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I ♥ My Boba Carrier Christmas Wish List Giveaway!

November 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Redeem a Boba Mini, a Boba Stuff Sack or Teething Pads with every purchase of a Boba 3G Carrier (Classic / Organic)!

Simply make your purchase anytime between 13th November 2012 and 24th December 2012, from us or any of our Authorized Stockists.

Redemption begins 23rd November 2012, so hurry, make your top 3 selections and we will send you your free gift, while stocks last!

Tell all of your friends and spread the cheer, the I ♥ My Boba Carrier Christmas Wish List Giveaway is here!

 

 

Terms and Conditions:

  • Only valid with purchases made between 13th November 2012 and 24th December 2012.
  • Only valid when a Boba 3G Carrier Classic / Organic is purchased from www.bobafamily.com.au, or any of our Authorized Stockists.
  • A scanned copy of your receipt must be included in your redemption form. Only store receipts are accepted, Paypal receipts are not.
  • Each customer is limited to one redemption only. Customer must select 3 products to add to their “wishlist”, in order of preference 1 to 3. Gift redemption is while stocks last.
  • Redemption starts 23rd November 2012.
Filed Under: Boba Australia

Boba 3G Awarded Top Baby Carrier by BabyCenter!

November 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We’re proud to be chosen Editor’s Pick for Top Baby Carrier by BabyCenter.com! Boba 3G was among 15 Top Baby Products featured by Baby Center. The parenting site teamed up with baby gear guru Jamie Grayson to choose from among hundreds of parent reviews while also using their own parenting experience to make this year’s choices. Here’s what they had to say about the Boba 3G:

Top carrier: Boba 3G

Versatility makes this soft-structured carrier a winner. In contrast with other popular carriers, the Boba can be worn in front or on your back, allowing kids from 7 to 45 pounds to inhabit it snugly and safely. The Boba distributes your baby’s weight evenly on your hips and allows him to nestle in a froggy position — similar to the position he enjoyed in the womb. And unlike the Ergo, it doesn’t require a bulky infant insert to prop up the youngest babies.

The Boba’s stirrups also set it apart from every other carrier on the market. When your child grows beyond the baby stage, she can rest her feet in the stirrups and adjust and support her weight as needed.

 

Thank you to Baby Center, Jamie Grayson and all of your for continuing to make Boba 3G a top pick by parents of babies and toddlers!

Filed Under: Boba Australia

Like and Share Us on Facebook to win a Spring Sling!

September 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

3 x Soho 3G Carriers to give away! Like us on Facebook and share our posts for a chance to win! Winners will be announced 1st November 2012.

 

www.facebook.com/boba

Filed Under: Boba Australia

Nine Reasons Not to Carry Your Baby Facing Out

September 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

By Elizabeth Antunovic, Chief Product Designer, Boba Inc.

front facing

This mama looks far from cruel! Still, forward facing is not ideal.

Recently Catherine Fowler of Australia made a comment that parents who face their babies out are “cruel and selfish“.  Actually for the record she said they were “inadvertently cruel”.  I am not here to judge you ladies and gentleman; a walk around the block with your baby in the forward facing position will probably not reek havoc on your child’s development or health.  I don’t think any parent holding their little ones are cruel.  But when you start to weigh in on whether your baby should maybe change perspectives and face the world head on or not, here are some reasons not to let your baby face out, for your consideration- of course.

Carrying your baby facing out…

1.  Does not support your baby’s legs-

Your baby’s legs should be pulled up to at least hip level if not higher. This is possible only if the fabric in a baby carrier covers the whole back of the thigh, to the backside of the knee, or if the carrier has footstraps.  When your baby is facing forwards with legs unsupported, it isn’t that his legs are simply dangling,  his spine and hips are unsupported to and there is simply nowhere for baby to sit.

Check out this medical research by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute and the infant biomechanics in different types of baby carriers.  A baby carrier that supports the legs encourages proper hip development.  Front facing carriers do not support little hips.  Those babies already diagnosed with DDH should steer clear of front facing carriers.

