The Itsabelly Blog

We've Given Birth to our Latest Baby - Itsabelly's Guide to Going Green with Baby has ARRIVED!

Very exciting news, one year in the making and our book has finally arrived! Itsabelly is the first and only baby planner business certified green by Co-op America and we're proud of it!  Itsabelly's Guide to Going Green with Baby is here, yay!  The price is $17.95 and wholesale orders are available for those of you wanting to order for your on-line boutique or store front.  Please contact us at: info@itsa-belly.com or call us on our toll free phone # at 877-280-9540 for more information.

Our guide will make a perfect holiday gift for your pregnant sister or friend.  It is also a great gift for new parents.  Order your copy now - it is the first of its kind complete green baby registry guide and we're so thrilled to share such valuable knowledge with you.  We're spreading the news on how to choose non-toxic products for your baby and you while protecting mother earth!

Advanced praise from Christopher Gavigan of Healthy Child Healthy World and content provided by Alicia Voorhies of The Soft Landing as well as many great green advocates makes this book a must-have for parents everywhere!

Itsabelly to attend Baby Purity Mother’s Conference October 25th in Vancouver, Canada

By Farhana Kassam, Owner, Itsabelly Vancouver

 
I was skimming through one of the dozen or so mommy-newsletters I subscribe to by email this week when I noticed a “mommy” conference mentioned in one of the sidebars. As a mom-in-training (a permanent state in my mind), any thing that might help me gain a little more insight into my daughter and how to make her life better is always something I welcome. I clicked on the link and found, to my surprise, that the conference was happening in Downtown Vancouver, a 10 minute walk from my home! That never happens! Everything is always in suburbia – ok interest peaked, so what was it all about?

It turns out the conference is being hosted by a company called BabyPurity.com, an on-line resource for parents that specializes in advice and recommendations of natural choices for children’s healthcare. With all the crazy drugs and ointments out there, I for one was already interested in seeing more about what this event would hold as far as ways around all the “western” medical solutions to children’s ailments. As much as I believe that there is a place for western medicine, I prefer to do my own research to see if there is a more natural solution to care for my child when possible. The list of speakers seemed promising with experts on child health and safety as well as Nutrition experts, but what really caught my attention was the list of sponsors. That was really all the credibility I thought this event needed to get me to show up! With partners like Earth’s Best and Seventh Generation, in addition to local companies I know and totally respect like Crocodile Baby, I signed up to attend immediately!

The event is being held this Saturday October 25^th at the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel in beautiful downtown

Vancouver

from 9 am to 5 pm. Itsabelly will have promotional material in all the Grab Bags and I will be attending the event. Please register at Baby Purity Conference  if this sounds interesting or if you just want to meet me to discuss Itsabelly’s baby planning services face to face. For any of you health-care concerned parents out there, wherever you may be geographically, check out Baby Purity's website. It seems like a great resource, already a favourite bookmarked on my internet browser! I will be blogging again after the event to let you all know how it turned out so stay tuned!

Itsabelly's Fave Picks from ABC Kids Expo 2008

Itsabelly and The National Baby Planner Association (NBPA) wanted to share our fave picks from ABC Kids Expo in Vegas, 2008.  We chose products that we thought were truly innovative, provided a great value and benefit to new parents and also had a true "green" philosophy in mind.  We were able to personally talk to some of the company founders so we definitely got the inside scoop!  Please note there were thousands of products in this 75,000 sq foot space at the show so we're giving you just a glimpse but a great glimpse!!

Micralite Toro Stroller

Scandinavian Child distributes the Micralite (and many other great products like Cariboo) - this stroller has an easy folding design, can fully recline or move to sit a child upright and can be stored upright!  You can also convert it to a newborn system with a bassinet - so cool! It is a lightweight stroller at 18 lbs and it fits children up to 40 lbs. When I pushed this stroller around it was truly a smooth ride. The first photo is of Brenda Berg (founder of Scandinavian Child) who was kind enough to walk us through the product line.

Beaba Babycook

Itsabelly LOVES this kitchen gadget - This compact countertop appliance multitasks as a steamer, blender, warmer and defroster to prepare fresh, healthy meals for baby. It starts by steam cooking vegetables, fruits, meat and fish in less than 15 minutes, preserving their vitamins and flavors, then purees or blends them to the desired consistency. You can also use it to quickly reheat or defrost precooked foods..  It won the JPMA award at ABC Kids Expo.  The only thing it can't do is feed your baby!  Scandinavian Child will be distributing this product soon. Babycook is currently sold at Williams Sonoma.

Eden Convertible Bassinet

Baby Planet has created a great bassinet which also converts into a child chair, truly innovative.  You get two products in one!  It also has soothing vibration and music to help calm your little one. The company has a great recycling program - genuinely eco-friendly to boot!  Eden Bassinet also won a JPMA award at the ABC Kids Expo.

Think Baby Bottles

 

Kevin Brodwick (founder) at Think Baby really knows what he's talking about when it comes to creating non-toxic feeding gear.  He used to work at a laboratory funded by The National Institute of Health so his passion for research shows in his products!  Think Baby's products are BPA-free, phthalate and lead free! Think Baby bottles have a patented venting system and they offer soft nipples for easy transition from breast to bottle as needed. Think Baby also makes BPA-free Sport Water Bottles for adults!

