Instructor: Kirsten Kelly
My name is Kirsten Kelly. I am the owner of Bloo Kangaroo, and live in Mattoon, Illinois, with my husband, Jason, and my children Anne, 5, and Orion, almost 3. My husband is a nursing student, and my daughter will begin Kindergarten at home this fall.
When my daughter, Anne, was born, I knew very little about baby carriers outside of the popular brands found at many retail stores. When she was a few weeks old, I found an ‘Over the Shoulder Baby Holder’ for less than $10 at a garage sale. My daughter was a very peaceful, calm baby and absolutely loved it. I never looked into different carriers while she was a baby. When my son, Orion, was born, he was the opposite of my daughter and wanted to see the world and didn’t like the ring sling at all. When my son was six months old, my sister in law purchased a hand-made mei tai on EBay for her. July 4th, 2007, I tried it out with Orion during our family cook-out. He loved it, but it was far too short for his height and not structured or supportive enough for his energy lever (or my lower back!). Little did I know that that would be the day that would change my life.
I never set out to start a business that day, only to design something that my child would be happy riding in and that I wouldn’t be in pain wearing. My first and several attempts thereafter, were amusing and are hidden in the back of my sewing closet. Finally, God blessed me with ideas that worked well and from there; the Kanga-X SSC was born. Since then, the Kanga-J, Kanga-XT, and Hybrids have followed suit.
Babywearing has changed my life in more ways than I could ever have imagined. Most people talk about how easy babywearing makes shopping, hiking, etc. Truly, being hands-free is a wonderful advantage of babywearing, but first and foremost on my list of “Things I love about babywearing” is peace of mind. My son, especially when he was younger, was a ‘runner’. If you let go of him for a second, he would run away. The ability to have him snug and secure in my carrier has been an enormous relief to me. Also, I can’t say enough about the wonderful mom’s and dad’s who have allowed me to help them experience the joys of babywearing with my carriers. Their babywearing pictures and kind words are truly appreciated.
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