Let's talk shoes!

Baby is nice and snug in his/her baby sling but little feet are still sticking out! How to keep them warm is today's topic.

First things first. Tiny babies should have their legs tucked in the wrap. They are so small, you just wrap the fabric over their legs. When you start taking their legs out depends on the child's preference and their height. 1-3 months approximately.
When they grow, you can start taking their legs out of the wrap.

Here are a few ideas:

• Socks that would normally be too big for them will ride nicely up their legs, keeping their feet and legs warm
• Baby legs either shop bought or home made will be worn on top of their socks and shoes (I like soft sole shoes babies - Inch Blue, Robeez, Bobux...).
  You can easily make your own by cutting the foot of a sock and hemming it.
  
• Hand knitted booties (featured in the photo) or shop-bought like the Padraig Slippers are super cute and warm as well.
  
• We also like very much the Swedish mocassins at Raindrops. A sock and a shoe all-in-one, they are lovely!
  
• Natural Mothering has a similar sock/shoe solution.
• I also like the leather booties like the Robeez ones, or like these

Now I'm heading out to our last Sling Meet of the year in Glasgow.
I have lots of new goodies to play with: a Jetpack soft structured carrier, a BabyHawk mei tai.... This should be fun!

Baby sling bargains

We have listed a few baby sling bargains in the shop.

Customer returns, slight sewing irregularities (with our manufacturer's quality system is accredited to ISO 9001 standards so sewing irregularities are RARE!)

Free postage to the UK.

Customers outside the EU, log in to see the VAT-free prices.

Website feedback & holiday opening hours

We will be bringing some improvements to our website in the New Year.
If you have any comments, suggestions, ideas, things that you're finding difficult to navigate, please let us know!

Christmas Holiday Delivery Times:

To receive your baby sling in time for Christmas, please note the latest posting dates:

UK 1st Class - THURSDAY 20TH DECEMBER 9AM
UK Special Delivery - THURSDAY 20TH DECEMBER 9AM
EU Airmail (Western Europe) - THURSDAY 13TH DECEMBER
EU Rest of World - FRIDAY 7TH DECEMBER

Please note that orders made between Thursday 20th December and January 2nd will be sent on January 3rd.

A babywearing holiday: travelling with the kids

This blog is a business blog but I hope you won't mind me sharing some personal stories...

Our little guy was born in August, it was time we went to France and visit our relatives. I booked our plane tickets and said to myself, I'll think about the practicalities of travelling with the two children on my own later! I have my wrap, I'll be fine!

Baby in the wrap, we're off. He fell asleep between the checkout and the boarding gate in a front wrap cross carry. My little girl is proudly dragging her little suitcase with her things.

I'm glad to go through security and the metal detectors without having to take the baby out of the wrap. Only once in 3 years of baby wearing through airports have I been asked to remove my daughter from her baby carrier. The regulations do specify the child should be removed from the baby carrier but with no buckle, no clip, no ring, it doesn't set off metal detectors.

I'm really annoyed when the stewardess makes me take the baby out of the wrap and hold him. She is worried that if I fell forward abruptly I could bend his spine. Of course he wakes up, which means I have to hold him. That leaves me only one hand to help my daughter with her colouring, help her change into clean clothes after a smoothie incident (I'm glad she packed an extra outfit in her little suitcase!).
On the flight back, I managed to wrap him in a cradle carry. That carry holds him just in the same position as if you were holding the baby without a sling. You can slide the extra seat belt around the child.

He happily breastfeeds through take off and falls asleep half way through the flight. Still asleep, I manage to put him back in the wrap, we get off the plane, down the outside stairs in freezing rain, in the bus and back into the freezing rain. At passport control, I hand out both our passports and the woman looks at me with a puzzled face, why do you have two passports, she says. Cos I have a baby! She hadn't seen him still tucked in the wrap. He only wakes up when I pop him into the car seat.

And off we drive to Paris, our first stop.

Next Glasgow Sling Meet: December 17th

If you would like to try some slings before you buy, get some help to be comfortable with your sling, meet other baby wearing mums...

We'll be meeting again at:

Theo's Cafe
380 Great Western Rd Kelvinbridge Glasgow G4 9HT

(between the twin spires of St Mary's Cathedral and Lansdowne Church, on the sunny side of the street)

From 10.45 am to 12.45
Monday 17 December

We can get coffee, sandwiches and there is a space at the back where we can play with the slings. There is a changing area as well.

There are lots of buses and it's close to the Kelvinbridge tube station if you're coming from the train stations.

We'll have a pretty complete stash: wraps, ring slings, mei tai and pouches. If you want to try anything in particular, just let us know!

See you all there

Choose the new colour of the Calin Bleu baby sling

It's this time of the year again! Time to choose a colour for a new Calin Bleu Cool Wrap.

Many of you have been contacting us over the last few months suggesting colours, telling us what you dream wrap would be, well now is the time! We've gathered some of your suggestions (and ours!) in the swatches. Or do you have any another idea?

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR!

Email us with the colour in the title of your email at: colours@calinbleu.com

Click here to view larger colour swatches.

Calin Bleu featured on MothersWhoWork

Anne Dhir and Calin Bleu are featured on Mums who work.

From mums who do yoga classes for toddlers to those who have set up a jungle-themed park, MothersWhoWork have a bumper selection of inspiring mums. These women are like you - they wanted some flexibility at work and decided that going into business and being their own boss was the best way forward.

How Calin Bleu started, and our tips to someone who would like to start their own business.... Read more