By Carly Kirsch, Newly Nested Baby Planners

You might think that after 10 months of caring for baby inside your body that one of the first things you’d consider is continuing to carry your baby on the outside of your body after birth.

Say what?

I know you’re thinking this might be the last thing you’d possibly want to do after not being able to see your toes for so long and finally not being pregnant anymore.

However, baby wearing is one of the best things you and your partner can do for your baby once they arrive – and it’s been around for a lot longer than strollers and bouncy seats!

According to Baby Wearing International just a few benefits to wearing baby include:

• A happier baby
• A baby who cries less
• Parents & caregivers may be more confident
• Caregivers can respond better to baby’s needs
• Lastly, it’s just easier

I know that I personally felt that when I was able to safely wear my kids when they were babies, my days were indeed easier! I could get more accomplished and when I was out and about, I could chase my toddler while wearing my newborn. Also, since there are so many types of carriers I could choose from, I was able to wear both my kids despite their sizes, weights and age differences. Today, I still use the same carrier to carry my now 3 ½ year old daughter and my 2 year old son!

Denise Xagorarakis of  OC Baby Planner shares that her personal preference is to “ use a stretchy wrap until about 15 pounds and then switching to the Ergo.”

However, there’s no one carrier fits all needs and most people end up purchasing multiple types of carriers. So, here is an overview of some favorite carries from the team here at IBPA:

• Soft wraps & woven wraps – These are made of cloth and can be tied and wrapped around the body to support the weight of the baby/toddler within the folds of the cloth.  They vary in material and are very versatile.  Melissa Moog of ItsaBelly Baby Planners shares “The Moby Wrap & Boba’s Sleepy Wrap are also great baby carriers, but there are so many to choose from!”
• Soft Structured Carriers – These are carriers that include straps, buckles, waist and back support and most may be used from birth to ages 4 and beyond.  Some are able to be worn on the front of the body and allow for an easy back carry as well.  My personal favorite is a Beco Butterfly 2 carrier and the Beco brand.  Kristen DiCicco Rogers of The Baby Coordinators baby planning shares a story about her recent experience with her Ergo carrier – another very popular choice among parents today.  “A couple of weeks ago a went on a 3 mile walk with a 25lb 1 yr in the Ergo and my back felt great after! I was so pleasantly surprised!”
• Sling Carriers – There are a few kinds of slings.  There are Ring Slings, Rebozo and one piece fabric pouch slings.  In any form, slings are easy to use and offer versatility and ease of use for any age.
• Mei Tais – A Mei Tai originates from China and is a combination of sorts for a soft structured carrier and a wrap offering a little of both.

A great resource for all things baby wearing is TheBabyWearer.com. The web site is packed with detailed information and offers forums, chat rooms and a whole community to discuss and exchange information with babywearers everywhere. Another great place to go for information on babywearing (and SO much more) is KellyMom.

Now – with all this said and with anything regarding our babies and children, there are some precautions and safety measures to be aware of with baby wearing.

So a few words of caution:

• Always make sure there is no part of your carrier obstructing your baby’s airways – the nose and mouth should always be free of fabric or the carrier
• Never do anything while baby wearing that you wouldn’t do when holding a baby in your arms – i.e. cooking, carrying awkward items, running or vigorous exercise, etc.
• Always read directions and visit the manufacturer’s web sites for videos or instructions.  (I recommend that you even practice wearing, wrapping, tying or buckling your carrier a few times before using it with your baby – sounds silly but at first it can seem tricky!)
• Use the carrier as it is intended – i.e. do not try a back carry with a carrier that does not allow for that type of use
• Make sure the carrier you are using is suitable for the weight and age of your baby/child
• Check your carriers for rips, tears or defects to make sure they are safe for use and able to properly work to carry the weight of your baby/child

One other health concern to note and be aware of is offered from Stephanie Zerr of Birth Matters. Stephanie shares this this link regarding Hip Dysplasia with the use of products.

