Babywearing: the magazine | International Babywearing Conference 2016

the IBC issue

Center for Babywearing Studies Risaroo Wovens | BWI of Atlanta

Wear Together, Grow Together

IBC 2016

BABYWEARINGTHEMAG.COM

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table of contents

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21

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17

special edition

13 Ergobaby

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From the Publisher

15 Baby Tula

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Editor’s Note

17 Risaroo Wovens

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The History of the International Babywearing Conference

21 Center for Babywearing Studies

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15

What does “Wear Together, Grow Together” mean to you?

25 The Hosts: BWI of Atlanta 26 General Schedule 27 Vendor Map

from the publisher

Photo credit: Three Plus Photogra phy threeplusphotography.com

publisher SARAH ZEENBERG sarah@babywearingthemag.com

IBC here we come!

The International Babywearing Conference is the pinnacle of babywearing — a revelry of education and fluff.

We get to geek out over the science of wearing, meet our favorite YouTube stars, and play with every type of carrier imaginable. The cherry on top is meeting (sometimes for the first time!) our internet besties that we have bonded with over the shared love of babywearing. So start planning which of your stash you want to take and meet ups with some of your favorite people because it’s going to be a non-stop party!

ENJOY!

Sarah

editor NOVIA CHANG editor@babywearingthemag.com art director SARAH ZEENBERG art@babywearingthemag.com business development DANNY ZEENBERG danny@babywearingthemag.com All information provided by Babywearing: the magazine, LLC, is intended for entertainment purposes only. Those who are new to babywearing should seek out the help of a local babywearing group or professional babywearing consultant. The publisher, editors, contributors and advertisers are not responsible in the actions or misuse of any individual on the basis of reading information contained in Babywearing: the magazine, LLC. The information contained herein is not a replacement for hands on instruction.

Babywearing: the magazine, LLC assumes no responsibility for the advertisers.

Babywearing: the magazine, LLC is not responsible for typographical or production errors or accuracy of information provided by its advertisers. Babywearing: the magazine, LLC reserves the right to refuse any advertiser.

Unauthorized use or reproduction of editorial content in any way whatsoever without the written consent of Babywearing: the magazine, LLC is strictly prohibited.

on the cover

Photography by: R Chavez Photo, rchavezphoto.com IBC Exclusive Wrap, Dogwood Twilight from Risaroo Wovens, risaroowovens.com

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editor’s note

HELLO

Atlanta!

For many, babywearing remains an online world. We buy our carriers from online retailers, we chat with babywearing friends through online communities, we learn carries through YouTube. The International Babywearing Conference is an amazing opportunity to meet face to face, to learn from experts in their fields, to touch and try new carriers. The growth of IBC also shows how much the babywearing community has grown throughout the years. We hope you enjoy this time with friends, retailers and experts. This will certainly be an IBC to remember.

ENJOY!

Novia IBC 2016

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THE HISTO

international baby

2008

I

t’s hard to believe there was ever a time where there wasn’t an International Babywearing Conference, the premiere biennial event where enthusiasts, educators, and professionals gather from all over to share the love of babywearing, but it had to start somewhere. Babywearers who have been around a long time know that TheBabywearer.com (TBW), an online forum dedicated to all things babywearing, was (and for many, still is) the place to connect with other babywearers. The idea to have a babywearing conference essentially started as a way for people to meet their online friends, share their stashes, and “geek out” over carriers.

In 2006, the first conference was held in Portland, Oregon. It was

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started by Jennifer Rosenberg, whose TBW name was JenRose.

If the purpose was to meet internet friends, it succeeded but the conference grew into so much more. It grew into an educational opportunity for those teaching and those in the baby industry.

The second conference was in Chicago in 2008. It was bigger and had the first conference exclusive wrap: Didymos pink silk waves. The conference had a creative do-it-yourself competition and other fun activities. The keynote speaker was Dr. Maria Blois, the person who literally wrote the book on babywearing.

In 2010, the conference was held in Rigby, Idaho. It was a tiny town with a friendly, folksy feel in the middle of nowhere. Tourist activities included going to a rodeo and watching or marching

RY OF THE

wearing conference

2016

in the Rodeo Days Parade. Many people visited Yellowstone National Park, and lots of conference attendees bunked with people in town. There was a self-defense class and the keynote speaker was Kelley Mason, founder of Kozy Carriers.

