Our first ever Instagram takeover is around the corner ! Yayyyyy !!!
During our takeover seasons, you will get a chance to fully interact with each of our ambassadors and get a peak into what their day to day babywearing is like.
This promises to be fun, enlightening, educating and of course entertaining!

Are you based in Scotland and environs? We hope that you are making plans to attend the upcoming Scottish Babywearing and gentle parenting convention.

This event is a babywearing and gentle parenting convention for families and professionals including breastfeeding, cloth nappies and co-sleeping. Please find out more from their official flyer below and don't forget to visit their Facebook page for more information on attending this event.
Joy and Joe baby will be there with some free yummicious gift bags , fabulous event exclusive discounts and a chance for you to try out some of our new releases.
Events like this don't happen every day so we are really excited and looking forward to meeting you!

 
         1.   Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Many of us know who you are but we'd love to know how you describe yourself 
I’m a GP and a mother to two live-wire children who have both been carried since birth. I have run the Sheffield Sling Surgery and Library for the last three years and recently opened a retail arm called the Sling Spot. I’m deaf and I lipread. 
         2.   When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book? 
I’ve had much of the book in my head for a couple of years and it found its way into articles for the Sling Surgery. Pinter and Martin approached me in early 2015, and I finished writing in January 2016.
         3.   So can you tell us the inspiration behind your new book? Any particular personal experiences etc 
Being deaf, being able to see my children’s faces for lipreading was vital to developing our communication, and carrying was a way to help this. Carrying has mattered to me functionally, and has also brought me great joy. The experience of working with thousands of parents at the Sling Surgery has convinced me that carrying really matters; the look of relief and love on a mother’s face as her child settles into a carrier and falls asleep is priceless.
         4.   Describe your working day? 
They are all different! I am a practicing GP and fit the Sling Surgery into my non-clinical days/mornings. A typical day might be a few consultations and a workshop, followed by an afternoon session at my GP practice, seeing patients, dealing with letters and prescriptions, home visits, sorting out some practice business and doing essential admin, getting home just in time to kiss my children goodnight. The evening would be spent packing and preparing for the big library session the next day, plus a couple of hours dealing with all the day’s emails and messages and sling queries on Facebook and general admin, as well as some GP admin.
         5.   As you worked on this book, what struck you as the most important contributions that babywearing can make to parenting?
It gives parents their hands back; they can meet their child’s needs for closeness and contact, while still being able to get on with the demands of modern daily living.
         6.   How did you come up with the title of your book? 
It is part of the “Why It Matters” series by Pinter and Martin. 
         7.   What has been the toughest criticism given to you as a babywearer? What
has been the best compliment? 
That’s a hard one. I’ve never really had any unkind criticism of my carrying; it’s all been constructive from people I respect (like Lorette at Slingababy). The best compliments are those from parents who have found the love of carrying and feel it has made a real difference to their lives.
         8.   What will you say to families skeptical about babywearing? 
I would talk to them more about the importance of carrying; everyone carries their children. We all need to spend more time in contact with our children; it is essential for normal and healthy development including their future mental health. It is hard to carry babies in your arms as much as they need to you to; a carrier will help you to do this while still being able to do the things you need to. You cannot spoil a child by loving him and giving him the gift of the security that comes from being close to you.
         9.   When writing your new book, did you experience writer's block?
Oh yes! 
10. How did you manage to fit writing in with other demands on your time? Are you good at managing your time?
It was a real challenge; lots of evenings and weekends were involved and I had to take some time off work. Yes, I am good at managing my time; I have to be to get everything done!
         11. Please guide us through the stages of your book - the ideas, the planning,  the drafts, working with an editor 
Most of the book was already in my head and much of it in article form already. Turning it into a book, with references was hard work. I did a lot of reading and note-taking, wrote a (too-long) first draft, and the series editor (Susan) helped with rewriting and cutting a lot of text as there was a strict word limit. There was much more I could have said! There were people to lay the pages out, to check the references, an illustrator and more editors! The proofreader and the indexer had the last job before it went to print!
         12. Dr Rosie, you have inspired many babywearing families home and abroad.
We congratulate you and your family on the launch of your new book. In conclusion, what would you like to say to those have pre-ordered your book and those who are yet to. 
I hope you enjoy it - and that it inspires you to encourage the people around you to carry their children more.  
Pinter and Martin have the book here -http://www.pinterandmartin.com/why-babywearing-matters.html
​

