New Fabrics

Check our our super cute new fabric. The first two are brand new and the third is a limited edition fabric brought back by popular demand! It is also the fabric used in our recent Baby Tai giveaway. Go to the Baby Tai Shop for more information.

Melinda

And the winner is......

We are so grateful for all the wonderful comments and after all was said and done we had 161 entries!

The winner is....

Rachel-http://thismamashands.blogspot.com/

And, because we where blown away with how many people entered our first giveaway (and we wish everyone could have won) we decided that if you are interested in a Baby Tai product and entered the giveaway we will give you a 15% discount on anything we have in our shop. All you have to do is e-mail us at babytai.email@gmail.com and let us know what you are interested in. We will verify you entered and then personally send you an e-mail with your discount included. Make sure to hurry, this offer only lasts until 3/11/08.


Thank you again for your kindness and support! Stay tuned for more giveaways. This one was so fun we decided we will do it again soon.


-Melinda

GIVEAWAY! Stay tuned I will announce the winner today!

We are so excited for our new website that we are giving away 1 beautiful mei tai baby carrier!

To enter the contest leave a comment below. You can tell us if you have ever used a mei tai before, what the weather is like where you live, what your favorite flavor of ice cream is…. the possibilities are endless.

Want more entries? Here’s how:

• We'd love for you to blog about this giveaway. Make a comment with the link to your blog and we will give you 2 extra entries!



• Add our button to your blog. Add a comment with a link to your site so we can see the button and receive 1 extra entry!



• Email 3 friends about this giveaway and receive 1 extra entry! (Be sure to CC those e-mails to babytai.email@gmail.com to get credit!)



• Subscribe to Baby Tai and receive 1 extra entry! Leave a comment telling us you subscribed.



• Become a “fan” of Baby Tai on Facebook and receive 1 extra entry! Leave a comment telling us you added us on Facebook.
  
  
  Make sure to leave an email or blog link with your comment so I can contact you if you win.
  

The contest is over. Thank you to all who entered!

I'll announce the winner* sometime TODAY so stay tuned.

**** see next post to find out the winner!****
* I will tally up everyone's entries and the winner will be chosen at random using the random.org integer generator.

Facebook

We just created a website page on Facebook for Baby Tai. Gotta love social networking. If you are a facebooker check us out and become a "fan!"

Click here to see our page.

Melinda

More items up for sale!

Check out the new items for sale on the Baby Tai website! The sling bags are up, as are the hooded towels. Pretty soon we will have some nursing wraps that go all the way around so your back won't be exposed when nursing. Keep checking back for new stuff!

Ily

The great cloth diapering adventure

*********Warning, this is a very longwinded post. Only read if you want to learn something new!

I, Ily, one of the Baby Tai Makers, and mom of 3, decided to make the switch to cloth diapering recently. Cloth diapering has actually come a long way in the last few years. There are a ton of cute diapers out there that work really well. I am doing it so that my baby Reece, now 2, will start to recognize when he pees so he can hopefully potty train faster. And it is nice to only spend the money once and then just keep washing the diaper. Very thrifty.

My beef with disposables is that disposable diapers are great and the technology they use is amazing. The kids don’t even realize they are wet because the diaper is so wonderfully absorbent. Heck, we only used 3 a day for Reece really (in the morning, when poopy, and before bed). It was the same way for my older boys… They were happy with that set up from age 1 all the way till they were 3 and a half! Since I carried Reece the most, in a Baby Tai carrier of course, he learned to balance and to walk the fastest. I am hoping that cloth diapering will have a similar affect.

Since each diaper cover costs roughly $15 to $20 each and then you have to pay for an insert to soak up the pee too, I decided to make some covers. My favorite diapers so far are the pocket diapers by Drybees and Fuzzi Bunz. I thought naively that I would only need 3 diapers a day just like with disposables… HA. These have to be changed much more. They leak if you leave them on for too long with out the bulkier soakers in them. For bedtime, two soakers is fine, but day time when they have to fit pants over them? Not gonna happen. They would hate walking with all that bulk down at their crotch.

So this is what I learned. Soakers, or diaper inserts, are not all created equal.

Cotton= okay. Absorbs some, but has to be changed after each void (when the kids pees) to prevent leaking, therefore making you have to use more diaper covers in your day and increasing your need for a supply of pocket diapers. Or you just wash laundry alot, which gets old fast. Average cost=? I am just using my Chinese pre-fold cloth diapers that I used as burp clothes when the boys were babies. And I am not sure why they are referred to a chinese. So don’t ask.

Microfiber= Better. Absorbs a lot more and very quickly too. It is very thirsty, but it doesn’t do well next to the skin. Very irritating. Sucks all the moisture out I am guessing. If it is in a pocket diaper, it is fine, or if it is covered by any fabric like flannel or fleece for instance, is won’t irritate the skin. It does have a saturation point though and won’t last through the night. Average cost= $3.25 per insert.

Bamboo= Haven’t tried it. Supposed to be pretty thirsty and better than cotton. No clue on the cost.

