ERGObaby Carrier Review

What great timing, on the eve of Babywearing Week, we check in with our guest Blogger Gill, our ERGObaby Year in the Life Winner.  We love how Gill and her family have totally embraced babywearing and it's so heartening to see and hear about.  Check out the AMAZING photos!

1st October - "ErgoBaby, Queenstown here we come!"

My husband had alot of time off work for paternity leave - so we decided to take a family trip to Queenstown to stay in a family friends house. The mission I chose to accept was..." A whole week of William in the ErgoBaby" as there was no room for the pram in the car...

So ErgoBaby was the complete answer and I was really looking forward to it! With 5 of us packed into the car ( no people mover here folks) we drove to Queenstown with high hopes of fun times in the snow on Coronet Peak and around Lake Wakatipu. The Ergo is so compact, it just tucks away.

Since William is just a young baby, we didn't need to stay home in the afternoons for naps - so we had the freedom to go anywhere and at any time.  And boy did we have freedom with the ErgoBaby!  We packed lunch and left the house on a different adventure each morning.

We went were no pram or stroller could go...to the Summit of Coronet Peak!  We got a foot pass and went up the Main Chair lift.  William was safely snuggled and toasty warm in the Heart2Heart insert in the Ergo & I managed to take one of those 'hold the camera at arms length shots on the chair lift to prove it! ( without dropping the camera).  There was even plenty of room for his thick warm 'snow suit' he was wearing.  The sleeping hood that you can pull over and snap onto the shoulder straps was perfect for this day - keeping the cool wind out!  I trekked out to places that I wouldn't have gone if I was just holding him in my arms - the fact that he was in the Ergo gave me confidence to walk around up the top of the mountain, having both hands free to take photos, throw snowballs and help the kids.

One puzzled skier asked me " Is that a baby in there or..." Or what? I could not imagine!

We also spent lots of time in town, walking around the lake front, going to cafes where I could feed him in the Heart2Heart insert, playing in the playground & visiting Arrowtown.  The weather was wonderful while we were away. (I wanted it to snow but it didnt till the last night).  Our nearly 4 year old son also had a big long walk in the Queenstown gardens with his Dad in the Ergo too.  He found it much easier to carry him that way, rather than piggy backing him.  I got to relax and feed William again while they walked around.

We spent everyday out and about, not getting home till about 4pm.  I carried William in the Ergo ALL DAY, and no fussing.  He either slept or just chilled out.  We could go anywhere we wanted and not have to worry about pushing a pram or fitting thru shop doors etc.  We both love carrying him, especially me!  What Mama wouldn't want to be so close to her baby?

x Gill

Next adventure is a ride on the Weka Pass Railway for our Son's 4th birthday- this Ergobaby is going places!

Babywearing Week - Carrier Showcase

Starting this Wednesday it's international Babywearing Week!

To celebrate we will be bringing you a showcase of all our fantastic ranges of carriers, their specific features and who should use them and why.

In the meantime you can familiarise yourself with our carrier ranges here:

• ERGObaby Carrier (new Performance Carrier in stock now)

• dulce&zoet Baby Slings

• Unido Baby Slings (new colours just added)
  
  
• Breeze Baby Slings
  
  
• Popit Wraps

and our new addition

•  BabyBjorn Baby Carrier

Easiest way to calculate GST sell price

When I was a fish counter many years ago (quota and compliance in other words), my boss at Sanford, taught me this quick way to add and total GST on to an exclusive price to get the sell price and work out the GST exclusive price from an inclusive price.  

For the 12.5% rate, you can of course use the divide by 9 calculation to find GST content, but I've found that I rarely want to know the actual GST component, and will only then subtract that result from the price because I'm really only interested in finding out GST exclusive price.   

GST at 15 %

1)   To get the GST incl price, ie to add GST to an excl price       Multiply by 1.15

$10 excl GST x 1.15 = $11.50

2)   To work out GST excl price from an incl price                           Divide by 1.15

$11.50 incl GST / 1.15 = $10

The same applies for 12.5% rate too, just use 1.125 as the calculator.

Have you used the above method before?  Grab your calculator and give it a test run. 

And if you still need a quick way to calculate the GST content of an inclusive price:

3)    GST 15% rate = Multiply the inclusive price by 3 then divide by 23.

$11.50 x 3 / 23 = $1.50

You can can also just multiply by 0.13044 if you are a number geek like me.

      GST 12.5% rate = Divide the inclusive price by 9

______________________________________________

Are we ready?

Hopefully, good planning will enable a seamless transition.

• I have the last patch to upload today to our accounting package 
• Zeald have integrated one magic button price fixer which means they are putting a lot of power into the hands of us idiots - bet it will be a busy morning in their support centre tomorrow!

How are your GST changover plans looking on this the last day of 12.5%?

New Season OiOi Nappy Bags are here

The first of the Spring and Summer OiOi Nappy Bag styles have arrived into store.

The great news is that there is now a style of OiOi for most budgets as the prices range from as little as $140.

• the cute new OiOi Casual Bag with change mat and built in bottle pocket - $140 (three colours)

 

• The organic cotton IKAT range;  OiOi Messenger and OiOi Hobo

 

and the one I'm really drooling over

• OiOi Tan Leather Slouch Tote Nappy Bag
  

 The top of the range, and as you'd expect of a bag of this kind, it really is unbelievable gorgeous!

Free delivery NZ wide on all these great styles, even when our Free Delivery over $50 September promo expires.

SPOTTED: Aden + Anais Muslin Baby Wraps

So everyone has heard by now about Jamie and Jools Olivers new addition.  A big congratulations to them on the arrival of Buddy Bear!