2.  Makes it tough for the wearer to carry the baby-

It’s much harder to carry something that curves away from your body than something that embraces your body. The wearer has an awkward load and often ends up arching her back to compensate.  Babies bodies are naturally adapted to being carried facing you.

3. Places your baby in an arched or hollow back position which places pressure on the spine-

unstable baby

With no leg support and facing out this baby is unstable, forcing him to assume a hollow back position (as shown with red line) to compensate.

Extending the back (like arching after waking from a nap), is not injurious or “bad” in and of itself.  The problem arises when you compress a “hollow back” under a load.  Placing an infant in a front facing carrier stretches the naturally convex rounded curve (see infant spinal development in upright transport paper) of his spine into a hollow back position.   With nothing to cling to, weak abdominal muscles, and retracted shoulders, the infant’s pelvis tilts backwards and is forced to not only carry weight of his own body but also to absorb the force of every step that the carrying individual takes- all on his little compromised spine.

3.  Places undue pressure on groin and may chaff the inner thighs of your baby-

pressure on infant pelvis

This baby is leaning on his dad for some extra support. Although it stabilizes him, it is less than ideal to spend the day transported in this position.

Chaffing is no fun.  Being suspended by your baby’s most sensitive parts is not ideal, especially for little boys.

4. May overstimulate your baby-

Babies can face their parents and still experience the world around them and take it in at their own pace.  It is very easy for a small infant to become overwhelmed.

5.  Doesn’t support the head or the neck-

Positional asphyxia is possible when babies have no neck control and their chin falls toward their chests.  Little babies should never be placed in a position that can compromise their airways.  The US Consumer Products Safety Commission recently passed a law that the warning labels of forward facing carriers must state that babies should not face out until adequate head/neck control is achieved. The law does not extend to sleeping infants even though they don’t have control of their necks or heads while snoozing.

6.  Makes thermoregulation more difficult-

The flexed position a baby assumes on his mother’s chest is more efficient at conserving heat than chest exposed. Check out kangaroo care and thermoregulation benefits.  The baby also has more fat cells (insulation) on its back side than front.

7. Makes it harder to respond to baby’s cues-

With no eye contact it is harder to communicate with your baby, check their airways, see their spit up, see them rooting, practice EC, and know their needs.  There’s a neat study that shows that even front facing strollers interfere with your ability to interact with and respond to your baby.

Forward facing not a great option

The mom is holding her son’s legs trying to support them for lack of a seat. He is supported by two pieces of fabric over his groin. If it weren’t for the fabric in front of his shoulders, he would fall forward. Not very supportive.

8.  Throws off the baby’s center of gravity-  Most often the wearer will intuitively stick out her pointer fingers for the baby to grab on to and stabilize himself or the wearer will try to support the baby’s legs by lifting them up in the front. With no seat and nothing to grab on to in front of him it is tough for baby not to arch his back under the weight of his own body.

9.  May not be so wonderful on your back either-

Carrying a load with an arched spine will give you an aching lower back.

Carrying your baby facing forward is not the best option.  It’s not “cruel”, but it’s not ideal either.  Embracing your baby, or having them embrace you (like when you’re backin’ the baby) is what your baby is adapted to do and quite naturally the way to go.

http://www.bobafamily.com/blog/2011/10/11/nine-reasons-not-to-carry-your-baby-facing-out/

Filed Under: Boba Australia

Love your Boba? Review it!

August 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Purchased a Boba from us recently? If you loved it, review it for us for a chance to join our exclusive Reviewer Panel for new products and other Boba products that you don’t already own!

Filed Under: Boba Australia

Review Competition Giveaway!

August 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We are teaming up with the wonderful people of Essential Baby to give away some of the wonderful Boba products for review! There are 3 Boba 3G Carriers, 3 Boba Wraps and 2 Boba Airs up for grabs, so submit your entries at Essential Baby today! Competition closes 20th August 2012.

