Cloth Diapers Ottawa - News - Chiquita Baby Store Ottawa, Canada

Chiquita Baby Blog

Apr

Reviews: Pura Kiki Stainless steel sippy, Mama cloth by Charlie Banana, and Strip it by The Laundry tarts

Pura Kiki Stainless Steel Toddler Sippy Bottle

This is a new item that we now have in store at Chiquita Baby and I have been testing this one with my little one - it's a definite winner! The stainless steel cup has no plastic parts and features engraved measurements in ounces and millimeters. It comes with a silicone soft spout and what's really neat is that you can remove the silicone spout and replace it with a variety of different nipples such as ThinkBaby, Born Free, Dr. Brown's wide neck nipples and of course our personal favorite, the Avent sports spout. This sippy is the perfect size for a baby or toddler to grip and it is leak-free!

Charlie Banana Mama Cloth Pads

The new Charlie banana feminine pads are extremely comfortable. I was a little leery about trying a cloth pad because my previous experience with a cloth pad was not good. The cloth pads I had tried previously leaked because they were made of flannel with no waterproof barrier. These feminine pads are available in light, regular, and super absorbency. They come in packs of 3 and include a little waterproof PUL carrying case. Each of the pads have a waterproof PUL backing and a fleece surface to keep the absorbed liquids away from your skin. There is a plastic snap on the wings of the pad which fasten it to your underwear. I didn't find the mama cloth twisted around on my underwear, but rather stayed put. Big plus.

The Charlie Banana pads are a lot more comfortable than the plastic disposable ones and just as efficient! I rinsed mine out after each use, (not necessary) and put them into the PUL bag until wash time. Since I have a cloth diapering baby I simply washed mine with my diapers every second day. I have to say that what I was most amazed with when I removed them from the machine was that they were stain-free! So not only are they better for the environment but they save you money! They are $19.99 for three pads and one carrying case. Also all staff that have tried these mama pads have noticed a reduction in cramps and discomfort.

The Laundry Tarts "Strip It"

Have your eyes ever watered due to changing your child's cloth diaper? Have your cloth diapers ever smelled like skunk, or barnyard? Then this is the product for you! Strip it removes bacteria, ammonia, and laundry soap build up. This is the answer to everyone's problem..HOW DO I GET MY DIAPERS NOT TO STINK??? Most common issue parents face with cloth diapers is the battle of ammonia. Now with fancy front loader washing machines (that add less water, and don't agitate the diapers as well) there are more parents with this issue of "how to strip diapers". Despite extra rinses in my washing machine (front loader), adding more laundry soap, and rinsing cloth diapers after overnights my cloth diapers still reeked. Until I used 'Strip it". I started with a pile of clean diapers(prefolds, pockets, and fitted diapers). I filled the laundry tub with hot water and 2 Tsp of Strip it, stirred it around and made sure all my cloth diapers were submerged. I stirred the diapers 2-3 more times within that next hour, then I moved the diapers into my front load washing machine-did a hot wash, with extra rinses. When I opened the door...TADA...I smelled nothing but clean. I wish I could take a picture of fresh, clean clothing hanging in a gentle breeeze, as this is what my diapers smelled like "clothesline".

I did this process to all my diapers. So here are the 2 sets of diapers being stripped, and the water after removing the diapers. The water is just a little gross.

Cloth diapers after being treated by "Strip it" and sunned outside. I should also note that after removing a cloth diaper from my daughter after an overnight (13hr sleep), the cloth diaper did not burn my eyes, nor was there a strong smell of urine.

The reason why "Strip it" isn't recommended to use in the washing machine is due to the fact it works better then left to soak. Most HE washing machines don't have a soak option or don't allow for enough water for a proper soak. You can still use the washing machine for the rinse portion though. Most cloth diapers won't need to be stripped more then 2 times a year. With our upcoming used cloth diaper sale Saturday April 21st- right after the Great cloth diaper change, this is a perfect time to strip all the diapers you want to sell, or buy "strip it" to ensure the used cloth diapers you have bought are clean and ready to use!

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Feb

Georgina naturals skincare

This was way too long to post on facebook, but as most people know there is always a story behind every WAHM(work at home mom). Our new skincare line is no exception. Made in Canada(local to Ottawa in Perth). This blog was written by the owner Bonnie, and we can't express how happy we are to have her join our product lines.