There was also a self-defense class and a belly dance class at the 2012 International Babywearing Conference, which was held in Washington, D.C. In addition to fun classes like that though, there were classes on historical babywearing and emergency babywearing. Representatives from Didymos taught a class on weave structure, which wrap geeks loved. There were also classes that were geared toward educators, like Practice over Product. The keynote speaker was Rachel Coleman from

Signing Time.

The last conference, in 2014, was in Tempe, Arizona. It was hot, and dry but that didn’t stop all the babywearers, educators and professionals from coming out. Sherry Payne from Uzazi Village was the keynote speaker. Classes were taught by such babywearing celebrities as Babywearing Faith and Wrapping Rachel, and there were classes geared towards professionals.

After the main sessions, there were fun activities, like a cocktail hour hosted by Pavo Textiles and a “Baby Making Party.”

2016 will be the biggest and best conference yet with lots of amazing sessions and wonderful vendors. It will have something for everyone.

IBC 2016

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A Montessori inspired Play space & shop, Jacksonville, FL

baynbee.com

Featured Carrier: Tula Exclusive Hey Gorgeous Visit Baynbee.com to see our carrier selection

/baynbee

baynbee

“

Wear Together, Grow Together has been a truly revolutionary opportunity for competitors to stretch their wings and grow as artists. It has allowed them to expand their repertoire of skills and test the boundaries of their art while creating beautiful art for their fan bases to get their hands on in an unprecedented live gallery for judging. Intertwining the black, white and in between of parenting with the heart and soul of babywearing will be a delightful feast of craftsmanship. We are so excited to present this opportunity to our community so they can wear what we have grown.

”

The Great Competition of Weavers

what does

“WEAR TOGETHER, GROW TOGETHER”

mean to you?

“

Keeping your little one close allows you to develop and strengthen a lifelong bond between you and your baby. When exploring new places together, it offers the most secure and snug place for baby to be, which is right next to you.

”

BabyBjörn

“ Photo credit: Luzography, www.luzography.com

I have watched my first child grow into a wise and sometimes wily girl wearing the pieces I originally made for her as a baby with love. Each piece has been held for comfort or play as she’s grown. The metal holds impressions of both of my children, and one day will comfort their children.

”

Lullaby Links IBC 2016

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“

Wear Together, Grow Together… what this means to Cari Slings is that as our (babywearing) community continues to expand, it is our duty to continue to be inclusive of all baby wearers. As we broaden our babywearing knowledge and continue to grow, it is most important that we be respectful of indigenous and traditional baby wearing practices and culture. We grow together, and we wear together.

”

Cari Slings

“

For Woven Wings, “Wear Together, Grow Together” connects many aspects of babywearing.

It illustrates the bond created by carrying, the moments of shared experiences, and the delight of watching our wrapees grow. More than that, it represents our growth as parents and carers, the community of people we rely on, and the friendships shared around the world.

”

“

When a baby is born, a parent is created - from those first few snuggles, the earliest moments, we begin to learn and grow together. Our babies are growing into their new world as we grow into an entirely new identity, and babywearing is an extraordinary tool to carry us into that growth, heartbeat to heartbeat. What a privilege it is to facilitate and nurture that incredible bond, to provide a way to foster closeness, to teach and help and create the tools that help infants grow into secure, attached children, and adults to grow into confident, thriving parents.

”

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Líllébaby

Woven Wings

“

Wear Together, Grow Together” - People love to be loved. To know we’re cared for and to feel safe. We crave love from the moment we’re born right up until our last breath.

And when we receive love, we thrive! Babywearing instills a bond between baby and caregiver that enhances trust, fosters development, and instills confidence, establishing sturdy, healthy roots for both. When we have healthier, happier humans, we have a healthier, happy world.

”

Moby

“

Wear Together, Grow Together” symbolizes the community of people who hold each other up in our journey as parents. Together, we are learning the value and significance of wearing our babies, from bonding to our newborns or adoptive babies through toddlerhood.

The relationships and support of this community is enduring and often lasts well past our babywearing years.

”

Grovia

“

Wear Together, Grow Together immediately reminds me of the awesome, tightknit community we have in the Risaroo Wovens Chatter group. It began as a place to chat about all things RW, but has quickly grown into a community of moms and dads that are sharing their lives together, supporting and uplifting each other. It has been such a pleasure and privilege to be a part of it.