Hello J&J families, 
We love to listen to the things you say from time to time and we are happy to tell you that we are now considering weaving the SMP in newer colours as requested by you. So the warp (background) will be black as shown below and we will alternate the wefts. 
If you had the chance to choose two of the SMP colorways below, which would you go for? Please note that we will consider weaving the two colorways with the highest rating so lets all vote for our favorite. We anticipate that these wraps should be ready in approximately 3 months time but we will advise our chatter page members about our weaving progress. If you're not a member of our chatter page, you might be missing out on our behind the scene gists. Click here to join.

So ready, steady, vote !
​Voting will be closed in 5 days time. Thank you xoxo

​Cartostyle Peacock, Redcurrant and Charcoal
Cartostyle is our cartography inspired design. We wanted to bring in unique and quirky designs from our nostalgic experiences in scientific studies which included geographical sciences. Geography isn't complete without the use of maps and we found the abstract and fluid look of contours very intriguing that you can stare at it for hours in wonder.
You can even liken them to naturally occurring pattern in our palms etc. Contour lines  are used in different aspects of cartography and you can see them on our weather maps and maps depicting topographical landscapes.
We stretched the contours further to create this amazingly mesmerizing fluidity that impresses every artistic mind. 

​Connected Terracotta and Jewel
Connected is our microscopic leaf pattern. Ever since our foray into scientific research, we've always been fascinated by the complexity and natural design that exist in nature beyond our regular human vision.
Putting a leaf under a microscope, you can get right into the amazing world of the connectivity of the leaf's veins and the wonders of how every single vein is connected to another. Xylem transports water and solutes from the roots to the leaves, phloem transports food from the leaves to the rest of the plant.
Every single cell is connected. This also ties in with our fascination of the human placenta and how each vein is connected to another to ensure that our offsprings are well nourished before they transition earth-side. 
Photo preview: 09/05/16
Release: 13/05/16

​Cuddly 
Cuddly is our fun tessellated design which really brings out our playful inner childlike tendencies. As well as creating wraps that parents will love, we also want to create wraps that your fun-loving little ones will reach out to. Cuddly has a special adorable fun aura to it. Many of you who know us very well know that we absolutely love to have fun working on your wraps and this is one design that cheers the mind up. Please note that the individual colorways are yet to be named :)
Photo preview: 08/06/16
Release: 13/06/16

Sling library wrap
Our sling library wrap has been woven specifically for libraries and sling consultants. 
We have created a wrap that encompasses all that is beautiful about Joy&Joe. The texture of the wrap is our best ever. As soft and smooshy as wool but very low maintenance and easy to wash.  The vertical stripes makes strand to strand passes easily identifiable and the design is fun and quirky. Sling librarians have requested that we add different colored rails into the design and this will require a complete redesign of our current design so we have only woven a few with residual yarns and with time, we will reweave more with the new recommendations by sling librarians

Woven in the heart of Lancashire and finished in Yorkshire.
Inspired by minimalistic sophistication, the French's Benton's stripes and Coco channel's take on these historic stripes.
100% Egyptian cotton well known for its supple, fine threads. Similar to our SMP noir but slightly fluffier due to its tumble finish so you don't have to wash before wearing as it comes ready to wear. Our smp noir is a beautiful cornucopia with a similar sateeny weave but we wanted to retain this weave for an everyday babywrap but simplify the pattern such that everyone and anyone can rock it in any season or weather. Breathable and mouldable yet very sturdy due to the nature of its strong sateen weave.
 Woven with a mix of twill and plain sateen weave, this structural weave mix gives the monochrome dream unique wearing properties for your every day babywearing.
This selection of the strongest natural yarns and fibres produce a remarkably hard-wearing, but softly tactile quality, perfect for creating durable slings. It is also a beautiful and practical solution for baby and toddler wearing in tough environments, 
The colour combinations are inspired by the evolution of silver and gold in nature known as supernova. Monochrome dream was woven from luxurious Egyptian cotton and features a tumble finish for extra practicality. Fitting perfectly into the much loved monochrome trend, this black and silver/gold stripe woven wrap is a sleek and stylish way to accentuate your babywearing wardrobe with minimalism. 

