This past October, we celebrated our 20th year selling the babyTrekker. The business started when I was pregnant with my third baby, and I can still remember talking to a customer on the phone, the night Mari was born. Home business + home birth = not much time off. In 1999,we moved into another building and I breathed a sigh of relief at all the extra space in our house. Now, ten years later, we are making another change.
As of December 1st, we will no longer be selling the babyTrekker in stores. They will be available for purchase only on our website, at www.babytrekker.com. This change was not undertaken without a great deal of thought. The fact is, it's become impossible for us to manufacture in North America using quality materials and paying good wages while offering our stores a wholesale price. And we are committed to manufacturing in Canada.
I will always be grateful to the boutiques that sold our carriers over the years. I encourage everyone who reads this blog to shop in these small, privately owned stores that foster creativity and entrepreneurship. These owners are willing to take chances on new products; something that doesn't usually happen in a chain or a big box store. And once a boutique decides to carry a product, the owner and staff work diligently to educate the consumer about its uses and benefits. There are a lot of wonderful ideas and products available for new parents, simply because privately owned stores gave them a home on their shelves.
If we as consumers don't support small businesses, the only goods available to us will be those designed and sold by large corporations. As the world becomes more and more 'Walmartized' privately owned boutiques across Canada will be closing their doors. Do we value the neighborhood store? Are we interested in supporting the creation of small businesses with great ideas? I think we are. But we have to vote with our feet, and our wallets. Because cheap, imported goods, displayed in row upon identical row, may end up costing us more than we realize.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
A New Beginning
November, in spite of its location near the end of the year, always feels like a beginning to me. Fresh snow hides the dead leaves and hibernating perennials and the northern Manitoba landscape falls asleep under a white winter blanket. The world is new again.
Seeing summer slip away is never easy, but the falling snow seems to wipe my slate clean, allowing me a fresh start. I feel at rest. Work and family life continue, but it's more contained as we move indoors. Everything seems a little easier. November is a good thinking month.
This fall our babyTrekker business is twenty years old. Michelle, our middle daughter who inspired its creation, along with her younger sister Mari, are both off to college. This leaves their dad and I with an empty nest. We feel like newlyweds, but ones who contantly check Facebook for sightings of our children.
Fall has brought other new experiences to our family. My niece Beth gave birth in September to Lily, the first grandchild in our extended family. The excitement of this happy event has been ongoing. And now, our oldest daughter Hilary is pregnant with her first baby.
I don't know why, but I've had a little trouble taking it in. Its amazing, and wonderful, and yet...she's still my baby. Granted, she's twenty-six years old and has been married and working away from home for a few years. But I still picture her heading out the door for her first day of school, her little blonde head neatly braided, her kindergarten backpack too large for her small frame. I see her smile as she turns to wave, her other hand safely tucked into her dad's as they head down the driveway for the walk to school. That moment, that first letting go, was bittersweet.
Along with the new beginning this baby represents for Hilary and Bob, and for us as grandparents, it also signals another letting go. Becoming a parent is the ultimate growing up experience. The moment one's baby is born, the world changes completely and for ever. An all encompassing love is born in that moment and the feelings of protection toward that helpless infant are unlike anything else in the world. For many of us, it is the first time that we are truly empowered as individuals, and finally feel the strength of our own abilities. What we have often been too uncertain of or afraid to do for ourselves, we will do for our children. As a woman gives birth to her child, so she gives birth to her new self as a mother, and her partner as a father. The whole family, grand parents included, are born again into a new way of being.
When May arrives, Hilary, I will embrace the new you, the warrior mother, your best grown up self. But at the same time,to quote Blake Shelton, the country singer, 'I don't care if you're eighty, you'll always be my baby.'
Seeing summer slip away is never easy, but the falling snow seems to wipe my slate clean, allowing me a fresh start. I feel at rest. Work and family life continue, but it's more contained as we move indoors. Everything seems a little easier. November is a good thinking month.
