Baby Carrier Industry Alliance Press

BCIA Represents All Segments of the Babywearing Industry

Vesta — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:00:29 GMT

When BCIA was being formed in June of 2010, we could only dream about the size and scope of the organization we were trying to create. According to founder Kristi Hayes Devlin, herself a small business owner, "the initial members of BCIA were all small business owners; family run retailers and manufacturers. The grassroots of the industry. We hoped to build a trade organization that would grow to encompass the entire babywearing industry.”

Small businesses have shaped the babywearing industry as we know it today. Design innovations, style trends, and even the basic carrier types we now know have all been created and first sold by small businesses.

As part of BCIA’s mission to “serve the needs of babywearing businesses and educators, both large and small”, we are excited about recent growth that helps us to encompass the needs of larger businesses. Our larger business members complete the picture of the modern babywearing industry. Excellent public recognition, large market share, wide distribution, and sophisticated product development and research departments are resources unique to large businesses. We have the potential to benefit all BCIA members and babywearing consumers by working together to develop and maintain best practices for our industry.

It may surprise some members to know that many larger babywearing businesses are still family owned. Björn Jakobson, founder of BabyBjörn AB., says ”As long as all research continues to show how vital initial close physical contact with parents is for the little one, we will unfailingly keep working on developing new and better baby carriers. This is what makes us tick.”

As a board, we’d like to welcome all portions of the babywearing industry, so that we may continue including and advocating for businesses of all sizes and levels of growth. We strive to truly be an industry-wide alliance, bringing together the skills and resources of all our members for the betterment and growth of babywearing.

Publication of ASTM Sling Carrier Standard F2907

Vesta — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:43:05 GMT

Press release date: February 22, 2012

W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., -A new ASTM International standard represents current best practices in the design, performance, labeling and instructions for infant slings. ASTM F2907, Specification for Sling Carriers, was developed by Subcommittee F15.21 on Infant Carriers, Bouncers and Baby Swings, under the jurisdiction of ASTM International Committee F15 on Consumer Products.

According to Vesta Garcia, executive director, Baby Carrier Industry Alliance, and an F15.21 member, ASTM F2907 will provide manufacturers with the means to double-check that they are creating and selling the safest possible sling carriers.

"Manufacturers can rest assured that the subcommittee, which includes members from consumer groups, retailers, manufacturers, government regulators and testing laboratories, will continue to update the standard as our knowledge and testing techniques progress," says Garcia. "For users of sling carriers, this standard will ensure that, as an industry, our products are as safe as possible and always improving."

Garcia notes that all interested parties, particularly members of the medical and public health community with relevant expertise, are welcome to join the subcommittee as it considers the ongoing development of F2907. Anticipated inclusion in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act will be a factor when the subcommittee considers possible revisions to ASTM F2907.

"The development of this consensus standard through ASTM represents the very best cooperative spirit between all parties interested in safe infant slings," says Garcia.

ASTM International standards can be purchased from Customer Service (phone: 610-832-9585; service@astm.org). ASTM International welcomes and encourages participation in the development of its standards. For more information on becoming an ASTM member, visit www.astm.org/JOIN.

ASTM International is one of the largest international standards development and delivery systems in the world. ASTM International meets the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles for the development of international standards: coherence, consensus, development dimension, effectiveness, impartiality, openness, relevance and transparency. ASTM standards are accepted and used in research and development, product testing, quality systems and commercial transactions.

For more news in this sector, visit astm.org/sn-consumer or follow us on Twitter @ASTMProductsRec.

ASTM Committee F15 Juvenile Products Subcommittees Next Meeting: April 16-20, 2012, ASTM International Headquarters, West Conshohocken, Pa. Technical Contact: Vesta Garcia, Baby Carrier Industrial Alliance, McKinney, Texas, Phone: 972-302-7397; director@babycarrierindustryalliance.org
ASTM Staff Contact: Leonard Morrissey, Phone: 610-832-9719;lmorriss@astm.org
ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler, Phone: 610-832-9603; bschindl@astm.org

Health Canada & BCIA Joint Education Campaign

Vesta — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:04:30 GMT

BCIA is pleased to announce our joint education campaign in conjunction with Health Canada. Recognizing a need to educate the public about safe babywearing, BCIA has combined forces with Health Canada to produce an educational campaign. By educating the public, including parents, health care providers, retailers and others coming in contact with babywearing families, we plan to increase awareness of safe positioning with the intent of minimizing the already low risk of injury or death while using a baby carrier.

