End of IBW 2013

 International Babywearing Week 2013 might be coming to an end on Sunday but we will continue to be carried away at greenberries.  Our staff of Certified Babywearing Educators work hard to choose the most effective and reliable carriers available. Due to the sometimes overwhelming amount of carriers the consumer is exposed to, the greenberries staff has hand selected the brands and styles that we feel most confident in selling to you, our customer.  We are always mindful of safety as well as ergonomic positioning for your developing child.  Greenberries also carries a wide variety of carriers for varying stages in a child’s life, birth thru toddler. To help you get the most from your babywearing experience with your child, greenberries hosts monthly workshops as well as one-on-one consultations with certified babywearing educators on our staff. Our ‘berries team also attends expos, classes and workshops in the area to help troubleshoot carrier issues and spread awareness about babywearing properly. Regardless if you are an avid babywearing parent or looking to gain knowledge about the benefits of babywearing, we hope that you will visit our staff at greenberries to discuss carrier options and safety!

Greenberries is now your destination for Certified Babywearing Educators!

As we close out International Babywearing Week 2013, we are pleased to announce our staff of Certified Babywearing Educators! Greenberries is now the only store in Maryland with 4 Certified Babywearing Educators on staff. After a 3 day intensive workshop with Joanna McNeilly from the Center for Babywearing Studies, 4 of our staff members are officially certified to educate the public on proper babywearing and carrier use while helping fit the needs of each individual family. 

 Greenberries was host to a half dozen experts, post-partum and birthing professionals for this event, which spanned an in-depth and hands-on training on carriers from soft structures to ring slings, stretchy wraps to wovens, and everything in between. Within this, discussions and lectures were held over infant and child needs and development, parental needs and successful communication, safety in babywearing, the science behind babywearing, kangaroo care, and much more. 

Most importantly, the class brought the science, safety, and hands-on knowledge together to the most important goal of a Certified Babywearing Educator: finding the right carrier for the parent and baby together, strengthening the parent-child bond, and instilling confidence and comfort in the carrier the parent has chosen. Meeting with a CBE should leave a parent with all the tools and skills needed to choose the right carrier for them and their child, use it with comfort and confidence, and a trusted professional to turn to with any questions. 

Our Four Certified Babywearing Educators share a bit of their babywearing backgrounds and why they chose this course as a professional step: 




Cortney Baca: "My first experience with babywearing was after my son was released from NICU. I felt so separated and disconnected with him some days, and the Moby wrap was our go-to for building that inseparable bond through skin to skin, keeping him upright to ward off reflux, and simply keeping people's germy hands off my newborn in the cold and flu season he was born into. As I grew into a professional birth doula and greenberries staff member, this certification was the next logical step in helping other parents find that freedom and confidence I found as a new mom. Greenberries always looks for the highest in quality, service, and education, and the commitment to have such a well-trained staff just shows that. I'm thrilled to be a part of such a great business, there's no other in the area like it."

Amy Takemoto: "I have been babywearing for nine years, and teaching it to parents and caregivers for seven. As a certified babywearing educator, my goal with every consultation is to find a carrier that not only fits correctly, but will also deepen the connections between parent and child on a deeply fundamental level."


Alicia Haler: "I love babywearing because as a mama through adoption it gave me a way to bond with my daughter that I was not able to form by breastfeeding or by carrying her I'm my womb. I want all family's to know the joy and closeness that come from the bonds that babywearing helps form."

Rachel Baliff, on owning a shoppe that can bring parents closer to their children and be a resource for families who are looking for guidance in babywearing: "I missed out carrying my kids because I didn't want to make the investment, and I regret it to this day! I love helping new parents discover the joy, warmth, and closeness of babywearing, so I can live vicariously through them. I'm so excited that four of us are now CBEs, and we can become THE destination for babywearing education, sales, and support, throughout those early years through preschool."

 The staff at greenberries is so excited to share our knowledge with our customers. If the opportunity to meet with our Certified Babywearing Educators sounds perfect for you, please call to schedule a one-on-one consultation or check out our website for a calendar of our in store workshops and events. We can't wait to see you! 

Tonight we are hosting a Babywearing event for everyone!

International Babywearing Week is October 7th thru 13th, 2013 this year. Come and join us for a celebration of all things babywearing! Tonight, Tuesday October 8^th between 6-8 pm, stop in and enjoy this greenberries exclusive event. Take advantage of refreshments, beverages and a question & answer session with Amy, our in house babywearing expert. Many of our staff members will be on hand to guide you with babywearing support and troubleshooting your carrier. Try our large selection of carriers to see what works best for you while providing proper comfort and support for your child. Our selection is ever changing while we hand select the best carriers to offer our loyal customers. Come and see what greenberries has to offer you while mingling with other babywearing families who can offer advice and support through experience. We appreciate you choosing greenberries as your premiere babywearing and natural parenting headquarters, so be our guest! See you tonight!

