Win a “Fantasies” Mei Tai Carrier!

dittanybaby — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:16:01 +0000

We got a call from Santa that he needs a little help with presents this year! He wants us to giveaway 2 “Fantasies” Mei Tai Carriers!! All you need to do to enter to win is follow @DittanyBaby & retweet the following “RT @DittanyBaby Santa called & needs help! He wants me to #giveaway 2 “Fantasies” Mei Tai Carriers!! Follow & RT to enter #babywearing ”

If you do not have a Twitter account that is okay! All you need to do is follow this blog and comment here with why you would like to win a “Fantasies” Mei Tai Carrier

We will randomly draw a winner.

Good Luck!

Posted in General Information

Introducing the H20 sling

dittanybaby — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:15:22 +0000

H20 sling – The Ultimate Water Sling

Lightweight, durable, breathable and fashionable this sling has it all! It’s been a year since we began the design and testing of our new water sling. Why did it take so long you ask? The end result speaks for its self. Perfection!

We put the H2O sling to the test! Our extensive testing was completed not only by our staff but by 6 mom bloggers over the entire summer. The results – 100% positive feedback. Here are a few points that we kept hearing about over and over again, just to name a few :

how soft and luxurious the sling felt
the water flow which allowed the baby to enjoy the water along with the wearer
how fast it dried
its durability

Our group of moms took our H2O sling with them in the shower, lakes, the ocean, the pool, even Disneyworld!

At one point I received a message from an excited mom who talked about no more “slippery baby syndrome” in the shower. With the H2O sling she could lather up and rinse the baby feeling more secure than ever before.

From salt water to chlorine, with all of the different elements and situations that our mom testers put this sling through not a stone was left unturned!

Here are just 3 examples of some of the feedback we received-

“My baby hates it when I shower without him, and I hate showering when I know he’s crying. The H20 sling means we can both shower happy and together” – fentonslee, mom blogger

“I think it is splendid! The material is amazing!” – Aude, store owner/France

“I am loving the water sling. I have used it in the shower, pool and just out shopping, it works wonders” – Jennifer – mom blogger

The weather may be getting colder for some of us but I’ll venture to bet that the next time you take your little one into the shower you’ll remember this sling and wish it was yours !

Save 20% now through 10/15/09. Click HERE to order yours today.

Shannon, owner

http://www.DittanyBaby.com

Posted in General Information

SALE – Back to School Essentials

dittanybaby — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:58:37 +0000

Posted in General Information

Nursing and a Sling – guest post by Zealandsmom

dittanybaby — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:43:16 +0000

When Dittany asked me to write breastfeeding post, I wasn’t sure I could muster up enough words! I think breastfeeding is alot like childbirth and you forget all the bad and pain associated with it at the very beginning. With Zealand I had undiagnosed thrush for 6 weeks. I thought I had failed because the latch hurt so bad! I exclusively pumped for about 6 weeks, it wasn’t until I went to see the lactation consultant with barney purple nipples that the problem was solved! Once the thrush was cleared, I nursed everywhere! I have nursed in every position and in every way shape or form. I remember walking around Macy’s with a nursing cover draped over my neck and holding Zealand in my arms. I hadn’t found a supportive nursing tank yet, so my entire back/side was hanging out….but hey we got it down quick, I wasn’t gonna let feeding Zealand stop me from shopping and plus I had just seen a teenager with her gut hanging out on PURPOSE!

I would have to say that discretely nursing and nursing with the most comfort in any type of carrier would have to be a sling or a wrap. Pictured here is me nursing Kingsley. Kingsley is 15 pounds, 7 months and quite the squirmer. We are nursing in a “soon to be on the market” Dittany water sling:) I have since found a nursing tank of my dreams, and that is why you probably wouldn’t even know I was nursing. With shirt pulled up and tank pulled down, she is in a much calmer position than if I were to nurse her in a chair….(she tends to flail alot and is in a stage now where she thinks sitting up and nursing like a gerbil drinking from a water bottle is the most fun since pureed avacado)! After Zealand I ditched the nursing cover, my lack of modesty has finally bottomed out.

