What’s the best way to wash my baby sling or baby carrier?

Many parents want to know the best way to wash their baby sling or baby carrier (or to keep it clean in the first place). The answer depends on what type of sling or carrier you have. Here are some general guidelines:

Baby slings and baby carriers are not like clothes, but more like outerwear or other types of baby gear like car seat covers or stroller covers. In other words, they generally don’t need to be washed frequently, because (presumably) both you and baby are wearing clothes while you’re wearing baby in the sling or carrier, so the carrier stays relatively clean and protected from general body grime. Keep reading for more on how to care for your carriers and how to keep then looking clean and new.

HUGE Beco Butterfly and Beco Gemini Sale at QuirkyBaby!

Starting today, Beco Butterflys and Beco Geminis are on sale at QuirkyBaby! Save $14 on a Beco Butterfly — priced at $125, down from $139 — or save a full $24 on a Beco Gemini — priced at $104, down from $129. Beco Baby Carrier fans will know that the company hardly ever allows sales, so this is a great opportunity to pick up a super-popular Beco buckle carrier at a great price!

As always, enjoy free Priority Mail shipping in the US on any Beco Baby Carrier order. Plus, get free BabyLegs, a Rearview Mirror, or a handy carrying bag with your order!

Need to know whether the Beco Butterfly or the Beco Gemini is the better buckle carrier for you and your baby? Start by checking out my Butterfly vs. Gemini comparison chart here. Still have questions you’d like answered? Either contact me directly or take the free QB Quiz.

No coupons necessary — discounts are already reflected in sale price. Limited Edition Beco Butterfly in Duke and Ever are not included in sale.

Babywearing book giveaway at QuirkyBaby!

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I’ve got a stash of children’s books featuring babywearing or mama animals carrying their little ones to give away. Here’s how to enter to win!

1) Register for an account at QuirkyBaby.

2) Log in and leave reviews of the baby slings and baby carriers or babywearing accessories I stock that you’ve used (all approved reviews earn 25 QB Bucks rewards points!) It’s OK if you didn’t buy your sling or carrier from me — your review will help other babywearers figure out their options! Please write several sentences about what you loved (or didn’t), what you used it for, what age is was good for — i.e. the kind of advice that you’d share with a friend who asked for help.

3) Please no duplicates — i.e. one review per product per reviewer.

4) Winners will be drawn randomly from all reviews entered. For every 25 new reviews submitted, I will draw another winner!

5) Books will ship for free but have no cash value.

Outlet Sale at QuirkyBaby — Great Deals on Baby Slings & Baby Carriers!

I’ve just added customer returns and discontinued items to the QuirkyBaby Outlet Section.  Get great deals on brand-new or like-new baby slings and baby carriers. All items are first quality and ship for free in the U.S.! Shop now for the best selection from Ergo Baby Carrier, Beco Butterfly, Beco Gemini, Scootababy, Boba, BabyHawk Oh Snap, BabyHawk mei tais, Kozy Carrier mei tais, Hotslings AP, Maya Wrap, Sakura Bloom, Moby Wrap, and accessories.

Please shop carefully as all items are final sale with no returns or exchanges. Because of the great discounts I’m offering, items may ship without the box and do not qualify for QB Bucks rewards points or count towards order totals for free gifts.

QB Baby Carrier of the Week: Spotlight on Pikkolo 3.0 by CatBird Baby

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Pikkolo 3.0 in Apriana, Gingko, Pascale, Cafe Au Lait, and Metro Black are now in pre-order status at QuirkyBaby! Orders placed now will ship during the first week of August with free US Priority Mail shipping and a free pair of BabyLegs or free Rearview Mirror, too!

QB’s Baby Carrier Spotlight this week focuses on the new design of the Pikkolo baby carrier and features an interview with Beth Leistensnider, the talented designer and entrepreneur behind CatBird Baby. CatBird Baby produces not only the innovative Pikkolo hybrid buckle carrier, but also a mei tai and a multi-purpose winter carrier/carseat/stroller cover.

The Pikkolo is one of my top picks in buckle carriers for parents who want a baby carrier that will work as well for newborns as it will for bigger babies and toddlers.

• Its innovative design incorporates the best features of mei tais (Asian-style carriers) and soft structured carriers. The super-comfortable shoulder straps, padded with slow-recovery memory foam, can be crossed on your back mei-tai style for a front carry or worn backpack-style for a back carry.
• The optional babywearing support belt accessory allows you to transition the carrier from being worn around your waist for non-bulky front carries with little babies to being worn around your hips for more supportive back carries for bigger babies and toddlers.
• The adjustable base allows the baby to be carried froggy-legs in at the newborn and small baby stage, legs out with a narrowed base at around 2-3 months when baby outgrows the froggy position but isn’t ready for a full straddle, and legs out with a wide base when baby gets bigger. This feature also allows an ergonomic forward-facing out position for young babies with good head control.

New for 2011, the Pikkolo 3.0 has a number of great new features, including:

• cinching mechanism at the base is now a ladderlock/webbing buckle system
• sleeping hood is now permanently attached to the carrier, and stowable inside an internal pocket
• detachable chest strap is now on sliders for easy adjusting
• loops on ends of waist and shoulder straps for rolling up any extra webbing length

Shop all Pikkolo carriers and CatBird Baby winter carrier covers at QuirkyBaby now.

