giveaway: baby k'tan! CLOSED!

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Please stay tuned for the announcement of our winner!

This is a joint giveaway cross-posted on very, very fine and Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only. Please find the section marked “Win it!” for the mandatory main entry and optional bonus entries.

Despite owning more baby carriers, slings and wraps than one person could ever wear out in one lifetime, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to try one that I'd overlooked when my son was still tiny: the Baby K'tan. Assuming that, because it was made from soft jersey fabric, it was only suitable for very young infants, I thought my near 30 pound, 17 month-old and I had missed the boat. Similar stretchy wraps had been overwhelming to me as a new mama, though I knew others who used and loved them. Two friends, in particular, raved about their K'tan as though it were a tremendously helpful member of the family. When I read that the Baby K'tan could accommodate a toddler up to 35 pounds, I was excited to put it to the test, and if it proved as magical as my friends had said, I was hopeful that it might see me through another kid or two.

The Two Hip Position

In the box: The Baby K'tan is a carrier made of two connected loops of fabric. It comes with a sash, necessary for certain carrying positions, and a matching hat for your babe. While I'm not one for logos on my kid's clothes, the cute factor is undeniable and I would definitely make an exception for the sake of a complete ensemble of this super soft, rich brown cotton. The sash doubles as a storage bag -- a handy detail I really appreciated. You also get a user's manual with photo-illustrated instructions for several different carries, including two suitable for twins!

Using the Baby K'tan: I'll admit: I didn't have high hopes for the comfort of this carrier. We've been a back-carrying duo for quite awhile and the idea of my excited, curious (flailing, reaching) toddler on my front -- or even strapped onto my hip -- was daunting. When I loaded him into the hug position though, he cuddled right up and, to my complete shock, felt light. The way the Baby K'tan distributes weight is nothing short of amazing; I imagine that carrying an infant in the K'tan must be like wearing a slightly heavier T-shirt. The hip position and two hip position, both shown in the instruction manual, were equally comfortable for me, though less restrictive and so, less calming for my little guy, but I could easily see him hitching a ride in the K'tan around the farmers' market when he gets tired of walking. A few months ago, when snuggles were higher on his priority list, he'd have stayed put in the K'tan all day.

One reason stretchy wraps have never really appealed to me is bulk. In the winter, an extra layer is helpful but I worried about feeling mummified in warm weather. In the K'tan, I can honestly say that my shirt did not feel irrelevant and, thanks to the careful sizing, I wasn't swimming in extra fabric. For parents of different sizes who need or like to share carriers this would be a drawback, but the lack of bunching, extra wrapping and tucking was a definite plus for me.

The Hug Position

As someone who has never before used a stretchy wrap, the positions were not really intuitive for me and required a few readings of the directions and rehearsals sans kid. I recommend being sure you understand the positioning and order of operations before enlisting the cooperation of your squirming baby. That said, with practice, I think it would become second nature just as using any carrier does, especially given the comfort level once everyone is in place. Luckily, the Baby K'tan website features supplemental videos for each type of carry -- a helpful resource for the more visual learners and occasionally forgetful but smartphone-toting among us. With a younger baby, this would be my go-to carrier of choice and I look forward to using it for another six pounds with this child!

BUY IT!

To purchase your own Baby K'tan visit their website. In addition to baby carriers, they also sell jewelry, clothing and other handy accessories to make aspects of your life a little easier.

WIN IT!

For your chance to win a Baby K'tan carrier, enter in the comments below! This contest is only open to the U.S. MAIN ENTRY: Tell us why you would like to try this type of carrier. Leave a valid email address in your comments (the line where it says “email address”) so we can contact you if you win. Email addresses are not made publicly visible. This is a joint giveaway with very, very fine and Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only, and we’ll be recording IP addresses to ensure that there are no duplicate entries. That said, please do visit and enjoy both sites! BONUS ENTRIES, to increase your chance of winning (leave a separate comment for each so we can count them all):

• Tell us another product on the Baby K'tan website that you would like to have.
• Subscribe to Natural Parents Network in a reader or by email.
• Subscribe to the very, very fine RSS feed.
• Leave a relevant comment on a non-giveaway article at very, very fine and tell us which post (comment on separate posts for up to 3 entries total).
• Leave a relevant comment on a non-giveaway article at Natural Parents Network and tell us which post (comment on separate posts for up to 3 entries total).
• Follow @NatParNet on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in the comment.
• Tweet about this giveaway (up to 5 times total, at least 24 hours apart). You can tweet this text: #Win a Baby K'tan carrier in a @NatParNet #giveaway! http://bit.ly/lx6wVo {7.24, US}
• Like Natural Parents Network on Facebook.
• Enter another of the current giveaways on Natural Parents Network (1 extra entry per giveaway — check back for more!).
• Post this giveaway on your Facebook page or wall and leave the link (1 entry). You can use this status update: Win a Baby K'tan carrier from @Natural Parents Network. Contest ends July 24 and is open to the US. Be sure to attach the contest URL to your update! (http://naturalparentsnetwork.com/giveaway-baby-ktan/)
• Put the Natural Parents Network badge on your website or add http://NaturalParentsNetwork.com to your text blogroll for 2 extra entries each. The HTML code for the badge is in the right sidebar. Leave your site URL in the comment.

RULES:

• Contest is open ONLY TO US.
• Leave each entry as a separate comment so we can count them all.
• Contestants may enter at either very, very fine or Natural Parents Network but not both. Entries will be combined for the drawing of a single winner.
• For actions like following and subscribing, if you already follow or subscribe, just let us know in your comment.
• For tasks that garner you multiple entries, you can copy and paste the comment with a #1, #2, etc.
• You don’t have to do any of the bonus entries, but you do have to complete the first mandatory one.
• We will pick the winner through Random.org after the contest closes and send an email notification. Leave a valid email address as you comment so we can contact you if you win. If we can’t reach a winner or don’t hear back within a couple days, we’ll draw a new name.
• Any questions, email: ShannonR {at} NaturalParentsNetwork.com

Contest closes July 24 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Disclosure: Our reviewer purchased the Baby K'tan for review. We try to seek out only products we think you would find relevant and useful to your life as a natural parent. If we don’t like a product, we won’t be recommending it to you. See our full disclosure policy here.