"Georgina Naturals is a body care company which creates 100% natural products without the use of artificial preservatives, colours or fragrances. I started the company along side my sister in 2010, after being struck with severe environmental allergies. In an effort to find safe alternatives to the chemically laden products on the market, I consulted with my grandmother – a strong advocate for natural health. I began making my own products - studying herbs, learning their unique properties and experimenting with oil infusions.

In February 2010 after my sister Gillian endured a particularly difficult childbirth, I put my new skills to the test by making her a healing calendula salve. It worked so well that I quickly made another, this one for my new niece who was suffering from a nasty diaper rash. Gillian had tried several other creams with no success, however after one application of this cream, the rash was literally gone, and the power of these healing herbs had been proven to us. As a new mother Gillian eagerly sought to use only natural products on herself and her baby. To her dismay she discovered that many of the commercial soaps, moisturizers and creams hailed as ‘baby safe’ contained harsh, carcinogenic ingredients. This fueled her interest in joining forces in the creation of effective, natural body care products.

As fair skinned women, Gillian and I have always had incredibly sensitive skin. For years we’ve used a homemade recipe for a moisturizing toner that our grandmother Georgina developed over six decades ago. This toner, which our grandmother optimistically named Face Tomorrow, became our first product. With a new appreciation for her devotion to natural body care, we decided to name our company Georgina Naturals.

From there our product line has expanded, propelled by the demands of our customers, who are thrilled use products that are natural, locally produced, and effective. Through our Mama and Baby line, we strive to meet the needs of our most precious and vulnerable family members: our children. By working to use quality, natural ingredients – our products provide safe, lasting solutions to your family’s skin care dilemmas."

This above..is the one of the many highlights of my job. I love hearing stories like this, the family connection, and the driving force to produce natural safe products for the ones we care most for...our children.

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Jan

Reviews-Barnyard Bummz Fitted diaper/ The laundry tarts stain stick

Barnyard Bummz Fitted diaper

Please note: Barnyard Bummz has changed the design of their diaper to be a One size- February 2012. At the time of this review, the only diapers that were tested were a size large. The only One size diaper Chiquita baby sells at this point is Guerilla fluff, which is a fanastic One size diaper made by a WAHM.

The Laundry Tarts Stain stick

Confession: I am a mom, and my children spill stuff on them always. Also I have a habit of leaving for work, and then noticing when I am at work that I have chocolate on my shirt(from my children rubbing their faces), oil on my shirt from making a healthy breakfast of tater tots, or wow I have what my mother used to call "the grey sickness" all over my white sleeves. Once a disbeliever in getting these stains out- now I believe. I keep the laundry tarts stain stick in my kitchen and try to do stains as I see them. Then I toss nicely down the stairs so it makes it to the laundry room at some point. The laundry tarts is also Canadian, and the stick sells for $5.99. The stain stick lasts a long time, but I do find it helps to wet the article of clothing, and then wet the stick and rub it on stain. The bottom is a picture of my daughter's favorite shirt that got a huge stain on it, and the picture after using The laundry tarts stain stick.

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Jan

Single parenting in Ottawa

“Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. My motto for single parenting. I have learned to be devious, charming, bribe, and multi task like an air traffic controller.

In 2011 I had the pleasure, pain, endured the torture of single parenting many times. I have learned inner strength, patience, and how to shower and give timeouts through shower curtain. I now have so much respect for single parents (regardless of if it is due to jobs/by choice or fact of life). I have no insomnia as my morning starts at 6:05, and end whenever children are in bed. But does it ever really end? Once children go to bed, there is the packing of bags for next day, laundry, meal prep, and sometimes your work. There has been days when I sit down with a glass of water and realize that is the first time I have relaxed all day, and it is 9:10pm.

I have learned to let the house get dirty, eat leftovers for 2 days straight, and say “oh well” as many as 10 times in a day.