For more information on baby wearing – find a local Baby Planner near you and we are always happy to help!

As both a mom and a baby planner, I fit a lot into my day.  Mostly, I’m able to get so much accomplished because of multitasking.  So, I began thinking about multitasking in the context of baby planning.  More specifically, I thought how a large part of our role as a baby planner is to provide expecting parents with great products that help make their lives easier.

If busy parents are used to multitasking, shouldn’t our baby gear and products do the same?  Even more so, maybe these products could save us some time, space and even money, too?

Is that possible? You betcha!

Thanks to our members here at IBPA and some fabulous product companies, we’ve saved you some time and rounded up some of our favorite items and suggestions just for you on double duty and multitasking baby gear and products.

• Boppy – The primary purpose and use of the Boppy is proper positioning for parents to not strain their backs while nursing or feeding baby or babies for those with twins. However, the Boppy is also fantastic for propping up your baby for tummy time.  Then, it may also be used as a stabilizer around the baby when they are learning to sit up.

• Convertible car seats – If you are considering skipping the separate infant car seat, then convertible car seats are a great way to get the most use from a car seat for quite a few years!  Pay close attention to the manufacturer’s ratings for weight so you can ensure you rear face for as long as possible and recommended, which is 2 years or longer.

• Play yards or pack and plays – Their main purpose is a safe place for slumber.  They also collapse and store well for ease of use and travel.  However, at home they can be used as a play pen with the bassinet portion removed, as well as become a place to store toys when not in use.  I’ve even used it to block off a door opening before to keep my curious crawler away!  Graco, Chicco, Britax and Baby Trend are some of the popular brands that offer many different selections and styles with different amenities.

• Fabric storage bins (like these ClosetMaid brand from Target) are excellent for holding diapers, burp cloths and accessories for baby now and can be used to conquer clutter later on.  They’re a perfect size for storing toys, books, and more.   They come in a variety of colors to fit your preferred color scheme or style and have sturdy handles for kids to carry or drag them around!

• Baby Wipes – These “magic” wipes are not only a must-have for cleaning your baby’s precious parts, but is also perfect for tackling sticky messes and spills, removing scuff marks from the floors and walls and much more!  There’s a reason to stock up on these as they definitely top the multitasking list!

• Diaper caddy – Denise Xagorarakis of OC Baby Planner share that one of her must-haves is a diaper caddy. While this is a great way to keep your diapers, creams and wipes organized (especially if you have a multi-level home and change baby in various areas) you can use it later on for an arts and crafts caddy or to store or organize smaller items later on.

• A reusable water bottle.  If you haven’t already, you’ll soon discover that bottles (and other everyday objects) make amazing toys for little ones.  Melissa Moog of Itsabelly Baby Planners recommends the Klean Kanteen water bottle because she says “You can convert into a sippy cup with the special spout by Avent (for your toddler to older child).”  This minimizes plastic waste and saving money!

• A high chair – This is on the list of most registries we come across.  Finding one that one that grows with your child from baby to toddler and beyond is a great investment. Your baby will spend quite a bit of time discovering food in their designated seat.  Also, a high chair that is easy to clean and will last with all the growth spurts is just a plus!  Denise recommends the Stokke Tripp Trap Chair or Melissa’s recommendation of Signet’s Complete high chair.

• A rocker/play space in one – Amber Carlson of Baby Ever After shares with us that Fisher Price’s Rock n’ Play Sleeper is one of her favorites. “It works great as a soother in place of a bouncer for babies who prefer to be rocked, but because it folds up, it’s also the perfect travel bed to take with you on the go. I also recommend it for babies with reflux issues in place of a bassinet because it keeps them on an incline.”

• Organic, pre-folded burp cloth or diapers – Not only are they super absorbent and soft, after your baby outgrows a use for them, Denise shared with us that “They make the best cleaning rag EVER!”  Saves on waste and they’re easy to clean, re-use and continue to wipe up the messes they continue to make.  (It’s never ending!)