”

Risaroo Wovens

ergoBABY {BWTM} What does Wear Together, Grow Together mean to Ergobaby? {EB} Wearing your baby is a journey, much like many aspects of parenthood. Caring for our children connects us to our greater instincts and to one another as we experience the joys and the challenges. Ergobaby is committed to being a part of the ongoing conversation of day to day, bonding and growing, not only through baby carriers, but other products as well. {BWTM} What will attendees find in the Ergobaby booth? {EB} We are happy to be celebrating not only the launch of our newest carrier, the Ergobaby Adapt, but also the launch of our brand new infant insert design! Called the “Easy Snug”, it snaps into the carrier with a lower profile, and provides caregivers with the ease of use of loading baby from the side. We’ll also have classic favorites like the Original and Four Position 360 in some new fabrics and styles. {BWTM} What is the best part of meeting babywearers face-to-face? {EB} Nothing compares to in person interaction and personal connection, which transcends the work we do as manufactures, retailers and educators to motherhood and beyond. The carrier is one small part of the conversation about ways we can better support one another through the challenges of parenthood and life in general. Being able to listen and be in the moment with someone and to answer questions directly is invaluable. {BWTM} Do you have anything special planned for IBC? For the rest of 2016? {EB} Ergobaby is happy to host a session on the Adapt as well as the new infant insert design which will go into detail about our new instructions. As for the rest of 2016, we will continue supporting educators, babywearing communities, birth and postpartum professionals, as well as caregivers directly through our variety of products.

store.ergobaby.com

facebook.com/ergobaby

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our fans and other babywearing experts. We often leave events like IBC with a rejuvenated passion for babywearing and exciting plans for the what Baby Tula will do next.

{BWTM} What does Wear Together, Grow Together mean to Baby Tula? {TULA} For us, at Baby Tula, “Wear Together, Grow Together” really speaks to how babywearing doesn’t just help get you carry your child, it can mean a community that helps caregivers grow. For new parents, the community that comes with babywearing can help with the transition that many experience when welcoming a child; it can provide new friendships and new experiences which can bring newfound knowledge, confidence, and support. When we wear together, we can grow. {BWTM} What will attendees find in the Baby Tula booth? {TULA} We are excited to have samples of the lovely items we offer including our Standard and Toddler size carriers in our classic and Coast carrier style, wrap conversion ring slings, woven wraps, and baby blankets. The Team Tula members attending IBC are certified babywearing educators, so along with being able to answer all your Tula related questions, they are also able to help with the fit of your carrier and other babywearing questions. We also plan to have some really special Tula Coast carriers and blankets there that will be available for attendees to take home! We are really looking forward to chatting and connecting with the Tula fans at our booth. {BWTM} What is the best part of meeting babywearers face-to-face? {TULA} We are always love meeting babywearers in person because we get to hear personal stories, thoughts, and wishes that we may not get to hear otherwise. Although we have a lovely, active community online, there is something special about being able to see and hear the people that make up the wonderful community. Events like IBC give us an opportunity to be inspired and learn from

tulababycarriers.com

facebook.com/babytula

BABYtula

{BWTM} Do you have anything special planned for IBC? For the rest of 2016? {TULA} We can’t wait for the special surprises we have planned for IBC and the rest of 2016! At IBC, We are really excited to have some fun sharing some of our newest items and really hear out the community to learn what they want to see from Baby Tula. We will definitely have some exclusive things just for this event! Looking at the rest of the year, we can’t believe all the amazing items on the horizon, we are listening and finding ways to share more of the babywearing love so expect to see fun collaborations and even new ways to carry your baby from Baby Tula.

The Boy Who Lived - Sunshine

Risaroo WOVENS Risaroo Wovens produces jacquard babywearing wraps woven and finished in the United States. Before Risaroo Wovens began, Risaroo was already a trusted name in the babywearing world, selling a wide variety of carriers and accessories. Risaroo is now proud to offer babywearing brands from Europe and their own beautiful line of woven wraps.

