After months of only having size large on hand, we are finally re-stocked with sizes small and medium in all colors.

Learners are absorbent underwear for potty training. Made of certified organic cotton to work like reusable  pull-ups.  pull on and unsnap the sides to cleanly get them off.  They are made by a cloth diaper company with material to absorb the wetness without getting the clothing wet, but they don’t have a waterproof layer the way that rubber or disposable trainers do.  This makes them a lot more like “real” or “big kid” underwear, which kids feel proud about.

Tender Cargo founding mama Christine used these personally with two of her children, in the stage where they had potty-trained for daytime but still wet during naps, car rides, or overnight. At $18.95 each Learner costs similar to a pack of pull-ups, and you probably only need 2-4 Learners so that you never need to buy pull-ups again.

The mortality rate of California women who die from causes directly related to pregnancy has nearly tripled in the past decade, prompting doctors to worry about the dangers of obesity in expectant mothers and about medical complications of cesarean sections.

California Watch spoke with investigators who wrote the report, and they confirmed the most significant spike in pregnancy-related deaths since the 1930s. Although the number of deaths is relatively small, the rate in California is higher than in Kuwait or Bosnia.

“The issue is how rapidly this rate has worsened,” said Debra Bingham, executive director of the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, the public-private task force investigating the problem for the state.

Read more: www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article

We are registered members of the Real Diaper Organization, a nonprofit that supports cloth diapering awareness, activism, and education. They have great lines like “changing the world – one diaper at a time” “real diapers for real babies” . The image above from their latest campaign links to their site, which has a wealth of articles and ideas. The image below points to the cloth diapering section of our store.

The Paige Beco butterfly is a new organic color for winter/spring 2010.  We took our own amateur photos of it here at the store because some of Beco’s official shots made it look more blue than the grey that it truly is.  Hopefully these images will help you see the print and colors more accurately.  Each image opens larger if you click on it.

Paige beco is in-stock and the free shipping is automatic within the US. <a href=”http://www.tendercargo.com/catalog/Beco-Butterfly-2-Paige.html”>To order, click here.</a>

The limited edition Scooters print is running low.  Before we run out, here is a gallery of photos to show off the colors of this fabulous carrier in different lighting situations.

All Beco images will show up larger for you if you click them.

Of course, if you want to purchase one of the last available Scooter Becos, click here.

This post is a collection of our current sales:

Storewide free shipping for orders over $100 within the US

Toys  2009/2010 Year End Clearance

Plan Toys Shopping Cart $90 $64.95

Plan toys Stacking Tree $25 $20

Plan toys Tableware Set $25 $20

Plan toys Tea Set $28 $20

Plan toys Wooden Teddy Bear $19 $14

Plan Toys Build-N-Roll Set $55 $45

Plan Toys Noahs Ark $70 $49.95

Plan Toys Dress-up Animals   $25 $20

Miyim Organic stuffed animals are $25.95 $19.95  or   $31.95 $24.95

Plan toys Dollhouses with Furniture- Chalet Dollhouse $250 $199 Eco Green Dollhouse $200 $180

Clothes and Shoes
All Zooni brand hand-knit hats and mittens are marked down. $36.50 $29.99 and $19.50 $12.99

Pedipeds Shoes some styles $30 $20

Bebe au Lait hooded bath towels $40 $34.99

Babylegs – most styles $5 off $20 automatically

Many individual Babylegs are $15 $10

Breastmilk and Bottle Feeding

Medela bottles for breastmilk pumping-storage-feeding $4.95 each $3.95

Medela nursing foot stool $29.99 $19.99

Thinkbaby Feeding bottles twinpack   5oz or 9oz

Thinkbaby bottle nipple twinpack medium or fast flow $4.99 $3.49

Gear

Zolowear Baby Slings —> automatic free shipping

UppaBaby rumble seat and piggyback board

We highly recommend a visit over the clearance section at nurturecenter.com – they are running their year-end clearance throughout the store and there are lots of deals to be had!

Q: Why don’t you carry the Ergo?

A: It’s complicated! You may be surprised but we actually do carry the Ergo in our physical store location! We just don’t show it in the online shopping at tendercargo.com among all the other kinds of carriers.

The reason is that Tender Cargo’s roots are in the independent brands. We stock a dozen kinds of baby carriers, slings, and wraps, and our selection has always favored the smaller brands, the ones you can’t find in mainstream big-box stores. And likewise, our customers are looking for the niche brands, not the dominant player.

With that said, you might be wondering why we carry it in our physical store! the reason is that we like showing people all the choices, and having them out to try on side-by-side. If you come shop with us in person, you can see and test every carrier until you are sure you’ve found the right one for you! While many people walk out with a Beco or a Babyhawk, it is an important part of the decision process ot also try on the Ergo and see the differences. And of course, we have the full selection of colors and accessories for people who find that the Ergo is their favorite after all!

This is exciting! I just received the news by email through FirstCandle.org , nonprofit organization we support that has been supporting the research efforts for decades.

From the press release

[Baltimore, MD – February 2, 2010)   First Candle today announced that researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston have further linked low serotonin levels in the brainstems of babies to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS. The research team’s most recent study, being published in the February 3^rd issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, compared brainstems of babies who died of SIDS with brainstems of babies who died of other, known causes. The results of the study are compelling and send a strong message to new and expectant parents, particularly since SIDS remains the leading cause of death for babies one month to one year of age in the United States.

First Candle salutes Dr. Hannah Kinney and her research team for their untiring efforts to unlock what was once thought to be the mystery of SIDS. “After more than 20 years of research, we may now be able to move forward in identifying babies at risk and developing preventive treatments to correct this serotonin deficiency,” said Kinney. In the study, the SIDS babies had 25 percent less serotonin in their lower brainstem and 22 percent lower levels of tryptophan hydroxylase, the enzyme that makes serotonin. Levels of binding to the serotonin receptors were 50 percent lower in the SIDS babies, signifying that a serotonin defect in the brainstem was most likely involved in the death of these babies.

As this defect probably occurs during pregnancy, good prenatal care is of utmost importance. “There is no safe amount of alcohol, smoking or second-hand smoke that is safe for pregnant women,” said Kinney. The Harvard team and other researchers are also exploring a possible genetic cause for this defect.

The study results also send a strong message to parents with newborns. “We now know that there is likely a physical reason that many of these babies die,” says Dr. Rachel Moon, Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task force on SIDS. “And when babies with this defect are placed to sleep in unsafe places, the results can be disastrous.”  For babies with low serotonin levels, re-breathing carbon dioxide (exhaled air) and overheating during sleep can be fatal. Parents need to do all they can to make sure their baby is ALWAYS placed to sleep on his or her back and in a safe place.

(it continues on at the link with safe infant sleep tips, etc)

I talk with many pregnant moms who are thinking about buying a breastpump. They have heard you shouldn’t buy a used one, or borrow a pump from a friend, but these moms are savvy enough to be a bit  suspicious that maybe the pump companies are just saying that because they want to sell more pumps!

So, I found an excellent article from Medela that goes into some sensible detail explaining why they discourage using a pre-used breastpump. The reasons make sense and their sources check out, so I wanted to share.   Here it is:   Can I Buy Or Borrow A Pre-owned Breastpump?

Vista Stroller accessories on sale 2009/2010 models

The Rumble Seat $129.99 $99.99

and

The Piggyback Ridealong board $89.99 $79.99