Bebe Cannelle - Hot News

Review: Organic Merino Wool and Silk Baby Body

2009-11-21 16:48:55 +0000

As freezing weather is coming and Simon hasn't got rid of his cold yet, I bought an Organic Merino Wool & Silk Baby Body at Love To Be Natural. I love the kimono style which I find offer better neck coverage than the usual envelope neck. Although kimono style means there is nothing to put over baby's head. I love the fabric of wool and 30% silk. I grew up wearing this kind of underwear and have always used wool/silk vests for Rachel too: it is not bulky and is very good to prevent colds in winter.

Love To Be Natural is a cool website run by a mother so I encourage you to pay Colin a visit!

Business ethics

2009-11-09 10:26:40 +0000

The Bebe Cannelle store is stocking a lot of brands and the human beings behind them are very different in each case. But one thing is common to all of them: they have honest, clear and fair business ethics.

As you know I decided from the start to offer to my customers only the products I am personally using and love. But the product is not enough. I recently found a new product which I tested and liked quite well but have decided not to place a wholesale order for the Bebe Cannelle store. The reason? Unfair business practice, non-friendly communication and unclear terms which also rise doubts about the product as a result. Because I am prioritizing eco-friendly products, I need to be sure they are genuine and green. I won't name the company because I believe negativity brings negativity.

So I am even more proud of my current suppliers. Most of the products are conceived by mothers, who observe fair and honest trade practices. The products are handmade very often, or come from small and family businesses.

There is a great human being behind each Bebe Cannelle brands with a lot of stories! Did you know that...

Kathy from Cosytots Organics is proud to have her mother on board as she is suffering from MS and knitting helps her stay active and useful?

That Mandy from Lait d'Amour is sometimes finishing your nursing necklaces orders at 1am in the morning while her children are already asleep?

That Justina from Mamababybliss is not only a skin care expert but also a yoga teacher and baby massage instructor?

That Kristi from Wrapsody baby carriers has recently married her soul mate after raising her 3 children as a single mother?

That Louise from Believe You Can has recently given birth to an adorable baby girl?

That Jeanette who founded LanaCare wool layette is also a nurse?

That the mothers who designed Sleepy Nico buckle carriers are both named Maria with sons both named Nikolai?

I am blessed to be working with such great people. A big thank you to all my (carefully selected) suppliers!

PS: the mother on the photo above is one of my favourite person to work with: Kristi from Wrapsody baby carriers. She is demonstrating here that you can carry a child on your back even in a (hybrid) stretch wrap.

I lost my temper today

2009-11-05 11:20:13 +0000

I am not proud of saying "Stupid b****!" to that woman but seriously she had it coming. Let's rewind a little bit.

I was waiting at the bus stop when that woman came and put her face (uninvited) close to my baby. I hate when people do that. I took a step back. Then she said that my baby is very small and I shouldn't be outside because it's very cold. What? I told her my baby was none of her business, that I had to eat as well (I had done some grocery shopping) and that as I had no help I couldn't stay shut indoors. I should have said if I wanted to wait until the sun comes out, I would be stuck inside until April. I mean, this is UK! Yes it's cold and rainy! When she told me to shut up, "Stupid b****!" came out of my mouth. Cursing in English? It's a sign I'm getting English-er by the day because I didn't have time to think too much beforehand. Soon I will be dreaming in English too...

Anyway, my point is you never ever tell a mother how to take care of her baby. I am selling baby carriers, babywearing is my passion and I believe with all my heart that it is extremely beneficial for both mother and baby. But will I come to those ladies who put their newborns in a buggy to tell them they shouldn't do it? No way! Respecting how a mother is raising her child is basic savoir-vivre.

I fell tired of justifying myself to ignorant people and lousy health visitors. Besides, Simon was carried in a pocket carry with only his feet (in sheepskin booties) and his head (covered with wool balaclava) poking out. There is no way he was cold.

Don't mess with mothers!

Belly Bandit waist shaping belt for post partum

2009-11-02 10:11:11 +0000

As promised, I bought the Belly Bandit to review it for you. Do not worry, I won't post a "before/after" photo of my belly here (although the Belly Bandit's designer had such photo printed on the box side).