This fall our babyTrekker business is twenty years old. Michelle, our middle daughter who inspired its creation, along with her younger sister Mari, are both off to college. This leaves their dad and I with an empty nest. We feel like newlyweds, but ones who contantly check Facebook for sightings of our children.
Fall has brought other new experiences to our family. My niece Beth gave birth in September to Lily, the first grandchild in our extended family. The excitement of this happy event has been ongoing. And now, our oldest daughter Hilary is pregnant with her first baby.
I don't know why, but I've had a little trouble taking it in. Its amazing, and wonderful, and yet...she's still my baby. Granted, she's twenty-six years old and has been married and working away from home for a few years. But I still picture her heading out the door for her first day of school, her little blonde head neatly braided, her kindergarten backpack too large for her small frame. I see her smile as she turns to wave, her other hand safely tucked into her dad's as they head down the driveway for the walk to school. That moment, that first letting go, was bittersweet.
Along with the new beginning this baby represents for Hilary and Bob, and for us as grandparents, it also signals another letting go. Becoming a parent is the ultimate growing up experience. The moment one's baby is born, the world changes completely and for ever. An all encompassing love is born in that moment and the feelings of protection toward that helpless infant are unlike anything else in the world. For many of us, it is the first time that we are truly empowered as individuals, and finally feel the strength of our own abilities. What we have often been too uncertain of or afraid to do for ourselves, we will do for our children. As a woman gives birth to her child, so she gives birth to her new self as a mother, and her partner as a father. The whole family, grand parents included, are born again into a new way of being.
When May arrives, Hilary, I will embrace the new you, the warrior mother, your best grown up self. But at the same time,to quote Blake Shelton, the country singer, 'I don't care if you're eighty, you'll always be my baby.'
Monday, August 3, 2009
Why I Love La Leche League
Sometimes when we look back over our shoulder, we catch a glimpse of the past streaming behind us, like a comet's tail. In that moment, we see the events of our lives with a clarity and perspective given only by the passage of time. Sifting through the multiple chapters of our life's experience, we can sum up the characters and events that have made us who we are, who we love, and why we love. We nod in relief at our wise decisions, and grieve our foolish ones. We can clearly see the impact of each decision,and the road taken as a result.
My road to La Leche league started with my sister Linda, who was told by our mother to "get the information, but for God's sake, don't join!" In an uncharacteristically rebellious manner (ha ha) Linda did indeed join,paving the way for the next five sisters.
Initially it was our introduction to mothering through breastfeeding. After that, they might as well have called the meetings "How to Empower Yourself and Become The Person You Were Meant To Be." Such was the effect of league on myself and my friends. My journey within this unique group of women took me past a fear of childbirth and into two empowered home births. In the year that I had my first vbac, every mother in our group except one was able to have a vaginal birth after a cesarean. Our leader, Dona, was a contributing factor in this. We learned about the power of good nutrition. Whole grains good; sugar bad. This was news to me! We learned to communicate more effectively with our children. "Hilary, the bed is not for jumping on," was a more effective statement than the more typical, "get the heck off the bed, you dumb kid, do you want to break your neck?" It sounds easy now, but believe me, a lot of work went into changing old parenting patterns. We learned how to stand up for ourselves and our children. I used to be such a fraidy cat. Its easy to surrender your values and ideals, and then complain later, but that kind of passive aggressive behavior leaves such a bad taste in the mouth. League taught me to stick up for myself, my children, and my beliefs.
I learned to trust my heart. When I had my first child, everyone had an opinion on how she should be raised. At La Leche League, I learned to listen to my baby and my own instincts. This led to the design of my first carrier, the babyTrekker, since attachment parenting is a concept highly promoted by league.
I finally got organized by being involved with La Leche League. Planning meetings, budgeting, and speaking in front of the group all prepared me for running my own business. I've made plenty of mistakes, and I'm not the world's most savvy business owner. But I'll tell you what. I'm a damned good mother. (Just ask my kids!) So thanks, La Leche League, and God bless all of you out there. Your mother to mother help meant more than you could ever know.