Hemp= Absorbs a lot, but very slowly. If they pee, it might leak out before it gets soaked up. Average cost= $5 per insert. Paired with a Microfiber insert though for over night... it is magical.

Wool= the best I hear. More costly, not sure how much. Has to be lanolinized occasionally. Sounds fun to try someday.

So for the day time what works best? For me I switch between cotton and microfiber. I go through about 4 or 5 diapers in the day time.

At night I use a pocket diaper with both a microfiber and a hemp insert. It seems to work well. Reece hasn’t leaked by morning, and he doesn’t stink as much as he used to with the disposable diapers after the long night. I wonder if the stuff in the diapers stinks when saturated with urine? I just had thought it was the pee smell, but now I am not so sure anymore. Or maybe he does smell like pee and I just don’t notice anymore?... Don’t tell me if that latter option is the truth. I would rather remain clueless on that one. And if I just grossed you out, then SORRY! As a mom, I think almost nothing gross is taboo anymore! It is a strange side effect of parenthood.

So now to the trick of the day I just learned. I went to go buy more microfiber and hemp inserts today and the store that normally carries them was out and the owner suggested just going to the auto parts section of Target and getting those microfiber towels they stock for drying your car with after you wash them. Fold them into thirds and you are good to go. Ok, so I went to Wal-mart instead, checked out their selection of microfiber towels, and sure enough, they have them 8 for $5. I bought some. I am happy to report, they work. And Reece thinks they make a great superhero cloak too.

Since each diaper cover costs about $15 to $20, I decided to make some instead. I thought, heck, I can reverse engineer these things and make them for myself. I can make just about anything if I am really determined. All you need is some PUL fabric, elastic, and something to line it with. After 4 attempts all I can say is this: buy them. I didn’t estimate how much the elastic changes the final size. Whoops. The first one didn’t even go all the way around the kid. It was also too deep in the crotch (the rise was too long) and so it gaped at the legs. Gaping means leakage. Not good. I then tried to make it small, but it then leaked at the new seam I made and I pretty much think it should be trashed and was a good one to teach me about the don'ts of diaper making. The second one was usable, the third was ok, the fourth, not too bad. None of them are pretty. If I hadn’t already bought the fabric for more, and wasn’t a cheapskate, I would scrap the project and just go buy some new "Drybees". Seriously, I suggest buying them.

Another thing I learned from this is that the fabric you line the diapers with should really be a fabric that wicks moisture away from the skin. I am not talking going and buying some cool max fabric, but lightweight fleece works well (lightweight fleece sheets are on sale at Wal-mart for $12 for a twin set this week which will make a lot of diapers if you use it for fabric) and certain polyesters work too. Cotton is not so great.

So there you have it. I have been a maker. Would I suggest you make cloth diapers? Yes, if you have infinite patience, or really good sewing skills. No if you don’t have a reason to.

Do I like cloth diapering? I actually do. My garbage output has been reduced by half. I will save $40 every two months once I change back to the smaller garbage can. Also, I won’t really just run out of diapers and have to go to the store desperate for more. And I am going to save $70 a month on not buying disposables. And I feel more prepared for any number of emergencies. And, with "these", the poop isn’t really a problem. So I kinda like it. And hopefully it won’t last long because Reece is gonna learn to use the potty faster (in theory at least).

Thanks for Reading!

Ily

How to Wear Video

My cute sister in law Ily, co creater of Baby Tai, made an instructional video on how to wear a Baby Tai on your back. I finally got around to posting it on our site (Sorry!). Check it out! YouTube has a ton of great short videos on mei tai carrying. You can see how wonderfully versatile mei tais are. There are countless ways to tie and position the straps. You can choose how it is most comfortable for you and your baby!

Melinda

Crayon Rolls!

This past Christmas I decided I wanted to create/make something unique for my son and nieces and nephews. After my 2 year old son spilled a whole box of 64 crayons and scattering them all over during church I had my idea. I needed something that kept his crayons secure for car rides and public places and small enough to thrown into a diaper bag. Hence, the crayon roll. Each roll holds about 17 crayons, secures with an elastic band and cute button, and is made from soft and beautiful kid themed fabric. $12.95 +2.00 shipping each. If you want me to include new crayons just add $1.00 more. The fabric options are numbered below. Look for it in the Baby Tai shop.

Melinda

Sling Bags

I love being crafty! I made these sling bags this month and I love the fabrics for them. The bags are reversible and have no pockets, but with a cool removable insert that has 6 pockets, you have everything you need to be organized. There are pockets for wipes, diapers, bottles, snacks, cell phone, and pens. When you want to reverse the bag, just remove the insert, turn the bag inside out, and replace the organizer and you are ready to go again. Look for these bags on the website soon for purchase, they are totally adorable! I love making be-you-ti-ful things that are so dang useful too!

Ily

Limited Edition Fabric

I just added some really really cute fabric. I just have to say that I love them all and want to make myself 6 new mei tais. Too bad my little baby is no longer a baby and does not want to be carried. Each will be paired with dark brown twill. Check it out while it lasts. Click on the shop link to see more!

Melinda