Do you live in or near Massachusetts? Have an adorable baby? And are pretty photogenic yourself (or have a friend who is)?

We are looking for parent and baby models for the next Sakura Bloom photo shoot. If you’re interested in being considered, please send contact information, child’s age, and current photos of both you and baby to info@sakurabloom.com

Mothers and fathers both welcomed!

We just got back from a wonderful four days in Chicago at the 2nd International Babywearing Conference.

Babies everywhere. More baby carriers than I’d ever dreamed seeing in one place. And wonderful, wonderful women (and some men, too!) from around the world!

The conference organizers held a gigantic raffle to benefit thebabywearer.com which is the world’s largest resource for information about baby carriers. A Sakura Bloom signature Blackberry Stripe sling was one of the prizes.

Here I am with the lucky winner—Genevieve from Pittsburgh, PA. Blackberry Stripe looks just gorgeous on Gen and her adorable son!

Congratulations to Genevieve and all of the other winners. Thanks also to the organizers for a fantastic conference!

Who says slings are just for women?

Across this country and around the world, fathers carry their children too. In this Men In Slings column, we’re featuring an interview with one of our customers from Chicago–Allan with his adorably handsome son—shown here in our gorgeous, but no longer available Green Tea sling from the Artisan Collection.

How did you discover baby slings?

I discovered them through my wife. She is very proactive at finding the best parenting practices.

What experiences has carrying your child let you have that you would’ve missed out on otherwise?

Every time that I carry my son is an opportunity to develop a healthy, close relationship with him. It recently occurred to me during a walk with my wife–during which my son was napping on me–how unfortunate it is that so many parents aren’t aware of this simple, proactive choice they can make. Just today, for instance, we went for a walk along the stone wall of a riverside, which is a walkway ill-suited for strollers and too dangerous to allow a toddler to surmount. As we walked, I was able to point our two ducks swimming and negotiating the light rapids of the river, to which my son said, “I want to do that!”

Also, almost every Saturday (when its nice outside), my son will take his nap while I’m carrying him on a walk with my wife. As he sleeps, he will intermittently give me hugs and squeezes, and it makes me feel like the happiest father in the world.

Have you convinced any of your friends to use slings with their babies?

By practice and through conversation I think I have convinced several of my friends and family members that “baby-wearing” is a clearly superior alternative to strollers. Slings are particularly wonderful for infants, and I have some long-time friends who live in Texas who decided to use a sling after they stayed with us for a weekend before their child was born. I think that once you’ve been around a family who integrates baby-wearing into their everyday life, it would be difficult to rationalize not using a sling or at least some kind of baby carrier.

What is your Sakura Bloom sling of choice?

Anything double layer. I trust my wife to make the pattern choice!

Anything else you’d like to add?

Yes–using a sling has been particularly important in the formation of a healthy, deep bond between myself and my adopted son. We’re in the process of adopting a little girl and plan on using slings again when we bring our daughter home. There really is no substitute for closeness in the parent-child relationship, and using a sling makes achieving this ideal accessible and convenient.

(Our thanks to Allan and family, and congratulations on the newest member of your family. We hope she’s here with you soon!)

Welcome to our first installment of Sakura Bloom’s Men In Slings!

Our first father is Marco from Fremont, California, pictured here with his beautiful daughter. We love how comfortable they look, his daughter’s sweet polka dot pants, and that West Coast foliage in the background!

Read on for Marco’s insights on why baby slings are just as good for dads as they are for moms:

What is your favorite thing about a ring sling?

This is a bit selfish, but I love the freedom and independence it gives me. I’m able to do things without lugging around a huge stroller or worrying about accessibility.

Describe the moment you *got* it.

My wife has worn our daughter from her second week of life, so I’ve always seen that she was happiest that way. At first we had a Bjorn, but it pulled on my shoulders. I used it for a bit and then my wife did a lot of research and found out that Sakura Bloom ring slings are much more ergonomic and enjoyable. So after many conversations and trying out her slings, I got a Sakura Bloom of my own.

What do you wish other fathers knew about baby slings?

I wish other fathers knew how wearing your baby helps you to carry on doing the same things you did before you had the baby. I think a lot of dads think they’re stuck on the floor playing with their kids without being able to do anything else. I do chores, I am on the computer, I cook, I work on the garden, and I know exactly where my daughter is.

What is your Sakura Bloom sling of choice?

Although we own several Sakura Blooms, there is one that is just mine: its a Storm Simple Linen.

What do you use your sling for most?

I use it to put my daughter to sleep at night. When she’s really fussy and in a mood, cradle carry and a song puts her to sleep in 10 minutes!

(A big thank you to Marco from everyone at Sakura Bloom!)

Is there nothing sweeter than when your baby lays her head on your chest?

Just in time for Father’s Day, we are launching a new feature on our blog:

Men In Slings!

People often assume that its just women who use baby slings, but no. Slings are for fathers, too.

So, starting this week, we’ll be showcasing fathers carrying their children in Sakura Bloom slings.

Dads who use slings will tell you that they can be like magic: soothing an unhappy child, perfect for nap time, and fun for a walk.

For those of you who haven’t yet discovered baby slings, here’s some encouragement from the SB Men In Slings home team:

Top 10 Things a Man Can Do While Hands-Free in a Sakura Bloom Sling:

10. Walk around Home Depot.

9. Play Tiger Woods ‘08.

8. Watch the Red Sox.

7. Clean bottles.

6. Fix stuff.

5. Tie flies.

4. Make a sandwich.

3. Read the sports page.

2. Play at the park with your toddler.

and

1. Cuddle with your baby.

Joyful. Soulful. Absolutely delightful.