{BWTM} Who is behind Risaroo and where did the name come from? What were the defining moments that led you to start both the store and the woven wrap company? {RW} I fell in love with babywearing when my son was born and immersed myself in it. Through nights and days of endless nursing sessions, I found myself researching babywearing and soaking up everything I could about it. Babywearing wasn’t common in my family, so this was a new world to me and I was in awe of something that seemed like such a natural extension of parenting.

This fascination led to research about wraps and ring slings and more research on the industry as a whole. I fell in love with wearing my son and the practice of babywearing. This ultimately led to the birth of Risaroo.

When my little brother was a toddler, he tried to say my name it came out as Risa. At some point family members added -roo to the end and Risaroo became my nickname as a child. I still have a few aunts and uncles that occasionally refer to me by that name.

I loved the idea of using it as a name for a babywearing business because it reminds me of kangaroos, who also carry their babies. It was a perfect match.

About a year after Risaroo began, the idea for Risaroo Wovens developed from my

IBC 2016

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RIGHT: Pinnacle Kenobi BELOW: Dogwood Emerald

desire to want to have a more hands on approach to the entire process: from the inception of an idea, through the design work, and culminating in high quality wraps woven and finished right here in the United States. On Risaroo’s second anniversary, we released the first wrap in our own line, Risaroo Wovens. It was a very exciting time. Even now, we love the ability to be so involved in the process from start to finish. {BWTM} How and when did you start babywearing? {RW} When my son Noah was born, all he wanted to do was nurse and sleep in my arms. He loved being held, especially in an upright position. If he wasn’t nursing, he had no interest in lying in my arms. While I fell in love with the closeness and snuggles that babywearing provided us, it also became a necessity. His affinity for nursing and sleeping in my arms stayed strong well through a year old and babywearing helped me through it. My very first carrier was a Girasol Symphuo Fuchsia ring sling converted by Jan at SBP. He is almost five years old and sadly our babywearing days are over, but he still likes to cuddle in the wraps and use them as blankets. {BWTM} How have the companies grown since you started? {RW} They have become creative outlets rather than a store. What began as an online store to sell our favorite brands of wraps has become a creative outlet that has allowed me to turn a business into something that I truly love to do. Designs are more personal and relationships are being formed with customers. It’s no longer just a store, it’s a community of babywearers sharing this special time in their lives with each other. I have the privilege in playing a small role in that, and I love it! {BWTM} Where do you draw your design inspiration from? {RW} Design inspiration tends to jump out at me from the same

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places, specifically architecture, photography, and fashion. I stumbled upon the most beautiful pair of shoes with an exquisite design that inspired the Perrault design. I also have a special affinity for vintage lace and its intricate design and I love to see a modern twist on any vintage piece. Vintage lace doilies that belonged to my grandmother inspired Kerrington. There is something so beautiful about a classic piece of fabric transformed into a modern garment.

Padme, for example, is a modern take on a classic herringbone design. Recently, we have taken a dive into the world of fandoms and are having so much fun exploring design ideas that make our nerdy hearts happy! With several different collections at both Risaroo and Risaroo Wovens, we love being able to explore many different genres of design. {BWTM} Tell us about your work with the International Babywearing conference. {RW} This will be our first year to attend the International Babywearing Conference and we are thrilled at being chosen to weave the conference wrap. The IBC committee has worked hard to make scholarships available for this year’s conference and we, along with other companies, helped sponsor individuals through a fundraiser.

We also sponsored two people from our chatter group to attend.

We have a lot of fun things planned for the conference, including a new release each day. We are mostly looking forward to the experience and to meeting everyone! {BWTM} Tell us about the IBC exclusive wrap. Where did the inspiration come from? {RW} We worked closely with the IBC committee to design this year’s exclusive wrap. We wanted a design that reflected details about the conferences host city, Atlanta, and were inspired by the

Padme Carbon

peach leaves on the IBC logo. We were inspired to name the design Dogwood after one of Atlanta’s many nicknames. Atlanta has been called the Dogwood City, named after the beautiful dogwood trees that decorate the city landscape. {BWTM} Can you give us hints as to what your next designs/ colorways will be? What does Risaroo have in store for the future? {RW} This year we were really influenced by clean, classic colors, but I think you can expect to see some pops of color, including a rainbow in the near future. We had a lot of fun designing the wraps in our Dark Side collection and you will definitely see more added to that collection as well! One of our IBC exclusives, Pinnacle Kenobi, will be an addition to the Dark Side collection. It is woven on a black warp with a bright cobalt blue mercerized cotton fill. (I’ve attached a picture) I’m a nerd at heart and Amanda, our social media manager, is too!

