Hibernate Blog

There comes a moment when the cumulative effects of sleepless nights and demanding days reaches a point of no return. The weary murmurs of, “Will it ever end?” and “Just one more minute, Mama just needs one more minute to sleep,” begin to ebb. The rhythm of the infant march, the feedings and the naps, the rocking and the shushing takes hold and the hard edges blur. There is routine and mastery, maybe even a touch of auto-pilot, until it happens.

You sit nestled in the couch, the house is still but for the gentle post-storm breeze, your laptop or a book rests on your lap, you are at peace. Calm. You pause, feeling something afoot, but unsure of exactly what it is, until you turn. And there she (or he) sits, aglow in loving you.

Pudgy bare feet with wiggly toes extended upward as if stretching to accommodate more joy, eyes twinkling, scanning your face until you smile. You set aside your reading and lean in, “Ah-goo,” she says, and of course you “ah-goo” back. It is hard to know in these moments who is more proud, whose delight soars higher.

What is perfectly clear is exactly your place and purpose in the world.

This moment of joy, life lived fully.

(and conscience)

As parents we have to make decisions every day –

 

 

Organic vs regular
Work outside the home vs stay at home
On tv or at the park
Cry it out or attachment parenting

 

The best we can do is use the information we have at hand each day and try to make the right decision, knowing that if we have to, we can always alter course down the line. As a company we have to make equally challenging decisions on issues that test us as consumers, parents and citizens of the global community.

Recently the issue of the safety of products being used by babies and children has come under intense scrutiny. We have all watched in horror as case after case of unacceptable levels of various chemicals have been revealed in products that have been on shelves and in toy chests for months even years. Outrage. Shock. Anger. Guilt. The emotions are searing.

We are taking strides at Sarabear to ensure that we are doing our part to minimize risk and impact. Our packaging is made of recyclable cardboard with no twist-ties or excessive taping of ends. The typical plastic bag and cellophane wrap found on so many juvenile products is absent on our caddies. We opted not to encase our caddies in plastic, believing that the added packaging was an unnecessary piece that added waste, inconvenience and danger of harm. Our real-wood baskets contain cotton liners that are hand-washable.

These were all fairly simple decisions to make. Others have been harder and we are doing our best. Following the lead of several organizations, SaraBear is halting the production of PVC based handles on our caddies and converting to PU, polyurethane, an alternative to PVC that decreases environmental and health impacts. We will continue to work toward creating the safest product we can.

 

We hope to one day introduce an organic line of caddies and we will keep you apprised of our progress in that area.