 Hey ya'll! Today we are talking baby carrying. We all understand that baby carrying is convenient while out and about, but what is the significance behind the sensation? What you may already know is that baby wearing promotes an intimate connection between parent and baby, but what does it really do? According to experts, baby wearing is deemed one of the most important factors in your child's development. Dr. Sears suggests that babywearing is essential for up to 9 months after birth and can help promote the following for your little one:
Yeah! Just when you thought you were slinging your kangaroo baby along to the store, little did you know you were helping develop your little one! When it comes to carrying your babe, there are many products on the market. As mama bloggers, we have gone through them all! Through that, we are proud to say that we love and support LILLEBaby! Cate + I are huge on fabric quality, which is why we love their organic carrier. Not only is the fabric soft and organic, but the comfort of the carrier itself and ease of use is amazing. In addition to the organic carriers, they have an abundance of high quality wraps and rings slings with the highest quality fabric and cutest patterns. Be sure to click the link below to purchase your carrier now!  
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Hey mamas! Baby wearing might not be your jam, but we dare you to try it! There are so many benefits to baby wearing that we want to share with you and don't want you to feel like giving up if you've tried it and failed. There is definitely an art to it, and Chekoh does an amazing job at providing video tutorials. Because, let's be real, most of us have probably "worn baby" incorrectly. I quickly learned the importance of the correct position for baby's hips and head. You would roll over laughing if you saw how I originally put baby in the sling. LOL. OUR TOP 5 REASONS we love CHEKOH:1. Made of a natural, soft bamboo blend that fits like a glove 2. Comfortable and safe for baby while not hurting your back 3. The colors and prints are simply stunning 4. Lightweight enough to leave on during a diaper change 5. Easy to put on and take off      This handy dandy ‘inbuilt’ carry pocket makes it easy and practical for storing your sling while out and about. WHEN CAN I CARRY MY BABY?Chekoh "recommends wrapping from the moment baby arrives! Babywearing provides the most womb-like environment they could be in. Little bubbas love to be all cuddled in, heart-to-heart, so start carrying your new baby right away. Chekoh wraps are free of the following: NO belts NO buckles NO clips or bulky fabrics or padding involved with a Chekoh wrap Chekoh wraps are designed for the first 12 months of baby’s life, with a maximum weight range of up to 8-10kgs. Our comfortable four way stretch ensures a firm, snug fit and our fabrics mould to both you and baby ensuring a comfortable fit for everybody."  burchell party of fourWith TWO littles now, I'm more in need of assistance. This wrap is my little helper when it comes to getting things done. I can wear baby as he naps snuggly against my chest so I can do chores, help Kai, and have a free hand! When I had Kai, I couldn't find a sling I loved or one that felt comfortable enough to wear, so I just resorted to the Ergobaby carrier. However, it was bulky and didn't meet my needs in regards to comfort, ease, and style. Being introduced to a sling that ACTUALLY looked good AND felt good on was huge!    baby wearing benefits1. Sling babies cry less. Parents in my practice commonly report, “As long as I wear her, she’s content!” Parents of fussy babies who try baby wearing relate that their babies seem to forget to fuss. This is more than just my own impression. In 1986, a team of pediatricians in Montreal reported on a study of ninety-nine mother-infant pairs. The first group of parents were provided with a baby carrier and assigned to carry their babies for at least three extra hours a day. They were encouraged to carry their infants throughout the day, regardless of the state of the infant, not just in response to crying or fussing. In the control, or non carried group, parents were not given any specific instructions about carrying. After six weeks, the infants who received supplemental carrying cried and fussed 43 percent less than the non carried group. Anthropologists who travel throughout the world studying infant-care practices in other cultures agree the benefits of baby wearing cultures are that infants cry much less. In Western culture we measure a baby’s crying in hours, but in other cultures, crying is measured in minutes. We have been led to believe that it is “normal” for babies to cry a lot, but in other cultures this is not accepted as the norm. In these cultures, babies are normally “up” in arms and are put down only to sleep – next to the mother. When the parent must attend to her own needs, the baby is in someone else’s arms. 2. Sling babies learn more. If infants spend less time crying and fussing, what do they do with their free time? They learn! Sling babies spend more time in the state of quiet alertness . This is the behavioral state in which an infant is most content and best able to interact with his environment. It may be called the optimal state of learning for a baby. Researchers have also reported that carried babies show enhanced visual and auditory alertness. One of the great benefits of babywearing is when baby is in the behavioral state of quiet alertness, it gives parents a better opportunity to interact with their baby. Notice how mother and baby position their faces in order to achieve this optimal visually interactive plane. The human face, especially in this position, is a potent stimulator for interpersonal bonding. In the kangaroo carry, baby has a 180-degree view of her environment and is able to scan her world. She learns to choose, picking out what she wishes to look at and shutting out what she doesn’t. This ability to make choices enhances learning. A sling baby learns a lot in the arms of a busy caregiver. 