We have so many fans that have expressed an interest in melding together two things they love: fandoms and babywearing. We have created the Geek Files where we will be combining our love for everything nerdy with our love of babywearing. This new collection, at both Risaroo and Risaroo Wovens, will be much more influenced from our online communities. We really love our groups on Facebook and the community that has been created by the awesome moms, dads and caregivers. We will involve them a lot more in the selection and design process for the Geek Files wraps.

risaroowovens.com facebook.com/RisarooWovens Sagitta Leia

CENTER FOR

Babywearing Studies

Joanna McNeilly first conceived the idea to start a babywearing consultant training program in 2009, while working daily doing personal consultations. The Center for Babywearing Studies (CBWS) offers babywearing consultant training. Their courses are customized to the unique North American market and are ideal for retailers, manufacturers, midwifes, nurses, doulas, lactation professionals and babywearing enthusiasts. CBWS sees a future where every town and neighborhood has certified babywearing consultants, and they are in demand. The company was started to help anyone who is interested in sharing their passions about babywearing to pursue that dream.

{BWTM} Who is behind CBWS and what was the defining moment that led you to start it? {CBWS} I (Joanna) am behind it, but I am not alone. There is also Bianca Fehn, Amy Takemoto and most recently, Katie Ocampos.

In 2011, I was at a crossroads, I could stay in the babywearing world or leave it for good. I had already spent a few years pursuing the idea of a babywearing training business, but just wasn’t certain this was the long term life for me. By this time, I had lots of experience working directly with new babywearers. I knew that each person is an individual with unique needs and wishes and we needed to work from that space to empower them. A few good friends: Vesta Garcia, Beth Leistensnider, Kristen DeRocha, Britt Pegan, Alissa DeRouchie, and of course my biggest supporter, Bianca Fehn, implored me to do this work. In fact, they insisted and ultimately I listened. {BWTM} How and when did you start babywearing? {CBWS} I started like many others, researching while pregnant. This was back in 2003. Once my son was born, he made it clear he did not want to be put down and the search for a carrier that was comfortable for me began in desperation.

Many carriers and returns later, my girlfriend, who had four kids, insisted I take her NoJo, and so I tried that. Then I found a used carrier on Craigslist called the KKAFP, or Kangaroo Korner adjustable fleece pouch, and that changed everything. From there we added a few more carriers over the next year. I used my anniversary, Christmas, and birthdays as reasons to add a Custom Sachi Mei Tai, and an Ellaroo Wrap. The first new carrier I personally bought myself was a Hotsling pouch actually sewn by Kristen. It was such a fast hip carry and I took it everywhere with me. I remember loving how small it would get. {BWTM} How has CBWS grown since you started? {CBWS} When I first started, only my friends would host trainings, but slowly others started to do this as well. We have grown each year, but the number of graduates has grown exponentially. Four years ago, I had seven graduates and by the end

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of this year we will have 406 graduates who have gone through the foundations training.

We have outgrown our second business plan years faster than I expected, which always sounds great, but it also means that I must be very mindful of what and how we are progressing to make certain that we are growing in a way that will best help our grads to reach their personal goals.

The launch of the BOND Conference is one of my proudest moments in life. We had 130 people in attendance and some of the world’s leading academics and researchers all focused on helping the families in our communities’ bond for life.

Additionally, over this last year we focused on our community outreach programs. It is small, just like us, and we chose to focus our energy on the Guatemala Mamas Project. This particular project really touched my heart and I knew our funds would directly help women in immediate and profound ways. We are excited to announce our next partner project at the end of the summer.

expansion to begin the training of our next trainer, Amy Takemoto. I have said all along, “this CBWS thing can’t be all about me.” The first step in that process is to have more than one trainer. It is hard work and requires a true understanding that what we do cannot be done casually and without contemplation. We are teaching people to go out into their communities and impact individual lives. There needs to be a profound understanding that the time period a family has with their newborn is a time of extreme vulnerability and change. We have a moral imperative to do no harm and instead truly empower these families to make their own choices and for us to support them on their journey.