BCIA will continue to provide project support by participating in both the planning of the project as well as the creation of the educational materials.

Our campaign will produce printed materials, video and online content to be widely distributed. In addition to reaching out to the general public, the campaign will also distribute promotional materials to Canadian public health centers, midwives and consumer safety organizations as well as members of the babywearing community. BCIA member retailers, manufacturers and educators will be able to access the campaign's resources as well.

This is BCIA's first joint project with a national public health organization and it's first major Canadian-based project.

New Sling Standard at Ballot Until September 10

Kristi — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:53:24 GMT

The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance is pleased to announce that a new standard for infant slings, 3 years in the making, is currently up for a vote by the ASTM subcommittee. If approved, it will provide guidelines against which manufacturers can test sling-style carriers.

"We know from the front-pack standard that a incidents are very likely to be reduced by the passage of this sling standard. And as a mother of four, child safety is a huge priority for me," says Kristi Hayes-Devlin, BCIA Chairwoman.

In fact, several consumer interest groups have pointed out the need for a standard against which sling-style carriers can be tested in the United States. Currently, there is no voluntary or mandatory standard in place. Don Mays of Consumer Reports has written numerous blog articles pointing to a need for this standard, and industry leaders have worked hard to bring it to its semifinal state.

The BCIA urges its members, many of whom are also members of the ASTM, to vote to accept the standard. Consumer advocates have worked alongside manufacturers to develop a standard that is both meaningful and attainable. A finalized standard will allow sling companies to provide a consistent message to consumers in their safety and instructional literature, and it will also provide guidelines for testing the carriers for safety and security.

Voting on the standard closes September 10, 2011.

BCIA Announces "Educator Round-Table"

Kristi — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 14:39:00 GMT

The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA) is excited to announce a series of Educator Round-Table Discussions in the coming weeks. “We’re thrilled to connect educators from all backgrounds with each other so we can better understand the practices our peers are utilising,” says Arie Brentnall-Compton, BCIA board member and founder of the Canadian Babywearing School.

Babywearing Education is a growing career field both in North America and other parts of the world. As an international organization focused on all aspects of the baby carrier industry, BCIA is uniquely positioned to facilitate the growth of this important field and to bring educators together to discuss the current state of the art and the future of babywearing education in North America.

Beginning in mid-April of 2011, BCIA board members Joanna McNeilly and Arie Brentnall-Compton will facilitate weekly round-table discussions. These phone conferences will allow self-identified professional educators to forge a deeper relationship with each other, discuss their business models, and compare the challenges and techniques that keep their work interesting and successful.

This first round of discussions kicks off a multi-part series for BCIA business members, and marks the maturation of an important sector of the business of babywearing. The series will culminate in a BCIA certification program for babywearing educators, administered in conjunction with the North American Center for Babywearing Studies, a nonprofit group that ….... “Joanna and Vesta are so excellent that surely one of them will have something to say about this,” notes Kristi, BCIA Chairwoman.

BCIA business members interested in joining these calls should contact Arie Brentnall-Compton at arie@tadpoles.ca to be assigned a spot on a call. The calls will be kept small, at only 7 members per call, to allow all participants to have a voice, and will take place over several weeks.

ASTM Moves Closer to Developing Standard for Baby Slings

Jan — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:04:40 GMT

The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA) today applauded the efforts of all stakeholders involved in the three year effort that brought the first voluntary safety standard for sling-style carriers to ballot last month. When finalized later this year, the standard will join those for cribs, strollers, hand-held infant carriers (car seats), bouncer seats, play yards and other durable nursery products as an effective way to provide the public with safer products.

The standards process, initiated by a group of sling manufacturers comprised of BCIA members, is administered by ASTM International, one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world. In addition to BCIA, other stakeholders involved in the standards process include the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Health Canada, Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association (JPMA), consumer groups (including Consumers Union, Kids in Danger and Consumer Federation of America), testing labs, retailers and manufacturers.

The new sling carrier standard will provide manufacturers with expert engineering and human factors guidance on how to design safer products based on industry best practices. In addition, it will offer recommendations on instructions and warnings for the safe use of sling carriers.