My road to La Leche league started with my sister Linda, who was told by our mother to "get the information, but for God's sake, don't join!" In an uncharacteristically rebellious manner (ha ha) Linda did indeed join,paving the way for the next five sisters.
Initially it was our introduction to mothering through breastfeeding. After that, they might as well have called the meetings "How to Empower Yourself and Become The Person You Were Meant To Be." Such was the effect of league on myself and my friends. My journey within this unique group of women took me past a fear of childbirth and into two empowered home births. In the year that I had my first vbac, every mother in our group except one was able to have a vaginal birth after a cesarean. Our leader, Dona, was a contributing factor in this. We learned about the power of good nutrition. Whole grains good; sugar bad. This was news to me! We learned to communicate more effectively with our children. "Hilary, the bed is not for jumping on," was a more effective statement than the more typical, "get the heck off the bed, you dumb kid, do you want to break your neck?" It sounds easy now, but believe me, a lot of work went into changing old parenting patterns. We learned how to stand up for ourselves and our children. I used to be such a fraidy cat. Its easy to surrender your values and ideals, and then complain later, but that kind of passive aggressive behavior leaves such a bad taste in the mouth. League taught me to stick up for myself, my children, and my beliefs.
I learned to trust my heart. When I had my first child, everyone had an opinion on how she should be raised. At La Leche League, I learned to listen to my baby and my own instincts. This led to the design of my first carrier, the babyTrekker, since attachment parenting is a concept highly promoted by league.
I finally got organized by being involved with La Leche League. Planning meetings, budgeting, and speaking in front of the group all prepared me for running my own business. I've made plenty of mistakes, and I'm not the world's most savvy business owner. But I'll tell you what. I'm a damned good mother. (Just ask my kids!) So thanks, La Leche League, and God bless all of you out there. Your mother to mother help meant more than you could ever know.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Face baby out in the carrier? Yes you can!
I have no doubt that after writing this blog, I will be hauled off by the baby carrier police and hung forthwith, most likely in an inward facing, psychologically and physiologically correct position. In a recent discussion with a new kid on the block carrier designer, I was informed that people 'in the know' otherwise called 'babywearing experts' have decided that infants should no longer face outward in carriers. I tried at length to discover the basis for this new ruling. Studies? Research? Nada. She's not alone in her non specific concerns. There's a miasma of misinformation floating about this very subject on the internet. There is lots of concern expressed in various chat rooms around the world but no one has any actual information. Its just a 'feeling' people have, that babies shouldn't face outward. Vague references to spinal subluxations have been made. Lengthy discussions have ensued regarding the proper space a carrier should occupy between a baby's legs, and whether a child facing outward is 'hanging' rather than sitting. Our discussions with chiropractors, and information received via another company from pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. Klausdieter Parsch have clearly stated that as long as an infant is in a seated human position with a flexion of 90 degrees and an abudction of 45 degrees, then their spine is supported and this facilitates proper maturation of the hip joints. Speaking plainly, facing out is okay, as long as your baby's legs are sitting at a natural angle.
Another reason given for not facing babies away is that they need to spend time bonding with their parents. I believe that eye to eye contact with your baby is crucial. Its one of the great benefits of nursing. Perhaps, if you're spending a lot of time away from your baby, having them faced toward you in a carrier is a good idea. Otherwise, if you have lots of face time with your baby, and they're indicating that they'd like to look around for awhile, go for it. Babies have been people watching in the babyTrekker for 20 years, and in the babyBjorn for over 45 years. I'm fairly sure the Swedes would be up in arms if a correlation had been found between lack of bonding and the facing out position. There has been no research at all in this regard.