Special Mentions

Here is a fave list from baby planner Shannon Choe of Premier Baby Concierge who also attended the ABC Kids Expo with The National Baby Planner Association (NBPA):

Upspring Baby - Creator of Milkscreen (a home test for alcohol in breast milk)

My Little Seat - A convenient way to have baby sit with you at the table when you don't have a high chair around.

Itsabelly Visits the ABC Kids Expo in Vegas

Itsabelly visited the ABC tradeshow in Vegas from September 8th-10th and it was a blast! This tradeshow is the primary event for the juvenile products industry and the one must-see event if you're involved in the baby industry.

We didn't get to see everyone we wanted to in the limited time we had but we enjoyed the wonderful connections we made.  With the soon-to-be release of our Green Baby Guide book we focused on spreading the word about our launch.  Our time was also spent finding out what new green baby products were being featured. Above you'll see our picture with Pete Myers, founder of Baby Planet next to his award winning Eden Convertible Bassinet which turns into a baby seat, very cool!

From Boon, Think Baby, Under the Nile, Sage Creek Naturals to our favorite eco friendly company Baby Planet the floor was buzzing with the hottest baby products on the market! You definitely need a week to see everything - it was HUGE!! We spent some quality time with the founders and designers of companies like Scandinavian Child who distributes the Cariboo, Lillebaby and the Beaba line just to name a few.  We loved the Beaba Babyfood Maker and will do an in depth review later of this product amongst others!

There was a little bit of celebrity mixed in with our trip as well. We met with the beautiful Allison Sweeney from Days of Our Lives and Host of The Biggest Loser. She was promoting Thermos products and their Hydrationforall.com. THE major highlight was connecting with Christopher Gavigan of Healthy Child, Healthy World (see us with him in the 2nd pic above - left to right is Kevin (founder of Think Baby), Jil, Christopher, Alicia and myself)!  Christopher was so down to earth and was really interested in Itsabelly's green focus on providing the best for baby.  His book Healthy Child Healthy World is in the top seller list on Amazon and not to mention Meryl Streep wrote the forward for his book - exciting stuff! Special thanks to Alicia over at The Soft Landing (our fave non-toxic feeding store) for being our fabulous cheerleader!
We'll share more in upcoming posts.  Can't wait to tell you more detail about which products and companies made our fave list!

Something to Bite On!

I saw this post today on a great networking site I belong to called "Works For Me" which is based in the Bay Area.  So, I thought I would throw out a little plug for Grandmother's out there who make wonderful organic homemade products. Maureen Earl makes an organic homemade teething biscuit called "Nonnas Organic Teething Rusks". She uses only wholesome ingredients, no refined flour and no
preservatives. She bakes them until they are hard enough to not crumble when chewed, and she makes them long and sturdy enough to be safely handled by the baby.

If Isabella was still in her teething stage I would definitely have her try these teething biscuits. They come in wonderful flavors like Banana/pear, Cheese, Carrot/apple, Raspberry and soon Sun Dried Tomato.

Maureen states:
"One of the advantages of these rusks is that the longer you keep them, the harder they get. They can also be frozen. If dropped they can be wiped or lightly rinsed and dried. 

To Order Contact: Maureen Earl moish@comcast.net

More Info on the Rusks from Her Daughter:

My mother makes incredible organic teething biscuits, in case any of you want to order them. My 9 month old son absolutely loves them. There is no sugar and she only uses the best ingredients. They also dont break apart or melt (hence, no mess). They are a mother's blessing because they keep my son occupied and seem to really help his teething pain. Below is the information. If you are interested,
you can contact my mother directly (her email is listed below)

Organic Homemade Teething Rusks

Rusks are hard dry biscuits, sometimes twice baked, for babies who are teething. Commonly used in Europe, they are a far safer alternative to crumbly or soft cookies, and provide chewing satisfaction for the baby who is getting his first teeth.

Many years ago when my children were teething, I started making them sugarless teething rusks (biscuits). Today I make them for their children. Using only wholesome ingredients, no refined flour and no preservatives, I bake them until they are hard enough to not crumble when chewed, and I make them long and sturdy enough to be safely handled by the baby. One rusk can easily last several days --
depending on how hard the baby chews. One dozen will last for more than a month.

One of the advantages of these rusks is that the longer you keep them, the harder they get. They can also be frozen. If dropped they can be wiped or lightly rinsed and dried.

Right now I offer them in four flavors: banana pear, cheese, carrot apple, raspberry.

Banana/pear - $16.65 doz
Cheese - $17.65 doz
Carrot/apple - $16 65 doz
Raspberry - $17.00 doz (contains small amount of sugar)

Soon I will have sundried tomato rusks available as well.

I can supply you with names of mothers who are using these rusks so that you can find out what they are saying about Nonna's Organic Teething Rusks.