 

Win Boba products to review on our panel
We are giving 8 lucky people the opportunity to win Boba products to review on our Product Review Panel.
Prize 1 for review: 3 x Boba Wraps suitable for premature babies up to 20kg:
The Boba Baby Wrap is the perfect wrap style carrier – with its unique fabric blend and the no-guesswork tying, the Boba Wrap is a great choice for beginners and advanced babywearers alike. For more information, visit Boba Wrap.
Prize 2 for review: 3 x Boba Carrier 3G suitable for babies from 3kg up to toddlers of 20kg:
This carrier incorporates the Boba Baby Carrier design that so many have come to know and love, and now includes more than a dozen new and updated features, making this truly a one of a kind baby carrier! For more information, visit Boba Carrier 3G.
Prize 3 for review: 2 x Boba Air carriers suitable for babies weighing 7kg up to toddlers of 20kg:
The brand new Boba Air is here! Hailed as The World’s Lightest Carrier, this carrier’s revolutionary design makes it like no other! For more information, visit Boba Air.
PRIZE
3 x Boba Wraps valued at $60.50 each
3 x Boba Carrier 3G valued at $159.90 each
2 x Boba Air valued at $89.50 each
How to enter: To enter, simply tell us in 25 words or less ‘which Boba product would you like to review and why?” and fill in your details below. The competition commences Monday 6 August until Monday 20 August 2012.

http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/win/boba

 

Filed Under: Boba Australia

Free Expo Tickets!!

July 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Want to snag a FREE ticket (worth $15) to the Perth Pregnancy, Babies & Children’s Expo? Simply contact us, and we’ll send you a free ticket! Come find us at the show at stand D31 for exciting deals! See you there!

PERTH Pregnancy, Babies & Childrens’ Expo

Date: 10th – 12th August 2011, 10am to 5pm

Venue: Claremont Showgrounds

Filed Under: Boba Australia

Meet the latest member of the Boba Family!

July 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Today, we announce something we’ve been bursting at the seams over for a few months now (and developing for much longer): BobaAir!

BobaAir is the lightest, sportiest baby carrier out there and we hope that this first-of-its-kind addition to your baby carrier collection will make that freedom together you have with your family even more effortless (and help spread the benefits of babywearing, too). This innovative new baby carrier is a real game-changer for active families because it is:

  • Lightweight – only .7 pounds (300 grams!)
  • Folds into itself to fit into a purse
  • Water resistant
  • Unparalleled portability
  • Easy, quick on/off functionality
  • Made of high-tech nylon fabric

BobaAir is perfect to keep stashed in your purse or glove box, and will be a perfect travel companion. Check out our Boba Air page for more info!

Filed Under: Boba Australia

“I ♥ BOBA” Competition Winners!

May 18, 2012 by 1 Comment

Filed Under: Boba Australia

The Real Job of Dads

February 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

A dad’s primary, underlying job isn’t control. It’s to validate every one of his children.

To validate means to let your child know over and over and over, through words and actions, that the following are true:

  • “Hey, you exist and you matter to me.”
  • “You’re good enough.”
  • “You’re an okay kid.”

Psychotherapists sometimes talk about the looking-glass-self principle. It’s the idea that children get their earliest, most lasting impressions of who they are from what’s reflected back to them by their parents. These impressions become those “records” in the jukebox of your child’s brain.

Let’s say four-year-old Johnny walks into the room where his dad is reading the newspaper, and Dad doesn’t confirm Johnny’s presence. Dad doesn’t say, “Good to see you, son!” He doesn’t even say, “Don’t bother me. Can’t you see I’m trying to read?” Johnny may begin to doubt his own existence.

It’s like the old, philosophical question: If a tree falls in the forest and there’s nobody around to hear it, did it make a noise?

In Johnny’s case, the answer is no. His existence hasn’t been validated by any response. He interprets that to mean, I’m not an okay person. This may be a totally wrong interpretation; his dad may not believe this for a second about his son, but this is how Johnny — and most children — will interpret this scenario. That’s the way children’s brains operate.