Here they are leaving hospital with the family and Buddy safely tucked away in a Stars Aden+Anais Muslin Wrap.

This is far from the first time we've spotted the Aden+Anais wraps being used by celebrity parents.  Heidi Klum, Mathew McConaghy, Adam Sandler, Sandra Bullock and Isla Fisher all choose these fantastic wraps for their little ones.  Check out the Aden+Anais press page for more star power here

And it doesn't end there.  Michelle Horton, from babble.com has recently named Aden+Anais as her favourite baby gift ever!  She particularly loves the new Bamboo range featuring prints by Masala Baby NYC. 

We've just had a rearrange of Aden+Anais on Belly Beyond and now it's even easier to find exactly the style and colouring you are after.

Shop by:

Unisex

 Girls

Boys

If your favourite colour is out of stock, don't worry, we have more arriving at the end of the month.

Useless information:  my baby gift to Heidi when Finn was born was a pack of Aden+Anais Muslin Wraps, she still uses them for all sorts of things now he is fast approaching 2!  Some ideas for use:

• Swaddle: great for summer or winter
• Burp cloth
• Nursing Cover
• Stroller Cover
• Portable Cot Sheet
• Stroller or Car Seat Liner
• Tummy Time Blanket
• Change table covers

So now that baby season is almost upon us, order now or bookmark the page for when you need it.

Cuddledry Bath Towel SALE

50% off the AMAZING Cuddledry!

The Cuddledry is the ultimate baby shower gift so stock up - they never need know you paid half price!

Was $79.95 now only $39.98!  Buy now

Stocks are limited and I know we say this all the time, but it really is a case of first in first served and at $39.98 they simply are not going to last long!.  Available in Oatmeal, White, Pink or Blue, check out the four colour options here

And don't forget we have FREE delivery at the moment on all orders within NZ over $50. 

So what exactly is so great about a Cuddledry?
 
There are a few products on Belly Beyond that we have particular soft spots for.  The ERGObaby is one and the other has to be the Cuddledry Bath Towel.   Both Heidi and I have one and it's fair to say we've absolutely thrashed them.  They get washed and thrown in the dryer time and time again time and still look brand new years later. 

Apart from the convenience of being able to be hands-free while getting baby into towel straight out of the bath, the major reason why we love the Cuddledry is what it's made of.  The organic cotton and bamboo fibre is honestly magic - its massively absorbant which means it pulls away the water and this means that underneath the towel your little one is snuggly warm.

Master almost 3 insists on his Cuddledry after every bath or shower, I wrap him up in it and he's fine and dandy for as long as I need to faff about, either helping his sister, or getting dinner, or Facebooking working.  I know he's not going to freeze and that he's lovely and warm until I can get to him to get him in his PJs.

Newborn-12 mths+
Learning how to take care of your newborn is stressful enough, without the extra slippery problems associated with getting your precious wriggling bundle safely out of the bath.

Most baby towels are lightweight squares, which parents have to hold awkwardly under their chin or between teeth in order to have two hands free to lift baby.  The only alternative is to lay them on the bathroom floor, certainly not giving baby the warmth and protection they crave when lifted from bathwater into cold air. Both methods upset babies, so the creaters of Cuddledry created this ingenious but simple solution to make the bath exit a bonding time, not a stress!

Cuddledry Instructions

In our experience you can use the Cuddledry as an apron towel well beyond the newborn stage (depending on baby's size just get them to tuck their legs up as they get taller) and from then on, simply use as a normal towel, albeit a super soft and super absorbant one!


12+ months
We continued to use our Cuddledrys as normal towels.  A bonus I discovered with the domed apron piece is that you can wrap them in it like a mummy then 'dome' it shut.   (warning: don't leave them like this they'll try to walk and fall flat on their face but it's a great way to have some giggles carrying them from bathroom to their bedrooms to get dressed).

And the other use of course is as a super-hero cape - never loses it's sparkle that one!

Was $79.95 now only $39.98!  Buy now

ERGObaby Carrier - Earthquake Proof?

13th September 2010 - Guest blog by Gill, our ERGObaby Year In a Life Winner

2 Months old – Earthquake Proof!

I can’t believe my baby is 2 months old today! It doesn’t seem that long, then I take a second look at him and see how big he is. He is still very comfy and fits well in the Heart2Heart insert for the ErgoBaby. I took out the padded cushion from the bottom about 3 weeks ago as he is just growing so fast. That way I can still keep his legs tucked up and he just fits better. I’ll be really sad when he grows out of it, I just love the Heart2Heart insert.

Well the week leading up to his 2 month ‘birthday’ I had the most frightening experience of my life!

Christchurch had a 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake on the 4th September 2010 T 4.36 am.

We woke to a massive jolt and continual shaking, but what I remember apart from the sound of breaking china and glass – was the deep rumbling sound of the earthquake. Nothing compares to that sound and I don’t think I’ll ever forget. We had over a week of aftershocks that varied in strength and depth – some very close to our home. We are very blessed though as our home wasn’t badly damaged and the only loss was china and glass.

After staying at home for quiet a few days, we were all going a bit stir crazy and wanted to get out for a walk. So we went to a local lake reserve for a walk. Of course the Ergobaby was perfect for this outing… who would take a stroller for a walk, when there were cracks half a meter deep and some were about 30-60cm wide in places in the Lake reserve. And also I wanted my baby close to me!

We did quite a bit of looking about and most areas were available on foot – so once again our ErgoBaby was perfect.


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