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Okay, it doesn’t sound too appealing from my description here… but it really is quite funny and clever.  You just have to appreciate dark humour and the cleverness of the switcheroos.

Today’s comic is one without a caption, the joke is entirely within the comic.  It shows a graph measuring “Topics You’re Willing to Address in a Pickup Line” versus “Age” — indicating that as you get older, you’re going to use more and more bizarre topics for pickup lines.  I guess out of desperation, is the implication.

The rest of the comic shows an example of this.  A middle-aged man is approaching a woman on a bench.  The woman has a baby in a sling and is nursing discreetly.  The man says “I don’t believe in public breastfeeding, so… how about we go back to my place?”

I really, really like this comic.

First of all, in the SMBC universe, this man is definitely being portrayed as The Jerk.  We are not supposed to be agreeing with him or sympathetic to him.  His desperate pickup line is inappropriate and ludicrous.  Therefore, the association is that “people who disagree with public breastfeeding = jerks”.

Secondly, as the foil, the woman is being potrayed as the “normal” person, the regular person just going about her day who gets set upon by this oddity.  In other words, nursing in public is “normal”, and wearing your baby in a sling is “normal” as well.

I think part of what excites me so much is, in fact, that the baby is in a sling.  Just a simple over-the-shoulder variety, possibly a pouch, possibly a tied shorty wrap.  Whatever.  Just the fact that it’s there means that the artist (who is just a regular joe, science student, young fellow) is aware of them.  Where so many of us still get funny looks and “gee, that looks interesting, what is that thing?” it’s nice to see it just pop up like this in an online comic like no big deal.

It’s also notable that the woman is not portrayed as some super-crunchy hippie chick.  She’s just a regular woman, nursing her baby on a park bench.  Thanks, Zach, you just made my day!

I’ve got:

RightStart Mathematics: Transition Lessons.  Excellent condition.  A few pencil markings, mostly correcting typos.  This is the parent’s manual, you’d need to get the worksheets and manipulatives.

Easy Grammar: Grade 4.  Teacher’s edition.   Like new, no markings.

Teaching Textbooks, Grade 6 Math.  I have the answer book and all CD’s, but you would need to get your own new workbook.

Saxon Math 5/4, Third Edition.  Lesson book is in fairly good condition, some pencil markings (no answers, just circled numbers) up to about lesson 30.  Some pages have minor water damage (not stuck or illegible or anything like that, just minor wrinkles and light stains).  “Tests and Worksheets” book is missing activity sheets for lessons 5 through 20.  Many of those are merely “100 facts practice” sheets which are repeated multiple times in the book.  The first 3 tests are also missing.  The remainder of the book is intact and in very good condition.

Reason for Spelling, level D, Teacher’s Guidebook.  Wrinkled corners and front cover torn off, otherwise no markings, no missing pages, etc.

And a couple non-homeschool books, for your interest:

Birthing from Within, England and Horowitz.  Excellent used condition, almost like new.

The Baby Book, Sears.  2003 edition.  Good used condition.

I also have a few pouch slings for sale, cheap.  Here are two of them:

Email me at heather (at) motherbynature.ca to make me an offer on anything, or to ask for more details.  Thanks for looking!

Of course strollers have their usefulness.  I’ve even used one with Pomme… once or twice.  But we can certainly get by without them, and in most situations a sling is MUCH more practical.

In this series, I’m not saying that any of these non-essentials should 100% always be avoided and discarded… I am saying that we should question the pros and cons and all sides of the issues, and make decisions on baby-gear with informed intelligence, not merely assuming that we really do need what the stores tell us we need!  They are legitimate options to consider, but we shouldn’t just blindly accept them as the default.

Besides which, used as carriers, they promote isolation and detachment at best… and at worst, are downright dangerous.

Check out Baby Essentials We Don’t Need: Part 2, Infant Car Seats.

… specialty baby shops are starting to carry some slings other than the Baby Bjorn-style carriers.  But buyer beware!  Most of these are c-r-a-p.

Well it turns out that there is a baby boutique right here in little ‘ole Fredericton, New Brunswick, which actually carries some of the GOOD slings.

BUMP Maternity and More. This boutique carries a variety of useful (and some not-so-useful, of course) baby items, many of which are harder to find in your typical baby chain stores.  For instance, they carry Babylegs.  And Bummis cloth diapers.  They support ‘mompreneurs’, Canadian companies, and ethical business practices.

But – perhaps most importantly – they carry slings.  And not just the crap slings either (though they do carry the Heart to Heart, which – while Canadian (yay)- is not a favourite of mine… I’ve seen too many parents struggle with the excess of padding, unable to get a good, secure carry).

They carry Cuddly Wraps.  They carry Hotslings pouches.  They carry Ellaroo mei tais and ring slings.   And they carry the Ergo structured carrier.