"We are extremely proud to participate in this standards development process," said BCIA Executive Director Vesta Garcia. "The final standard will help consumers have confidence that the carriers they buy are well designed and well made products. We acknowledge the great cooperation that the standards committee received from CPSC staff, whose input has been invaluable in the development of the standard."

"In addition to ensuring that these products are safer, we also want to make certain that consumers learn the importance of safe babywearing," continued Garcia. "BCIA hopes to continue its collaboration with CPSC by developing a joint babywearing safety education program to teach consumers about proper, babywearing techniques. BCIA is currently developing such a program in Canada in conjunction with Health Canada. With the creation of a new standard and CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum's recently announced 'Safe Sleep Initiative,' now is the perfect time to initiate such an education program in the U.S."

"Millions of Americans have embraced babywearing as safe, practical, comfortable and convenient," concluded Garcia. "Both its growing popularity and the awareness of its benefits are due in part to an increased understanding of the baby’s and mother’s biological need to be together. Studies have shown that, for mothers, babywearing facilitates the initiation and ease of breastfeeding and can help moms form stronger bonds with their babies. Babywearing also helps mothers care for themselves and for their babies during the newborn stage."

BCIA reminds parents and caregivers that the practice of babywearing keeps babies in the safest place possible, in a parent's arms with baby's face visible to the carrying adult. For additional information on babywearing safety, please visit the BCIA website at http://www.babycarrierindustryalliance.org.

The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance exists to increase awareness of the value of quality baby carriers and to support those in the baby carrier industry. The BCIA was formed in 2010 as a 501(c)(6) corporation. As an alliance of industry leaders, the BCIA is organized to propagate standards across the industry, promote educational outreach, participate in research, and help small businesses comply with standards.

Contact: Caitlin Andrews

202-828-7637

BCIA Sponsors Consumer Advocate Attendance at ICPHSO

Jan — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:25:19 GMT

In an effort to boost public safety and education, the BCIA has sponsored the attendance of a consumer or government advocate at this year's ICPHSO (International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization) annual meeting. The meeting, which will be held on Feb. 22 in Orlando, FL, focuses on sharing information and best practices in consumer safety, with an entire day devoted to the CPSC and its current policies and strategies. The BCIA is pleased to sponsor this scholarship, and hope that the event is a valuable one for all those who attend.

BCIA Pledges to Work With the CPSC on Safe Babywearing Education Campaign

Jan — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:55:09 GMT

For Immediate Release

Contact: Caitlin Andrews

202-828-7637

caitlin.andrews@bgllp.com

Washington, DC -- Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA) Executive Director Vesta Garcia issued the following statement on today's Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) statement on safe babywearing:

"BCIA members are moms and dads as well as leaders in their industry, whose top priority is the healthy development and safety of babies and toddlers. Millions of Americans have embraced babywearing as safe, practical, comfortable and convenient. Both its growing popularity and the awareness of its benefits are due in part to an increased understanding of the baby’s and mother’s biological need to be together. Studies have shown that, for mothers, babywearing facilitates the initiation and ease of breastfeeding and can help moms form stronger bonds with their babies. Babywearing also helps mothers care for themselves and for their babies during the newborn stage. In other words, research shows that this close caregiver attachment and stimulating, safe environment are a critical part of early childhood development.

"Our members agree with the CPSC on the importance of educating consumers about proper, safe babywearing techniques. BCIA is currently developing a babywearing safety education program with Health Canada and we hope to do the same with CPSC.

"US baby sling manufacturers have been working with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International) to initiate the nation’s first voluntary safety standard for sling-style carriers. The standard, which will be finalized in early 2011, will join standards for cribs, strollers, hand-held infant carriers (car seats), bouncer seats, play yards and other nursery products as an effective way to protect the public from unsafe products.

"We remind parents and caregivers that the practice of babywearing keeps babies in the safest place possible -- a parent's arms with baby's face visible to the carrying adult. For additional information on babywearing safety, please visit the BCIA website at http://www.babycarrierindustryalliance.org."