I intended to get Belly Bandit before my baby was born but as Simon made his grand arrival in August intead of October, I was cut short and only got it one week after the birth.

How I missed it those first seven days! Belly Bandit is a must-have after birth for comfort first. I could feel my tummy so soft and floppy that it hurt (more than after my first pregnancy). I just wanted it to be compressed and "hold together". Because I didn't have my Belly Bandit yet, I used my maternity skirt which has an elasticated waist to hold my tummy but it just didn't do the trick. When I received my Belly Bandit, it definitely had the "ahhh..." factor. I didn't want to remove it, even at night! So I recommend it for comfort first.

Then, it helps you get your waist back because your abdominal muscles are tighten: the proof is that I used the black Belly Bandit in size medium for only one week before it was too big. So I got the Belly Bandit in bamboo in size S afterwards. You can really see your waist shrinking progress as you velcro it tighter with time.

8 things I love about Belly Bandit:

1. Belly Bandit supports your tummy after the birth.

2. Belly Bandit helps your uterus to shrink back.

3. Belly Bandit is easy to use.

4. Belly Bandit helps you get your back straight, notably when you breastfeed.

5. Belly Bandit can be worn very discreetly under clothes.

6. Belly Bandit has a bamboo version which is amazingly soft (recommended for C-section mothers).

7. Belly Bandit can be worn comfortably all day (even at night... I tried!).

8. Belly Bandit is available at MumsTheWord.com in nude and black to match all your clothes.

3 things I don't like about Belly Bandit:

It does ride up after a while (especially if you nap with it).

It takes more than 12 hours to dry when you wash it.

The velcro is very noisy (and can wake a baby up!).

In the end, I was so happy with Belly Bandit that I didn't bought the Agent Provocateur girdle as it looked far less comfy and I was worried you need someone to tighten it in the back.

Budget tip: you can buy an original Belly Bandit with a Mama Mio cream body shaper (and a free gift) for £74.95 instead of £88.90 only at MumsTheWord.com.

My medicinal herbs order for pregnancy, birth and post partum at Spiceworld.co.uk

2009-10-28 11:21:15 +0000

Below is the list of what herbs/essential oil I ordered from Spiceworld.co.uk and how I used them. It was quite hard to find a UK supplier with such choice available in small quantities (not sold by the kilo!). The only thing is that the herbs are not organic. You get free delivery with all orders above £50 at Spiceworld.co.uk so think of group orders and stocking up on herbs, spices and essential oils for your family.

Rooibos Tea .. 250g: rooibos has too many benefits to list them all here. Read this article about how it is good for both mother and baby.

Vervain .. 250g: for all the family to calm everyone down after a tiring day, promotes lactation according to Natural Health After Birth: The Complete Guide to Postpartum Wellness

Rosehips Whole .. 100g: source of vitamin C according to Natural Health After Birth: The Complete Guide to Postpartum Wellness

Sea Salt Fine .. 500g: to add one teaspoon per sitz bath

Nettle Herb .. 500g: my queen of herbs! Nutritive, with vitamins, iron, pottassium. Helps balance blood sugar levels

Rose Oil (5% Dil) - 10ml: as per my tips from Dr Gowri Motha's book Gentle First Year

Raspberry Leaves .. 500g: can you give birth without them?

Lavender Deep Blue .. 250g: for my husband's headaches, to calm nervous babies/children, to add to the sitz bath mix

Sage Red .. 50g: for the sitz bath mix

Uva Ursi Leaves (Bear Berry).. 100g: for the sitz bath mix

Shepherds Purse .. 100g: for the sitz bath mix

Myrrh Gum .. 100g: for the sitz bath mix

Comfrey Root .. 100g: for the sitz bath mix

Comfrey Leaf Cut .. 100g: for the sitz bath mix

Toby Tiger organic cotton stripy multi-coloured hat

2009-10-26 14:12:38 +0000

How hard is it to find a good baby hat? Well, because I had a premature baby, I wasn't able to go out much to choose one in the shops. So I ordered one hat from Vert Baudet (too big), one from Marks and Spencer (very cute but too small and with unhealthy polyester), one from Tesco (too thin and bad quality). I eventually found the best newborn hat ever: Toby Tiger organic cotton stripy multi-coloured hat. Cute, soft, unisex and in organic cotton.