We’ve been rocking out to Dan Zanes’ music for kids–for the whole family, really–for over four years now and still do not get tired of it. Tired, actually, is probably not a word in the Dan Zanes vocabulary. This is music to make you smile, sing, tap your feet, and get up and dance.

It crosses all genres and each CD is just as wonderful as the one that came before it, making it next to impossible for me to pick a favorite.

Rocket Ship Beach and Family Dance have a special place in my music heart as they were the first two we got, but we all also love House Party and Nighttime too. And Catch that Train! of course. Its easier to pick songs than CDs, so here are some of my highlights:

1. Welcome Train with the Blind Boys of Alabama, on Catch that Train!

2. Pigogo, an absolutely beautiful and haunting song on Catch that Train! sung by a children’s choir from South Africa.

3. Pay Me My Money Down and Rattlin’ Bog from Nighttime.

4. In the summer and fall of 2005, my son refused to listen to anything other than Hokey Pokey from Family Dance.

5. Polly Wolly Doodle, Go Down Emmanuel Road, and Father Goose from Rocket Ship Beach.

Our current favorite is the new CD featuring Father Goose: It’s a Bam Bam Diddly! Try, just try to put this CD on and not start smiling, if not dancing, the minute the first track “Bam Bam” starts playing.

We’re big reggae and dancehall fans around here, but can’t imagine anyone not loving this CD. As they say on their website, its a “rollicking mix of west indian folk music, rock, gospel, and father goose original tunes.”

In March, we went to see Dan Zanes and the band here in Boulder with some friends. They opened with Welcome Table, my son’s favorite song, and put on a wonderful show, but we were sad that Father Goose wasn’t there.

So, after the show, we asked one of the band members where he was, and heard that he and his wife were expecting a baby any day. Of course, we couldn’t think of a better reason for Father Goose not to be there, and we hope that he, his wife, and their new Baby Goose are all doing well!

There’s something simply amazing about communicating with your infant via sign language.

The first time they sign to you just stops you in your tracks. Did my baby just sign to me, you think? Could it be? Wow! My baby is brilliant!

I signed some with my son (okay, confession: he really only signed one sign—”more”) and am now teaching my infant daughter to sign. We started when she was about eight months old, inspired by seeing Rachel from Signing Time perform at Baby Celebration LA.

L’s first sign was the one to nurse, and its still her most consistent and used sign (well, along with bye-bye). She’s also made up her own sign or two which we are working on deciphering.

There are many claims made about the benefits of signing. I don’t doubt that its beneficial to some degree, but mostly I just think its fun. Pamela Paul has an insightful article on Babble about infant sign language: Hands Across America: Is Baby Sign Language Essential or a Rip-off? Will it make your kid ace the SATs and get into Harvard? Probably not. Will it be a neat way to communicate with your infant? Yes, or at least, it has been for our family (albeit in our own limited, ad hoc way).

Today I decided to teach her the sign for baby sling. Turns out that you use the signs for “baby” and “carrier.” Click here to see a very serious woman demonstrating this sign for you.

Do it like she does, but please, add a smile and have some fun!

Hooray for mothers!

In honor of mothers everywhere, we decided to give away a wardrobe of Sakura Bloom Baby Slings, one each from our Luxe, Artisan, Essential silk or linen, and Hana or Pure collections. And…just now, we’ve drawn the winning name from all the entries! The winner is………

Jessica Rodriguez who bought a sling at Baby Celebration LA!

Congratulations, Jessica!

But….wait…..that’s not all!

Due to the overwhelming response we got to the contest and to the beautiful spring weather, we made the spontaneous decision to have three runners-up! So, three lucky winners will each receive their choice of a silk or linen Sakura Bloom Essentials sling.

The three runners-up are:

Kristy DeCastro, an entrant from Tree City Diapers in Ann Arbor, Michigan;

Anna Fukushima, entered from Day One Center in San Francisco, California; and,

Ana Marenco, who entered from Papaya Patch in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Congratulations to Kristy, Anna, and Ana–our three runners-up!

Just in time for Mother’s Day, Sakura Bloom Baby Slings is joining with one of New York’s hottest baby boutiques, the Upper East Side’s Metro Minis to present their extraordinary slings.

Sakura Bloom designer and founder, Lynne Banach, will be at Metro Minis showing slings from each collection: the extraordinary Belgian linens baby slings ($88-160), stunning dupioni silk baby slings ($198-340), and the new sustainable silks of the Luxe Collection baby slings ($540-1120).

All who purchase a sling at the show will be entered in a drawing for a suite of Sakura Bloom slings–FOUR SLINGS OF YOUR CHOICE! One Pure or Hana sling, one linen Simple or Essential sling, one silk Essential or Artisan sling, and one tussah silk Luxe sling. This is an $874-1160 value depending on which slings you choose! Read here about our last winner, here about the current contest, and best of luck to everyone!

Come to Metro Minis on Saturday, May 3 from 11-2 to see, feel, and try on these gorgeous baby slings! Not sure how to use a baby sling? The Sakura Bloom team will also do free hands-on demonstrations during the show.

Metro Minis is located at 821 Park Avenue (at the corner of 75 Street); 212-313-9600.