The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA) is an alliance of industry leaders organized to share standards across the industry, promote educational outreach, participate in research and help small businesses comply with standards. The BCIA works with the ASTM and CPSC to ensure that parents and babies continue to have access to safe, quality baby carriers that emulate in-arms carrying, providing the greatest benefit to caregivers and children alike.

# # #

This release can also be found on BusinessWire at the following URL: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20101119005972/en/Baby-Carrier-Industry-Alliance-Pledges-Work-Consumer

Rochelle Price of Sling Rings Named New Chairwoman of Sling Standards Subcommittee

Kristi — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 20:04:32 GMT

Contact:
Joanna McNeilly, Media Contact
Baby Carrier Industry Alliance
BabyCarrierIndustryAlliance.org
contact@babycarrierindustryalliance.org

(Phoenix, AZ) Subcommittee BCIA board member Rochelle Price of Precision Concepts, LLC and well-known SlingRings.com has been appointed as the new chairwoman of the ASTM subcommittee drafting the voluntary standard for infant slings (F15.21**).

Says Kristen DeRocha, formerly of Hotslings and the previous chairwoman of the subcommittee, "Rochelle has been at every meeting since day one. She is unbiased and understands the entire scope of the industry and the issues. She is perfect for the task at hand."

Rochelle brings not only years of leadership and experience in the baby sling industry, but also an engineering degree from Brigham Young University. Having participated in the F15.21** subcommittee meetings from the very beginning, Rochelle is settling into the job quickly.

"I look forward to the opportunity to facilitate the important work this committee is doing. We are excited to be able to bring a voluntary standard for sling type baby carriers to ballot this fall. This is a critical next phase for our industry," says Price.

The next meeting of the F15.21 subcommittee for voluntary standards for sling-style carriers will be held the week of November 8. The BCIA will update its members when the specific time slot for the meeting is scheduled.

For more information about the draft voluntary sling standard of the Baby Carrier Industry Alliance, please visit babycarrierindustryalliance.org. Consider joining as a business member or friend of babywearing to receive updates on standards progress, or make a donation to help further the important work that this trade organization is doing.

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BCIA Announces First Meeting for Members

Joanna — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:46:17 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY, August 24, 2010 On Friday August 27th at 9:00 am the Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA) will have their first informal meeting for members. They happily welcome all members, and those interested in supporting the industry, to join several of the board members at Shula’s 347 restaurant inside the Marriott West Hotel in Conshohocken, PA.

The Breakfast meeting will precede the ASTM sub-committee on sling carriers meeting which begins at 10:30 am. Board members will be on hand to answer questions about the standards and the standards process, as well as any questions about the BCIA as well.

Members and friends attending can expect to meet the following 9 board members at the breakfast meeting:
Kristen DeRocha, Hotslings
Kristi Hayes-Devlin, Gypsy Mama, LLC
Jan Andrea Heirtzler, Sleeping Baby Productions
Joanna McNeilly, Speranza Enterprises, LLC
Mark Miller, Baby Holdings, Inc.
Britt Pegan, Milkface Nursingwear Inc.
Paul and Rochelle Price, Precision Concepts, LLC
Hamilton Radcliffe, TogetherBe LLC

The BCIA hopes you will join them for both meetings. “Completing the standards is one of the most critically pressing issues to date for the BCIA. Having the industry come and support us will help to send a clear message that our industry is critical to parents, caregivers, and most importantly to the safety of babies,” says Mark Miller, BCIA Vice President.

For more information on the BCIA please visit www.babycarrierindustryalliance.org.

CONTACT: Joanna McNeilly, Speranza Enterprises, LLC
joanna@speranzallc.com
www.BabyCarrierIndustryAlliance.org

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BCIA Announces Board and Names Industry Insider as Executive Director

Joanna — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:56:26 GMT

New York, NY August 23, 2010 The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA) is pleased to announce both the Board of Directors, and their newly appointed Executive Director, Vesta Garcia. In her role as Executive Director, Ms. Garcia will work with the Board of Directors to ensure the BCIA accomplish their mission: finalizing the voluntary sling standards, educating the greater public about infant carriers, compiling relevant research, and generally promoting the baby carrier industry.

“Vesta is bringing her experience in the industry as founder and previous owner of both Peppermint and EllaRoo, her reputation of having a great sense of humor and a level head, plus her years of organization building,” says Kristi Hayes-Devlin, BCIA founder and President. “Vesta also sits on the board of Nurturing Across Cultures (NAC), a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about in-arms and attachment parenting as practiced by indigenous peoples worldwide, which can only help to strengthen our organization.”