I believe a baby should always wear a hat, notably because her fontanelles are not closed yet. As Simon has a bit of a cold, wearing a hat keeps him warm: most of the body heat is lost by the head.

My last Pololo leather soft shoes order

2009-10-25 17:45:44 +0000

I am a huge fan of Pololo shoes so I had to buy some for Simon as soon as he was born. Because I have colourful baby carriers, I chose a classic beige to go with everything and I bought the sheepskin slippers for out and about. You can see the sheepskin booties better on the photos here. I get only compliments about those winter booties: everybody loves them! Pololo are updating the colours of their leather sheepskin booties every year so sign up to the bebecannelle newsletter if you want to pre-order yours next winter. I usually send a newsletter about the Pololo pre-order just before September.

Rachel had Pololo soft shoes for her as well as they are great as indoor slippers and the turqoise/rose colourway (called Miss Sunshine) is irresistible!

Did you know? Pololo do leather slippers for adults to... check them out here!

Second baby is a breeze but

2009-10-21 13:50:33 +0100

...and this is a huge "BUT", meeting the first child's needs when caring for a newborn is very challenging. I sometimes feel torn between the needs of my two children, even guilty towards my daughter because baby takes most of my time or towards my son because he is left to cry when Rachel needs a big hug/hair shampooing... I have no help (apart from my husband, bless him), no family in London, np money to hire someone and all my friends are mothers with children so I don't want to add to their work. While I sometimes feels on the verge of collapsing, I am happy nobody is breathing on my neck/telling me what to do (I even refused the health visitor's visit for that reason: nothing is worse that having to justify yourself to someone who lacks parenting skills or don't have a clue about attachment parenting!).

So my days are a big roller-coaster of emotions but I wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's. At last I feel useful and doing the most important job in the world: raising children, helping them turning into caring, autonomous and responsible human beings.

Love to you all and a big hug to fellow hard-working mothers.

My cloth nappies order at Jabulanappies.co.uk

2009-10-19 15:09:26 +0100

Jabulanappies.co.uk was recommended to me by a customer/friend: as much as I know about slings and wraps, I am quite clueless about all the different cloth nappies because I always used prefolds with my daughter. After Simon was offered a fantastic cloth nappy from The Hollow Oak by that same customer/friend, I had to buy more: how can you resist those amazing designs and unique prints/embroideries?

So Jabulanappies.co.uk here I come :-) I must admit I was quite lost in front of that huge choice. So I decided to buy a bit of (almost) everything. Below is my review of all the brands I tried.

Blueberry Minky One Size Snaps:

No cover necessary. Super soft. Comes with an insert but I also use my old prefolds inside. Looks really big on my baby boy but it is a cheap deal to get one nappy from birth to potty.

Made in la p'tite Prairie:

Great prints but a bit bulky with the insert and runs very small. No cover needed.

Weenotions:

Totally irresistible embroideries and silky soft fabric. I cannot recommend them enough and Weenotions is my favourite brand by far. Dries extremely fast. Easy to use, non-bulky, even the one size. Huge cute factor. No cover needed.

Wipes by Jabula:

Those super soft wipes are made by Victoria, the lovely mother who owns the website. I use them when bathing Simon (Rachel has one and I have one), to top and tail him and at nappy time. I'd love the size to be a tad smaller, otherwise they are fab and will save you money.

Wrapping a newborn: nothing compares

2009-10-18 19:11:33 +0100

I am lucky enough to have tried most of the baby carriers styles available on the market and I find that nothing compares with a wrap when you have a small baby. I love Didymos and Wrapsody although I tend to prefer the stretch and gauze wraps from Wrapsody as they are easier to manage. Only my Didymos silk/cotton is thinner than the 100% organic cotton one which makes it more comfortable and less bulky.

I must say that I haven't mastered yet the art of breastfeeding a tiny newborn in a wrap without anybody noticing. But when Simon hits 4 months, it will be a piece of cake in my Sleepy Nico soft structured baby carrier: you only need to loosen the shoulder straps a bit and baby can feed with the additional bonus of being upright (less digestive issues). Of course you need a nursing top to get rolling without exposing your belly to the cold! By the way, there are only 4 Sleepy Nico colourways available... grab one now before it is sold out!