The Birth of the Original Criblanket

I'm sort of back tracking here, as I feel that this entry should have been my FIRST post. Better late than never. Here is a little background about how The Ladybug and Bean {the company} came about.....

Did anyone LOVE the infant blanket that the hospital gave you as you were released to go home with your brand new baby? Honestly, I grew to love it because of the sentimental value it carried with it. The first time I held my children, the first time I nursed, the first time I changed their diapers....that hospital baby blanket was with me the entire time and keeping my newborn warm. Because of these reasons, I still have the blankets safe and sound - as keepsakes that I will never part with.

As I slowly started to venture back into the "real world" and losing my baby weight, I remembered that I liked to wear my Joe's Jeans, my only pair of Christian Louboutin heels {hey we all have our vices}, and various Anthropologie vintage inspired tops. I started to regain my style and honestly I didn't feel stylish carrying or covering my babies with, well, that blanket. It wasn't stylish. It wasn't functional. It wasn't helping me with all of my daily "baby" issues. This is when the Original Criblanket was born.

Neither of my children loved to be swaddled during naps. So I would literally take that hospital blanket, fold it in half, tuck the sides between the crib slates and mattress, and let them sleep. The problem was that if they barely moved, the blanket would move with them. So I bought cute fabric, made a slight alteration (utilizing removable straps), and created the Original Criblanket. It was a stay in place crib blanket! It is also the same size as a hospital blanket so I used it as a swaddle at night time when they did prefer swaddling (no straps). As each baby got older and started to move around more in the crib (around 4 months) I stopped using the blanket as a stay in place function. However, I realized that I could use it as a stay in place stroller blanket in both my single and double stroller. Another function is a breastfeeding cover, again by using the straps. Also we use it as a regular flat/tummy time blanket (no straps).

Yes, it's a blanket. With multiple functions. But as a mother of two, constantly on the go, it's more economical and functional for me to carry one blanket then 5 different items. The added value of the product is that they are sold as a gift set. Each blanket comes with a matching burp cloth and a pair of no-scratch infant mittens. They are all 100% hand made, take between 1-2 weeks to create (if I don't already have it made) and takes 2-3 days for delivery.
For those paranoid mother's out there {like me}, I took the liberty to have the products tested by an accredited laboratory to ensure that we conform to the Consumer Product Safety Commission Improvement Act for Small Businesses.

Final thoughts? They are functional, practical, affordable ($60), safe, hand made, unique, and hopefully one of your keepsakes-to-be.