The founding board members, carefully selected by Hayes-Devlin, represent all major aspects of the baby carrier industry: manufacturer, retailer, educator, and even component-part manufacturer.

Listed below (in alphabetical order):

Jan Andrea Heirtzler, Sleeping Baby Productions
Arie Brentnall-Compton, Tadpoles & Butterflies
Kristen DeRocha, Hotslings
Kurt and Beate Frome, Babywearing Institute
Kristi Hayes-Devlin, Gypsy Mama, LLC
Beth Leistensnider, Catbird Baby
Joanna McNeilly, Speranza Enterprises, LLC
Britt Pegan, Milkface Nursingwear Inc.
Paul and Rochelle Price, Precision Concepts, LLC
Melissa and Hamilton Radcliffe, TogetherBe LLC
Mark Miller, Baby Holdings, Inc.

“I joined this group of businesses to have a stronger industry, one voice for small and large businesses, and to continue to promote safe babywearing as the biological norm for babies and parents,” says Beate Frome.

“We have been discussing such a trade organization since 2005,” says Rochelle Price. “This industry is so full of passion and great minds. I’m excited about the work we will do together.”

For more information on the BCIA please visit www.babycarrierindustryalliance.org.
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BCIA Pays Tribute to Hotslings, Inc.

Kristi — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:56:24 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY, August 9th, 2010 The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA) is deeply saddened to learn that Hotslings, Inc, is closing its doors. Founded in 2003, Hotslings has been the premier manufacturer and retailer of pouch style slings. BCIA Board Member Kristen DeRocha founded Hotslings at her kitchen table in 2003 after designing a pouch style-sling to carry her daughter in. "The CPSC warning against slings really sent everything into a tailspin even though it had nothing to do with our products," says DeRocha.

Ms. DeRocha is a pioneer in the baby carrier industry. She developed a sizing system that ensured a proper fit and a safe carry in pouch-style slings. This sizing system has become the gold standard for pouch-style slings and will be one of Hotslings's most enduring legacies.

Ms. DeRocha also added a padded rail to her pouch-style slings, which added comfort for the baby and ease of use for the wearer. The padded rail has become a common option on many pouch-style slings.

One of the first to inject an aesthetic sensibility into her slings, Ms. DeRocha brought her love of fashion to the baby carrier industry and transformed the look of slings and other baby carriers the world over. The idea of sling as fashion accessory as well as baby carrier took hold with Hotslings's bold prints and colours and constantly evolving offerings. Ms. DeRocha wanted to ensure that parents were not limited to drab colors or juvenile teddy-bear prints when carrying their babies, and she succeeded in a big way. Her styles influence the entire industry.

As an attached parent of two and unapologetic fashionista herself, Ms. DeRocha perfectly represents the Hotslings brand. The baby carrier industry is fortunate that Ms. DeRocha will continue to bring her unique blend of talents to the industry as a BCIA Board Member.

The closure of Hotslings highlights the important work to be done in the baby carrier industry to ensure its health and stability. The BCIA is working hard to develop safe and achievable standards for all sling carriers through the ASTM and to help the baby carrier industry grow. Additionally, the BCIA is working to bring accurate information about the importance of baby slings for the well-being of infants and families to the general public, media, and medical communities.

The closure of Hotslings, Inc is a huge loss for North American parents and babies and for the baby carrier industry as a whole. If your life has been touched by a Hotsling, the BCIA asks that you consider becoming a BCIA member or making a donation in tribute to Hotslings. The work of the BCIA is just beginning and we require support in order to ensure that more companies don’t suffer the fate of Hotslings, Inc.

For more information on the BCIA check out their website: www.babycarrierindustryalliance.org.

CONTACT: Joanna McNeilly, Speranza Enterprises, LLC
joanna@speranzallc.com
www.BabyCarrierIndustryAlliance.org

BCIA Opens For General Membership

Kristi — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:56:53 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Joanna McNeilly, Speranza Enterprises, LLC
joanna@speranzallc.com
www.BabyCarrierIndustryAlliance.org

New York, NY, July 28, 2010 The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA) is excited to announce their initial push for members. In their efforts to reach both individuals and businesses of all sizes, the BCIA has set a membership structure to appeal to all audiences. With their key initiatives in mind, the BCIA asks members to contribute as much as they can.

