Since the end of the summer is upon us (I’m not sure it ever started, but still …) - we’re making a few changes to our line-up. We’ve moved some end-of-line items to our Special Offers section, where you can snap up a sling from as little as £30. This has obviously made a little room in our ready-made range, so we’ve take the chance to launch some great new designs:-

Oriental Turquoise & Black is the perfect glam sling to brighten up those dreary days, and Simply Stripes on Khaki is a great autumn sling, and we think it’ll be a hot favourite with baby-wearing dads as well.

Win! Win! Win!

Today also sees the launch of our brand new competition. The lucky winner will take home a ready-made SnugBaby baby carrier of their choice, and there are even some BabyLegs available for the runners-up. It’s easy to enter, and if you can publicise the competition on your own blog, website, or forum, then we’ll even give you an extra chance to win, so check it out today!

Is it? Always?

We know that breastmilk is best for babies (that has long been drummed into us) but is that still the case if it isn’t your milk, from your breast?

After reading a piece in the Daily Mail, by GMTV’s Kate Garraway, on the subject of cross-feeding, or wetnursing, I felt it was too emotive a subject not to add my two-penneth. In a nutshell, Kate has been interviewing women who breastfeed other people’s babies, and has found that the experience of talking to these ladies has changed her view on the act of cross-feeding.

The idea that it is better to give a baby breastmilk from another woman, in favour of formula derived from cows’ milk, is a controversial one, and one on which every mother will undoubtedly have an opinion. Yes, cows’ milk is made for calves, not humans, but infant formula has been treated to be as close as possible to breastmilk. And breastfeeding (or bottle feeding) isn’t just about the milk itself, but also about the act - a mother providing comfort and nourishment in a secure environment is hugely beneficial to both mother and child.

My Thoughts…

Speaking as a short-lived breastfeeder of both my children (only a few weeks each time), I personally don’t think I would like to watch another woman breastfeed my baby - that time is so special and intimate, and, selfish as it may sound, I would be jealous of another person sharing that with my child. Obviously, I want the best for my children, and if breastmilk was available in the same way as formula to everyone, then I wouldn’t hesitate to use that in place of formula. Unfortunately it isn’t, and never will be, so to mothers who are unable to breastfeed directly, for whatever reason, formula is the only option. I am in favour of the concept of natural parenting, although I confess to using disposable nappies, and we don’t, as a rule, co-sleep.

If the issues behind me stopping breastfeeding my own children didn’t exist, I would happily donate milk to a milk bank, but, for the same reasons as above, I am not sure how I would feel about feeding a baby other than my own. Perhaps, given my experiences, I could never answer that.

Having said all this, I have utmost repect for the ladies who wetnurse, and those who choose to put their babies health and wellbeing above their own emotions, and allow people they know and trust to give their babies the best sustenance that Mother Nature can provide.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this very personal subject…

I have to tell you about a fantastic competition, through leading Business Mums website, MumsClub! They are launching a national search for the most creative business idea for a mum. Anyone can enter, whether you already have a business, or just an idea. There are some great prizes on offer, ranging from a fantastic 12 month subcription to The Peter Jones Business Builder, donated by the Dragon’s Den star himself, to dolls, artwork and, of course, a SnugBaby sling. All the prizes have been donated by current members of MumsClub, with the hope of inspiring more women to take the plunge and start their own business. All you need to do is come up with a fabulous business idea,  fill in the application form from the MumsClub website and email it back. Your idea can be anything you like - a new product, a creative new way to market an existing product, or a creative way to get the kids involved in your venture! Basically, anything goes, so long as it is your idea.
Give it a go - you might have just the thing to make all our lives easier! Good luck!

Given that this blog is a diary of a work-at-home-mum, I thought I would give you the benefit of my experience at The Summer Sling Show in a bit more detail. This was my first ever show, and I did plenty of asking around on business forums to get advice beforehand, most of which I’ve collated here in the hope it will help someone else out there with their planning - which leads us on to …

Plan, Plan, Plan

As you will already know, preparation started in earnest a month before show day, which allowed me time to source and make stock, get promotional materials printed and more than enough time to panic! I work best under a bit of pressure, and it’s just as well!

