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Ergo SportRemember the Frankston dad who was harassed by police for carrying his baby in a cloth baby carrier? Or the flurry of negative media after safety warnings were issued on the proper use of slings? It's pretty clear that many Australians don't know much about baby slings and carriers, or how to use them safely. We don't hear as much negativity about prams because people grow up seeing them used safely, and their use has become normalised. Baby slings and carriers are unusual by comparison, despite being the only option in many developing countries and having been used safely and successfully for many thousands of years.

To combat the negativity, we're getting together for some GUERILLA BABYWEARING. We'll demonstrate safe use of baby carriers and slings, hand out babywearing safety information sheets and contact details for local informal babywearing groups like Canberra Babywearers and Baby Carriers Downunder, and generally have a lovely morning in the sunshine. We're meeting at 10am on Friday 17 Feb 2012 at the Chess Board in Garema Place (it's where the roller skating rink was until the end of this week). Bring your baby and a sling, and let's have some fun!

US CPSC safety advice for baby slings

All parents have to deal with unsolicited advice occasionally. It's usually well-meaning, even if it is unnecessary or unsuitable, and easily ignored. Sometimes it causes bigger problems. Such as what happened recently when a Frankston dad was harassed by police for carrying his baby, safely and properly, in a baby carrier.

What this shows is that there are people in the community who don't understand that babywearing has been practiced safely for thousands of years, all over the world, and continues to be a choice for Australian parents today. I think a guerilla babywearing session in Canberra might help, demonstrating safe babywearing and perhaps handing out cards for Baby Carriers Downunder (I have some) and babywearing safety info (I have leaflets on this too). Who's up for it? I'm thinking somewhere public, perhaps Garema Place, on a weekday around 10am. Do post comments with your suggestions!

 The Perfect Gift?It doesn't exist. Even Seth Godin says so. So without a must-have toy, what should you choose for your cherished child this Christmas? Don't panic - the lack of a toy approved by the masses as must-have is a wonderful thing. It gives you the opportunity to stop and consider what your kids are really interested in. And whether they even need more toys. Instead of taking the easy option and buying the battery operated, plastic, made in China under questionable conditions toy that will be forgotten or recalled due to a safety problem in January, you can take a few moments to think about what kind of games they most enjoy, their favourite colours, whether they prefer to play indoors or outdoors. And if it takes more than a few minutes to think of something, perhaps what they and you really need is a toy or game you can play with together.

If you want the kids to help out with Christmas decorating, and keep their little hands busy, here are some ideas:

• Christmas crafts for children - full of ideas such as placemats, decorations, and advent calendars.
• Card keeper - make one now, and you'll be ready for the whole of 2012 with birthdays remembered and cards handmade.
• Spring activities - great for summer too! Includes home made soaps, gutter races, and DIY bird feeders.

If you're tired of Christmas meaning another influx of plastic, battery operated, possibly slave-labour produced toys, here are some ideas.

These toys don't just give to the happy child who will play with your carefully chosen gift. They also give the workers who produce them employment with fair wages and safe working conditions, often in co-operatives where the factory's profits go to the workers rather than shareholders. They also give back to the planet, being made from sustainable or recycled materials, and with respect for the natural environment by avoiding toxic dyes and pollutants.

All these gifts and many more are available in our online store, with delivery just $9 no matter how much you buy. And do check out our selection of fair trade and carbon neutral Christmas cards and gift tags. Make it Fair Trade this Christmas!

Christmas inspiration: clockwise from top left: Dirtgirlworld CD "Get Grubby"; Bunny Nugget soft toy from Cambodia Knits; O'Bon recycled newspaper pencils; Make It! book; Monkey Drum; Cushie Tushies nappy in Jungle Fever print; Rainbow nesting blocks.

There's been a flurry of news stories recently about safety for newborns in baby slings. Issues around safety are nothing new, but this seems like a sensible time for a recap...