Kristi Hayes-Devlin, board chair, emphasizes the time-sensitive first action items of the BCIA. "Infant slings have been recently placed in the 'durable infant product' category, which requires a mandatory CPSC standard," explains Hayes-Devlin.

Hayes-Devlin points to this quote from Inez Tenenbaum, CPSC chairperson: “If you act swiftly, like ASTM has done recently with cribs, then we at CPSC can recognize the improved standard at the mandatory level.”

"This is why the first order of business of the BCIA is to finalize an excellent voluntary standard for infant slings that is both safe and also achievable for small babywearing businesses," continues Hayes-Devlin. "From there, we will move to unite our industry behind the message that babywearing is critical to the public health of families everywhere. To achieve these goals, we need both funds and practical support."

Membership in the BCIA is divided into two primary categories – "General Supporter" for those individuals and businesses who support the work of the BCIA but not a part of the industry, and "Business Member" for companies and individuals who are financially invested in the industry.

"We really wanted to have a place for the parents, friends, and supportive organizations to have voice and see what we do, even if they are not financially invested in this industry," says Britt Pegan, BCIA board member and head of the membership subcommittee. "This is why we created the Friend and Champion levels. We have some fun benefits for both outlined on the website, but in particular our Champions will receive ongoing discounts and promotions with vendors both in and outside the trade. Also, BCIA 'supporters' also have access to our member-only forums."

The Business Memberships are available at four graduated levels and offer several key benefits to businesses, such as group buying power, access to international research on babywearing and baby carriers, the opportunity to vote on policies and run for elected positions, a listing on the BCIA website and in the "Who's New?" section of their newsletter, and membership in the BCIA business forums, where open legitimate business-related industry discussion already happens. Additionally, all members joining before September 1, 2010 will hold a designation of "Charter Member" for the duration of their membership.

"The membership guidelines are just that -- guidelines. We want our members to join us in achieving our goals at the level that best fits their business," continues Pegan. "The more businesses and individuals contributing to our campaigns, the stronger we will all be. We are hoping to see a stellar response to this Alliance."

For more information on the BCIA check out their website: www.babycarrierindustryalliance.org.

Industry Leaders form New Trade Organization, Baby Carrier Industry Alliance

(Past member) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:09:19 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Joanna McNeilly
Speranza Enterprises, LLC
212-313-9600
joanna@speranzallc.com
www.BabyCarrierIndustryAlliance.org

Berwick, Maine, July 22, 2010 – Leading Baby Carrier Manufacturers, Retailers, Educators, and Component Part and Accessories Manufacturers proudly announce the formation of the industry’s first trade organization, the Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA).

The newly formed BCIA will educate families about the indisputable benefits of using quality baby carriers, coordinate information gathering and research, and work with government organizations to ensure safe, quality baby carriers that emulate in-arms carrying are available to parents and caregivers.

“This organization has been a long time coming; the industry as a whole wants parents to feel confident with their choice in baby carrier. We want parents to know that they are offering their baby the best, and safest, possible start to life by carrying their child in an ergonomically correct baby carrier,” says Vesta Garcia, founder of Peppermint and Ellaroo.

The immediate responsibility of the BCIA is to finalize work on a voluntary standard for infant slings. “We are working as quickly as possible to get a strong standard to ballot in the near future,” says Kristen DeRocha, chair of the American Society of Tests and Measures (ASTM) subcommittee on sling standards and founder of Hotslings. The BCIA believes the completion of this standard is key to ensuring the safety and general availability of both commercially produced and handcrafted babywearing products.

In 2007, a small group of sling manufacturers voluntarily approached the ASTM, the body responsible for creating standards for thousands of consumer products in the United States, to request that work on such a standard begin. In Spring 2008, several manufacturers of infant carriers and carrier component parts began work on the standard along with the CPSC, Health Canada, and several consumer groups. The BCIA looks forward to the eventual adoption of the voluntary safety standards so it can move towards its larger goal of education and research.

For more information on the BCIA visit our website:
www.BabyCarrierIndustryAlliance.org