The first thing I did was to compile a list of things I needed, when I aimed to have them, and potential places to get them from. The Husband helpfully(!) printed out some inspring quotes on motivational posters to keep me focused - things like “Motivation - If a pretty poster and a cute saying are all it takes to motivate you, you probably have a very easy job. The kind robots will be doing soon!”. Or my personal favourite, “Achievement - You can do anything you set your mind to, when you have vision, determination, and an endless supply of expendable labour”. Hmmm.

So, back to my lists… they are invaluable. I had lists about my lists. But they worked to keep me organised. A list of all the things I wanted to take (which grew and grew as the planning progressed) was great, as was a checklist of the stock to make (and it made me work faster). Get everything ready well before the day, and make sure you have enough of everything - take leaflets, order forms, a float, a way of taking customer details so you can contact them later with special offers. It may be useful to run a competition, so you can get details of the people who don’t buy on the day, but whom you may be able to sell something to after the event. And definitely take a “useful box” filled with essentials, such as sellotape, glue, scissors and anything else you might need - even if you can’t think why.

Take something to eat - you might not get chance to leave your stall all day, and you will need something to keep your energy levels up.

After you think you have done as much planning as you can, plan some more. Really, you can’t plan too much. Look into other stock which you might not normally sell, but would sell well as an add-on on the day. It might be worth that bit of investment and adds a bit of interest to your stall.

Find out who else is exhibiting at the show - if nothing else it will help you understand the type of customers that will be attending. Find out where in the hall your stand is, how big it is and what you can and can’t put up (E.g. posters on the wall - yes/no?). Find out how many people the organisers are expecting to be at the show. You might want to get some trade leads, so research your fellow vendors, then make sure you speak to them on the day, and have information ready if someone wants to resell your goods. Talking to someone in person is far better for building relations than an email or telephone call. If you do find people who you would like to work with, or if people find you, make sure you take the time to follow up the leads you get from the show, and do it quite soon after, before they forget who you are.

Advertise the fact you are going to be there - make sure prospective customers who might want to see your products know where you’ll be and when. If you have a newsletter, or a blog then publicise it there, or add a footer to your emails, or forum posts.

On the day…

When you arrive at the show, give yourself plenty of time to set up your stand. You should have practised beforehand, so you will know how you want it to look, and it shouldn’t take too much time, but you don’t want to be still setting up your display when the public is allowed in. I took plenty of leaflets with me, but one thing I would do differently next time is to be more forward about giving them out. I am shy to the point of embarrassment, but this is one thing I am going to have to overcome. When you have your own business,
no-one else is going to shout about you - you just have to do it yourself.

Mingle with both customers and vendors. If you are new to the industry, make sure you circulate to get yourself known to other business owners as well as the public. I was overjoyed to be recommended to a customer by another vendor, when they didn’t have anything that matched the customers requirements.

Enjoy it! It sounds simple, but if you try to relax (not easy with the nerves, I know) you will naturally smile more, and be more approachable. Once you start talking about your products, your enthusiasm will shine through and people will see how great they are. Demonstrate them if this is appropriate - you can tell someone how to use your products, but showing them will be a far better selling tool.

Afterthoughts…

The show isn’t finished when the last customer leaves the venue. Remember all those names you gathered from your competition? You need to follow them up and make them remember you too! Send them updates, and maybe a special after-show discount to remind them how fab you are, and get them to tell their friends about you too. Word of mouth is the best (and cheapest) form of advertising.

A last word…

Good luck! I expected the show to be very hard work, and it was. But it was also a fantastic experience, and once I got into the swing it, I really did enjoy it. Make sure you do too!

Today was declared National Playday - a day to celebrate children’s right to play. My local event was busy (despite the rain) with children doing things like messy play, having their faces painted and hammering nails into wood! This year’s theme was “Give us a go” meaning that children need to be allowed to take risks when playing, in order to learn how to play safely, and to give them the opportunity to do things they might not usually do.