This a reincarnation of our 2014 smp noir in a monochromatic and simplistic fashion that we've been dreaming about for such along time. That takes us to the word 'dream' in the naming of this wrap. The word dream in this range is also a tribute to the beloved city that we now call home. Dream is a sculpture and a piece of public art by Jaume Plensa 
Dream consists of an elongated white structure 66 feet (20 m) tall, weighing 500 tons, which has been cast to resemble the head and neck of a young woman with her eyes closed in meditation.
Also, we are blessed with such a large living space and one major thing that came into our minds when we started decorating was simplicity and minimalisation. So our latest wrap, monochrome dream signifies our deepest dream come true and a modern form of sophistication that only deep trend watchers will understand.

There's been so much talk about the optical effect of stripes on the human body and scientist such as The Helmholtz Square and Oppel–Kundt illusions show a consistent and large overestimation of filled space such that horizontal lines serve to make a space appear taller, and vertical lines serve to make a space look wider. This effect persists when used on pictures of clothing, on cylinders of diameter less than about 6 deg., and on pictures of half-body mannequins viewed stereoscopically. These results indicate that more research is needed to identify the underlying mechanisms of this effect and that there is no evidence to support the widely held beliefs that horizontal stripes make the human form appear wider and that vertical strips have a slimming effect. All the evidence here points in the opposite direction. Our monochrome dream wrap is not here to add to any experimental speculation as to whether vertical stripes makes one look slimmer but to simply project the elegance of simplicity.
Simplicity is the new sophistication. Woven with a mix of twill and plain sateen weave, this structural weave mix gives the monochrome dream unique wearing properties for your every day babywearing.

We had so much fun at the just concluded #slingit2016 babywearing event. From the success of the event, it is evident that the Slingit organising team have worked really hard. So well done to the entire #slingit team. Ohh, congratulations on finally breaking the world record too. We are so happy about this feat.
We would love to thank everyone who made the day a success for  Joy and Joe baby®

• 0ur wonderful #JJteam whose fun personalities added so much glamour to our stand. Dr Mayor (our geeky technical manager/co-founder), Becca, (our super fun social media manager), Anne (J&J 2016 ambassador, long term J&J customer and #JJfriend !) , Kristen and her gorgeous daughter ( #JJfriend and supporter), Eden ( #JJfriend and model) and Josh (J&J 2016 ambassador)
• Ambassador Ayesha who travelled all the way from Wales to say hello to us. This was her first babywearing event and from her beautiful smiles, we think she enjoyed herself
• Every person who bought from the #JoyandJoe stall yesterday. We are so excited to see how you get on with your new slings so feel free to spam away. Here is a link to our chatter page. Thank you so much.
• Everyone who visited our new release corner yesterday. Face to face interaction and feedback means so much to us so we gave the #slingit attendees a firsthand chance to test and wear our upcoming 2016 woven wrap releases. We got loads of 'wowwwws' from many of you and this is an attestation to the fact that we have worked really hard to produce a collection of wraps that is definitely another game changer like the FOLs. We specifically hired a textile expert with over 20 years weaving/design experience to massively step up our textile quality to produce a unique babywearing experience for you all to enjoy.
• Based on your feedback, we have decided that we will move our release dates forward because we don't want to keep you waiting for too long. The announcements will be made soon via our newsletters and Facebook page. You can also scroll down to catch a glimpse of the first official photos of our first 2016 woven wrap release. Our 2016 ambassadors will also be sharing their reviews and thoughts with you. Please check them out here, they are fabulous babywearing parents.
• Every person who attended Adebisi's talk on 'Facilitating Kangaroo care using slings. Thanks for making that session an interactive one. Lots of you came back to tell us how well you enjoyed that talk and the feedback has been mind blowing.
• Dr Rosie from the Sheffield sling surgery who we will be interviewing very soon on her highly anticipated ' Why babywearing matters' book release
• Ali Chedgy and Jodie, two of our 2014/15 #carrymyjoy vloggers
• Lorette from slingababy, we had so much fun chatting with you. You are inspirational.
• Every other person we can't currently remember to mention. Ohh, the lovely babywearing mamas and papas who assisted us in getting our wares out and back into our car. The positive energy and excitement  in the event yesterday has added so much flavor to the #slingit2016 experience for Joy and Joe baby®. Thanks so much