It hasn’t been easy. It hasn’t been without screaming matches, and it hasn’t killed me (yet). As I chuck 2 new puzzles in front of the children, and I head out the door to shovel snow, I am reminded that I can ask for help. Something I am not very good at. I prepare to take on the day doing daily chores(empty dishwasher, pack snacks, wash dishes, make beds, toss in a laundry, get woodstove going, and perhaps even bring in 4 loads of wood) and in between all of this eat a bite of toast off a plate, and say for the 100 time, stop fighting please…. I think and dream of a vacation, and then I picture the vacation starting with 1 child on my back, one holding my hand as I push a huge luggage cart with my foot…and I think maybe next year…

Lessons I have learned…

-crockpot is a lifesaver (though I still overcook every roast)

-if you can, having kids (or yourself) pick out their clothes in the evening for the next day saves time in the morning

- nap when children nap

-if you make plans for the morning it makes the afternoon fly by

-Why clean up- it just gets dirty again in 10 min

-although not a big fan of convenience foods, a box of Annie’s mac and cheese with frozen peas can be good supper in a pinch. So can tuna melts with frozen peas on the side (I almost always have cheese, bread and a can of tuna)

-cleaning washroom while children are in the bathroom are in the tub kills 2 birds with 1 stone, however flipping through a magazine is a better choice

-if you need to get something done and don’t want to use the tv (say you have already used this enough for one day, ha ha), let your kids look through some photo albums. They love nothing more than looking and asking all kinds of questions

-try to take some time for yourself. I know personally once the kids are in bed I do all the things I need to for the next day, then spend some time on myself- this usually involves just sitting, as I find I run around most of the day.

-packing lunches/bags etc. is a smart move to do the night before (still working on this one)

-if you are single-parenting for reasons such as spouse’s career, try really hard not to resent your partner. It can be really difficult, but they are working hard as well, and missing out on time with the kids

-my expectations of that workout class are very high, even more so if I am paying for a babysitter to do that workout

-putting on makeup and doing your hair is now called damage control and don`t forget under eye concealer!

-don’t be so hard on yourself…something we all struggle with, we can only do our best, and singing raffi very loudly keeps you in check.

Thanks to staffer Jen, who added input.

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Dec

Winter Blah's

Snowflakes are gently falling, it is like a winter wonderland, as you pull the 10th grey hair from your head. Screams of "No it's mine", "not fair", and "I'm telling" fill the air. Being confined in a small area with children, no matter what age is a challenge. At Chiquita baby we have compiled a long list to keep both young, and old sane this season. Please add your ideas to the list!

Indoors:

1.Early Years Centre: I am a big fan of this place. Perfect for ages 0-6yrs. Also perfect for nursing mothers who have 2 children. The older one can play with sand tables, water tables, toys galore, and crafts while there are chairs for nursing. There are 3 in west area: Carp, and 2 located in Kanata. Keep in mind if it starts at 9am, you need to be there 15min in advance so it doesn't fill up. The drop in's are free

http://www.wocrc.ca/Libraries/General_Brochure_languages/Fall_Regular_Program_Schedule.sflb.ashx

2. A Gym's Tale. A very clean, well run play area. They also host great birthday parties as well. My children like the drop in play times, and it is perfect for snowy, too cold to play outdoor's days.

http://www.agymtale.com/

3. Starr Gymnastics- has a great drop in, think loud crazy music/children running everywhere, and balls flying. Want to wear off excess energy or chocolate this is the place.

http://www.starrgymnastics.com/schedule.cfm

4. Funnhaven. Located behind the massive new Ikea, the feedback so far has been thumbs up. It features lots of flavours of frozen yogurt and hours of fun. Grand opening on Dec.14th.

http://www.funhaven.com/public/visitus/index.cfm

5. Gouldburn Recreation centre. Located in Stittsville, there is an open play gym on sunday evenings, at witching hr. 4:30-6pm. The gym is filled with plasma cars, balls, parachutes, and hockey nets. 1 person can stay home and make dinner, and other person can take children here. Draw straws to see who does what!

6. Carleton Place Pool- I have mentioned this before on facebook- however I am very impressed with this pool. The larger pool is warmer then most, and they also have a smaller pool with a ramp/very hot pool(bring water). As well it has a baby section that is shallow that parents can sit to hold babies. During Christmas break they offer lots of free swims, that are sponsored by different organizations throughout Carleton place.

http://www.carletonplace.ca/poolp8.php

7. Crafts: Pinecones with glitter, peppermint playdough, gingerbread cookies or house, wreaths- to make crafts last longer then 15min, try walking to nearest dollerstore to pick up craft supplies.

8. play indoor angry birds. We use blocks, and little people, and stuffies. To make it harder make them sit farther away.