Can we give parents and babies credit for common sense? If a baby is uncomfortable or frightened, they let us know. And facing a baby out in a baby carrier, or sling, is not like facing them out in a stroller. When a young infant is placed in a stroller, especially facing out, they are alone in the world. They might as well be on the moon, their disconnect from you is so total. Babies don't have any idea that they are separate from you, so this is a scary thing indeed. But when a baby is carried in the outward facing position of a carrier, specifically the baby Trekker, their backs are pressed against your tummy and chest. Your breath is felt on their head, and your words are whispered in their ear. Your hands hold their hands, or their feet, and you talk as you go, explaining what you're doing, what you're seeing. Frankly, something fairly horrifying could happen within your baby's view, and because they would have no context for it, it would be meaningless. Faces they know, of course, and if you've ever had a baby faced out in a carrier on your chest, you know that they delight people who pass by. They see a series of smiling faces.
So, this is it. I'm writing to say, get over it. Stop with all the drama and let people parent their babies. Find a carrier that works for you, (though there's one I could recommend!) and spend lots of time holding your little one. You need it as much as they do, and you'll both be happier for it.
I have to go now...could somebody post my bail?
Another reason given for not facing babies away is that they need to spend time bonding with their parents. I believe that eye to eye contact with your baby is crucial. Its one of the great benefits of nursing. Perhaps, if you're spending a lot of time away from your baby, having them faced toward you in a carrier is a good idea. Otherwise, if you have lots of face time with your baby, and they're indicating that they'd like to look around for awhile, go for it. Babies have been people watching in the babyTrekker for 20 years, and in the babyBjorn for over 45 years. I'm fairly sure the Swedes would be up in arms if a correlation had been found between lack of bonding and the facing out position. There has been no research at all in this regard.
Can we give parents and babies credit for common sense? If a baby is uncomfortable or frightened, they let us know. And facing a baby out in a baby carrier, or sling, is not like facing them out in a stroller. When a young infant is placed in a stroller, especially facing out, they are alone in the world. They might as well be on the moon, their disconnect from you is so total. Babies don't have any idea that they are separate from you, so this is a scary thing indeed. But when a baby is carried in the outward facing position of a carrier, specifically the baby Trekker, their backs are pressed against your tummy and chest. Your breath is felt on their head, and your words are whispered in their ear. Your hands hold their hands, or their feet, and you talk as you go, explaining what you're doing, what you're seeing. Frankly, something fairly horrifying could happen within your baby's view, and because they would have no context for it, it would be meaningless. Faces they know, of course, and if you've ever had a baby faced out in a carrier on your chest, you know that they delight people who pass by. They see a series of smiling faces.
So, this is it. I'm writing to say, get over it. Stop with all the drama and let people parent their babies. Find a carrier that works for you, (though there's one I could recommend!) and spend lots of time holding your little one. You need it as much as they do, and you'll both be happier for it.
I have to go now...could somebody post my bail?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
I finished reading Ayaan Hirsi Ali's book, "Infidel," a few weeks ago, and it has stayed with me. As she escapes her old life to make a new one for herself, she discards the shackles of her faith and discovers reason. Her journey takes her from childhood to womanhood, and from Somalia to the Netherlands. Our North American lives are incredibly easy compared with the life of a young girl in Somalia. But something nagged at me while I read; a familiarity with the powerlessness she experienced as a young girl being circumcised, and as a young woman with no rights. And then I realized; that's how it feels to give birth in North America. At least, for me and many, many other women. I remember when my first daughter was born. I ended up with an unnecessary cesarean, and when I asked the surgeon if I could have a vaginal birth with my next baby, he told me that he wished his patients wouldn't try to think. Just leave everything up to him. And would we please stop reading! This happened a number of years ago, but from what I can see, not much has changed. I hired a midwife for my next two births, and was amazed by the difference.
What it comes down to is power. I had no power in the hospital. Though the nurses were unbelievably kind, I felt helpless. I wanted to be "good" so I didn't make any noise. All the attention was on the monitor, the drip, the catheter, etc.
When I had my babies at home, I made as much noise as I wanted. I roamed the house, got down on all fours, and used some fairly colorful language. With my third baby, I had a water birth. And I learned a lot about power. Having a baby does that for you anyway, but a birth that acknowledges the mother as the one in charge is an amazing experience.
