October 6 – 12, 2019
International Babywearing Week (IBW) is a week-long opportunity to celebrate, promote, advocate for, and focus media attention on the many benefits of babywearing. Join us at one of the many events throughout the week or during one of our online events as we come together as a community to support one another through babywearing.
The theme for IBW 2019 is Continuing the Tradition. We are taking this week to focus on the many things babywearing has given us or allowed us to do in our lives. Most importantly, babywearing has created a community for us and we are extremely grateful for all of you for being a part of it!
Schedule
All events are free and open to the public
Continuing the Tradition with Food
Monday, October 7
Fundraiser at Phil’s and Amy’s
Location: Phil’s Icehouse and Amy’s Ice Creams
5620 Burnet Rd Austin, TX 78756
Time: 11:00 am – 10:30 pm (Anytime during their business hours)
Facebook event: Phil’s and Amy’s Fundraiser
We will have Babywearing Educators there to answer any (and all!) of your questions about babywearing and offer fit checks on your personal carriers from 11:30 am – 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm. If you haven’t been to Phil’s or Amy’s yet, you are in for a treat! Great food, amazing company with babywearing friends, and a playground for the kids!! Be sure to mention Austin Babywearing when ordering so your purchase counts towards our fundraising goal!
Continuing the Tradition with Members
Tuesday, October 8
Austin Babywearing Membership Drive
Location: Wherever you are (and have internet access)!
Time: All day!
All of our meetings and events are free and open to the public. We are financially able to host these events, purchase new carriers for our lending library, and be a sustainable organization because of our amazing members. During our Membership Drive, you are able to purchase a new membership or renew your existing one. As a thank you, we will be offering memberships at a discounted rate of $25 for a single membership and $40 for a dual membership (memberships are normally $30 and $45) AND you will receive 1 free ticket for our Door Prizes during the Community Fair on Saturday (must attend the Community Fair to receive your ticket)! See Saturday’s event below for more information on our Door Prizes and Silent Auction.
Wondering why you should become an Austin Babywearing member? We explain why to become a member on our blog (super handy).
Learn more about the finer details of becoming an Austin Babywearing Member so you can take advantage of our Membership Drive pricing by becoming a member here!
Continuing the Tradition with Hiking
Wednesday, October 9
ABW hikes with Hike it Baby Austin
Location: Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park – 12138 N. Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX, 78753
Time: 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Facebook event: ABW hikes with Hike it Baby Austin
Fall is in the air (kinda), which means it’s hiking weather! Babywearing has been a crucial part of hiking for many of our volunteers, and we are excited to have Hike it Baby Austin in town to help us get outside with our little ones! Hike it Baby is a national organization dedicated to building communities that support getting families outside with children from birth to school age.
This hike will start with a Babywearing 101 session with our Educators that will go over basic babywearing safety and the various types of carriers. After a Q&A session and fit check for those who would like one (bring your questions and carriers!), we will be hiking together through the beautiful trails of Walnut Creek. The large group will split into two (or more) groups – adult and kid paced, so no matter what your speed is, come out and enjoy the company and trails.
Hike it Baby asks that you register on their website before the hike in order to sign their waiver. If you are new to the site, you will be prompted to register for a free 90 day trial. Hike it Baby Austin will be giving away a free membership at the hike!
Continuing the Tradition with Photos
Thursday, October 10
Social Media Fun
Location: Austin Babywearing Facebook Group
Time: All day! (Or when we wake up and post the thread)
Come play with us online! Who doesn’t love reminiscing over photos of children they’ve worn? Scroll through those photos and get ready to play Babywearing Uno. The game is played similarly to regular Uno by posting a photo that matches the one above it in some way in the thread. For example, if the photo posted is of a person wearing a child in a blue ring sling, you can post a photo of you wearing a child in a ring sling or a different type of blue carrier. Watch out for those Wild cards posted by one of our Volunteers! All participants are entered to win a ticket to our Door Prizes. Winners will be chosen randomly, so the more times you play, the more chances you have to win! We will have 3 lucky winners from this game.
We will also be playing other surprise social media games throughout the day, each with chances to win tickets to our Door Prizes and opportunities for silliness and fun!
Continuing the Tradition with Community
Saturday, October 12
Community Fair
Location: St. Richard’s Episcopal Church’s Parish Hall
1420 E Palm Valley Blvd, Round Rock, TX 78664
Time: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Facebook event: ABW Community Fair
Our Community Fair is our largest fundraiser of the year! Visit with many local organizations, play games, participate in the Silent Auction full of family prizes, and try to win a carrier in our Carrier Dance Party. Each adult who attends will also receive one FREE ticket for our many Door Prizes. Babywearing Educators will be available to help with any questions you may have and offer free fit checks for your personal carrier. We will also have our lending library available for you to view. We will not be offering library rentals during the event, but will at our main meeting on Saturday, October 26, 10:15 am at Ronald McDonald House Charities Community Room.
See our Sponsor Page to view all the vendors who will be joining us and a list of the organizations who donated to our prizes throughout the week, Door Prizes, and Silent Auction. We hope to see you there!