You are here:
Home / Blog
Twinkle, twinkle in your eyes. Are you an angel in disguise? –anonymous
Finnbar Samuel Boyd is a little angel. Literally. He’s my nephew who died of SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, at just two months and two days of age. His twin sister turned three last November and we often wonder how much Finn would be like her today. When he passed away, we had so many questions about what happened, how, and why. SIDS is a baffling disease, the number one killer of infants from one month to one year of age. It’s a heartbreaker, to say the least. Researchers are working on finding the cause and have made great strides in unveiling risk factors. The American SIDS Institute points out many of those factors can be controlled. They suggest all children be put to sleep on their back, that babies not share beds with adults, that the crib offers a firm mattress with no extra bedding or toys. They also suggest no smoking around babies. Meantime, they continue research to help with the things a parent can’t control—the biological causes of SIDS. And that’s where you can help. The American SIDS Institute is currently holding its annual fundraiser, Spring for SIDS, asking those who care to put a spring in their step and sunshine in their heart. They ask that you donate what you can, with proceeds going to help pay for research of SIDS and promotion to build awareness. Since the American SIDS Institute was founded in 1983 the annual number of deaths has decreased over half. However, there are still about 2300 babies who die of SIDS each year in the US. Having lost a sweet, innocent nephew to SIDS, I ask that you give what you can so we can eliminate SIDS completely, and make sure another family doesn’t have to endure the same heartache.
You can make a donation here (http://springforsids.org/make_a_donation.php). We’d be honored if you wanted to post it in Finn’s name.
If you live in NYC or likely in the tri-state area, you know all about Big City Moms. For those outside this area, an introduction: Big City Moms is the destination for moms, moms to be and families and the premiere social event group in NYC. Big City Moms was founded by sisters Risa Goldberg and Leslie Venokur six years ago.
Big City Moms and the Bump Founders
Now with over 30,000 members, an online community and events like seminars, family fun days, mommy and me classes, expectant events held every day, BCM is the place to be all over the city. Their “flagship” event is the twice- annual Biggest Baby Shower where moms-to-be can meet and greet roughly one hundred national vendors and local service providers in a couple of hours and which boasts of new mommy seminars and most talked about, highly coveted gift bags. It’s become so popular that it outgrew its original location at the American Girl Place and this was the first time it was held at the Park East Ballroom.
The event draws lots of moms, press and, this year, baby planners! Several International Baby Planner Association members were there: Premier Baby Concierge, Sweet Pea Baby Planners, Jamie the Baby Guy, and Bottles to Britches. While we speak often on conference calls and via emails, it was great to meet face-to-face, an opportunity that is usually reserved for IBPA’s annual meeting at the ABC Kids Show in Vegas!
The seminars were well-attended, the food was great, the gift bags were bursting! All in all, Big City Moms “delivered!” It was a pleasure for me to sit in on the “New York City Mom Survival Guide” seminar by the Knot and the Bump founder, Carley Roney, and to meet her afterwards. There was an excitement in the air; and it was a success for both moms and vendors. I would definitely suggest this event to all moms-to-be, as well as baby planners and vendors, who are in NYC or can make the trip.
Want to see more? Click here to check out the Big City Moms Biggest Baby Shower April 2010 Video!
Ah, the gift bags!
Sweet Pea NYC and Premier Baby Concierge at BCM
Bump Founder Carely Roney and Shannon Choe (PBC)
Desiree Miller of Bottles to Britches.
Tell us about your most interesting baby planning job.
I helped a grandmother plan a baby shower and it was very eye-opening including these women in their 70’s in the games we play these days.
What qualities should an ideal baby planner have?
An ideal baby planner should be able to listen to the parents needs and make suggestions to help them fill those needs, along with building confidence in their abilities to parent, even if that means reaching out to other professionals in order to do that.
Tell us a little bit about your background.
I’m a veteran journalist, specializing in the consumer and medical fields, and write for several publications and web sites, reaching out to my contacts in the industry, ranging from the AAP to ACOG. It’s this access to the experts that I feel makes me different than other baby planners and more able to get to the heart of what’s happening with parents these days. I also have four children and know what it’s like to feel like the worst mom on earth and the best mom, too. Knowing you help is out there is very comforting and something I hope to offer other parents as a baby planner.
What are your specialties as a baby planner?
I have built a network of baby planners around the globe, from my headquarters in Atlanta to a certified fitness instructor in Italy to a shower party specialist in Tennessee. Each planner brings something special to the profession and we network with each other to help all of our clients.
