General
Hippie Joey or Bonding Comforter? Safe or Sorry
You‘ve probably already seen it somewhere. May it be Facebook ads, Pinterest, or your favorite American Shopping Mall, Trendmall, Temu, and what not.
This easy sling that will hold and comfort your baby while being so affordable you won’t say no when seeing this offer.
As a professional, it’s part of my job to stay informed and aware about changes on the baby carrier market, so names like Bebe Amour, Mother‘s Bonding Comforter or Hippie Joey are nothing new to me.
When a friend sent over a Pinterest Pin of an interesting baby carrier though, I knew that I shouldn’t take for granted that parents know about all the brands and their differences and the idea for this blog post was born.
Hippie Joey was so kind to support me on this, though I need to mention that it is in no way a sponsored post. I haven’t received any money, coupons, discounts, or items in exchange. I still do not even have a Hippie Joey in my collection because of the sizing.
But before getting into detail (what sizing?!) let’s start at the beginning…
What is Hippie Joey?
Hippie Joey is a small American brand, founded by a mother who had this idea to create a comfortable, easy, and safe baby sling.
Even now that her brand got much attention and people ordering from all over the world she stays in for her beliefs and every sling is sewn on demand for the person who orders.
Service includes help with sizing to make sure the sling will fit, which is necessary to keep the baby safe, and selecting individual colors. Since every sling is made to order Hippie Joey can ensure the best quality and safety standards for their products.
Why do I highlight this so much?
Because there are unfortunately many replicas, mainly known as Mother‘s Bonding Comforter, of the original Hippie Joey sold worldwide now.
Which initially only seems to be a problem for the company.. However, the way the replicas are promoted is also a problem for the consumer!
Hippie Joey or Bonding Comforter?
Let me tell you a bit more.. It all started with the slings popping up in big online malls. But not only that! They were using the original Hippie Joey pictures from the Hippie Joey website and even pictures and videos from babywearing professionals like letstalkbabywearing to let it look like a product professionals are supporting. While not only copying the design of Hippie Joey, they are also stealing, and betraying their customers.
Now, also other pictures pop up where the sling is used in very unsafe ways and promote these unsafe carrying styles. Plus they often give a weight range that is just unrealistic and probably not safe when their slings are used up to that weight limit.
In many countries, letting a baby carrier or sling safety tested isn’t compulsive for selling them. This includes Japan! And also Germany. Cheaply produced carriers which only cost a few Euros can easily be sold via Amazon or other platforms.
More About Safety Testing:
Often, their seams are not durable and rip, or there are falling and suffocating hazards.
The British consumer site „which“ is testing cheap carriers every year. You can find their report from 2022 here.
High Quality Baby Carrier
Baby carriers have their price for a reason. Good brands invest a lot to make sure their models are compliant and updated to the newest insights from science and after ethnical standards. They do not stop working on their carriers after they invented them but always check if they are still good or if they better come up with new ideas or materials.
Good makers are working together with babywearing professionals and take feedback serious! Even if many makers are trained babywearing professionals themselves, they always let their carriers check by others.
Especially in Europe you will find that professionals are testing before a new product hits the market, plus there are test packages going from one professional to the next where even more people giving feedback and the maker sees if additional changes are necessary.
Because a baby carrier is meant for transporting our most precious human being, good makers make sure that they are using well chosen materials considered safe for baby’s skin but also in case the baby sucks on the fabric or webbing. Usually, they prefer natural organic fibers or Ökotex 100 standard materials. At least, they will regularly test the fabrics and material for harmful substances and also know the places where the carriers or slings are sewn by visiting them and keeping close contact. This helps making sure that the carriers are produced after ethical standards and no child is sewing or dying a carrier for your baby.
Lastly, all major brands let their carriers test after notable safety standards. The most strict test is the ASTM test in America. Who passes this test will not face many hurdles when also wanting to pass a test from a different country or Europe. The most often seen tests are the European EN standard and the American ASTM standard.
Of course, taking the test, maybe more than once, costs a lot of money too.
You can read more about them here.
The Original Hippie Joey
Hippie Joey is following all these standards because they value your babies higher than the profit they could make. The brand was born to support parents and their little ones in the first place.
To keep your baby safe, to not support theft, but to support a small family run company, please buy the original and not the copy!
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