russell in a PSNY Sling.

Keri is carrying her 2 week old baby named River. She looks to be wearing the beautifully weaved wave pattern in either blue or black. That particular P-Sling costs about $350.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Babywearing is made Easy with the Versatile and Trendy Baby Carrier Design that Features a Patent-Pending Safety Seat by Bundleboo™ LLC.

Bundleboo™, LLC. has created a Safety Seat style wrap carrier that not only adds to the comforts of babywearing, but it also provides support to the world wide non-profit organization, The Smile Train.

Winchester, VA., June 21, 2007- During her pregnancy, Bundleboo LLC wraps founder, Rebekah Gonzalez was told her little girl, Katy, would be born with a Cleft lip and/or Cleft palate. Shortly after the birth, Katy, then 3 months would undergo cleft lip repair. In the hospital, Katy found comfort while in her traditional wrap carrier. Following the surgery, Katy was finally getting the attention she deserved as was the traditional wrap that she was being carried in. The interest from this simple wrap was so overwhelming that Rebekah thought she could make a business making them herself. Being taught to sew in her mother’s kitchen, and by taking the advice from her to find a unique style that would stand out from the rest, Rebekah started making some much needed changes to her traditional wrap and within 24 hours , Bundleboo LLC was born. “The idea was based around a defined and more secure place for the baby to sit” states Rebekah. Within four months, the “safety seat” style wrap was patent-pending. Once Rebekah could no longer keep up with the demands of sewing, she found a US based manufacturing company that provides, Bundleboo LLC with fabrics that are 100% made in the USA.

Bundleboo LLC wraps are made using machine washable and dryer safe, 100% woven cotton and is designed with a patent-pending safety seat which consists of roomy, comfortable leg holes built into the fabric. Panels are made to evenly distribute the weight of your baby over the shoulders, back and hips which virtually eliminate back pain and pressure points that are common in strap or one shoulder carriers.

With all of the tremendous benefits of a traditional wrap carrier, Bundleboo LLC has provided safety, comfort, and simplicity of use along with peace of mind.

There is no minimum infant weight requirement and it will support toddlers up to 40 pounds. With 10 different carrying positions, it allows you the flexibility to find the most comfortable position for you and your baby. In addition, they also allow for 2 discrete and hands-free nursing positions. “There is a small learning curve but after you have done it a few times, you should be able to put your baby in any of the positions in under one minute.” Rebekah adds, “Bundleboo LLC has truly cut the learning curve in half from traditional wrap carriers, making it far easier to master in a short period of time.”

Bundleboo LLC offers three different product designs.

Classic Bundleboo is their conservative solid color carrier with cream color accents. The Signature Bundleboo is a fun and unique design fabric center panel. This design re-enforces and clearly defines the “Safety Seat” and after adding extra fabric, it also provides a small about of padding for your shoulders in a few of the back positions. The Premier Bundleboo is a custom line that provides the customer with specific fabrics, patterns, and animal or design appliqués creating an extraordinary Bundleboo wrap. In August 2007, the Organic Bundleboo will be made available for retail purchases. Each carrier purchased includes a tote bag and instructional DVD. Prices vary for styles and range from $69.00-$119.00.

Upon finding “The Smile Train”, a world wide non-profit organization dedicated to provide cleft lip and palate repairs to poor children all over the world, Bundleboo LLC would be able to help this cause by providing them with a portion of their sales. “I saw the difference the surgery made with Katy and found a great need to help others who could not otherwise afford this life changing surgery.” Rebekah adds, “I decided at this point that it was my goal to not only help support my family but to also help raise money for these kids.”

For additional product and ordering information, please visit www.bundleboo.com. Bundleboo LLC will also be attending the DC Baby Carrier Expo on August 25, 2007 and the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, NV, September 7-10, 2007.
###