That’s often why children do bad things, as in these cases:

  • Sixteen-year-old Jenny barely saw her dad, thanks to his 12-hour days and golfing habit. He did give her a new computer, though, and thought that would be enough to show her he loved her. She used it to post suggestive photos of herself on MySpace. When her mom found out and tipped off Dad, he went ballistic and banned Jenny from using the computer for the rest of the year.
  • Fifteen-year-old Ace saw his math grade going down the tubes, so he figured out a way to cheat on the final. He was desperate for a good grade because his dad only seemed proud of him when he did well in school. His cheating technique wasn’t very practiced, though; he was caught and flunked the test and the course. As a result, Dad ruled that Ace would have to wait a whole year to take the driving lessons needed to get a license.
  • Thirteen-year-old Bob remembered the fun he used to have playing chess with his dad. These days, though, Dad traveled all the time and buried himself in televised sports when he was home. Without asking, Bob borrowed his father’s expensive chess set and took it to school for chess club. Somewhere along the way, he lost a few pieces. When he confessed, Dad yelled at him for being a “careless idiot.” After that, Bob didn’t think there was much chance the two would ever play chess again.

In all these cases, a failure to do his job led a father to “clamp down” and substitute control for validation. That’s a substitution that doesn’t work.

Note, too, that by misbehaving these kids got some response — even if it was negative. By acting out, teenagers can affirm they exist and that their existence has impact on the world around them. Their lives have made “ripples in the water,” so to speak. They get somethingfrom their parents, even if it’s punishment.

To avoid that kind of acting out, remember: A teenager needs as much of your time and attention as a toddler does. In fact, a dad’s validation is so critical to a child’s emotional health that he or she will go to any length — and I do mean any — to get it, whether it’s real or artificial.

What Validation Isn’t

What do you think of the following example? Does it fall under the definition of validation or not?

Jason wanted to play basketball, but he was no star athlete. In fact, he never shot baskets at home and barely dragged himself to practice for the YMCA team, frequently skipping at the slightest excuse. At home he whined to his dad about how hard the coach made the players work, demanding extra running drills.

When games started and Jason spent most of his time on the bench, he got frustrated and decided to quit. His dad felt sorry for the boy and told him it was all right to drop off the team.

“Some people just don’t recognize natural talent,” Dad assured Jason.

Is that validation?

And the answer is . . . no.

Validation doesn’t mean lying. It doesn’t mean telling me, “Great game, son!” when I really played poorly.

Many parents have so bought into the self-esteem movement that no matter who wins or loses the baseball tournament, everybody deserves a trophy. In a feeble attempt to “validate” every player (and assuming the only way to do that is with a shiny cup), we end up extracting the genuine power and intention of true validation.

Just as validation has nothing to do with control, it has no relation to being a “softie” as a parent. You can be firm and strong and still validate your child. It means acknowledging your son or daughter, certifying his or her existence, affirming the person apart from the not-so-good performance.

Some fathers go to the opposite extreme, withholding validation when kids don’t “measure up.” Our culture is so conditional in its validation — affirming only those who’ve won fame or fortune, or been born (or surgically assisted) with “good” looks — that the same approach often creeps into our parenting. It’s easy for a man to validate a good performance; it takes a lot more time and energy to see and value the human being in the absence of any performance and put it into words.

In a way, these forms of “invalid validation” are another attempt to control the way our kids turn out. We want them to grow up full of confidence, so we give even mediocre performances rave reviews. Or we want them to achieve, so we skip the praise so they’ll try harder to earn it.

A dad’s biggest job is to relinquish that kind of control and affirm that the existence of each of his children, with or without any great (or poor) performance, is acceptable. If you’re a father, recognize that each of your children is worthy of being alive. You may know that, but each of your children needs to hear it from you.

Value that child as a person, even when disciplining an action or attitude. Make sure your child knows he or she is good enough for you.

Otherwise, when that tree falls in the forest, the silence will be deafening.

The best time to begin validating is the day you bring your baby home from the hospital. Parenting a teenager begins when he or she is born.

When he or she is born. Really.

But it’s never too late to start. Do it often enough to cut a record in your teen’s jukebox that says, “I’m okay. I’m good enough.” If you can do that, trying to compensate with control won’t be such a temptation.

Taken from Losing Control & Liking It, a Focus on the Family book published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Copyright © 2009, Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: ,
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