The highlight of our day was Josh climbing into the back of a fire engine, putting the helmet on (backwards) and proudly turning round to grin at me - much to the amusement of the firemen!

With previous years’ themes being Play Naturally and Our Streets Too, Playday organisers are already thinking about next years event. If you have a fantastic idea for a theme for Playday 2009, they’d love to hear your suggestions!

So, the Summer Sling Show is over.

We have to say, we had a great time, and met up with some wonderful people, both you and our fellow exhibitors. Not only that; but it was great to see so many happy babies on backs, fronts and hips – so a big thank you to you all for coming along and making it so special.

The fashion show was fantastic, and all the slings, wraps and soft carriers looked fabulous. Another highlight was the Congaroo - I wanted to join in, but was sadly lacking a baby! The whole day was very hard work, but also so much fun. It was a great experience, doing my very first show, and thankfully all our hard preparation seemed to pay off - although we did come away with some brilliant ideas for our next baby fair. Thank you all once again, and I hope we’ll see you at another event sometime soon.

Another busy week at SnugBaby! We’ve had a hectic week sales-wise (Not that we’re complaining!), and we’re still preparing for the Summer Sling Show. Everything’s starting to come together, with our stock of baby slings building up, boxes of stuff arriving from printers, and the checklist of outstanding jobs shrinking by the day.

Not only that, but given that summer is still failing to show its face we thought we better get hold of some BabyLegs. Available in our shop now, BabyLegs leg warmers are the perfect solution for keeping your little one’s legs (or arms!) warm while travelling around in your SnugBaby mei tai.

We’ve got 8 different designs in stock, with something for little men and little ladies alike. Our particular favourites are Banana Blue (perfect with our Azure blue slings), and Cinnamon - but we’re sure you’ll have your own favourites. Get a few pairs, and you could even mix and match!

Available from just £7.99 (Including FREE delivery) - check out BabyLegs leg warmers in the shop today.

I came across an article today entitled “5 Fitness tips for new moms“. Yes – it’s American – how did you guess!

Anyway – tip number 3 – “Outdoor Fitness” really struck a chord with me. Kristina talks about the advantages of wearing your baby – it’s just like one big cuddly exercise weight. Kristina also points out that getting your child out and about in the fresh air is fantastic for them – as well as interesting.

Wearing your baby in a sling really opens up doors as to where you can get out to – especially up here in the Lakes! We’ve always recognised exercise for mums and “awareness” for babies as benefits of babywearing, but it’s reassuring to read others agreeing!

Well, summer is here – even if no-one has told the weather! Not only that, but Glastonbury kicks off this weekend - which means that festival season is officially here. No-one wants to cart their pushchair round a muddy Somerset field, so what easier way is there of transporting your baby or toddler between acts or workshops, than using a fantastically stylish SnugBaby mei tai style baby carrier?

SnugBaby are celebrating festival season by offering 10% discount on all baby carriers to UK festival goers. So, whether you are going to Solfest, T, Reading or any other festival this summer, make sure you order your baby carrier using the code FEST08 to claim your discount*. Remember, there is also FREE UK DELIVERY on all carriers.

^{* Code valid for all orders for slings placed before 31st July 2008.}

It’s been a busy old month in SnugBaby-land. The first half consisted on a not-so-relaxing family holiday (best not to ask the details, but let’s just say a broken arm was involved) and the second half has been spent frantically constructing more fabulous slings.

Some great news from our end is the addition of the award-winning Hippychick Wheelybugs to our shop! These fantastic ride-ons are suitable from 1 year, and not only go forwards, but also backwards, sideways and round in circles. Pure magic!

As always, we are on the lookout for other products to stock, so please do get in touch if you would like to see anything else on our pages.

The new slings are proving very popular, and we are still excitedly awaiting the grand public unveiling next month at the Summer Sling Show. Right, back to the sewing machine…