9. Dress up with different hats/coats/old halloween costumes

10. For a quiet moment, paint faces with water and paintbrushes

Outdoor:

Nature walks-Jack pine trail is great for feeding birds-located off Moodie dr. Keep in mind it doesn't loop around(from someone who hiked for 2 hrs thinking that....) Babywearing helps for timid children afraid of birds

Ice skating- canal and indoors

snowmen, and the whole family-snowcat, snowdog, and fish..

Toboggan hill- One located by Kanata leisure centre/off Terry Fox, or Bruce Pit as well

Paint in snow- put water and food colouring in spray bottles and have a painting party

Snow angels

family shoveling time...sneaky..

freeze coloured water in big rectangle boxes to make ice building blocks

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Oct

Bullies/ Cyber Bullies

Walking into kickboxing last week I overheard a conversation that a mother was having with her son. She was walking 5 feet ahead of him and stated that he was losing all his privileges. The son answered but not hockey, the mother answered yes that too, and the son screamed across the parking lot- “Fine I’m sorry then”. As I drove away it got me thinking, was this where it started-“learn to be a bully”. Recently my parents moved and as a result all the stuff I had stashed at their house came back to me. Including pictures, poems, journals, and junk. In the mess was this:

She walks in,

People quiet, whispers start,

Faded jeans, ball caps, label shirts

Are all the norm.

Outside looking in,

Cross around her neck,

Different looks,

Different treatment

Stopping to smile at a comrade,

Eyes brighten,

Someone gives her a smile,

Someone saw past the material looks,

She walks on.

I was bullied, you were bullied, but not in the extent it is today, via Facebook, Twitter, my space, you tube, tumblr, and blogs. I personally found grade 7/8 the worst where people would ignore you, push away your desk, and make comments. There was also the added bonus of “candy grams”. This is where it turned out to be a popularity contest who would receive the most. I always felt bad for the kids that received none.

In a novel by Jennifer Weiner-(‘Certain Girls’) –they talk about cookie grams. “I also know that every year at some point during early February my mother and I will have a fight (“a discussion,” she calls it, but it’s really a fight) about the cookies. I will tell her that I should just buy them with my own money and give them to my actual friends. She’ll reply that I’ll have the rest of my life to start excluding people and that seventh grade (or sixth grade, or whatever grade I’m in at the time) is too early to start.”

I remember a girl being teased because a house she lived in was rundown, so she was taunted that she had lice- she didn’t. In that same mess of material I found a letter from a girl I went to grade school with. It doesn’t stick out in my mind that she was a “bully” but then again as Pumba says in the lion king- (‘I have put my past behind me’). In the letter she states this: “the reason I’m writing this is because I’ve had some not so good feeling about how I treated you all those years. I know I said some very cruel things to you, and about you. Please understand that I am not writing with the hope that you might forgive me for my actions. My intention is to; rather let you know that I am aware now, as I was back then, that you really didn’t deserve any of it. My words and actions were rude and unjustified and you definitely should not have been on the receiving end of them.” Later in the letter she says “it took me a lot of years to learn how to stop myself from projecting my own pains onto other people” I personally feel she had to write this letter as part of her recovery or for rediscovering religion.

This video depicts being bullied, and I love the ending. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJut7KQhI4

What is a bully? “A person who uses strength or power to harm or intimidate those who are weaker”

Today in 2011 we have programs in place (that were never in place when I was growing up- and walked 5 miles in the snow to school). Has it gotten better or worse? I would have to place my bet on worse. Now days it isn’t just about someone taking your baseball cap, ignoring you, or slamming you into the lockers. It follows you everywhere- home, cell phone, all the social media, sports, events and children can’t escape. Now the people you don’t think are bullies might be. The ones who were bullied as kids for having a rat tail, and being a geek, have now found a voice hiding behind the computer and being a ‘cyber bully”. Things they would never have the courage to say face to face they now say on ‘twitter/Facebook/blogs and so on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__C7sd_UDU0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37_ncv79fLA

The stats are growing everyday. Young Canadians in a wired world quote” 59% of children grade 7-11 have assumed a different identity, and 34% have reported being bullied. The stats of being bullied are probably higher- that is just who reported it.

Perhaps it is a mixture of it all. Ignoring it or turning a blind eye doesn’t make it better. Getting the teacher to address it and speak to the bully only makes it worse. When speaking to 2 high school teachers in the store- they stated, they come into a room, it is quiet, so they ask the bully- what were you saying to him- there is no response from either side. What are we supposed to do? Bully the bully to tell us? Now the bully learns to do it on the school bus instead of the class, learns to hide in the bush instead of the gym. The heart of the matter is why does it happen? Often bullies are insecure, have low self-esteem, and it makes them feel better by putting others down. Maybe they don’t get enough attention at home so they seek it attention regardless if it is negative or positive.

