The very first ASTM meeting in 2008. I was invited at the last minute to represent the stretchy wrap contingency. Susan Gmeiner of Maya Wrap was there as well as Darien Wilson to represent ring slings. Vesta Garcia came representing woven wraps and a variety of other products. Kristen DeRocha came for pouches. Rochelle came because SlingRings and love of the industry. She brought her husband, Paul, who is also a genius. I hope I didnt miss anyone. Also, Infantino was there to show the SlingRider, not yet re-recalled. Each of stood up to demo our carrier. Naively, we showed our products, and like every educator, showed both what to do and what NOT to do. Infantinos rep just showed how to do it. The consumer advocacy groups were horrified. They wanted us to put mechanical levels, like in carseats, into our products somehow. When Rochelle helpfully pointed out the percentage of carseats used incorrectly in spite of that, one lady got REALLY mad. Over the years, we patiently explained how leg holes, levels, straps, buckles, etc. would reduce the quality of our products. We learned to speak in terms of engineering and how we had engineered our products based on fabric quality, seam depth, etc. We sat across the table with Don Mays after he wrote his scathing piece on infant slings. We talked about education. We talked and we talked and we talked until they finally convinced us they wouldnt be convinced. In fact, until they understood there was science in our products, they sort of didnt think we should exist. In 2010, the CPSC began written threats of outlawing our industry. The fact we had a standard nearing completion was a HUGE part of what saved us. Vesta and Kristen finally realized that we cant do everything. We can only work to eliminate the shoddy ebay slings that use chintzy fabric, craft rings, and single seaming. We can make sure the Great Corduroy Fiasco didnt get repeated. Some people went to a babywearing store to educate themselves and came to the next meeting talking about tandem wearing. No tandem wearing was added to the labeling. Weve discussed ad nauseum with testing labs, a variety of compliance attorneys, engineers, CPSC people, etc. the idea of what constitutes a material change. In the end, theyve said that theres no science to tell us which changes in materials will change the way a fabric reacts via friction, holds a knot, or resists tearing. I think the knots are the biggest issue. Physics plays a large role, so its not as simple as testing a knot or a fabric swatch, though we have proposed many ways in which this might be possible. Some products, like the Ultimate Baby Wrap, were too stretchy to hold a baby in position for any length of time under regular walking conditions. A swatch test couldnt have told that. Some products I will not name because they are currently on the market slide out of place because of lack of friction and dont hold a knot well. That cant be told from tensile testing. You can absolutely weave a wrap that is not strong enough, wont hold a knot, or will be otherwise unsuitable for use. If the standards committee, which is made of of consumer advocacy groups (like Kids in Danger), consumer advocacy business (like Consumer Reports), representatives from testing labs all over the world (like AM and Intertek), representatives from governments all over the world (like Health Canada and CPSC), representatives from OneStepAhead, Infantino, etc. (their compliance attorneys, their product development people, their human factors people) and one-woman businesses (like Susan Gmeiner or myself) as well as companies like Moby, interested bystanders and educators like Ann-Marie, educators like Beate Frome and Joanna McNeilly .... If the standards committee, comprised of all these people and more, can think of a single instance where a material change could cause a product to fail, they want ALL things to be tested. Because they cant otherwise tease out a savvy weaver/sling maker/whatever from a shoddy one. Weve talked at length to these people. The ones who think cosleeping will kill babies. They ACTUALLY SUGGESTED that mothers breasts are dangerous, and they hate that they are part of our products. Theyre just great big (or little teeny) suffocation hazards, in the opinions of some who sit on these committees. Theyd much rather sit a baby in one of those creepy motion swings, and they cannot be argued out of their positions. Its like a Brave New World in there. Definitely talk it out. Maybe theres something that hasnt been said, and maybe someone will think of the perfect way to say it. But Jan Andrea of SBP pointed out that her husband is in ROCKET SCIENCE. Even in Rocket Science, they test the weakest configuration. That argument didnt hold water -- the basic response is, Oh. So you want babies to die? How can you know what the weakest configuration is until youve tested them all? Seriously. Were talking about brilliant engineers who cant see the forest for the trees. I promised you Id write this all down. I stopped going to meetings when my fourth baby was too old to bring to meetings any more. Yes, many of us went with sleeping babies in slings or wraps in order to demonstrate how freaking amazing our products are. Theyve never had that happen before. Its kind of magical. Im not speaking for BCIA or for Wrapsody here. Im just speaking as a woman who took same-day flights from Maine to Philadelphia and back for meetings; who was driven by my then-boyfriend with my leg in an immobilizer cast like 3 days after I blew out my ACL to demonstrate wrapping on crutches; who spoke with CPSC oversight committee senators all over the country and met with all of mine in person. I am a crazy crunchy cosleeping mama whos never used a stroller. I wish regulations were not insane. But I told you Id share some of what Ive learned doing this work for the last 6 or 7 years, and running this business for the last 10 years. Hope it helps.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 01:38:52 +0000
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