I’m a modern woman. I’m on the go! I’ve people to see, playgroups to go to! NO sitting and nursing here…..slings are the way to do it all….and look fashionable doing it:)
Happy World Breastfeeding Week everyone!!

Posted in General Information

Wordless Wed. – The Lua can be a WHAT??

dittanybaby — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:12:44 +0000

Mobile Phone uploads from Michelle & McK out and “on the go” using the Baby Lua as a nursing cover.

Posted in General Information

“I threw a blanket over my baby’s head to feed him” – by Slee Guest Blogger

dittanybaby — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:04:16 +0000

I threw a blanket over my baby’s head to feed him. You read that right. A blanket. On Snapdragon’s head.
When I first was told by my husband that I needed a nursing cover, I was a little mad at him. Breastfeeding is one of the most natural experiences in human experience. It falls very shortly behind breathing in terms of vital behavior. So why on earth should I have to cover up? Don’t get me wrong, I do have some truly lovely fabric that I could finally showcase if I made a nursing cover, and that thought IS somewhat appealing, but I live in a lactation forward kind of state, and I don’t want to backslide by covering up. In Illinois, as I am fond of pointing out to Mr. Cover-up, a woman has the right to breastfeed her child in any place she is otherwise authorized to be, public or private. Legislators actually codified it, not just leaving off, as Wisconsin does, after exempting the exposure of the tatas from the category of lewd behavior. So, armed with the knowedge that I have every human right and legal right to feed Snapdragon anywhere but in a moving car, I obstinantly refused to register for or make a nursing cover.
I’ve nursed him at a wedding, in parking lots after an “I hate going places” tantrum, and at the library. Nursing him in public doesn’t bother me at all. So why oh why then do you suppose I threw a blanket over his head to feed him?
It turns out, I hadn’t thought the whole thing through.
Yesterday we went to my mother’s house and she was doing yardwork. It was a lovely day, so Snapdragon and I settled into a chair near where she was weeding. But as the clouds lazily drifted across thatcrisp blue sky, I felt the intense heat of the sunlight on my shoulders. Then it hit me, his skin is thin. Like pages of a Bible thin. He can’t be getting roasted like this! So I grab a receiving blanket from my ill organized diaper bag and drape it over his head.
I suddenly am that mom.
I am that mom, and in retrospect, its a good thing, because my shoulders are completely sunburnt. Yes, I’m red with white spots, but neither Snapdragon or leftie had to suffer the same fate, so I am proud to have been intelligent enough to throw a blanket over my kid’s head to feed him.
But that got me thinking. Mightn’t there be other times when I’d want a light and pretty cover?
I’d been sooo focused on it being my right to breastfeed in public without draperies, that I’d forgotten I also have the right to be covered when maybe I don’t want creeptastic people staring at me. Maybe sometimes I’d rather not have to worry that distractable!baby is distractable and I just might be flashing my nipple for no good reason while he watches the birds intently. Sometimes that pervy uncle just doesn’t need to see the girls.
So I am going to make me a glorified bib, just as soon as I can get past the nervous angst that accompanies any forray into cutting any of my stash.

Since first writing this, I have, as you can see in the picture which I added tonight, acquired a nursing cover. It is a Dittany Baby nursing cover, and although it is a tad bit rumpled in said picture, I love it. It wouldn’t be rumpled if I didn’t love it. When Shannon sent it to me, I positively squeed with delight, and I’ve found it to be quite useful.

My spouse loves it. Tonight at dinner, when Snapdragon decided he was starving, and rightly so since everyone else was eating, Spouse was clearly a little worried that I was going to flash the entire resturant, which of course, would have been my right as a mother, but it was nice to see all the tension flow out of his neck and shoulders when as I pulled Snapdragon from his baby bucket, I asked Spouse to pull my nursing cover out of the diaper bag.

Its been quite useful. Despite my penchant for being someplace sunny around feeding time, Snapdragon has not yet gotten a single sunburn, nor have the girls, which is nice, because I can’t imagine how nursing with sunburt tatas would feel.