Their website is a bit splotchy, with links called “test1″ and areas labelled “place info here.”  The shop is similar… the floor is strewn with area rugs which almost but not quite completely fail to cover the busted flooring underneath.   If they were brand new, this would be more understandable, but apparently they have been around since at least 2007.  Perhaps this is simply a mark of the disinterest our society has with actually supporting small shops and baby-friendly accessories.  Or maybe they’re just lazy and disorganized.  I don’t know.

What I do know, is that it’s downright shameful that this shop is not crawling with customers every hour of every day.  That they haven’t had to expand in order to meet demand.  That most people don’t even know about this place.

The website gives their address as 88 Regent St, but the shop I visited is in the Priestman St. mini-mall, where Blockbuster is.  I’m assuming they’ve recently moved.  This might explain the half-finished appearance of the store, but just further exacerbates the sloppiness of the website.

At any rate, I can only commend them for their efforts.  Shops like this will never be successful and popular until they at least exist… we have to start somewhere.  I know that I will be contacting them, to perhaps organize some babywearing workshops for New Brunswick moms.  Or to offer tips on website maintenance…

I’ve put the words “work” and “toys” in quotes in the title of this article, because for young children, the ideas of “work” and “play” are synonymous.  They have not yet made a judgment decision that “play” is all for fun and “work” is necessary but unpleasant.  To the young child, everything is exploration and discovery, and this is inherently fun to them — and so they will work very hard at it.

When adults are first exposed to the traditional Montessori materials and teaching style, the initial reaction is often: “well yes, I can see how that activity would be very useful and educational… but do the children actually enjoy doing it?  And when do they play?”

The answer is, yes, they do enjoy it.  And as far as they’re concerned, they ARE playing.

Child’s Play is Serious Work

A child does not have to be running around, giggling, or even using their imagination to be playing.  Those are all different kinds of play, but they are not required for the definition.  A child can appear deeply focused, intent, quiet, even serious, when at the thoroughly entrancing “work” of constructing a brand new person from the inside out.

As jaded adults, we might look on this seriousness and say “oh dear, that doesn’t look like fun, it must be draining, they need a break to go play and refresh themselves.”  But in fact, as Dr. Montessori herself, and generations of Montessori teachers and parents after her have observed, after a period of intense focus and “work” such as this, the young child will frequently finish the activity on their own (generally after having repeated it many times), and seem rejuvenated, refreshed, and content.

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding, and I have now seen with my own eyes how young children will not only enthusiastically ‘work’ with Montessori and Montessori-inspired materials and activities… but they will be drawn to them.  The urge to create themselves through exploration of their environment will naturally zero in on activities providing the greatest benefit to whatever developmental stage they happen to be in – Dr Montessori’s “sensitive periods”.  Indeed, they crave activities suited to their task.

Montessori “Toys” in Action

This past week, I acquired a few new Montessori “toys”.   Opening the parcel, I first unwrapped a geometric shape puzzle, and set it down in front of Pomme to play with while I unwrapped the rest.  I thought this particular puzzle might be a bit too challenging for her as yet, but she immediately set to it and was deeply involved in it.

Another item I unwrapped was a set of mini knobbed cylinders.  A central staple of the Montessori equipment, I have been coveting the knobbed cylinders since I first learned about them.  But they are so expensive!  I finally found an acceptable compromise in the mini cylinders, only 5 cylinders per block instead of 10 and they are smaller in size, for less than 1/3 the price.

I set the blocks on the counter and went to Pomme’s bedroom to put something else away.  I had not, at this point, even shown her the blocks.  When I returned less than a minute later, she had discovered the blocks, taken one down, and completely on her own initiative, having never seen this item before, had set about removing and replacing the cylinders.  Having mastered this set, she then proceeded to take down the rest of the blocks, lined them up, and got to work:

This was a toddler on a mission!  And there was no cajoling, no bribing, no window-dressing, no inviting, no presenting.  She had simply recognized an excellent tool for exploring her world and herself, and had seized upon it.

Further proof happened a couple of days later.  My brother and his family were over for New Year’s Eve.  They also homeschool, and mostly unschool.  I was excited to share my new “toys” with my sister-in-law.  My 4-year-old nephew, who was right there while we were talking, has had little to no exposure to ‘formal’ academic work, he has lived a fairly free-spirited life thus far.  So he came into this “experiment” with no pre-existing bias one way or the other.

I brought out two blocks to show them, took out a few cylinders, and asked my nephew if he wanted to try to put them back in.  He did, and of course it was easy for him.  He almost seemed… not too impressed, really.

So we adults got talking about other things.  Within a few minutes, I noticed that my nephew had, on his own, returned to the blocks, and this time was trying to work with both sets at once.  So, I brought out the other two blocks to give him the full set, and he worked at them quite diligently for several minutes!

Truth be told, he didn’t actually finish the activity.  It was a busy and noisy house at the time, and he was too quickly distracted by all the commotion around him.  In Montessori terms, we didn’t “respect his concentration”.  Quite forgivable, given the holiday, I think!