• Baby Blankets – These are great for swaddling, a nursing cover, and a burp cloth if one’s not close by – oh, and of course for its intended use of an actual blanket!  Baby blankets of any kind are great for keeping in the diaper bag for any of those reasons.  BUT, if you’re looking for something fashionable as well as functional, then check out the DRIA accessory! You can read the full review on the ItsaBelly Blog.

• Infant Carrier-turned-tummy time mat – Infant carriers make transporting an infant a snap – but as you know, babies grow…fast!  That means that lightweight carrier can become heavy quickly!  Shannon Choe of Premier Baby Concierge shares with us this great dual purpose item that is sure to make that infant carrier more comfortable while offering a great on the go tummy time or play mat.  It even comes with three loops to hook on a favorite toy! 

• For a stroller that is functional and can expand to fit a potentially growing family (now or in the future), we love Britax’s B-READY. With over 14 configurations – that’s right – 14 ways to make this stroller work for both your babies/toddlers.

So, there you have it from the pros!

Do you have a favorite multitasking baby product?  We’d love to hear from you!

(and no we’re not referring to that political “Tea Party”- it’s all about safety & babies)

Grab your cup of tea or favorite beverage and log into IBPA’s first Safety Soiree ~ where we’ll discuss
“Car Seat Safety and How to Choose One” with special guests and industry experts JPMA and Britax.
One lucky tweeting participant will win a Britax Advocate Car Seat valued at $369.99.

See below for more details on how to register for the event along with a quick Twitter party overview.

IBPA “Twitter Tea Party” Highlights:

Host:  International Baby Planner Association
Date:  Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Time:  7-8 PM PST
Location: TweetGrid.com hashtag, #IBPABabyPlanner
Topic:  “Car Seat Safety and How to Choose One”
Prize:  Britax Advocate CS Car Seat
RSVP: Please RSVP by May 16th to Melissa@InternationalBabyPlanners.com with email and Twitter ID to attend and be eligible for the prize.

Special Guest Industry Experts:

Britax has been a leader in mobile safety for more than 70 years, with a legacy of leadership in developing innovations that enhance the safety of child car seats and improve their ease of installation and use.

JPMA is a national trade organization representing 95% of the prenatal to preschool industry. JPMA represents 250 companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico who manufacture, import and/or distribute infant products such as cribs, car seats, strollers, bedding, and a wide range of accessories and decorative items.

Twitter Party Information:

What is a Twitter Party?
A Twitter party is an online discussion that focuses on a few related topics.   It is simple and fun to join in the conversation by posting comments or asking questions via Twitter.

How Do I Participate?

You must register by emailing Melissa@InternationalBabyPlanners.com by May 16th with your Twitter ID.  If you do not have a Twitter account you can easily create one in advance by visiting www.Twitter.com.

How Do I Join In and Keep up with the Conversation?
Join the party by using TweetGrid.com and enter the hashtag  #IBPABabyPlanner to join the event.  A hashtag is simply the sign “#” with a name attached to it. Tweet Grid will automatically include the hashtag on your tweets after you have entered the party.  You will be able to follow the tweeting discussions in real-time.

When is the IBPA “Twitter Tea Party?”
The IBPA Twitter Tea Party will be held on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 from 7-8PM PST.

Why Should I Join in on the Fun?
The IBPA Twitter Tea Party will give you the opportunity to network with other parents, expecting couples and industry experts on child car seat safety. It will be a great chance to ask all of the questions you have about car seats and how to choose one.   One lucky participant will also win a Britax Car Seat!!!!!!