My nursing cover has also been wonderful in terms of interacting with the rest of the adult world. So often when I’m nursing in public, people seem to avoid looking at me or talking to me when I’m nursing. Sure, if I’m wearing a bright stripey nursing cover with a baby underneath it kinda screams “Hey, nursing a kid over here!” But that said, it also screams “Yes, I’m nursing, but you don’t have to worry about being embarassed for catching a glimpse of my nipple!” And lets face it, a lot of the discomfort of talking to a nursing mom is that it’s hard to know if she’s going to be embarassed if you do. Well, I wouldn’t be, but now no one has to worry about it.

If you asked me what the best part of my nursing cover experience has been, it’d be hard to say. I love the way that, unlike the blanket method, I can still see him when he’s nursing. With a blanket it’s nearly impossible to get a baby to latch on properly wihtout exposing everything you’re trying not to show in the first place. I also love that because of the same features that make it easy to see my nursling, I also know that the air is circulating happily for him, so no worries there. It’s also nice that he tends to stay more focused on nursing when I use the cover. All Snapdragon’s curiousity is often a very difficult beast to tame, and it’s nice to have a simple solution for reducing distractions. As I already said, I also heart that I get treated like I’m still at the grown up table, conversation, eye-contact, and the whole shebang.

So the best part is? No more throwing a blanket over his head to feed him.

Have you ever thrown a blanket over your baby’s head to feed him? I’d love to know that I’m not alone.

Posted in General Information

World Breastfeeding Week

dittanybaby — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 22:25:23 +0000

Breastfeeding at one time was a sore subject to me…LOL no pun intended! If I had known then what I know now it would have been so very different. If there was one thing I wanted as a new mom more then anything it was to breastfeed.

With baby #1 I thought I was doing ok and was just petrified when the doctors came in and said that my sons bilirubin count was dangerously high and that I needed to supplement. Was there any going back?? What about nipple confusion?? What if he doesnt’ like me anymore?? So many questions that a brand new mom faces in her head but never talks about.

Baby #2 I was determined to have an “easier” time with. I read the books, changed the diet, rented the mother of all breast pumps from the local lactation center. I thought I was ready…..it was still hard. It wasn’t the late hours, it wasn’t the “pain” …no matter what I did I just never seemed to “have enough”. What I know now was that I was really still doing it alone. The little information I had gleaned did nothing to help give me the encouragement, preparation, understanding that I personally needed. Ok…obviously I wasn’t one of those “naturals”. But…you know what…not everyone is and there are others like me who desparately crave to be one.

Where was twitter then? I could have really used you guys!! The blogs I’ve read, the resources I’ve found….no one ever gave me any of this info…not even the center where we used to live. Guess what!! Thank goodness for World Breastfeeding Week and all of the great bloggers, doulas, lactation consultants, friends and families out there because we’re going to help bring some of that information to you! What a perfect moment in time to stop and reflect that there are women out there who were like me…in need of help!

I’m kicking off World Breastfeeding Week with a giveaway! Great information, all in one place! “Real moms, Real Experts, Real Advice” That’s the tagline from Shari Criso, MSN, CNM, IBCLC from www.mybabyexperts.com. Amy with www.makesmomhappy.com introduced me to Shari’s breastfeeding education DVD & audio CD and a part of me inside wanted to cry! I definitely could have used this! So….now we’ll both have one…me and whoever wins our great giveaway!

Giveaway – Dittany Baby Nursing Cover w/ complimentary “Simply Breastfeeding: The Crisco Breastfeeding Method”

Ways to enter:

Subscribe to Dittany Baby’s email newsletter located on the left side of our homepage
Follow @dittany or @thebabylua via twitter
Become a facebook fan of Dittany Baby
Comment below on something that helped make your breastfeeding experience helpful
Tweet about this great giveaway and get the word out to help other moms

Not sure what to tweet: RT @dittany #breastfeeding moms are helping others with great information and great gear http://dittanybaby.wordpress.com

Giveaway Ends Tuesday 8/4/09 at 8pm CST – Open Worldwide

**This giveaway is not sponsored by www.makesmomhappy.com or by Shari Criso. The blog post and giveaway is just our way of helping other moms find good resources to get them on the road to a wonderful and successful breastfeeding journey!