John Halligan states”I promise you things get better, this may be the worst 2-3 years of your life, but it does get better” his son committed suicide at age 13. He had been tormented by some girls pretending to like him. How to we broach this with our children? So you are being teased, ok, tough it out for 2-3 more years and it will get better? There has to be a better way. Education, media, and no tolerance is a start. BUT it can come from us, teaching our children acceptance, empathy, tolerance, and how not to be a BULLY.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xlaAkD15Gk

After watching these videos, I wanted to lock my children in a safe bubble. However we have to believe in a better place, we have to persevere, and have to be determined to get rid of bullying.

Some sites to check out:

http://www.itgetsbetter.org/page/s/pledge

http://www.stopabully.ca/

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Oct

Babywearing & Onya Baby

It is International babywearing week and what better way to celebrate then to do a blog! I feel like I am dating myself here, however when I had my first child the selection out there wasn't as it is now. I started off with 2 that I hated, and then worked from that. I had a padded- very padded ring sling with large plastic rings, I couldn't adjust it, and it never felt safe and secure. The other one I had was 'gasp" a snugli, one that had been used by friends and passed on. It was worn exactly 2 times- both times my neck and back pain was intolerable.

After both of those I got a baby trekker that went everywhere. My son would see me pull it out and crawl towards it with his arms up high as he wanted up, and right away. I learned that it was impossible to go anywhere without it. Once while leaving for a trip- we got halfway to the airport and turned around as we forgot the carrier, it was worth it to have on our trip but Extremly embarrassing to have to be escorted to the plane with a flashing red light(slightly late...). Did we have a stroller..yes, but it was used more as a push cart. We would load all our luggage into it and wear baby, or wear baby and pack all our towels and snacks in the stroller.

With my second child I had numerous carriers and wraps. I had learned how valuable babywearing was, and I was on a mission to find the best ones. With 2 children babywearing became imperative as you are chasing after the older one while wearing baby(please note I did not jog while wearing baby). I used a wrap with my newborn as it was wintertime and I could wear the baby in a wrap and wear a fleece vest over and keep both of us warm. As she got bigger we went from carrier to carrier depending on what our needs were. Catbird baby mei tai allowed my baby to face outwards, and it was super easy to fold into a diaper bag. Also we went to a hockey game when infant was 9 days old, and baby was snuggled into the Beco Butterfly II safe and secure. The carrier that we use the most right now is the Manduca. I walk my older child to school and my youngest is worn in a back carry. Although she is approx 38 pounds, I don't feel any pain while walking with her. Manduca stays in the car at all times so I can run in to do groceries, walk through the carp market, or numerous other occasions.

The newest carrier on the block is the Onya baby. It is durable, well made, and user friendly. Plus it was designed by a mother who is passionate about babywearing. Did I mention she lives in Ottawa! I am adding this one to my stash as my youngest pulled it around the house trying to put it on herself, as well as handing Onya baby carrier to me and saying "up please". Every little detail you can think of has been put into this carrier. Our staff member has been testing it for the past year, so I will pass you on to her review.

Written by Sara Mackey:

I have recently had the chance to try an ONYA Baby Carrier. They are a new addition to the baby carrier market and will be released in September. The ONYA Baby carrier is suitable for babies from 3 months and 15 lbs all the way up to 45 lbs. The carrier is a soft structured carrier which can be worn on your front, on your back, or used as a chair harness. The carrier has two different fabric options, The Cruiser, a soft cotton twill, available in two colours and The Outback, the sport performance model which is also available in two colours. My little test model is my 14mos old son who weighs 22lbs (he was 11mos at the beginning of my trial). I also tried a back carry with my 40lb, 41” 4 year old son.

Front Carries – there are two options available for wearing your baby/toddler on your front in the Onya carrier. The first method is using the straps in back pack style and the second is to cross the straps. The crossing straps position is my favourite because I find they distribute the weight exceptionally well. The other bonus with the position of the buckles for doing a crossed-strap carry is that they are very user-friendly, I am able to quickly have baby strapped on before 4 year old can run away J. What stands out to me with the Onya carrier, compared to all of the other SSC’s I have tried is that the straps are stitched down flat, so while they still offer tremendous comfort, they are able to lay flat against the wearer instead of puffing up where the straps cross or have tension pulled on them.

