SlumberSling Safety August 1, 2013 13:57 14 Comments

UPDATED:May 13, 2014

The SlumberSling has been professionally crash tested by MGA Research, an independent company that provides crash testing services to major car seat manufacturers. MGA Research, having conducted the test with a child dummy in a current market car seat found that "All of the requirements for child seat testing
were met. The addition of the SlumberSling did not cause the dummy to fail requirements."

This is the validation that many of our consumers have been seeking - confirmation that the SlumberSling is in fact safe according to current car seat testing requirements. Please feel free to contact us at customerservice@ashandalysbabes.com with any further questions.

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Former post from 2013 regarding safety concerns:

We have been seeing increased interest in our SlumberSling in recent months, and are very excited about the positive feedback and enthusiasm parents around the world are showing in this product. In addition to the great reviews we are getting, we certainly also receive questions about safety. I wanted to say a few words about this.

Because this product is used on young children and as a car seat accessory, safety is typically the first thing a parent will question. There are a few factors that we have incorporated into the design of the SlumberSling to achieve safety.

First and foremost, the entire product is made of fabric and soft materials; the band that supports the child's head and loops around the car seat is elastic, which gives it a lot of flexibility and absolutely no rigidity. It is fastened with adjustable hook and loop fastener (i.e. Velcro), further ensuring the appropriate amount of 'give'.  The child has plenty of freedom of movement when the product is in use given its design using only soft materials. Moreover, because there are no hard materials on the product, it ensures that if it were to come off or be stressed in an accident, there would not be any hard piece that could come off and hit the child or any passengers in the car.

Secondly, when a child is properly secured in a car seat, his/her shoulders are snug against the back of the car seat, meaning that the child's body can't lean forward in any way. Therefore, if the SlumberSling were to slip down from the forehead to the neck area, it would no longer be pulled taut, and would simply rest slack around the neck and shoulder area. When a child is properly secured, there is no possible way for his/her body to lean forward into the product and cause any pressure on the neck.

As you can see on the product page, we indicate that this product is not designed for nor suggested for use with reclining infant car seats, and is intended for use only on convertible car seats and booster seats. It is not intended to be used as a safety device, and as always, parents should rely on the advice of their doctor for all child related products.

We welcome ongoing feedback and can be reached at customerservice@ashandalysbabes.com with specific questions. We love seeing new reviews on the product, and take all of our customers' comments into consideration. We are a small, family owned business, and I created the product for use on my own children who have been using it for years. The photo below is of my oldest son using the SlumberSling years ago when we first launched it into the consumer market.

Safety is a top priority. Please stay in touch with us!

-Ashley

Product Review: Squooshi February 18, 2013 15:49

I haven’t gotten this excited about a new product since we dreamed up the SlumberSling. Squooshi is my new favorite thing for so many reasons – which is why we’re now carrying them on the site, and including them in one of the few product reviews we do here on our blog.

I’ve always been frustrated with finding healthy, affordable on-the-go snacks for my kids. String cheese, apples, fruit leather and homemade fruit/nut bars tend to be my standard choices, but none of those are typically filling enough to make a full snack for my big eaters. Reusable sandwich and snack bags started to make packing snacks a little easier, but I still feel like I’m always lugging around 10 pounds of food everywhere we go.  

My kids love the food pouches and applesauce pouches from the grocery store. The problem is they are not cost effective, and every snack just creates more trash for the landfills. This is where Squooshi comes in and saves the day.

According to the Squooshi founder, over 2 billion single use food pouches end up in landfills every year. So, facing the same snack challenges most moms are familiar with, she was inspired to create an affordable, reusable version.

Some of Squooshi’s awesome features: BPA-free, Phthalate-free, PVC-free, and Lead-free, money saving (pre-filled pouches cost $1.50-$2.25 each), save energy (pre-packaged food travels over 1,200 miles before it reaches you), less mess and less for mom to tote around in her bag.

Here are a few snack ideas I’ve used in our Squooshi pouches.

·      Strawberry-banana puree

·      Green smoothies (which can be frozen in batches)

·      Applesauce

·      Plain yogurt (SO much better than the sugary, artificial Go-Gurts)

·      Mashed avocado

·      Peanut butter, cooked oatmeal and banana mush 

·      Hummus to squeeze on crackers packed in a reusable snack bag

I think you’ll love Squooshi as much as I do! And please share your favorite Squooshi recipes with us on Facebook!

-Ashley

Cloth Diapering Basics February 8, 2013 15:29

When I became pregnant the first time around, I was already a little bit crunchy. I shopped organic, ate vegetarian, planned to make my own baby food and strongly believed in breastfeeding. I had a long way to go in learning about natural childbirth, babywearing, eco-fashion, co-sleeping and attachment parenting.

My pregnancy was a journey physically, emotionally and in becoming a true believer in green living. Through this journey, however, I continued to resist embracing cloth diapering. I could not get over the idea of washing dirty diapers in my own home, and handling the whole poop-on-fabric thing. Surprisingly, it was my husband – who had been cloth diapered as a baby – who pressed the issue until I gave in.