I will tease you and say I am super energized about two new programs we have lined up for the coming year. They will be game changers and all my excess energy is currently going to developing these programs, again all to support those who are wanting to make their love of babywearing a part of their profession, or career, or just their life! We need it all.

{BWTM} How has the babywearing world changed since you started? {CBWS} It has grown by leaps and bounds!

• We have more people in our movement.

• We have the beginnings of research that uses or looks at babywearing as a part of the project.

• We have a growing number of men taking up the babywearing message, which helps to make the practice more widespread and accepted.

• We have expanded where people are talking about babywearing in their communities. {BWTM} Tell us about your work with the International Babywearing Conference. {CBWS} I am attending this year, in a large part, to celebrate their work and the work of all volunteers. This will be my third year to do sessions at IBC. I absolutely love IBC! Each year is different and larger. I am teaching two foundations courses bookending the conference, and I know that Amy and Kathy Low have worked very hard to bring that to fruition. {BWTM} How will this conference be different from ones in the past? {CBWS} I think it will be larger of course, and there will be a greater number of research topics coming to the forefront. We will also be hearing from an engaging and diverse group of educators. I think these are two of the most exciting differences to this conference.

I find the fact that each year the conference grows to be a testament to our industry and I also see it as proof that the view of babywearing as ‘counter-culture’ is changing. {BWTM} What does CBWS have in store for the future? {CBWS} Our number one goal remains to support and empower our grads to follow their dreams, whatever they may be. We want to help them have the best groups, best businesses, the best practices they can, and so every program that we create is designed with them in mind. We will continue our core courses, and expand our ‘Biz Squad’ program.

Most exciting for me was the recent announcement of our

centerforbabywearingstudies.com facebook.com/CenterforBabywearingStudies IBC 2016

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the about Lift Memore Up Mamas, AtKristin, Lift Sarah Me and UpRachel, , we are than

www.babywearingtothrive.org liftmeupbabywearing@gmail.com #babyweartothrive @liftmeupbaby Lift Me Up

is a program providing

babywearing carriers to families who have

special needs.

children with

are excited to attend the 2016 International Babywearing are about just providingConference carriers, we in Atlanta!

Collectively and we have nine little boys, a passion education supporting families on for babywearing (6+ years each of babywearing their babywearing journey. Coming this experience), and a love for children with special needs, as caregivers and parents.

2015 Thrive Drive.....a summer....the We cannot wait to share the mission of Lift Me Up Babywearing International scholarship with those in attendance. The Lift Me Up: Babywearing To Thrive program provides babywearing carriers, for families who have children fundraiser education and support to families who have children with with special needs.

Follow our facebook special needs. page for we all of thehave exciting details!

The families serve amazing stories of how babywearing has impacted their lives. Through pictures and written testimonials we will take conference attendees along the recipients’ babywearing journeys.

Stop by the Lift Me Up table and introduce yourself and share your babywearing story with us! Feel free to ask questions about the #BabywearToThrive program, or general questions about babywearing children with special needs.

Lift Me Up, Inc. is an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) organization. Your donation may qualify as a charitable deduction, please consult with a tax advisor or the IRS to determine if your income tax circumstances allow for this deduction.

the hosts:

BWIof

ATLANTA

By Michelle Li | Photography by R Chavez Photo, rchavezphoto.com Michelle Li

BWI of ATLANTA began like many other babywearing groups did:

as a group of caregivers seeking others with similar interests. In 2006 Koala Mommas was founded, meeting twice a month to swap and share carriers, teach babywearing, and to show each other new knowledge often gained through thebabywearer.com. In 2009 Koala Mommas was renamed Atlanta Babywearers, and in 2012 we became BWI of Atlanta.

It’s been a long, tough, and wonderful four years as a BWI chapter. We’ve come so far from the coffeehouse meetings where I first wore my oldest in a bright orange stretchy wrap. Back then, we could expect our attendance to be at most 10 people. Now, as BWI of Atlanta, we routinely field five times that number at our meetings, with a generous helping of Facebook interaction during the week.

Having the conference in Atlanta feels like the culmination of all that hard work, but more than that it feels like the rightful and correct celebration for this city’s decade of babywearing history. None of this would have been possible without an excellent team of educators, nor an enthusiastic attendee pool which only grows stronger and larger.