Still, there it was.  He had taken to this activity with seriousness, concentration, and on his own initiative.  Would he have done so if it was not, in some way to him, “fun”?

Then I got this idea for a couple babywearing posts, one thing led to another, it’s now midnight and I’m tired — Pomme actually went to sleep at 9:30 tonight, I’ve had a great stretch of work here!  But tomorrow Flipper and I have a busy day planned of academics, we’re trying a new “system” to stay on top of things without overdoing it, we’ll see how it goes (and I’ll report on it here if it goes well… or, I guess, if it goes poorly!).

Long and the short of it is… I forget to get a recipe ready.  I did get my recipe binder organized this morning, though.  That’s something, isn’t it?  Rather than a huge random pile of printouts, all the new recipes have been properly filed and even put into sheet protectors (a trick I learned after the umpteenth time of spilling conconctions onto the recipe sheets rendering them illegible…).

But, I didn’t get one ready to blog.  Mea culpa.

Okay, here’s a quickie.  Not the healthiest.  Take some Pillsbury Crescents.  Some weiners.  Some cheese.  Slice a tract down the middle of the winners.  Insert cheese.  Wrap in Crescents.  Bake.  Yum.  Then shudder that you dared to eat these monstrosities… and even enjoyed them!!

I usually stammer off the best reply I can manage at the time, but what I really want to do is collect a list of the greatest places to find slings in Canada.  Then I can just send them to the list.  So here it is!

First of all, for the most part, you can only get slings online.  Of course, most online shops are located SOMEWHERE, so if you happen to live in the city where they’re located, you’re in luck!  If you don’t, though, you’re stuck with online ordering.  But don’t panic – most of these shops are very small and personal, and will bend over backwards to help you make the right choices!

A few chain stores and specialty baby shops are starting to carry some slings other than the Baby Bjorn-style carriers.  But buyer beware!  Most of these are c-r-a-p.  Overly padded monstrosities that are bulky and difficult to use and occasionally even dangerous!  If you’re new to the slinging game, you might not yet recognize which brands are good, quality carriers, and which are just… well… not.

(Author’s Note:  Please Read This Article About A Shop I Found Later, Which is an Exception to These General Rules)

If in doubt, wherever you’re thinking of buying your sling, first head over to The Baby Wearer and check the user reviews.  Oh, and while you’re there, browse the many great articles and the extensive forum for everything you need to know about babywearing!  It is the single most comprehensive resource on the net!

Quick glossary:

• Pouches – Hotslings is a common brand.  Simple one-shoulder sling, non-adjustable (must get the correct size), very easy to use and inexpensive.
• Ring Slings – Maya Wrap is a common brand.  One-shoulder sling adjusts via a double set of rings.  Long “tail” provides versatility and a touch of elegance.
• Wraps – Moby is a common brand.  Long pieces of cloth which are tied around mother and baby in an enormous variety of holds.  Maximum versatility and comfort, can be one- or two-shouldered, require learning how to tie the different carries.
• Mei Tais – Or Asian-Style Carriers.  Babyhawk is a common brand. Two-shouldered carrier.  Long straps tie over shoulders and around the waist.
• Structured Soft Carriers – or SSC’s.  Ergo and Beco are common brands.  Similar to Mei Tais, but with added buckles, security straps, padding, etc.  Think of a hybrid between Mei Tais and Baby Bjorns.

On to the shops!  These are all located in Canada, and are in no particular order. Many also have tons of other great non-babywearing-related products too, please check them out!

Pooka Baby (Toronto)
Pouches, Ring Slings, Mei Tais, SSC’s, Wraps, a few accessories

Tadpoles and Butterflies (Edmonton)
Pouches, Ring Slings, Mei Tais, SSC’s, Wraps, accessories

Milkface (Ottawa)
Pouches, Ring Slings, Mei Tais, SSC’s, Wraps, accessories

Panda Pouch (Hamilton)
Pouches, Ring Slings, Wraps

Continuum Family (Victoria)
Pouches, SSC’s

Parenting By Nature (Toronto)
Pouches, Ring Slings, Mei Tais, SSC’s, Wraps, accessories

The Baby Sling Shop (Chilliwack)
Pouches, Ring Slings, Mei Tais, SSC’s, Wraps, accessories

Mom and Baby Boutique (Brantford)
Pouches, Ring Slings, SSC’s, Wraps

Finally, don’t neglect second-hand sling shopping!  Once their babies outgrow the slinging ages, many mamas are happy to part with their beloved carriers at reduced costs.  Check the For-Sale-Or-Trade forums at The Babywearer and the Yahoo Group canadianslingswap.  I’ve got a couple I’d like to sell myself – feel free to email me for details.

And please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.  Seasoned babywearers are ecstatically happy to help those considering wearing their babies!  Ask on the forums I’ve mentioned above, ask the retailers themselves, or just ask me!  Happy babywearing!