The two way adjustable straps allow you to pull the carrier closer to your body and gives you more flexibility for adjusting the straps to your ultimate comfort level. These buckles also allow you to easily loosen them, giving baby a lower seat to nurse from.

Back carries in the Onya are extremely comfortable and can put my 14mos old to sleep just as fast as riding on the front. My 4 year old was able to ride in here on a zoo trip until he saw a ride he had to go on. The chest clip is easy to move into place, no tugging required.

By far the neatest thing about the Onya carrier is the ability to use it as a child harness on practically any chair, which means that’s one less baby item to buy and lug around. When the carrier is attached to the chair and the baby/toddler is placed in the harness, there is also a safety strap which allows you to wrap it around a leg of the table, thus preventing baby from tipping the chair back (never leave baby unattended in harness)

The one downfall of the Onya carrier is that the waist strap is not long enough, and I have been told this will be remedied with a waist extender.

Extra features:

Hood – the hood tucks nicely into its own little pocket, and has elasticised edges to make sure hood stays on baby, protecting baby from sun or rain or to support baby’s head while sleeping.

There are D-rings on the waist belt of the carrier, near the waist buckle which are very handy for hanging my hook-on set of keys from, no more stuffing the keys in my bra to go hands free!

Pocket – The pocket on the front of the Onya carrier is perfect for carrying change, a phone or a wallet. The pocket is zippered on both sides to assure that you don’t lose anything in transit ( or when you take the carrier off and forget that all your change is in there

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Aug

Camping with Babies

A guest post by Kristy Smith

Approximately 5 months ago I booked a week-long vacation for my family at a rustic little cottage on Golden Lake. About 8 weeks ago we welcomed a new baby boy into our family. 1 week ago while my 4-year-old son was playing at the beach in front of the cottage, many inquiries were made about the age of our 7-week-old son. Words like brave were thrown around and later one mom even told me she secretly thought I was crazy.

That was before she figured out my secret.

It's out of the bag now, so I might as well share it. I am in *love* with my Sleepy Wrap.

It gives me phenomenal super powers. The ability to put a baby to sleep in seconds, carry a baby around for hours pain-free, take a baby where strollers don't go, and most importantly - the ability to actually *use* my hands!

It makes me invincible.

I spent hours on the beach while baby boy slept peacefully snuggled up against me. I even took him fishing (strangely, he didn't catch anything). With him sleeping in the wrap I was able to sit on the dock and video tape my 4-year-old as he caught 4 fish! Thank you, Sleepy Wrap.

The weather wasn’t great last week so there only so much playing at the beach we could do. So we decided to go spelunking. Bonnechere Caves was close by and I love cave exploration. Stroller? HA. Real spelunkers need a Sleepy Wrap.

I strapped on the baby and he became the world's youngest spelunker. Or at least the youngest one on our guided tour...

He kept me warm through the whole tour and slept peacefully as we saw fossilzed cephlapods, stalactites and the giant sinkhole.

Of course, the Sleepy Wrap also works magically when your child is forward facing. Another family that we met on the beach decided to create a treasure hunt for the kids. They drew up cards with pictures of various places around the campsites and split the kids into teams to follow the clues and find the treasure (candy, of course). I thought this was more of a forward-facing carry kind of event.

He lasted 10 minutes before he fell asleep, even facing forward. I swear, the Sleepy Wrap really does have the magical powers of sleep. Facing forwards or backwards, no baby stands a chance against it.

By the end of the week nobody thought I was crazy. Instead, they were asking me where I got my wrap and if it was comfortable. Let me say - I have used many wraps, slings, carriers, etc and this is by far my favourite. It distributes the weight evenly, it doesn't dig in to me, and with the right top, I can breastfeed discreetly while wearing it. To sweeten the deal, it's only $50 (eat your heart our baby bjorn!) and you can buy it locally, right here at Chiquita Baby.

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Jul

Simple Summer Vacation Video Blog

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Jun

Helping Africa

Chiquita baby was approached to help a small town in Africa, and we jumped on it. Within 1 week we have had numerous drop-offs of toys, books, clothing, used cloth diapers, blankets, bottles, sunhats and more

Here is some more information on the charity we are collecting for. We will be accepting all donations until end of July.