3. Sling babies are more organized. It’s easier to understand the benefits of baby wearing when you think of a baby’s gestation as lasting eighteen months – nine months inside the womb and at least nine more months outside. The womb environment automatically regulates baby’s systems. Birth temporarily disrupts this organization. The more quickly, however, baby gets outside help with organizing these systems, the more easily he adapts to the puzzle of life outside the womb. By extending the womb experience, the baby wearing mother (and father) provides an external regulating system that balances the irregular and disorganized tendencies of the baby. Picture how these regulating systems work. Mother’s rhythmic walk, for example, (which baby has been feeling for nine months) reminds baby of the womb experience. This familiar rhythm, imprinted on baby’s mind in the womb, now reappears in the “outside womb” and calms baby. As baby places her ear against her mother’s chest, mother’s heartbeat, beautifully regular and familiar, reminds baby of the sounds of the womb. As another biological regulator, baby senses mother’s rhythmic breathing while worn tummy-to-tummy, chest-to-chest. Simply stated, regular parental rhythms have a balancing effect on the infant’s irregular rhythms. The benefits of baby wearing “remind” the baby of and continues the motion and balance he enjoyed in the womb. SLING TIP:The womb lasts eighteen months: Nine months inside mother, and nine months outside. What may happen if the baby spends most of his time lying horizontally in a crib, attended to only for feeding and comforting, and then again separated from mother? A newborn has an inherent urge to become organized, to fit into his or her new environment. If left to his own resources, without the regulating presence of the mother, the infant may develop disorganized patterns of behavior: colicky cries, jerky movements, disorganized self-rocking behaviors, anxious thumb sucking, irregular breathing, and disturbed sleep. The infant, who is forced to self-calm, wastes valuable energy he could have used to grow and develop. While there are a variety of child-rearing theories, attachment researchers all agree on one thing: In order for a baby’s emotional, intellectual, and physiological systems to function optimally, the continued presence of the mother, the most important benefits of baby wearing, is a necessary regulatory influence. 4. The “humanizing” benefits of baby wearing. Another of the ways the benefits of baby wearing improve learning is that baby is intimately involved in the caregiver’s world. Baby sees what mother or father sees, hears what they hear, and in some ways feels what they feel. Carried babies become more aware of their parents’ faces, walking rhythms, and scents. Baby becomes aware of, and learns from, all the subtle facial expressions, body language, voice inflections and tones, breathing patterns, and emotions of the caregiver. A parent will relate to the baby a lot more often, because baby is sitting right under her nose. Proximity increases interaction, and baby can constantly be learning how to be human. Carried babies are intimately involved in their parents’ world because they participate in what mother and father are doing. A baby worn while a parent washes dishes, for example, hears, smells, sees, and experiences in depth the adult world. He is more exposed to and involved in what is going on around him. Baby learns much in the arms of a busy person. 5. Sling babies are smarter. Environmental experiences stimulate nerves to branch out and connect with other nerves, which helps the brain grow and develop. The benefits of baby wearing are that it helps the infant’s developing brain make the right connections. Because baby is intimately involved in the mother and father’s world, she is exposed to, and participates in, the environmental stimuli that mother selects and is protected from those stimuli that bombard or overload her developing nervous system. She so intimately participates in what mother is doing that her developing brain stores a myriad of experiences, called patterns of behavior. These experiences can be thought of as thousands of tiny short-run movies that are filed in the infant’s neurological library to be rerun when baby is exposed to a similar situation that reminds her of the making of the original “movie.” For example, mothers often tell me, “As soon as I pick up the sling and put it on, my baby lights up and raises his arms as if in anticipation that he will soon be in my arms and in my world.” "I have noticed that sling babies seem more attentive, clicking into adult conversations as if they were part of it. Babywearing enhances speech development. Because baby is up at voice and eye level, he is more involved in conversations. He learns a valuable speech lesson – the ability to listen." - Dr. Sears "Normal ambient sounds, such as the noises of daily activities, may either have learning value for the infant or disturb him. If baby is alone, sounds may frighten him. If baby is worn, these sounds have learning value. The mother filters out what she perceives as unsuitable for the baby and gives the infant an “It’s okay” feeling when he is exposed to unfamiliar sounds and experiences." 
chekoh wrapPerfect for Fall- the CLAY WRAP boasts a beautiful burnt orange color that is sure to get all the looks this season! It sounds so salesy but it's true! The moment I put this on, I was instantly in love. The fabric is soft and stretchy and also feels lightweight. Other wraps tend to feel heavy and hot to me. The bamboo in the fabric helps it breath and keeps baby snug and cool.  CHEKOH CHATTERIn need of help and wanting support from other mamas? That's where Chekoh Chatter comes in- a Facebook group dedicated to all things Chekoh and helping parents alike with their Chekoh questions and to help one feel connected to a mama community. How neat is that!? Don't forget your 10% off with code CHEKOHLOVE   BE SURE "baby has their knees bent higher then their bottom so that it creates a nice wide, deep seated squat for baby. This provides the correct support and positioning for a safe and comfortable carry." 
 
This brand is Australian born and was created by a mama of three? We don't know about you, but we love supporting small businesses and brands that are mom made! We say YES to Chekoh!  Nashville is the place to be on Monday, August 21st, 2017, when the total solar eclipse rolls into town at 1:27pm. Lasting only TWO MINUTES and as the first total eclipse to sweep the entire United States in 99 years, this is something you won't want to miss! Read on to learn more, including where, when and how to watch this magical event in Music City. What is a solar eclipse?If you're like me, you may not fully understand what a solar eclipse is and all that it entails. Before Monday, I wanted to freshen up on my solar eclipse knowledge, starting with my understanding of a total solar eclipse. According to NASA's website, a total solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, completely covering the sun. According to www.timeanddate.com, a complete solar eclipse has 5 phases:
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