Vans Cans Gassant captured this Sakura Peacock themed Maternity Bellypaint I did at the CIZKA Seminar in 2011, in what could be best described as a destined meeting. We had never met before and I did not get the chance to ask him to take a picture, he just followed his photographer’s eye and shot what I consider the best spontaneous bellypainting shot I have seen!

Anabelle Quandus from Muitobella Photography captured this lovely Tree of Life themed Maternity Bellypaint I did for a Francie, during a private session, her creativity and fun approach never ceases to amaze me, not only that, she’s a lovely person to work with. She was my photographer of choice for my own Maternity/Family Photoshoots! I consider this the most stunning bellypainting shot I have seen!

Want to see more? Visit the album on my fanpage and click Like to cast your vote! Be sure to invite your friends to check them out just click the share button!

I’ve personally tried all the types of shoulders, and I found that many caused some stress on my shoulder and gave me constant discomfort in my neck. And I was asking myself how an I supposed to wear this every day?

Well, I found out along the way that wittily concocted shoulder styles claiming to be fashionable lead to more discomfort than normal, and that the neatly tucked shoulder caps made the fabric too stiff (double, triple or quadruple layered) and caused uneven pressure points. So in late 2010 I threw my old models out the window, and started making a different shoulder cap than what most people were using or suggesting. I skipped the neatly gathered for a simple shoulder: a Shoulder Hugging Ring Sling.

So, What have customers told us about this change during 2011?

“Wow, what a difference, my daughter feels so much lighter, I can finally wear the sling longer!”
~ M. B., O’stad after buying her second sling for the first time from Arawak Mums

“Amazing I don’t feel the baby’s weight at all!”
~ L. K., Santa Cruz commenting on her first sling purchase from Arawak Mums

I’ve used their intials to respect their privacy.

After more than a year of making pouch slings and different styles of ring slings, some with gathered shoulders, padded shoulders and rouched shoulders, I realized that thousands of indigenous tribes were right all along, padding is not as comfortable as you might expect. Padding is great for thin or narrow straps like the ergo and the Mei Tai and then still used wisely and sparingly, but in a shoulder cap it’s just creates a bulky shoulder strap that still pressures your muscles quiet unevenly.

Since then, our official model is a simple shoulder cap that naturally hugs your shoulder. Moms in indigenous tribes do not use padding or complicated gathering techniques. They just wing it instinctively with their soft fabric carrier, why shouldn’t we?

As for fashionable, elegant and beautiful slings, well I carry a very large stock of prints, colors and the Artisan Batik Prints that are vibrant and luscious. For a water sling you can choose from 13 colors, including silver, gold, bronze and hot pink. I make completely customized slings to suit your personal style and taste.

Don’t take my word for it, just give our Shoulder Hugging Ring Slings a try!

I’m putting my slings where my mouth is and offering you a full refund if your sling does not hug your shoulder comfortably!

You’re welcome to join the monthly Babywearing Meetups to try the Batik Sling, Mei Tai, Watersling and Wraps.

Our Meet up schedule below:

• February Meet Up – Sunday, February 12 2012 – 5:00pm to 7:00 PM
• March Meet Up – Sunday, March 11 2012 – 4:00pm to 6:00 PM
• April Meet Up – Sunday, April 15 2012 – 3:00pm to 5:00 PM

To RSVP please visit the Fan Page events here: https://www.facebook.com/wearyourbaby?sk=events

Y awo, kico bo por spera como mama?

Dependiendo con bo parto a bai, es decir cu of sin medicamento pa dolor, operacion of si tabatin algun otro complicacion, bo lo pasa mas of menos den e proximo situacionnan:

1. Baby ta drumi hopi: Na hospitaal, despues cu e baby a caba di nace, hopi biaha e ta drumi hopi. Esaki por tin diferente causa, si bo a tuma algo pa dolor durante parto, of e tabata hopi largo, of tal vez bo mester a haya operacion, e ora tin un chens grandi cu bo baby ta of hopi cansa of zonza pavia di e medicamentonan pa dolor. Hopi biaha mamanan ta hopi contento cu e baby ta drumi hopi, tur hende cu bishita ta mira con rustig y bon bebedo e ta. Despues di un dia of dos bo ta caminda pa cas.
2. Baby ta yora hopi (of casi tur ora): Asina bo yega cas, e honeymoon di hospital ta caba, e baby ta lanta mas hopi, yora y bebe mas hopi, y e ta bebe mas largo. Awo bo baby ta keda lanta henter anochi, bo ta cuminsa puntra bo mes kico ta bai fout y unda e angelito cu tabata drumi asina dushi na hospital a bai. Esaki ta normal, basta liher bo lo por bay observa cu un baby recien naci no ta drumi pa mas cu 3 of 4 ora, e por ta pidi pa bebe cada ora pa ora y mei, y tin biaha e ta hopi mas activo den anochi. No spanta, sigui su ritmo, e ta natural, tambe tin cierto growth-spurts cu lo afecta e frecuencia di su bebemento.