I’m so glad he was stubborn on that one issue. Using cloth diapers has been so easy, saved us tons of money and is one simple way for our family to reduce our footprint (and reduce our children’s exposure to chemicals). For those of you out there who fear cloth diapers, here are a few basics to 1) ease your hesitation and 2) get you started.

·      Washing your cloth diapers is easy: Plan to run a cycle every 1-3 days depending on how many diapers you have in your stock; a cold rinse, hot wash and final cold rinse cycle is all it takes!

·      Poop-on-fabric is not as bad as it sounds: There are lots of ways to make removing solid waste from diapers easy (see below) – plus for the first six months before your baby eats solid foods, the poop isn’t really solid anyway and diapers can go straight in the wash. 

·      Save money!: Cloth diapers are an up front investment, but over time you will save money by not buying disposables. The money you save on disposable diapers (which are expensive!) outweighs what you spend on increased use of water and detergents.

·      Cloth diapers can reduce rashes and skin sensitivities: Conventional disposables contain harsh chemicals and chlorines that can harm your baby’s delicate skin and cause irritations.

·      Cloth diapers often lead to earlier potty-training: Because they feel wet when they are wet in cloth diapers, cloth diapered toddlers tend to be more eager to use the potty. 

·      Modern all-in-one, one-size, pre-fitted diapers have replaced the traditional pre-fold with covers: Check out the FuzziBunz on our site – they are so easy to use, and the one-size variety make it so you only have to buy one set for all your diapering years.

·      You can always use a service: Just Google ‘cloth diaper service’ with your city name and you’ll find resources for services that pick up your dirty diapers and replace them with a clean set every week.

·      They are so cute!: I love all the cute prints and bold colors of cloth diapers.  You can find pretty much anything to suit your babe’s style.

There are lots of resources out there from other moms who cloth diaper. We love The Eco Friendly Family. Here’s my list of items you need to get started:

·      A set of pre-folds (12-24 should be enough depending on how often you plan to wash) with covers (3-5 covers is enough – I prefer the cotton covers for the best comfort and breathability) for your newbie (pre-fitted diapers tend to be too bulky for little newborns)

·      A set of fitted, all-in-one diapers (12-24 again depending on how often you plan to do laundry) – such as FuzziBunz

·      A basic diaper pail

·      Cloth-diaper friendly bottom balm, like the one from Earth Mama Angel Baby

·      Unscented, basic laundry detergent (eco-friendly detergents like the ones from Seventh Generation do not usually work well for cloth diapers); I make my own by adding 1 cup of borax, 1 cup of oxo-brite and 1 cup of baking soda to a gallon of water, I also know lots of moms who like Charlie’s Soap

·      Bulk size bottle of vinegar (adding vinegar to the first rinse cycle removes ammonia from the urine on the diapers)

·      Dryer balls to reduce dryer time (line drying works great too and line drying in the sun removes stains!)

·      If you don’t want to spend time dunking poopy diapers in the toilet to rinse of solid waste, you can purchase a sprayer that attaches to your toilet for easy rinsing; alternately you can line diapers with a biodegradable, flushable liner that makes removing solids a snap

·      A wet-dry bag for on the go (I love the one I have from PlanetWise that a friend gave me)

·      Cloth wipes if you plan to use reusable baby wipes as well

Now you are set! Happy diapering! 

-Ashley

Introducing: Weekenders! January 2, 2013 21:14

Traveling is awesome. Traveling with kids is awesome, mixed with some other stuff (exhausting, lots of work, excessive planning, anxiety). Part of the fun of parenting is experiencing things with your children anew; which means you are most likely going to be taking them places such as the beach, camping, skiing, to concerts, swimming, and lots more.

To try and make the process of planning and packing for a trip with your babes a bit easier, we’ve created Weekenders (and Recycled Weekenders from our Lovingly Recycled collection are coming soon). These handy little packages include the basics for just about any getaway you can dream up.

Weekenders also are designed to take the guesswork out of gift giving. If you are looking for the perfect gift for a new babe or a shower, our Weekenders should be your first look. 

Our inaugural Weekenders (with more coming soon!): 

-Babe’s Winter Vacation Weekender:

·      Organic Under The Nile sherpa snap hat

·      Long sleeve organic cotton Twosie bodysuit

·      Babylegs

Comes wrapped up in an Ash & Alys Babes handmade organic crocheted scarf. Boy and girl options are available.

-Overnighter Weekender:

·      Kicky Pants PJ set

·      Safe Sippy 2

·      Beba Bean knit lion plush toy

·      Eco-friendly toothbrush

Comes conveniently packed in a Lassig min-backpack. Boy and girl sets available.

-Bringing Babe Home Weekender:

·      Organic aden + anais swaddling blanket

·      Organic cotton Twosie bodysuit

·      Organic cotton Under The Nile newborn hat

·      Kicky Pants newborn footie

·      Rock Love Peace cherry wood teether

It all comes wrapped in an organic Moby Wrap. We have boy, girl and gender neutral sets available.             