Baby Colors? Add Green to Classic Pink & Blue...Front Page Headlines for Itsabelly

Last week was a wonderful week for press related activity when Itsabelly landed on the front page of The Oregonian's "How We Live" section of the newspaper in the article "Baby Colors?  Add green to classic pink and blue" written by freelance writer Emily Puro.  Thanks Emily!!
 

We also aired on Fox12 BetterTV sharing tips on how to Create an Organic Nursery.  We're so excited to see our Itsabelly brand continue to grow and great interest in such an important topic of "going green with baby".  Itsabelly believes that there are two very important reasons to go green even in the smallest of ways and those are to protect our babies and our planet.  We are so happy our message is getting heard on front page headlines!

Itsabelly Making it into International Headlines, Hooray!

We're truly excited to share with you that Itsabelly has made it into international headlines!  Our latest piece of press was on April 21st in the world renowned Springwise newsletter.  Calling us the "Baby Concierge Service with an Eco Twist"...a total surprise to us and since then our web and blog statistics have gone through the roof!! 

So, if you're sending in an inquiry and we don't get back to you right away you'll know why :) but no worries you'll hear back from us,we promise.

One word describes how we feel about Springwise's feature, "hooray"!  Thank you to Nancy Grossman of Back Channel Press who submitted our story and to Springwise's editor.

Our Special Announcement to Honor Earth Day!

             

Itsabelly's Guide to Going Green with Baby is the first book to provide a simple resource for evaluating eco-friendly baby gear and to learn more about organic and natural family living. We offer mom-tested product reviews and tips to raising a healthy baby and creating a happy planet. The founders of Under the Nile, gDiapers, TheSoftLanding.com and Earth Mama Angel Baby provide insight on why choosing organic and natural baby products is important to creating a healthier lifestyle. Going Green with Baby features personal product recommendations from eco-minded moms Jennifer Lo Prete and Melissa Moog. Jennifer is a writer and mother of two that has long practiced green living. Melissa is mom to a toddler, writer and the founder of Itsabelly Baby Concierge, a premier baby planning agency that specializes in going green with baby.

Going Green with Baby will be released in the Summer of 2008. To pre-order your copy, please send us an email to info@itsa-belly.com or call us at (503)799-5719 with your name and contact information. We will contact you when the book is available for purchase. Wholesale inquiries are also welcome.

A Peek Inside...

• Plan your baby registry with the best mom-tested reviews of over 300 eco-friendly baby products. We cover all your baby’s needs from slings to strollers, non-toxic bottles to safe skin care products, organic baby clothes to eco-friendly diapers and sustainable nursery furniture.
           
• Learn why going green with baby is important for a healthy baby and happy planet. Our panel of eco experts weighs in on the importance of organic apparel, sustainable wood, non-toxic feeding products and natural skin care products.
           
• Discover our simple eco-mom tips to raising a healthy baby and protecting our planet.
           
• Decipher the meaning and standards behind eco-labels. What does organic mean anyway? We make your trip to the store easier with a useful guide to common eco-labels and organic certification standards.
           
• Gain valuable tips on going green on a budget. From our own experience, it may not be financially feasible to turn your household completely organic. We give you tips on how you can make green choices that are right for your family.

      

Luna Lullaby's Bosom Baby...Could it Be Your Breast Friend?

Luna Lullaby was kind enough to send me their Bosom Baby Organic Breast Feeding Pillow for review.  I really liked the fact that it's a large pillow that could form to the shape of your body as needed.  The organic materials were of course a definite plus and because the pillow is large in size moms can use it to feed twin babies.  It also acts as a great sleeping pillow!  I know that my pillow definitely became my best friend when I cuddled up with it at night after a long day with baby. 

Bosom Baby creates the perfect position for mothers to raise baby up to breast level, making the latch-on process easier. The unique V-shape also makes a cozy, comfortable maternity sleeping pillow.  The pillow cover design does not utilize zippers or velcro. Instead it is a fold-over design that helps keep the inner-cushion secure and in place. 

The organic flannel pillow comes in an oatmeal and light pink color.  It sells for $58 on Luna Lullaby's site and they offer covers  (no organic covers at this time) at $34.

Here are some facts about Bosom Baby pillows:

*Helps properly position baby for any breastfeeding hold
*Size and shape supports elbows and shoulders
*Fits every waistline
*Great maternity sleeping pillow
*Removable washable covers
*Good for twins
*Good for tummy time
*Helps in handling and holding baby
*Soft, luxurious covers

We passed the test - the FIRST green baby planning business!

Just a quick announcement to let you know we're so excited to share with the world that Itsabelly was approved by Co-op America for their green seal of approval!  This means we're listed as a socially and environmentally responsible, green company.  Co-op America's list of businesses adopt principles, policies, and practices that improve the quality of life for their customers, their employees,communities, and the environment.  We are PROUD to be a member of this community!

We applied for Co-op America's seal in December 2007 and received the approval last month.  It was 3 months of a long wait! The application process was tedious and there were some really tough questions we had to answer.  Goes to show you that Co-op America is serious about who they give their seal to and they are a totally professional organization with the highest standards.

We are THE FIRST and only baby planning business to have this green seal of approval.  So, with that said we are tooting our own horn, hooray!!!!