E ta importante pa purba tene na mente cu baby ta keda bai ahusta na medida cu e e cambionan aki tuma lugar:

1. Yega cas: E por ta cansancio of e calor di mami su curpa, pero baby cu a caba di nace ta drumi hopi mas na hospital cu ora nan yega cas. Nan ritmo ta cambia segun nan necesidad.
2. Ora e lech’i pecho sali: Lech’i pecho mes no ta sali de un bes cu e baby nace, e por dura 3 dia. Tanten bo curpa ta produci un otro sustancia cu ta nutri y duna e baby su prome set di anti-cuerpo. Esaki ta e colostrum. Babynan ta nace cu un reserva mientras nan ta yuda e mama p’e lech’i sali, mester keda laga e baby bebe na pecho p’e stimula e pechonan pa nan produci e lechi maduro cu baby mester pa crece. Ta di sumo importancia pa e baby bebe na pecho mas tanto posibel y no suplementa durante e etapa aki, sino e por crea problema cu bo produccion y e por confundi e baby (nipple confusion).
3. E proceso pa establece bo produccion: E proceso aki ta nifica cu bo curpa ta produci loke bo baby mester, y cambio chikito cu tuma lugar den un dia no lo afecta bo produccion seriamente. Generalmente e por tuma 6 siman pa esaki realisa completamente y bo baby ta esun cu ta yudabo subi bo produccion, cadabes cu e bebe na bo pecho e ta indica bo curpa pa sigui traha lechi y cuanto mester traha. Pa e motibo aki ta importante pa purba di evita cosnan cu por baha bo produccion, den otro palabra, evita di bisa bo curpa cu e mester produci menos lechi.

Cu persistencia, pasenshi y consistencia abo tampe por yega na duna pecho pa 6 luna of un aña.

Kico por bisa bo curpa pa traha menos lechi?

1. Limita e biahanan cu e baby ta bebe na pecho, esaki ta inclui e oranan laat den marduga, den e prome simanan esakinan ta e oranan mas importante pa sigui duna. pecho of kolf, pa mantene bo produccion halto.
2. Laga e baby bebe mucho cortico na e pecho.
3. Laga e baby bebe sin cu e la hap e tepel bon, causando cu e ta saca menos lechi durante un session.
4. No duna e baby pecho ora e ta duna señal cu e tin hamber of lagu’e drumi mas largo cu 3 ora entre voeding. Ta hopi importante den e etapa aki pa bo lanta bo baby y pon’e bebe, asina bo curpa ta sigui produci loke e baby mester.
5. Tarda hopi entre cada voeding, si bo duna bo baby un boter den un dia, toch kolf e voeding cu e tabata di haya no mas cu 3 ora despues di e ultimo voeding. Esaki ta hopi importante pa mamanan cu tin di bai traha, pero tambe den caso cu bo a spanta of sinti cu bo mester duna e boter, si bo kier mantene bo produccion, tuma e tempo pa kolf e session ey toch.

Tene cuenta tambe cu bo mester bebe suficiente awa y come bon, tambe e mihor manera pa establece bo produccion ta pa confia bo curpa y bo baby, lagu’e bebe cada bes cu e pidi.

Ta recomendabel pa evita di dun’e tetero of chupon. Tambe e orario di duna pecho den marguga ta crucial, mientras bo baby ta bebe regularmente entre un ora y mei y 3 ora entre cada voeding, bo curpa ta sigui ricibi e señalnen necesario pa e sigui produci lechi pa bo baby.

Pero, con bo por sa cu bo baby ta bebe suficiente?

• Suficiente bruki/pampers muha: Bo baby ta muha entre 5 y 6 pamper den 24 ora. E ta bai af regular tambe. Pa mas infor macion por lesa e overzicht di Kellymom.com aki.

Corda prepara bo mes di adelanta, bespreek bo deseo di duna pecho cu bo pareha, bo docter y partera y haci sigur cu un hende tey pa asistibo y cu ta pone e baby na pecho di biaha. E caminda pa tin exito den dunamento di pecho ta rekeri un bon circulo di hende cu ta sostene bo esfuerso y cu por encurashabo pa sigui.

Algun tip

• Busca sosten for di otro mayor: Ta recomendabel bo join un grupo di mayor cu ta ofrece sosten di mayor pa mayor (online of den grupo pa papia), haci amistad cu algun mama cu ta dunando pecho caba y no tene miedo pa haci pregunta, lesa mas y si bo mester haci adptacion pa bo situacion individual, corda semper cu abo ta e mihor mama pa bo jiu y cu pasobra bo ta stim’e di sigur lo bo tuma e decision cu mas ta harmonisa cu bo situacion personal.
  