IBPA “Twitter Tea Party” Rules and Regulations:
1. Be nice to other tweeters in the party! We all have opinions so let’s respect our differences and share advice.
2. This a stress free environment to tweet about important issues – relax and have fun!
3. This Twitter party giveaway is for United States and Canadian residents only.
4. You must register by May 16, 2010 via email to Melissa@Internationalbabyplanners.com with your Twitter ID and actually attend the party to be eligible to win.
5. You must be 18 years or older to participate.
6. There will be one winner randomly drawn after the party is over from the list of registered participants.
7. Winner will be notified via email via the registered email address by May 21, 2010 by a member of the International Baby Planner Association.

The main reason we decided to change our name to the International Baby Planner Association was because we believe that the baby planning industry should have an organization that sets high standards for what we do as professional businesses all over the world. IBPA  has become a leader in the baby planning industry through our perseverance over the last 4 years because of our growing membership and we are excited to see continued growth internationally!

Read the latest here:

Baby Planning Businesses Grow Despite Recession featured on AOL Small Business, 12/28/09

Baby Planning Business Booming featured on American Express Open Forum, 12/28/09

• What is a Baby Planner?
  

• History of Baby Planning and the projected future of the industry.

• What is the IBPA/NBPA and how can they support my baby planning business?

• What specific benefits can IBPA/NBPA give me if I become a member?
  

• IBPA requirements for baby planning businesses
  

• IBPA’s industry leading affiliates and partners
  

• IBPA Baby Planner Certification Program

• IBPA Manufacturer Relations Program

• IBPA Member On-line Forum
  

• How to get started
  

When: THURSDAY, JANUARY 14th 6:30 pm PST/9:30 pm EST

If you would like to be a part of this call, please email us.

Melissa Moog & April Beach

NOTE: There is a Dec. 2nd “How to Become a Baby Planner” Information Session being hosted by NBPA. See post here for more info.

Birthing a New Industry

First, thank you for coming to NBPA’s website and reading our blog. I know if you’re reading this right now you are either interested in becoming a Baby Planner, want to get involved in networking with our Baby Planners or just curious about this new niche. As President/Founder of NBPA I decided to write this entry because I believe our audience needs to understand how far we’ve come over the last four years in growing a new niche and realize the individual, tireless efforts businesses have put into building a brand new industry overall. Because of NBPA, 2009 was a big year for Baby Planning as we reached significant milestones in the growth of our industry some of which I’ll out line in my post below. It has been a truly amazing experience as an entrepreneur to see this whole industry grow from scratch!

Before anyone came onto the map in creating an official baby planning business there were people who were already helping their family members and friends with preparing for their baby’s arrival. So, let’s make it clear that “baby planning” is not something totally new. There were just a few key people in the US and abroad several years ago who found it a perfect time to take a leap of faith first by creating an actual business plan and invested resources into birthing their individual “baby planning” companies.

As word caught on about baby planning there were more businesses launched and now we see approximately 60 businesses in the US and abroad growing baby planning. These companies, many of them you will see are members of NBPA here: http://www.nationalbabyplannerassociation.com/members.html have worked very hard to spread the word and have done well in branding their own companies as professional baby planning businesses.

Our members have compared baby planning to wedding planning which has been the easiest way to explain what we do. Instead of focusing on wedding details, baby planners are focused on all of the preparation details to help expecting couples. Some of us even focus on providing services beyond baby’s birth like baby proofing and nanny sourcing.

We can assume that back in the day wedding planning was unheard of to the average consumer. It wasn’t a mainstream service that the market demanded and now you see couples hiring wedding planners for even the smallest task like choosing the best florist or caterer. We see baby planning following that same pattern as it has taken several years for this concept to finally get noticed! Now, as we explain to our audience what we do, we often hear moms say “I wish I would of had a Baby Planner when I was pregnant. What a great idea, it would have helped me immensely!” So, the word is definitely spreading!

In a tough economy many of us are doing our best to introduce the concept of baby planners by branding and marketing our own companies so that potential clients will remember who we are when they are ready to secure our services. Ultimately, beyond launching our individual companies, April and I wanted to help grow this niche globally and created NBPA to support those businesses.