Fashion Benefit Postponement

We are disappointed to have to postpone our Fashion Benefit event until further notice, but looking forward to revamping and rescheduling for early spring. We can't wait to see what direction this takes and invite you to come back at that time.

In looking forward, we have some amazing events coming up this fall, and we're kicking things off with a bang at our 5k coming up just next weekend! Additionally, we have some great new classes and evening events to announce in the coming weeks and our racks are popping with great fashions suited to the crisping autumn air!

 

Fall Fashions for a Cause

The greenberries' fall fashion show, benefiting Healthy Families Howard County is coming up in just one week! In case you don't have your tickets yet, now is the time to buy them, at greenberries! We're going to be putting on a spectacular show, and we can't wait to see you there! In addition to an evening of fun and fashion at the benefit, all ticket holders will be privy to a VIP ticket holder appreciation sale at greenberries the week after! With kids under 3 getting free admission to the show, it's sure to be a fun, affordable way to take the family out for an evening and help a great organization while you're at it!

We
are selling tickets in store only and here is the link for the event->
https://www.facebook.com/events/528970367152677/

And we are hosting a Fashion Show Ticket Holder appreciation event at
the store between Sept 27 - Oct 3 in greenberries (20% off your
purchase in store)
https://www.facebook.com/events/215252595309616/

Wonderful Wovens

        Greenberries now carries woven wraps by Girasol.  These beautifully handcrafted wraps are exclusive to Greenberries.  The colorways were designed by the owner of Metro Minis in New York City, Bianca Fehn.  We’re proud to offer these limited and unique woven wraps.

        Woven wraps are the most versatile baby carrier a parent can own.  It’s perfect for newborns to preschoolers.  A wrap can be used on the front, back or side, and tied in various styles.  Woven wraps differ from stretchy wraps, like the Moby, because they have less stretch.  It’s this lack of stretchy-ness that allows a caregiver to carry 30 plus pounds comfortably.  It should be noted that there is a learning curve to woven wraps.  They take a bit more patience to understand how the fabric works and moves.  Once a basic carry, like the front wrap cross carry, has been mastered they are a joy to use.

The Girasols we carry are 100% cotton, and have three stripes to make wrapping a breeze.  Currently, we carry three sizes- 4.2, 4.6, and 5.2.  Choosing the right size depends on your baby’s size, your size, and what carries you want to do.  We offer two ways to learn about woven wraps, and which would be best for you.  During our monthly babywearing workshop, you can learn different ways to wrap with a woven, as well as troubleshoot your current baby carrier.  For something more personal, make an appointment for a private babywearing consultation where we can answer questions and spend as much time as you need to learn how to wrap!

Happy Wrapping!

  

A Handmade Gift Idea for Your Toddler: Photo Flash Cards

Two years ago, when my daughter was 18 months old, I gave her a set of photo flash cards for Christmas.  The set consisted of 25 laminated photographs of our closest family and friends.  On the front, each card also contained the name of each loved one.  If you need a gift idea for your toddler or another young child in your life, then a set of these may be just the ticket. 

These cards were a big hit with my daughter, as you can see in these photos (she liked them almost as much as she liked hats!).  I'm happy to say that, at the age of 3, she still loves playing with them to this day.

Not only do you get a lot of bang for your buck, they're really easy to make.  I designed each card in Photoshop CS4, but you could easily use something as simple as Microsoft Word.  If you have the time and the scrapbooking talent, you could put these together without the use of your computer, using just your stash of pretty paper, stickers, adhesives, and fancy scissors.  I think this project would turn out so cute using paper crafting products!

Each of our cards measures 4 x 6 inches, but you could obviously make them any size that you wish.  I learned the hard way that photo paper does not laminate well, so I recommend that you print your cards on regular paper or cardstock.  This is what I ended up doing and it worked out really well.  I had our cards printed and laminated at Staples.  I used the cutting tools that they have available to cut the cards before and after they were laminated.

Once the cards were complete, I sewed a quick, little bag to store them in.  If you're not handy with a sewing machine, then a box will do just fine.  You may want to figure out what container you'll use beforehand and plan your card size accordingly.

Good luck!  Don't hesitate to ask me any questions that you may have and please let me know if you make something like this - I'd loved to know!

Jennifer Krafchik, owner of Jennifer K Photography, has been a wife for eight years, a mama for three, and a professional photographer for two. Capturing life through her lens is one of her greatest obsessions and she looks forward to sharing this love with you each month. Keep up with her life as a mama to two little monkeys as well as her latest work and promotions by following her blog and Facebook page.