• No give up!: E etapa aki por tin su dificultad, bo lo falta soño, bo lo tin dolor na bo pecho y porta bo lo sinti manera tur cos ta bayendo fout. No perde speranza, den algun siman esaki tambe lo pasa y si bo ta consistente e lo bai mas liher, pero na final bo lo tin e recompensa di a logra duna bo baby e mihor base pa su salud.

To participate you need to do two things:

1. Open the survey and fill in the questionnaire (or use the form below) and submit it. (copy this link: http://form.jotform.com/form/20053006063)
2. Sign up to our newsletter: the form will pop up at the end of the questionnaire.

Rules:

• Mommies of children or babies between 0 and 4 years of age are eligible for the prize.
• The form needs to be completed with accurate information.
• Valid ID and AZV Card of baby must be presented when picking up the prize.

The winning name will be drawn on January 30th, 2012.

Please note, with the help of this survey we will know how I can support Aruban Mothers better in the future. Also, this survey is in Papiamento and only eligible to mothers residing in Aruba.

Encuesta

#1. Check for lables and tags: This tip came from, Ginali Tromp, a mom that received a gift plushie from me, her son managed to pull the tag off the plushie and stuffed it in his mouth, she had the fright of her life that day, since this incident I don’t make plushies for babies anymore. Her tip was to check all fabric toys, and bedding too, for tags that could come loose. A baby will put it in it’s mouth and though it may be fabric, it is still a hazard for your baby. So, pull out those scissors and cut the tags off and avoid any choking hazards.

#2. Check for loose parts: This one is very tricky and very important, Lugbelkis Wernet made us very aware that children still have to learn the art of gentle hands when playing so they could pull or dislodge parts of toys. Like in the attached image she posted on our wall, this loose part could easily obstruct your baby’s throat and cause her to choke. So, when in doubt pull out all the potential choking hazards from your baby’s toys and throw them away, keep them out of places you cannot supervise your baby while he’s playing with them (roughly) and check toys periodically for compromised structures. If you feel like the toy will loose it’s playability value, stow it for later use, like when your baby is heading off to high school. (Kidding!)

#3 When in doubt test sizing: Angie Geerman once shared with me a great rule of thumb to help me decide if a toy (or anything else in the house for that matter) is a hazard. She said, take a roll of toilet paper, if the item can be fitted in the center of the roll, you bet your baby can choke on it, because it will fit into his/her mouth. I really appreciated knowing this, because it helped me stow away unnecessary hazards. I find it really interesting that the Chicago Tribune recently shared this tip as well. Angie told me about it early 2010. Read the article on the Chicago Tribune.

Of course I’m sure you have devised some great Safety Measures, so please share them below!

I have found 3 new uses for my sling in the last 2 months, I thought it’d be fun to share them and maybe give you ideas or hear what uses you have found for yours.

#1: Handy dandy chair harness: When I go to the Kingdom Hall (to some church), I have found the slings to be perfect for keeping Kyren and Rory in their chairs. They play with the tail and rings and it helps me manage their activity on the chairs. It’s not the same as a car seat belt, they can still squirm out if they try, but I like the ease of use and the fact that they love having their “blankies” nearby.

#2: Grocery bag/pouch: This is a non-baby use, but basically I stuff anything I bought or have to haul in one single go into my sling. I do this when unloading the car.

#3:  Peek-a-boo toy: I let Kyren Peekaboo at Rory while she’s hiding in the sling, it’s fun and they love to play like that, that way I get to play with both, grab Kyren quickly if he starts getting too frisky or flailing his arms and Rory is safe in her pouch giggling away.

I have not taken any pictures of these activities because when I was doing them I felt so natural, it was an everyday thing, I didn’t think of it ’till today when I decided to write about it.

So, what uses have you given your carrier other than simply carrying the baby? Please share below!

If you are in the Aruba Area, join our babywearing and parenting community, so we can exchange ideas, information and topics. Find us on www.facebook.com/wearyourbaby

For dad’s this is also true, perhaps you are feeling helpless, unable to fix the situation so your partner feels more relaxed and confident and your baby is more chilled and happy.

How do you get a bouncy happy baby? First you need to relax.

A carrier is a great way to help you relax and help your baby calm down. And why is the sling a great tool?

1. A Ring Sling Enables you to carry the baby on as much as possible, even while you do other things like eat a sandwich, put the laundry to wash or make the bed.

2. Facilitates much needed physical touch between parent and child, this closeness helps your baby regulate her temperature, breathing and emotions. Resulting in a baby that is more relaxed, falls a sleep easily and a parent that feels more confident of his/her parenting skills.