Coming This Week

1)Guest Blogger – Paisley and Pretties http://fentonslee.blogspot.com – A midwester mom’s sustainably creative approach to life, the univers and making things just that much better. Hear her tale & another great giveaway- Watch for her blog post on Tuesday 8/4/09

2) The Baby Lua is a What??? – stay tuned for details Wed night 8/5/09

3) Guest Blogger – Zealandsmom http://zealandsmom.blogspot.com – a 29 year old real life, and really funny mom who’s unexpectedly found out she’s a breastfeeding advocate. – & another great giveaway!

Posted in General Information

Winners!!!

dittanybaby — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:25:25 +0000

Grand Prize- Baby Lua, Nursing Cover, Skidpants and $10 Gift Certificate – Gwenn S.

2^nd Prize- Baby Lua – Pailin W.

3^rd Prize- $25 Gift Certificate – Sarah N.

Posted in General Information

The Baby Lua

dittanybaby — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:00:34 +0000

Dittany Baby Giveaway!!

Fabulous fabrics and Intelligent design! That is what we got when Nicole from Sassafied joined forces with Dittany Baby! She is an amazing designer bringing a fabulous product and we wanted to introduce you to her! Along with a note from Nicole is information about our next great giveaway!!!

Hi there everyone! I am really excited to be on board with Dittany and all the great products we bring to you moms out there! We know (as moms ourselves) the smallest thing can make our lives so much easier!

Let me start by telling you a little about me! I have been married to my husband for 7 years and I am a SAHM of 3 under the age of 5! I know, I know, crazy, but life is good in its crazy way! I was a school teacher until my first was born, I love soccer and I love warm weather!! I’ve been blessed to be able to stay at home and take part in raising our children!

Ok enough about me!! We’ve had some major changes going on!! The biggest being our new product………………………… The Baby Lua!!!

The Baby Lua is the ultimate baby car seat blanket!! We have combined stylish elegance with the hippest fabrics to provide the best product for you! You’re asking me, “Why would I need The Baby Lua?” You need The Baby Lua because it allows you to safely and securely carry your baby, keeps on-lookers at a distance, can also be used as a nursing cover, etc. Need I go on?

Now you’re asking me, “How do I get one?” There are several ways to enter. You can visit our website www.dittanybaby.com and sign up for our newsletter. No spam emails here! Just the occasional sale or giveaway newsletter and who would want to miss knowing about those?? You can also tweet @dittany to enter or leave us a comment on facebook. You could be the first to have your Baby Lua!! The giveaway runs now through Sunday (July 5^th, 2009) there will be the following prizes:

Grand Prize- Baby Lua, Nursing Cover, Skidpants and $10 Gift Certificate

2^nd Prize- Baby Lua

3^rd Prize- $25 Gift Certificate

We will post the winners on Sunday day by first name only and email them at 8pm CST. Enter today! Can’t wait to hear from everyone!! Enjoy!

Posted in General Information

Nursing Cover Giveaway now through 6/12

dittanybaby — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:15:40 +0000

We’re celebrating our new nursing covers with a GREAT giveaway!! Guess what? It’s even better than that! We’re not only giving away a new nursing cover but in addition to that a bonus gift each day!

6/9 – nursing cover + bonus matching skidpants – Congratulations Danielle N. (entry via email) – twitter winners are released via twitter only for privacy purposes!

6/10 – nursing cover + $10.00 gift certificate – Congratulations Michele F. (entry via email) – twitter winners are released via twitter only for privacy purposes!

6/11 – nursing cover +2 pairs of skidpants – Congratulations Lindsey A. (entry via email) – twitter winners are released via twitter only for privacy purposes!

6/12 – nursing cover +suprise bonus!

We will post the winners each day by first name only and email them at 8pm CST. Enjoy! Two ways to enter. Send and email to customerservice@dittanybaby.com or send us a tweet @dittany

Posted in General Information