When we parent, we teach our children about power. As a Christian, I read lots about parenting from "experts" and it usually involved baby crying it out, and mommy and daddy controlling and hitting. Fortunately, I found a lot of good books in my local La Leche League library that helped me discover the mother inside me that God wanted me to be. And I discovered the benefits of baby wearing. This was an aha! moment for me. When you listen to what your baby is telling you and respond appropriately, you empower your baby as well as yourself. You become tuned in, and life is easier. Your baby feels heard, and your relationship becomes a dance instead of a battle. A new father confessed his fear that his baby would become the 'boss' if he picked him up every time he cried. A 200 pound man worried about being controlled by an eight pound infant is a sad indictment of how far we've come from natural parenting. Why are we messing with creation and biology? Baby mammals need lots of touching. They need our reassuring voice and the up and down, back and forth movement of being carried in our arms or on our bodies in a carrier. The best message we can give our child is "You are worthy. You are special, beloved, and I am amazed by the unique, wonderfulness of you." Let's not kid ourselves. Our children wear our spoken and unspoken messages like tatoos pressed into their brains and hearts. If we only want to control, and not to understand, we have to ask ourselves; where does our anger comes from? Do we have our own deep wells of sadness that we're dealing with, that makes it hard to bear the outbursts of a tired toddler or the sometimes overwhelming need of a young baby? Asking the question makes finding the answer a little easier.
Parenting is the hardest journey. It's also satisfying, fulfilling and joyful, even with teenagers :). At the end of the day, we won't be thinking about the money we've made or the toys we've acquired. Because as we age, and our children become the caregivers, we'll find the measure of our success, and get to answer the all important question. Have we taught them the power of love?
What it comes down to is power. I had no power in the hospital. Though the nurses were unbelievably kind, I felt helpless. I wanted to be "good" so I didn't make any noise. All the attention was on the monitor, the drip, the catheter, etc.
When I had my babies at home, I made as much noise as I wanted. I roamed the house, got down on all fours, and used some fairly colorful language. With my third baby, I had a water birth. And I learned a lot about power. Having a baby does that for you anyway, but a birth that acknowledges the mother as the one in charge is an amazing experience.
When we parent, we teach our children about power. As a Christian, I read lots about parenting from "experts" and it usually involved baby crying it out, and mommy and daddy controlling and hitting. Fortunately, I found a lot of good books in my local La Leche League library that helped me discover the mother inside me that God wanted me to be. And I discovered the benefits of baby wearing. This was an aha! moment for me. When you listen to what your baby is telling you and respond appropriately, you empower your baby as well as yourself. You become tuned in, and life is easier. Your baby feels heard, and your relationship becomes a dance instead of a battle. A new father confessed his fear that his baby would become the 'boss' if he picked him up every time he cried. A 200 pound man worried about being controlled by an eight pound infant is a sad indictment of how far we've come from natural parenting. Why are we messing with creation and biology? Baby mammals need lots of touching. They need our reassuring voice and the up and down, back and forth movement of being carried in our arms or on our bodies in a carrier. The best message we can give our child is "You are worthy. You are special, beloved, and I am amazed by the unique, wonderfulness of you." Let's not kid ourselves. Our children wear our spoken and unspoken messages like tatoos pressed into their brains and hearts. If we only want to control, and not to understand, we have to ask ourselves; where does our anger comes from? Do we have our own deep wells of sadness that we're dealing with, that makes it hard to bear the outbursts of a tired toddler or the sometimes overwhelming need of a young baby? Asking the question makes finding the answer a little easier.
Parenting is the hardest journey. It's also satisfying, fulfilling and joyful, even with teenagers :). At the end of the day, we won't be thinking about the money we've made or the toys we've acquired. Because as we age, and our children become the caregivers, we'll find the measure of our success, and get to answer the all important question. Have we taught them the power of love?
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