3. Takes off the weight, while your, possibly colicky, baby is crying carrying him to soothe him is usually the best answer. A ring sling helps you carry the baby without feeling the extra weight, this matters a lot when it’s the 6th bout of crying at 3 AM or 8 PM.

A ring sling brings relief to both parent and infant, other family members can easily use a carrier too. It’s recommended you test the sling before hand and take the time to become familiar with it. For best results start before the baby is born, get to know the in’s and outs of putting the ring sling on, the different positions, caring for it, ask for safety instructions and you will be on your way to a more relaxed and peaceful newborn stage.

Learn how to put the ring sling on with this video.

Read below some reviews of parents that are using the sling with their baby.

Pregnancy can be celebrated and recorded in many beautiful ways, there is no end to the possibilities, but one thing is for sure, this beautiful phase is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so make something unique to remember it. That is what a maternity bellypaint is, a professional bodypaint artist creates a painting on your belly. No standard out-of-the box patterns are used, and the possibilities are endless.

Arawak Mums offers Maternity Bellypainting services at the comfort of your home. You can choose your own design or leave the inspiration up to us, or combine your color or theme preferences with our own creativity. Our bodypainting artist, a Gerrit Rietveld Academy student, Make-up Artist and Graphic Designer, Bethsarim van Koetsveld brings the elements of visual communication, creativity, originality and your own inspiration to create a beautiful, memorable painting on your belly.

The Maternity Bellypaint can be combined with a Maternity Photoshoot or babyshower, making it a very meaningful and unique gift to expecting mothers. We use high quality, non-toxic hypoallergenic bodypaints that are safe and gentle to use on your skin and look amazing! A Maternity Bellypaint is like doing a Professional Fantasy Make-up for festivals or parades but then on your belly, which is 3 times more skin to cover, than Facepainting or Fantasy make-up. For the best and most colorful paintings we only use high quality water-based paints.
Arawak Mums Maternity Bellypainting is for a mother that wants a unique, creative painting to celebrate her pregnancy. Arawak Mums also offers the a Maternity Bellypaint Photoshoot Package, Maternity Bellypaint Design Services for any designs you need to celebrate or commemorate your pregnancy, like Birth Announcement Cards. Capture the moment of your pregnancy on Aruba in a unique and artistic way. Show your belly off proudly with a unique painting with a message. It is also possible to choose from traditional and cultural styles and Aruba Artisanry themes to create an authentically Aruban keeps sake of your pregnancy.

To book a Maternity Bellypaint use the form below!

[booking nummonths=1 startmonth='2011-11']

Just today I was speaking to a person about two carriers she knew about, she was explaining to me what she thinks they are for and in a way, teaching me. I was listening carefully as I validated her, in fact the booklet of the carriers in question said the positions she was describing were safe.

This moment made me remember that knowledge is power, and that it’s not about who knows more (or everything) but who knows the right thing at the right time!

That is the focus of my Babywearing Meetups, the right position at the right time or place.

The conversation I mentioned before was a great opportunity to explain one thing about ergonomically sound leg positioning and safe back-carry in a wrap. Which I did, kindly and gently, my conversation partner agreed sharing what her own mother used to say, asking to not put her kids in the structured ruck-sack like carriers popular in the 70′s

And sometimes I find it’s grandmothers that ask me to show them how to use it, and it is a moment of excitement and joy when they see how comfortable they are and most grand mothers will say, I wish I had been able to use this with my daughther or son. And then they realise, with the grandchild they still can share that unique experience and deepen their bond.

Every day I am being taught by the people I meet another key element of Babywearing, for that I am very thankful, because they share joy and spark my passion just a little bit more!

Experience the ease and comfort, enjoy your day with your baby close to your heart, choose from our fun spirited colorful slings, Mei Tai made in Aruba!

Or get a watersling for a
unique sugary sand and azure beach experience on Aruba!

Find out more on www.facebook.com/wearyourbaby or email info@arawakmums.com

Also Shipping to Curacao, Bonaire, The Netherlands and the U.S.

Use this coupon code: BATIK11UP

Purchase your own favorite Batik for a sling starting at AWG 125, see the Batik Gallery. Not in stock Batik orders require a 50% deposit upon order.

I am in love with every single bag I’ve made this far, and you will love yours too! You can even use them as eco-friendly grocery bags!

We all know Aruba needs less plastic bags in the trash and we definitely can help one durable grocery bag at a time. The bag is free with every Batik Ring Sling purchase, offer only valid with a coupon code: BATIK11UP.

Offer ends December 15th, 2011. After offer ends slings will continue to be delivered in a small wrist bag, perfect for the sling or for keys, phone and wallet.