Villages of Hope - Africa is a Canadian charitable organization registered with the CRA (Registration #84950 3073 RR0001).

VOH-A provides food, education and health care to children in need. We also provide housing for children who have no place to live. Our mission is to bring lasting hope to children at risk so they can embrace adulthood as independent and contributing members of society.

Villages of Hope – Africa (VOH-A) began in 1999 in Kitwe, Zambia and we now have locations in (Bujumbura) Burundi, (Kisumu) Kenya, (Lilongwe) Malawi, (Kitwe, Mongu and Chongwe) Zambia and (Harare) Zimbabwe.

You can sponsor a Village of Hope child through ChildCare Plus and help us provide them with education, health care, and other basic needs - $34/month.

Malawi:

The population of Malawi as recorded in 2008 is approximately 14.8 million, with 7.9 million being under the age of 18. The average life expectancy is 53 years and the adult literacy rate is 72%. As of 2001 an estimated 1.1 million children (age 0-17) have become orphaned.

Village of Hope - Malawi opened in the city of Lilongwe in 2007 and provides the children of Malawi with food, shelter, health services, and education.

There are 12 completed children homes with over 65 children living on site in 8 of these homes. A school complex is under construction and our goal is to have all 12 children's homes operating with 8 children in each home. Each house has a “house mother” who lives in each of the houses with her children and cares for them as her own. The children are placed in each of the houses in such a way to create a family unit, so boys and girls of various ages. Each house has a boys room and a girls room, kitchen, living room, bathrooms, and mother's bedroom.

Misson statement:To give orphans a place to call home and a family that loves them.To bring hope for today and tomorrow to children at risk so that they may become independent contributing members of society.

Meet some of the children:

Joseph & Gome - They were the 3rd and 4th children to come to live at Village of Hope – Malawi. Their mother was 43 years old when they were removed from her care and suffers from mental illness. She was not physically or mentally able to care for her children. Most of the children prior to Joseph and Gome died young due to starvation. They mother would beg for money or food on the streets but did not understand that she would need to feed her children as well as herself. When the children were removed from her care they were found eatting off the ground like dogs because they had never been taught how to eat properly. The children were taken to a Crisis Nursery Centre where the two boys lived until Joseph became 3 and the centre needed the boys to be placed in a permanent situation. Normally they don't keep children past 2 years old. So, Joseph and Gome were brought into the Village of Hope where they lived together in a house with a wonderful woman who cares for them as her own. She was never able to have children and these kids mean the world to her.

Leslie age 8 - On March 17, 2008 she was removed from her house by authorities and brought to live at Village of Hope – Malawi. 90% of the girls in her grade 4/5 class confessed to being psychologically affected by either an attempted rape or an actual rape. In Leslie's case she was being raped on a regular basis and it had been going on for years. As she lived in safety at the Village of Hope she started to heal and feel safe with her new family and mother. In the summer of 2008 the government decided her fate...and sent her back to live with her abuser...her uncle.

Estere age 2 week - One day we received a call from a pastor in a village who knew us and about Village of Hope. The phone service kept cutting out and we kept getting disconnected from him, but he did not give up! He kept calling back and finally we were able to find out why he was calling. He told us that a lady in the village had given birth to a baby and that she had died during delivery. The baby had not eaten anything in 2 days and the father and grandparents don't have any jobs or sources of income to be able to purchase milk for the infant. So, after much discussion the decision had been made by the family and the chief that the baby would be buried alive with the body of her mother. We could not believe the situation, but took action just in case. We sent the orphanages Malawian social worker out to sort out the situation and find out if what we had been told was indeed the case. Sure enough to our astonishment it was the truth. The pastor was begging us to take the baby right then and there for her safety, but we had to follow certain procedures that the government had in place. So we got together everything a new baby needs - formula, bottles, diapers, blankets, clothing, ect.... and sent it with the social worker back to the family. They had never seen formula before and didn't know how to use it, so I was explaining the necessary steps over the phone to our social worker who was sitting in the village with the family showing them what to do, with the entire village looking over his shoulder to see what he was doing. He told them that he would be back in two weeks to collect the baby and take her to the orphanage. When that day came and he went out to get Estere he found that the family had not bonded with her and they were very eager to give her up. We are extremely happy to say that she is an amazing little 3 year old girl now and loves her family at the Village of Hope.

More information:

http://vohmalawi.org/ http://www.vohafrica.com/

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