Baby Carrier Sales and News at QuirkyBaby, June 2011

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• Memorial Day Sale continues for a few more days! Take 10% off and enjoy free US shipping on most baby slings and baby carriers at Quirkybaby. Baby sling and baby carrier brands on sale: Babyhawk, Kozy, Boba, Scootababy, Pikkolo, Maya Wrap, Moby Wrap, Hotslings AP, and Wrapsody. Baby accessories on sale including BabyLegs and Sunday Afternoons Kids Play Hats. Sale doesn’t apply to sale items, Ergo, Beco, and Sakura Bloom products, but you can still qualify for free BabyLegs on orders over $100!

• Need to protect those tender little arms and legs from the sun? Check out the new designs in BabyLegs Cool, with a UPF protection factor of 50+! Other great sun protection items: Moby Wrap UV baby wraps, and the best kids’ sun hats ever from SunDay Afternoons that are cool, comfortable, and actually stay on!

• Need a cool, lightweight, and portable baby sling or baby wrap carrier for hot summer days? A woven cotton ring sling from Maya Wrap or a single layer linen ring sling from Sakura Bloom will keep you and baby cool and ventilated.  Need two-shoulder support? The Wrapsody Bali Stretch is a great option for those who want a traditional all-in-one carrier for newborns through toddlers, while the Ergo Performance gets rave reviews for its high-tech breathability and support.

• New Beco Gemini patterns coming soon! Lucas on Espresso and Aiden on Espresso will expand the boy-friendly/gender-neutral range of this extremely popular buckle carrier that enables forward facing out, forward facing in, hip, and back carries.

• In other Beco Baby Carrier news: Beco Gemini and Beco Butterfly in the sunny, cheerful Luna organic print have been discontinued. Limited Edition Beco Butterfly in Ever and Duke are in stock only while supplies last! And there are still a few Beco Butterfly carriers on sale for $20 off with free US shipping in Aiden, Lucas, and Natalie prints.

• The new Pikkolo 3.0 in Ginko is available in extremely limited quantities, while the Pikkolo 2.0 in Cafe Au Lait is a great deal at the sale price of $99 with free shipping!

New Beco Gemini in Ginger

Beco Gemini Ginger

The super-popular Beco Gemini is now available in a new print for Spring 2011: Ginger. This 4-in-1 buckle carrier enables baby to be worn in four positions: forward facing in, forward facing out, on the hip, and on the back. The Beco Gemini will cost $129 (with free US shipping and free gifts, too) and also comes in prints familiar from the Beco Butterfly II: Paige, Lucas, Natalie, Metro Black, and Espresso Brown.

QuirkyBaby Quick Pick: Choose the Beco Gemini if:

• You want a carrier to adapt from infancy through toddlerhood
• You want to do a comfortable & ergonomic forward facing out position
• You’d like a stylish carrier with multiple wearing options

How do the Beco Butterfly and Beco Gemini compare? Click to find out!

Tags: Beco Gemini, Forward Facing Out, Ginger

QB Baby Carrier of the Week: Spotlight on Scootababy

Wellington

Sydney

This weeks, QB chats with Audra Meng, owner and designer of the Scootababy. Check out the latest additions to the Scootababy lineup — continuing in the tradition of naming patterns after major cities, and going Down Under for inspiration, meet Sydney and Wellington!

Tags: QB Baby Carrier Spotlight, Scootababy

Follow QuirkyBaby on Facebook for Great Giveaways (like BabyLegs!)

Who doesn’t love BabyLegs, especially when they’re free? QuirkyBaby’s Facebook page is the place to find out about what’s new, what’s hot, and what’s on sale at QuirkyBaby.  I like to keep things interesting by randomly giving away free pairs of BabyLegs…so all it takes is a click and you’re entered to win!

(Oh, and p.s. — even if you don’t win a prize package this time,  BabyLegs are always a great deal at QuirkyBaby — many BabyLegs are on sale and ALL BabyLegs get free shipping in the US!)

Tags: BabyLegs, Giveaways

QB Baby Carrier of the Week: Spotlight on Boba Baby Carrier

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This week, QuirkyBaby turns the spotlight on the Boba Baby Carrier, a buckle carrier that’s relatively new but has quickly become extremely popular. My guest this week is Elizabeth Antunovic, designer of the Boba and founder of NAP, Inc., which also makes the Sleepy Wrap. Fun fact about the Boba — it takes its name from Boulder Baby (carrier).

Why QuirkyBaby loves the Boba Baby Carrier:

• It provides ergonomic support for older, taller, heavier babies, toddlers, and preschoolers and their parents
  
• It’s made from organic cotton and manufactured in Boulder, Colorado
• It’s a rugged, simple, reasonably priced soft structured carrier

QuirkyBaby offers the Boba 2.0, in six organic color combinations, including the Tweet print! Check out the Classic, which offers the same great fit and functionality in a less expensive, non-organic version.

Tags: Boba, Buckle Carriers