I and others have found some of the most rewarding friendships through babywearing. It would be remiss of me at this point not to mention Aisling in a piece about how BWI of Atlanta embodies the conference motto. Wear together, grow together, indeed. We met in 2009 as frazzled first-time mothers of newborns. From there our friendship blossomed, and since we’ve happily worn our babies together at playdates, worn each other’s babies, taught together, learned together. As two of the three co-founders of BWI of Atlanta, Aisling and I have had to learn the logistics and operations of a non-profit from the ground up, going from grassroots to the some of the highest positions in the national organization. We’ve gone from two new moms happy just to chat with another adult to two women responsible for the direction of babywearing in Atlanta.

Our children are worn infrequently nowadays, but Aisling and I will still be at the conference, meeting friends old and new, doing what we have loved for the last seven years. We hope that BWI of ATL will continue to explore wearing and growing in all its forms and definitions, carrying not only our babies but each other through this part of the journey. We hope we will grow in numbers and locations served, but we also hope to grow inward, deepening our knowledge and pedagogy. We hope we’ve imparted our core values to the educators following in our footsteps, and to the attendees we see meeting after meeting.

Finally, we hope that BWI of ATL will carry on long after us. This city has already seen a decade of babywearing meetings. We’d love for it to see another and another.

bwiofatlanta.org

Aisling Schenck

facebook.com/BWIofAtlanta IBC 2016

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GENERAL SCHEDULE thursday 10:00 AM

Check In begins

11:00 AM

Exhibitor Hall opens

1:30 PM

Sessions Begin

4:00 PM

Sessions End

5:30 PM

Exhibitor Hall Closes

friday 8:30 AM

Exhibitor Hall opens

9:00 AM

Sessions Begin

4:00 PM

Sessions End

4:00 PM

Sip ‘n Shop Begins

6:30 PM

Sip ‘n Shop Ends

saturday 8:30 AM

Exhibitor Hall opens

9:00 AM

Sessions Begin

4:00 PM

Sessions End

5:30 PM

Exhibitor Hall Closes

sunday 9:00 AM

Sessions Begin

10:15 AM

Sessions End

10:15 AM

Raffle & Fun

11:00 AM Keynote 1:00 PM

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IBC 2016 Ends

babywearingthemag.com

Farideh Wraps/Banu Textiles 2 HIP MOMMY 3 Woven Wings 4 Babybjorn 5 Didymos 6 Bebe Sachi 7 Great Competition of Weavers: IBC Edition 8 Baby-Doo USA 9 Holistic Parent 10 Two Sparrows Wovens 11 Baby K’Tan 12 Sisterhood of the Babywearing Weavers 13 Ankalia 14 Cute Awaking 15 Kush Textiles 16 Over The Moon 17/18 Kokoskaa 19 Lalu Wovens 20A Onya 20B Highly Sought After 21A SlingRings 21B TwinGo 22 Shiny Star Designs / Ohana Handwovens 23 Butterfly Baby Co 24 2Lambie

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Apple Blossom Wovens 26 Naked Panda Designs 27 Yaro Slings 28 Beachfront Baby 29 Happy Family 30 TrendSetterMom 31 Zanytoes 32 Starbright Baby Toys 33 Crunchy Momma Decals 34 Chompy Chic Chewelry 35 Luz Handwovens 36 Wrapped Up 37 Family Jewels Custom Jewelry 38A Sugar & Dreams 38B Wrap & Scrap Designs 39 Bees and Weeds 40 Wenweave 41 Cassiope Wovens 42 Bijou Wear 43 TULA 44A Grovia 44B Lullaby Links 45 Moby 46A Babylonia USA 46B Nova Natural Toys & Crafts

47A Nunamoochie 47B Action Baby Carrier 48 Bohemian Baby 49 Tekhni 50 XOXO Baby 51 Wrapsody 52 MommyCon 53 Ergobaby 54 Cari Slings 55 Lillebaby 56 Risaroo 57 Chimparoo 58 Pavo Textiles 59 ETLA Threadworks 60 Marsupial Mamas 61 Hike It Baby 62 Georgia Birth Network 63 AYU 64 TCOP 65 Lift Me Up: Babywearing To Thrive 66 Breastfeeding USA 67 Natural Minded Parents 68 Lularoe by Kristen Williams (Thursday only) 68 Photobooth (Friday/ Saturday)

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VENDORhall

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