What is the nicest thing a client has ever said about you/your services/your business?
I had a client say they really appreciated my guidance in a particular product they bought because without my help they would have wasted money on the wrong thing (this was a particular car seat that they could use much longer because of varying weight limits).
How do you stay current on trends in the baby and child industry?
As a journalist, I deal each day with investigating the latest products and trends and it folds over into my role as a baby planner, reviewing products and getting to the bottom of the trends, then sharing them with my clients and readers who follow our newsletters and blogs.
See which industry experts we’ve partnered with: Our Board Members
We are very excited to announce that IBPA has joined forces with some of the best known experts and professionals in the country. Our prominent Trusted Advisory board members are nationally known for their industry knowledge. All have been chosen specifically because of the passion, credibility, background and years of experience they bring to their field. Together, IBPA and our Trusted Advisory Board strive to bring awareness to the baby planning industry and strengthen the credibility of our profession. Our experts also help IBPA to keep up with the latest research as related to their category which in turn always connects us to the best and most current information possible. In turn, having direct access to our expert panel helps our baby planners provide high quality service and up-to-date industry knowledge to help new families globally in areas such as but not limited to maternity, pregnancy, non-toxic baby products, pediatrics, business and marketing.
We are extremely proud of our experts and their partnership with IBPA allowing us to bring you top of the line industry knowledge as baby planning professionals!
A million baby slings made by Infantino are being recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. This follows a warning last week about other slings and positioning for your child. I’m sharing the entire release sent to us by the CPSC below so please share with parents you know and check your slings now for safety!
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada (HC), in cooperation with Infantino LLC, of San Diego, Calif. are announcing a free replacement program for the Infantino “SlingRider” and “Wendy Bellissimo” infant slings. One million of these infant slings are being recalled in the United States and 15,000 are being recalled in Canada. CPSC advises consumers to immediately stop using these slings for infants younger than four months of age due to a risk of suffocation and contact Infantino for a free replacement product.
CPSC is aware of three reports of deaths that occurred in these slings in 2009; a 7-week-old infant in Philadelphia, Pa.; a 6-day-old infant in Salem, Ore.; and a 3-month-old infant in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Infantino “SlingRider,” is a soft fabric baby carrier with a padded shoulder strap that is worn by parents and caregivers to carry an infant weighing up to 20 lbs. “Infantino” is printed on the plastic slider located on the strap. “Infantino,” “SlingRider” and the item number are printed on the instruction/warning label inside the baby sling carrier. “Wendy Bellissimo” branded sling carriers were sold exclusively at Babies “R” Us and have a sewn-in label on the inside of the sling strap that says in part “Wendy Bellissimo Media, Inc.” and lists Item numbers 3937500H7 and 3937501H7.
Infantino LLC sold the slings in the United States and Canada from January 2003 through March 2010 at Walmart, Burlington Coat Factory, Target, Babies “R” Us, BJ’s Wholesale, various baby and children’s stores and other retailers nationwide, and on the Web at Amazon.com, for between $25 and $30.
The product was manufactured in China and Thailand.
Consumers should stop using the recalled slings immediately and contact Infantino to receive a free replacement product, with a choice of a Wrap & Tie infant carrier, or a 2 in 1 Shopping Cart Cover, or a 3 in 1 Grow & Play Activity Gym. A Jittery Pals Rattle will also be provided. Contact Infantino toll-free at (866) 860-1361 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.infantino.com
Do not attempt to fix these carriers.
CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx
Note: Health Canada’s press release is available at http://cpsr-rspc.hc-sc.gc.ca/PR-RP/recall-retrait-eng.jsp?re_id=1001
Follow up:
This announcement follows the March 12, 2010, CPSC warning about sling carriers for babies. Slings can pose two different types of suffocation hazards to babies. In the first few months of life, babies cannot control their heads because of weak neck muscles. The sling’s fabric can press against an infant’s nose and mouth, blocking the baby’s breathing and rapidly suffocating a baby within a minute or two. Additionally, where a sling keeps the infant in a curled position bending the chin toward the chest, the airways can be restricted, limiting the oxygen supply. The baby will not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate.
CPSC has determined that a mandatory standard is needed for infant sling carriers. While a mandatory standard is being developed, CPSC staff is working with ASTM International and concerned companies such as Infantino to quickly develop an effective voluntary standard for slings. There currently are no safety standards for infant sling carriers.