Building the Buzz

I’m proud to say that we have truly gotten this new industry of baby planning a ton of great national media exposure via NBPA. Baby planning has been written about by The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Working Mother, Pregnancy Magazine, Parenting and recently NBPA members were interviewed by The Associated Press (this article to soon publish). Additionally, baby planners have been featured on many local TV media and recently on the new Platinum Babies series airing on WeTV. All of these efforts would have not been possible if Baby Planning businesses weren’t out there trying to get the exposure, spending the investment, time and hard work at building this niche. We continue to build the buzz through our media connections for our members and the baby planning industry overall. NBPA members are growing their businesses in recognition of the baby planning niche so that consumers understand who we are and what we can do to help them during the most precious and overwhelming time in their lives, new parenthood.

Validating the Baby Planning Niche

Recently, in September NBPA was able to work with the largest baby tradeshow in the country, ABC Kids Expo by creating “Baby Planning/Baby Planners” as a business category. We were ecstatic to be able to work with ABC’s board members to get our NBPA members access to all four days of the ABC tradeshow. This was a huge step forward for baby planning as an industry and NBPA was integral in doing that.

Strong Expert Partnerships

We have also secured prominent, successful business experts and companies as speakers and partners with NBPA. Because we have strong industry relationships with key baby focused organizations and manufacturers we are able to stay on top of industry trends, laws and policies in the juvenile industry. From our partnership with JPMA (the Juvenile Product Manufacturing Association) to IAFCS (the International Association for Child Safety) we continue to build strong relationships which are key to helping our industry grow overall. Additionally, the issue of safety in children’s products and services is also paramount to NBPA’s mission in making sure we offer the best resources, experts and tools to provide the most current safety information to our members. NBPA is not only totally committed to serving the needs of our members but also dedicated to growing the baby planning niche so that we can validate the need for our services in the market.

Baby Planner Certification

We qualify each of our members through an in depth one on one interview, application and reference checking process which is the first phase of NBPA’s certification process. We are also in the midst of rolling out a more comprehensive Baby Planner certification program which will be available to all professional businesses should they decide to join NBPA.

The need for a complete Baby Planner certification program has always been at the heart of what our association stands for because NBPA wants only the most qualified, experienced and credible baby planners as part of our membership. NBPA feels that we’ve come a long way in helping grow the industry and we finally have enough members to voice their input and help us create a valuable and credible Baby Planner certification program that is truly representative of our industry as a whole. Additionally, with the certification of a Baby Planner’s skills it assists NBPA in protecting all of the expecting and new families that we serve all over the world so that they receive professional, high quality service.

One Common Goal

NBPA’s membership consists of independent businesses in the baby planning field who are all working towards one common business goal to make “baby planning/baby planners” a household name so that we can all be successful, financially thriving businesses. At the same time we place the utmost importance in creating a legitimate and credible industry of Baby Planning professionals who are providing the best service possible to their customers. I have always believed in the statement “a rising tide raises all boats” and that is truly what NBPA is trying to do. We are establishing an industry and raising awareness thereby creating a market need which ultimately raises the tide for Baby Planners so that we can all be successful!

If after reading this post you have questions or feedback about NBPA please email me at: melissa@nationalbabyplannerassociation.com. I would be happy to connect with you! We also have an Introduction to Baby Planning session scheduled Dec. 2nd so if you’re interested in learning more about NBPA please join us. You can email me with your interest in attending.

• What is a Baby Planner?
  

• History of Baby Planning and the projected future of the industry.

• What is the NBPA and how can they support my baby planning business?

• What specific benefits can NBPA give me if I become a member?
  

• NBPA requirements for baby planning businesses
  

• NBPA’s industry leading affiliates and partners
  

• NBPA Baby Planner Certification Program

• NBPA Manufacturer Relations Program

• NBPA Member On-line Forum
  

• How to get started
  

When: WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 2nd 6:00 PST/9:00 EST

If you would like to be a part of this call, please email us.

Melissa Moog & April Beach