The US CPSC published a warning on particular types of baby slings, and particular carrying positions, back in March 2010. Just as you wouldn't leave a baby unsupervised in a highchair, or park a pram at the top of a hill without putting the brake on, baby slings need to be used properly to ensure they are safe. This diagram, from the US CPSC, shows the correct position for a baby in a soft sling such as a pouch or ring sling:

US CPSC safety advice for baby slings

A safely used baby sling should allow the baby to breathe normally. Look out for baby's chin being too close to their chest - that will make breathing more difficult. Use a sling that doesn't have heavy padding or close up like a bag around your baby, so that you can easily see your baby's face while they're being carried. Also, position baby with their face out or up, not facing into soft folds of cloth against your body.

Baby slings have been used for thousands of years, in cultures all over the world. Research shows that babywearing helps newborns - especially premature babies - regulate their temperature and breathing, increases milk supply for breastfeeding mothers with low supply, and helps parents and carers bond with their baby. It's also a great way to settle a fussy baby to sleep, especially if they have an upset tummy (colic or reflux). The thing that all those millions of women have had over thousands of years of babywearing is not technologically better baby carriers: it's knowledge passed on from one mum to another. If you're worried about how to use your baby sling, get in touch with a local babywearer's group to get some parent-to-parent tips on how to use what you've got.

... take them to a book launch! My three kids (aged 7, 6, and 4) were a bit grumpy about having to get out of their pyjamas. But once we arrived at the party to launch Tania McCartney's latest book, they transformed into very agreeable little creatures indeed!

Riley and the Grumpy WombatArtwork by Kieron Pratt

Riley and the Grumpy Wombat is the fourth book in the series of Riley the Little Aviator's Amazing Adventures. Set in Melbourne, Riley visits some of my favourite landmarks in search of a very particular wombat. The mix of black and white photographs with Kieron Pratt's colour illustrations of Riley and his friends is quite unlike most other picture books. Having lived in Melbourne for a brief time in my pre-kids life, I loved looking at Flinders Street Station, Southbank, Lygon Street, and St Kilda Beach. Sophia's favourite line in the book is "fandangled hifalutin patented doodad".

Tania plans to launch the fifth book in the series in 2012: Riley and the Jumpy Kangaroo, set in Canberra! We think Riley has a high likelihood of finding a roo on the slopes of Mount Ainslie, but he'll have to look out for unexploded ordnance left there by training Defence personnel. Or he might spot a roo in the National Gallery of Art's sculpture garden. Guaranteed to spot a few at Tidbinbilla, along with echidnas and koalas. We're all very excited and can't wait to see a Riley book set in our city.

Some women start making their own modern cloth nappies because they can't find the perfect nappy to suit their baby.

Some women do it because they dream of starting a work-at-home crafting business.

Most women do it because money is tight when there's a new person arriving in the household and less income to pay for their needs.

If you've ever wanted to make a modern cloth nappy, for whatever reason, you'll find some easy tips to get you started right here.

Hacked Mandy MacLast Monday night, I hosted an online chat for the Cloth Nappy Hunt on the topic of modern cloth nappying on a budget.

We chatted about the best fit on different baby body shapes, ways to get more wears out of your stash, DIY absorbent inserts, night nappies, and more. You can look through the transcript here.

One of the things I love about budget nappying is that it can still look gorgeous. Take my hacked Mandy Mac for example: I got one of the cheapest hemp/organic cotton fitted nappies on the market, attached a crocheted flower, and embroidered "from little things, big things grow" on the back. Although perhaps it should have been "from little things, big messes grow". Anyway... this is a nappy that fits from 2.5kg (a small newborn!) right through to toilet training, so you need only buy one nappy stash. Being hemp blend, they're very durable and will last through at least three babies (mine did!). And yet still cute!

Think about what you do with a boring white t-shirt, and then apply that thinking to your nappy stash: embroidery, dye, pretty hand-knit covers... Or think about IKEA hacks - people who mess with their flat-pack furniture - and apply that to the structure of your stash: adding boosters, replacing worn-out velcro with snaps, engineering a better fit by replacing old elastic. Even without sewing skills (that's me!), there's a lot you can do to make nappying fun and fashionable on a budget.

One of the questions people often ask when they're considering cloth nappies is, "how many nappies will I need?". Modern cloth nappies, usually made from a hemp or bamboo blend fabric, are much more absorbent than cotton terry toweling squares. This means the number of cloth nappies used in a 24 hour period should be the same as the number of disposable nappies that would have been used.