December Meetings

It is a busy time of year and due to the holidays, the leadership of BWI of Central VA has decided to cancel the 4th Saturday Meeting which would fall on December 26th.

We will still have 3 meetings this month:

December 2 -  Midlothian Wednesday Meeting from 10-11:30am at St Marks UMC in Midlothian
December 12 - Southside Saturday Afternoon Meeting from 2:30-4:30 at Bon Air Library
December 14 - Northside Monday Meeting from 10am-Noon at First UU Church of Richmond

We wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season!

International Babywearing Week Events

Wednesday, October 7: Midlothian Meeting at St. Marks UMC in Midlothian, NEW TIME 10:00-11:30am. We'll have some prizes and giveaways for attendees and will be debuting some epic new fluff entering the library thanks to our fantastic IBW sponsors and YOUR membership dollars at work! We will also have the new Lillebaby Carry On to try (not yet circulating).

Thursday, October 8: Spirit Night at Sticks Kebab Shop (Willow Lawn), 4pm-8pm. Print the flyer and show it at the register and they will donate 10% back to BWI of CVA. We'll have a group going around 6pm if you want to eat with other babywearers and join in for some fun giveaways! 

Saturday, October 10: BWI and Hike it Baby will join forces for a hike/playdate at Forest Hill Park. Join Jessica Madsen at 10:00 for a mini babywearing session then Kari Teagno will lead hike (worn babies only, no walking toddlers or strollers) through Forest Hill Park. If you're not interested in the hike, join in for some playground time around 11:30 (maybe go check out the South of the James Farmers Market first!).

Location Change--Summer Monday Meetings

Our usual Monday meeting site at St. Thomas Episcopal Church is undergoing renovations this summer so we are moving those meetings to First UU Church of Richmond.  Please join our facebook group for updates!

Can I donate my old carrier?

Recently we've had a lot of people asking if we accept gently used carrier donations and the answer is an unqualified "yes, absolutely!"  I wanted to say a huge "thank you" to everyone who has donated and share a little bit about how your donations are used by our group.

Lending Library

Some donations go straight into our lending library!  We do have some limits on what carriers we put into our library (we tend to stick with current models of easily accessible and budget-friendly carriers, and only keep enough for our current needs and expected future growth) but we're almost always in need of ring slings, mei tais, soft structured carriers (depending on brand), woven wraps, ultra-compact carriers, and water carriers.  

Teaching Library

In addition to our lending library we have a non-circulating library of teaching carriers that we use for our educator training, 101 classes, and for demonstrations at meetings.  Teaching carriers include all of the same carriers we have in the lending library as well as things like newborn kangaroo care shirts, traditional carriers, pouch slings, etc.  

Other Donations

Donated carriers that we do not need for one of our libraries will be passed along to parents in need through one of our non-profit/community organization partnerships (such as The Carrying On Project, a local non-profit providing baby carriers to military families) or sold/traded to benefit the group.  If you know of an organization that could benefit from receiving gently used baby carriers please let us know, we're always looking for partnerships!

What Can't We Accept?

Carriers we judge to be unsafe (recalled, counterfeit, bag slings, etc.) will be destroyed or permanently marked "not for use by human infant" and kept as teaching tools.  Unfortunately at this time we cannot accept DIY or homemade baby carriers.  We have limited demand for inexpensive front pack carriers (Infantino, Evenflo, Snuggli, etc.) but gladly accept Baby Bjorns especially the more ergonomic models with waist belts.  

As a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization we are able to offer tax receipts for donations that we retain for library use.  If you're interested in receiving a tax receipt please contact us before donating to ensure it is something we can use, otherwise feel free to bring carriers to any meeting and we will be glad to accept them!

Late Start 6/8 Meeting

Important Announcement for the 6/8 Monday Meeting (tomorrow).  Due to unforeseen circumstances the meeting will begin at 10:30 not 10:00.  See you all tomorrow!

How to Wash a Library Carrier

We have recently updated our library policies.  You can read the full set of policies here but we wanted to share some information on the biggest change: washing carriers.

BWI of Central Virginia library carriers are now required to be returned clean and ready to be lent out again at the same meeting they are returned to.

In the past we have been able to handle laundering carriers occasionally as a courtesy to members but we have experienced phenomenal growth in the past year and we now need to reduce the burden on our volunteers and keep carriers in circulation without delays.

So, how to wash a library carrier!

First, if the carrier isn't dirty you do not need to wash it.  Use your best judgement--would you feel comfortable letting a friend borrow the carrier without washing it?  If so, you're probably good to go.

However, if you used your carrier heavily, if it has dust, dirt, food, sweat, animal hair, or drool on it please wash your carrier prior to returning.  Remember, carriers should never be exposed to smoke (tobacco, bonfires, etc.).  Removable suck pads are available to check out with soft structured carriers and mei tais if you have a child who likes to chew on ssc straps.

All of our carriers may be washed on the delicate cycle with cold water or by hand using an unscented liquid detergent (we recommend Ecos but any "Free and Clear" detergent is ok--please do not use Dreft) and tumble dried on low or hung to dry.  We recommend machine drying for wraps and other soft fabric carriers and air drying for soft structured carriers.  A sock over the rings of a ring sling will help reduce the noise in your washer or dryer.

If you have any questions about how to launder your carrier or if you do not feel comfortable please contact us before returning your carrier.  We may charge a cleaning fee depending on the circumstances.  

New Leadership

Every February, BWI of Central VA holds an election for officers.  Over the past 2 years the group has continued to grow and grow.  We are amazed at the love and support for babywearing in the Richmond, VA area.  Due to this amazing growth we have needed to reorganize the leadership.

Board of Directors
President: Catherine Dean
Vice President of Communication: Courtney Glaze
Vice President of Volunteers and Education: Andrea Skeens
Vice President of Fundraising and Finance: Lauren Everett
Vice President of Community: Carrie Gomes

Volunteer Babywearing Educators (your teachers!): Sara Brown, Cathy Dean, Courtney Glaze, Carrie Gomes, Hope Baugh Hichak (who comes to us on occasional loan from Quantico Area Babywearers), Ashley Hooks, Kit Jenkins, Kristin Dunkum Koontz, Marietta Mayo, Andrea Skeens, Sara Thomas (who now is President of BWI Blacksburg but comes to visit us as often as possible!)

Meeting Support Volunteers (who will be working to provide administrative support at meetings and events, taking memberships, welcoming attendees, helping with sign ins, etc.): Sarah Sherman Burger, Angi Bragaw Hamer, Julie Haynes Kratzer, Sarah Mack, Angela Wilson Sanford

Play Date Coordinators (who will be working to get some social events going!): Sarah Breeden, Monica Sheehan

Library Administrator (who will be reminding you when your renewals are due): Colleen Kayser Petro

Thank you to those listed above and to those who have supported the group in leadership rolls in the past.  We would not be here without you!

As always, if you are interested in helping out or becoming a VBE please let us know either in person at a meeting or feel free to email us at centralva@babywearinginternational.org.