-Baby Momma Weekender:

·      Earth Mama organic Milk Maid Tea

·      Earth Mama organic Peaceful Mama Tea

·      New Chapter Perfect Calm multi-vitamins

·      Earth Mama nipple butter

·      Organic hand made bath bombs

Wrapped up in an organic Moby Wrap for the perfect gift.

-Cuter Than A Baby’s Bottom Weekender:

·      Organic cotton long-sleeved Twosie bodysuit

·      Eco Leeko jingle me fish

·      Beba Bean crocheted bear hat

An adorable package wrapped in a FuzziBunz Elite One-Size fitted cloth diaper. Boy and girl sets available.

 Check out all of our Weekenders in our Gear section: http://www.ashandalysbabes.com/collections/gear/sub_cat_weekenders

-Ashley

Top 11 Must-Have Baby Registry Items November 3, 2012 20:40

 Most expectant parents are clueless when it comes to preparing for their first child. The amount of information out in the universe is overwhelming to say the least, and can be excessively confusing and stressful to try to navigate. Add to that a desire to raise the baby ‘green’ and new moms and dads could be feeling on the verge of a full-on meltdown.

While pregnant with my first child, I became obsessed with what car seat, or stroller or diaper bag we needed. I agonized over what to do about plastic toys we would receive as gifts, or non-organic clothing that well-meaning relatives would expect to see outfitting our new bundle. As the birth neared and some research was conducted, I was able to relax a bit. But I always wished there were more resources available to help us determine what we really needed and what natural products we just could not live without.

Every family is different, and there are dozens of items that your baby will need that didn’t make this list. In the interest of narrowing things down slightly, Ash & Alys Babes has compiled the following list of must have (natural) items that should be on every baby registry.

1.     Blessed Nest Nesting (Nursing) Pillow: This is the most amazing product we’ve found. It is far superior to the popular ‘Breast Friend’ and ‘Boppy’ brand nursing pillows. This unique nursing pillow is 100% organic, super soft and just makes you want to sit in a rocker and cuddle your babe all day long.

2.     Angel Baby Bottom Balm: From Earth Mama Angel Baby Organics, this diaper salve is the best on the market in our opinion, and it won’t ruin your cloth diapers. It smells amazing, and can be used to treat just about any ‘owie’ under the sun, as well as it’s designed purpose as a diaper rash and barrier balm. Personally, I’ve been through just about every diaper rash product out there, and this is by far the favorite.

3.     Smiling Planet Hooded Towels: Every baby needs a hooded towel. Both for functionality and the cuteness factor. These towels, which come in prints to suit boys and girls, are luxuriously soft, very high quality and big enough to grow with your baby for years. Made from organic cotton and designed by a mom.

4.     Cloth Diapers: Cloth diapering is so much easier than general opinion, and provides a more sustainable (and toxin free) option to using disposable diapers. We will be offering FuzziBunz on our site beginning next week, but also love BumGenius and Thirsties.

5.     Organic Cotton Baby Body: We love the long-sleeved, side snap baby body from Under The Nile. Organic, soft and sized just right to grow with you baby a bit, these are a great everyday essential item. Under The Nile also offers adorable striped options as well as their warmzy and bunting bag for bundling up your bundle.

6.     Eco-Conscious Diaper Bag: These are hard to come by, but important for parents who want to limit their consumption of goods to brands that are socially responsible, sustainable and utilizing natural materials. Lassig does a great job of combining an eco-conscious foundation with great design and function. Their diaper bags will be arriving on our site in time for holiday shopping.

7.     Organic Lovie: Every baby needs a lovie to stimulate their senses and provide a sense of familiarity to soothe them during fussy times. There are so many loveable lovies. Our favorites include the super soft organic security blanket from SwaddleDesigns, Sneakle Fox from Eco-Leeko and the striped giraffe from Under The Nile.

8.     Wood Teether: Babies put everything in their mouths, causing worry and dismay for parents far into the toddler years. Rock Love Peace makes sustainably harvested wood teethers that provide a safe option for your babe’s mouth—and they come in fun shapes making them stimulating for your baby to grasp and hold.

9.      Soft Sleepwear: We love Kate Quinn Organics infant saques for bedtime dressing. Another favorite? Kicky Pants bamboo footies. Stock up on these – you’ll never want to dress your babe in anything else!

10.  Story Album: Capturing the magic of your baby’s birth and early life is priceless and something you will treasure for a lifetime. Collard Story Albums are the perfect gift for sentimental expectant parents who want to document every little detail of this special time in life. They save mom and dad the time of creating a handmade baby book, and have endless possibilities in price and customization.

11. The Basics: Of course you can’t go without burpies, washcloths, bibs and body products. We love organic burpies and washcloths from SwaddleDesigns and Under The Nile, muslin bibs from Aden + Anais and silky soft baby lotion from Earth Mama Angel Baby.

-Ashley