A rare interview with Christine from Tender Cargo was posted today  as a “spotlight” on TheBabyWearer.com. Questions and answers will continue all week.

There is a new page up on the site with photos and instructions on the steps to creating and sharing a wishlist.

Happy holidays!

From now until Dec 31st, everybody who purchases a Sakura Bloom sling is automatically entered to win FOUR more of your choosing, a retail value of approximately $1200! Happy holidays and good luck!

Click here to visit the Sakura Bloom products page.

Details:

Purchase a Sakura Bloom baby sling from our website and you are automatically entered to win an entire baby sling wardrobe.

The baby sling wardrobe consists of 4 Sakura Bloom baby slings:

1 baby sling from the Hana Collection

1 baby sling from either the linen simple or essential collections

1 baby sling from either the silk essential or artisan collections

1 baby sling from the tussah luxe

All baby slings purchased between November 18 - December 31, 2007 are eligible. The retail value of this prize ranges from $1138 - $1280 depending on the slings chosen.

One winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced on Monday January 7, 2008

Zolowear blogged today about their commitment to producing their slings in the US.

All Zolowear products are made in Texas, even though so many companies are manufacturing abroad now, and the blog post explains how they answer questions about their decision not to do the same.

This photo shows a 5 month old baby in a Zolo silk sling. The color is Java, and they call it “lite” because it is one layer of fabric and they used to be made in two layers.

The Sakura Bloom company blog has tips up about using a sling in cold weather- such as, should you wear it under your jacket? See their advice here Sakura Bloom Sling blog link.

This Beco carrier is officially called “‘Pony Express” but everybody calls it “cow print”. It is a limited edition as Beco does every winter, I believe giraffe was last year. You can almost see in the photo the special fuzzy texture, and you can really see why this one is an instant hit!

We began shipping them earlier this week, and when the fabric runs out, they will not make any more. $129, shipping daily.

Trista from The Bachelor TV show wears a Zolowear solarveil sling.

Follow this link to the photo and quote at the official Zolowear blog.

FYI, solarveil is UV protective fabric, it is ultra light and very quick drying. It’s an especially useful baby item at summertime. It is a bit less expensive than then decorator fabrics.

Our new gift card order just arrived from the printing shop! These cards are ready for any amount of store credit, with plenty of time to be mailed for holiday gifts. I especially love the fresh design printed on really nice cards, I really didn’t know they’d turn out so well! wow!

The company blog mostly sticks to company news, but our family was personally touched by this important issue, I want to write by thoughts and I’ll try hard to be brief.

Like many parents, I am feeling very leery of “made in China” lately. It seems as though the recalls are coming down like an avalanche and I wonder if people had ever bothered to test our toys until now. My skeptical self thinks they didn’t just start contaminating them, but that this must have gone on very long under the radar and we only know now because it’s in the news, and companies are feeling pressure to start testing and recalling, both from customers and from their legal counsel. That’s my inner dialog, anyway.

I loved the 11/2 Mormon mommy Wars thread on this topic. It got out lots of good information, and it highlighted the questions that conscientious parents everywhere are asking now. Is this brand safe? Are contaminated toys actually dangerous? If we parents turned out fine, aren’t our kids fine too? Are the European toys durable enough to be worth it?

Here’s my take.

One of my children actually has tested toxic for 3 heavy metals, and so we’ve been rather involved in trying to figure out why that is, and meeting with other parents and Drs who are working to learn more. Our case doesn’t have a simple answer- we have NOT owned any recalled toys and we have no obvious exposures in our environmental history. Presently we are looking for genetic differences, such as an inability to metabolize and reject the toxins that we all encounter in modern life. I don’t worry about his toys, I worry about the times he teethed on my key chain, on my cell phone, or even maybe the pesticides on our food or the dyes on his Made in China pillowcase or WalMart sippy cups. I wonder about when we lived right next to the freeway or how I got amalgam fillings while still nursing him. My message to parents is to NOT live in fear of any of these things, because you can’t possibly live a life escaping every one, and it may be years before science proves which things actually harmed us and which prove safe.

Buy the nicer toys. They feel better, they last years longer, you know you’re supporting fair labor. And keep your babies from chewing on batteries. But what I’m trying to say is, don’t get superstitious, don’t toss out every plastic toy and replace it with USA or European toys and sigh in relief that your child is saved. It’s not clear yet, and in my mind the one part that is clear is that there needs to be more testing and responsibility among the importing companies, who seem to have been totally asleep at the wheel. Let’s speak out for higher standards. As they see we consumers care, they will have to rise to meet standards of safety, environmentalism, or worker conditions. There, that’s my message- don’t panic about what you already own, but do be conscious of who your purchases support from now on. The issue is on the minds of parents and producers everywhere.

Now, this fascinating little product is a must-have for your diaper bag, purse, or backpack. It’s called “momspit!” did you catch that? It’s in our health and comfort section, the tagline is “inspired by the original”… do you get it now? mom spit.

It’s a newly invented cleanser for dirty little hands and faces. Mom Spit is free of alcohol and antibacterials and gel, it’s just a nice foam that wipes away any grime and doesn’t need to be rinsed off. The small bottle is perfect to travel anywhere where a sink and fresh water won’t be handy. It comes in “fig and green tea”, “lemon and white tea”, or unscented, and at just $9 it makes a great add-on with any other baby gift. It is small and light to go in your purse and yet it will give about 170 full pumps of use!