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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!

… 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 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!

And “Top Ten Reasons Why A Sling is Better Than A Stroller”.  There’s a lot of overlap between this one and the carseat one, for instance, how often do we see parents one-handedly pushing an empty stroller while carrying the baby in their arms?  I know I see it a lot, I saw it at least 3 times just yesterday when we were at the mall for an hour.   But there are some different reasons too, so I think they’ll end up being separate lists.

Then there is “Top Ten Reasons Why A Sling is Better Than A Baby Bjorn Carrier”.  Or maybe it will only be five.  Because at least, to give credit where credit is due, a Baby Bjorn or a Snugli carrier is better than a plastic bucket, and most of the time better than a stroller.  But they’re still bad for baby’s hips, not versatile at all, don’t promote “snuggling” the same way that a sling does, often hard to learn to use and uncomfortable for the parent… and let’s face it, would YOU want to be carried around being dangled by your crotch?  ‘Cause that’s what they do.  So the sling still wins, hands-down.  (Or is that hands-free?)

But for the moment, these are still just in my head, until I have the time and werewithal to mould them into something resembling coherence, clarity, logic, and hopefully a dash of good humour.

So in the meantime, I’ll send y’all over to another great list, the more general and all-encompassing, “Ten Reasons to Wear Your Baby” over at The Natural Child Project.  Which, I might add, is one of the greatest sites on the entire web.

So I set out to come up with simple, affordable clothes for mom. And while we’re at it, what about baby too? We have been practicing EC with our daughter, and once again it’s quite difficult to find clothes suited for this. For instance, toddler pants are always cut with a huge diaper allowance, with the crotch seam down to their knees! When your toddler is wearing underwear or training pants, this is rather annoying!

The Mother By Nature name is meant to convey many things. I am a mother, by my very nature. Mother Nature is the source of our inspiration and our fabrics. And the processes of Nature have made me a Mother.

“Mother” has everything to do with us. I shared my dream with my mother, and we are becoming business partners. My mother is an exceptionally talented seamstress and designer, with experience in baby clothes and nursing wear (and everything else!)

In addition to clothing and toys, we also plan on producing green bags — reusable cloth bags for shopping, gift-wrapping, whatever you like! We will offer workshops in Fredericton on babywearing, and may in the near future carry slings as well. We’re looking into other green products that are difficult to find in Canada. And of course, my handmade jewelry will be available, all from natural materials such as hemp, leather, bone, wood, and semi-precious stones.

My husband and I, with my son and our daughter, are currently living in Ontario. We are moving to New Brunswick this summer, where I will be teaming up with my mother and by this fall, Mother By Nature will be launched!