Saturday's Meeting

Hey Baby-wearers!

Tis' I, Kayla Bailey!!

Due to our nation's great holiday we will be canceling our Idaho Falls meeting this Saturday @ The Methodist Church.

Remember there is still a meeting in a couple of weeks!

ENJOY YOUR 4TH!! Practice safe babywearing and I'm eager for you to email some pictures!!

Here is mine:

Okay, so this is my neice, "Jewels," She was falling asleep, so I wapped this jacket around her head...

WELL! This morning I attended a meeting (taught by Melissa and Hamilton!!) and learned so much more of how to secure babies asleep in a Mei Tei carrier! Please come to the meetings so all of us can show you some awesome new tricks!

Do you know what I'll be doing this holiday weekend? YUP! Sporting some babywearing!

I challenge you to take a picture of your babywearing for the weekend!

Red, White, and Blue!!!!

Special Babywearing Meeting

Wednesday, June 29th at 10am.

Come on over and meet with Melissa, Hamilton and the crew as they tell us about their babywearing adventures, show us their awesome carriers and let us ask all sorts of questions about babywearing, their business and how the dog they found last year (named Rigby) is doing!


We are lucky they are coming to visit us and this will be a great experience for any family. Kids are welcome (but please help clean up Marie's house afterward).

We are official!

We have been welcomed into Babywearing International!
Watch for more official chapters opening throughout the country and an exploratory committee is working to bring BWI to Canada soon!

In other events, International Babywearing Week is this October 10-16! Watch for more information in the next few weeks!

This upcoming Wednesday at 10am Melissa and Hamilton from Freehand Baby Carriers and Togetherbe will be coming to speak with us. They will be at 470 Annis Hwy in Rigby.
They will talk to us about their carriers, their family and pretty much anything we want to talk to them about. We hear they may have a few new carriers for people to try on too!

Come and have some fun (and maybe score a goodie here or there). We're celebrating being official finally!

The History of the Mei Tai (More fun than history class.. I promise!)

            mei -  to carry on the shoulders

                                                                  tai -  belt; band/ bring

 
The mei tai (pronounced “may tie”—as in “May I tie this baby on you?” Thanks Kimber!) originated in China and has been around for possibly thousands of years. It is what is also known as an Asian Baby Carrier (ABC) It is a simple, yet strong and effective design, consisting of a square or nearly square piece of cloth with parallel unpadded straps emerging from the sides of each corner. Traditionally the ends of the straps were secured by twisting and tucking them.  These carriers were usually made of simple cloth and typically used by peasant women working in the fields. Weren’t they smart women? They knew even back then that happy baby= more work done!

Apparently you can teach about/draw fish in a mei tai too.

 
Aside from the mei tai, there are other Asian baby carriers. Many are similar to the mei tai and found in other countries all over the world, such as the  Japanese onbuhimo or the Korean podaegi. (check ‘em out, they are pretty nifty too!)

A variation on the traditional mei tai was popularized in Australia in the 1960s, coming to the US in early 2000s. There are now hundreds of different brands of mei tai available with a variety of features, but the 4 long straps from each of the corners, main squared fabric section, and wrap style tying method are found in almost all of them. Many today also have features such as head supports, pockets, sleeping hoods, and padded straps, among many others. Mei tais are suitable for front or back carries with children ranging from birth to around 35 to 45 lbs (or about a toddler at 3 years.)

And the rest is history!

Check out our young Kimber posing in her Ball Baby Mei Tai with her stylish kidlet in a mohawk.

Meet the Leaders: Kimber Tower

Kimber Tower began her babywearing journey in 2002 when her first child was born. She had no idea what she was doing but knew she needed a way to keep her baby close to her while she was working. She aquired a ringling that was way too big for her and used it.

With her next child Kimber knew there had to be something more to this baby carrier thing.
She began to research and decided to try a pouch. She found a Hotsling pouch on ebay, put the baby in it and the heavens sang.

Kimber was the designer of the Ball Baby mei tai (now owned by Taylormade Slings) and her pattern is still available for anyone to make free of charge.

Kimber formed the Idaho Babywearers in 2006 and has been happy to see it grown and expand.
In 2008 she taught at the 2nd annual International Babywearing Conference in Chicago.
In 2010, Kimber was lucky enough to help the Idaho Babywearers organize and host the 3rd Bi-Annual International Babywearing Conference in Rigby Idaho.
Kimber is looking forward to attending and assisting with the 2012 conference in Washington D.C.

Kimber is currently serving as secretary for the Board of Directors of Babywearing International. She is a Volunteer Babywearing Educator through BWI and is thrilled to see more leaders certifying in her area.

Kimber lives in Rigby with her husband, 4 children and way too many pets. They believe in attachment parenting, serving their community, forming healthy eating habits and changing the world, one family at a time. Kimber is currently reading "Radical Homemakers" and is loving it.

Kimber tries to attend any meeting she can make it to.

Idaho Falls June Saturday Meeting

This month was the smallest meeting we have ever had at our Saturday meetings! It must be the lovely weather!
Sorry this pictures are blurry, the camera wasn't willing to cooperate.

For some the part ended before it even began.

Natalie trying a double hammock back carry in a Wrapsody Gauze wrap with Katie spotting her. Katie is wearing a Boba (they are new to our library and awesome!)

Corey was thrilled at what he was learning.

Katy and Katie!
Look at the beautiful Sakura Bloom!

Natalie cleaning up the mess with Liam in a Silly Goose. We love our geese!

Next meeting is tomorrow in Rigby and then Thursday in Idaho Falls.
Our Pocatello meetings will start this June or in July and we cannot wait!

Rigby and Idaho Falls Meetings

June is Mei Tai month.  We will be discussing this fabulous Asian baby carrier and show you the many ways you can wear it.

The Rigby meeting is this Wednesday at 10am.  If it isn't really windy or cold we are going to meet at the City Park.  If the weather is bad we will meet at Marie's house 470 Annis Hwy.  Check facebook in the morning and we will have the location posted.

The Idaho Falls Daytime meeting is this Thursday at 10am. 537 Valley Drive.

Hope to see you there!