Philly Dads Group & BRITAX Celebrate International Babywearing

WHAT: Philly Dads Group helps celebrate International Babywearing Week at the Sister Cities Park and walk to the Rocky Steps with BRITAX along with all twelve City Dads Groups (http://www.citydadsgroup.com/) across the nation.

LOCATION: Meet-up at Sister Cities Park (http://www.ccdparks.org/sister-cities-park) where dads with don their carriers and children and walk to The Rocky Steps where we will take some photos and enjoy the city view.

DATE: Thursday, October 9, 2014

TIME: 11am – 12:30pm

Cost: FREE

For: Dads with little ones between 8-32 pounds (ages 0-24 months)

Dads Participating/Receiving Britax Baby Carriers: 6

Social Media for event: Hashtag: #INTBabywearingWeek

Handles: @Britax, @PhillyDadsGroup (On Instagram, use @BritaxUS)

Dads,

This is another meet-up opportunity that you're going to want to participate in! International Babywearing Week (IBW) (Oct 6 - 12) is a focused opportunity to celebrate, promote, and advocate the many benefits of Babywearing. To celebrate IBW, BRITAX has offered to sponsor another one of our Meet-ups by offering baby carriers to dads with little ones between 8-32 pounds (ages 0-24 months).

Our meetup will be during the "official IBW Week", and will meet up at Sister Cities Park with our babies in baby carriers to walk to The Rocky Steps as a “pack.” Don’t be surprised if you turn some heads or cause some foot-traffic jams, because that’s how we roll. Britax has agreed to provide 6 dads with a FREE** (expectations mentioned below) BRITAX BABY CARRIER (approximate $130 Retail value).

If you're up for an invigorating meet-up that involves a fall babywearing walk with some other cool, active, and nurturing dads, please join us! Additionally, you'll be a part of our national multi-city, event with 100 City Dads Group members gathering, walking, or hiking in Atlanta, Boston, NYC, LA, Vegas, Denver, Indy, ABQ, Columbus, Chicago, and San Francisco.

The goal of this meet-up: To wear your baby in the Britax Baby Carrier in honor of IBW during the walk and show that dads enjoy wearing our babies too.

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/a/8/0/600_397879072.jpeg

A Few guidelines and expectations for you to participate:

• Please RSVP for this meet-up ONLY if you are serious about attending as we will most likely have a waiting list. You will need to RSVP for this event by Monday, September 22 as BRITAX will need lead time to deliver the gifts to your home.

**To participate:

· You MUST be a Philly Dads Group member (this is a members only event)

o The BRITAX BABY CARRIER is a soft-structured carrier designed and developed to offer you choices based on how you prefer to carry your child (8-32 lbs). The BRITAX BABY CARRIER supports the following positions:

§ Inward-facing with Removable Infant Insert (http://www.britaxusa.com/learning-center/britax-baby-carrier-features/fit-comfort/infant-insert) for small babies from eight to 14 pounds

§ Inward-facing without an insert for babies over 14 pounds

§ Inward-facing with splayed legs using the Seat Extender Insert (http://www.britaxusa.com/accessories/seat-extender-insert) for babies over 14 pounds

§ Outward-facing without an insert for babies over 14 pounds who have head and neck control

· You will receive the baby carrier at the event provided that you have RSVP'd to the Meetup and have agreed to the specifications of participation.

· **You agree to take at least three pictures during the meet-up event with camera or smartphone to be uploaded by you to the meet-up site OR preferably your social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, or FaceBook and tag @Britax and @NYCDadsGroup using hashtag: #BritaxIBW. Also, adding a brief comment in the meetup site after the event sharing specific feedback about the event/baby carrier.

Full Disclosure Philly Dads Group have been compensated by Britax/BOB for a series of events during the year including this one. We're proud to work with brands that make products and provide services that we believe in and use ourselves.

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International Babywearing Week – October 6-12, 2014

IBW website - (page hasn't been updated for 2014 yet) http://babywearinginternational.org/pages/babywearingweek.php

IBW FB - https://www.facebook.com/babywearinginternational

About International Babywearing Week 2014

International Babywearing Week is a focused opportunity to celebrate, promote, and advocate the many benefits of babywearing. International Babywearing Week is also an occasion to focus media attention on this beautiful and beneficial practice. Nonprofit babywearing groups all around the world are participating in International Babywearing Week by registering as Official Celebrating Organizations. These organizations will host many exciting and educational events throughout the week, including local awards presentations and informational meetings about babywearing for families in their communities. At the international level, Babywearing International and TheBabywearer will jointly present the Annual International Babywearing Week Awards, recognizing excellence in babywearing advocacy and education. There will also be a coordinated media outreach campaign to raise awareness about babywearing among the general public.

Benefits of Babywearing (taken from http://babywearinginternational.org/articles.php?article=1 )

Medical professionals agree that infants thrive through touch; “wearing” your baby is another way to meet this need. But the benefits of babywearing don’t end there … babywearing offers many other advantages, some of which include:

• Happy Babies. It’s true … carried babies cry less! In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers found that babywearing for three hours a day reduced infant crying by 43 percent overall and 54 percent during evening hours. (1)

• Healthy Babies. Premature babies and babies with special needs often enter the world with fragile nervous systems. When a baby rides in a sling attached to his mother, he is in tune with the rhythm of her breathing, the sound of her heartbeat, and the movements his mother makes—walking, bending, and reaching. This stimulation helps him to regulate his own physical responses. Research has even shown that premature babies who are touched and held gain weight faster and are healthier than babies who are not. (2)

• Confident Parents. A large part of feeling confident as a parent is the ability to read our babies’ cues successfully. Holding our babies close in a sling allows us to become finely attuned to their movements, gestures, and facial expressions. Every time a baby is able to let us know that she is hungry, bored, or wet without having to cry, her trust in us is increased, her learning is enhanced, and our own confidence is reinforced. This cycle of positive interaction deepens the mutual attachment between parent and child, and is especially beneficial for mothers who are at risk for or suffering from postpartum depression. (3) (4)

• Loving Caregivers. Baby carriers are a great bonding tool for fathers, grandparents, adoptive parents, babysitters, and other caregivers. Imagine a new father going for a walk with his baby in a sling. The baby isbecoming used to his voice, heartbeat, movements, and facial expressions, and the two are forging a strong attachment of their own. Baby carriers are beneficial for every adult in a baby’s life. Cuddling up close in the sling is a wonderful way to get to know the baby in your life, and for the baby to get to know you!

•Comfort and Convenience. With the help of a good carrier, you can take care of older children or do chores without frequent interruptions from an anxious or distressed infant—which helps to reduce sibling rivalry. Baby carriers are also wonderful to use with older babies and toddlers; you can save those arms and go where strollers can’t. Climbing stairs, hiking, and navigating crowded airports all can be done with ease when you use a well-designed baby carrier!

References

1 - Hunziker UA, Garr RG. (1986) Increased carrying reduces infant crying: A random-ized controlled trial. Pediatrics 77:641-648

2 - “Current knowledge about skin-to-skin (kangaroo) care for pre-term infants”. J Perinatol. 1991 Sep;11(3):216-26.

3 - Pelaez-Nogueras M, Field TM, Hossain Z, Pickens J. (1996). Depressed mothers’ touching increases infants’ positive affect and attention in still-face interactions. Child Development, 67, 1780-92.

4 - Tessier R, M Cristo, S Velez, M Giron, JG Ruiz-Palaez, Y Charpak and N Charpak. (1998) Kangaroo mother care and the bonding hypothesis. Pediatrics 102:e17.