Monkeywear is giving back and keeping it Canadian

Babywearing has seen a great increase in popularity in recent years and for good reason. With knowledge and practice, anyone can do it and the rewards can be priceless.

There are many different carriers on the market to choose from. Durham Region based business, Monkeywear baby carriers, saw the opportunity to adapt the traditional wrap-style carrier and developed an impressively tailored design. Monkeywrap’s offer added features such as signature tapered tails, custom tight-stretch fabric and a less-bulky design.

Since Monkeywear began in early 2007, it has been growing slowly from a small part-time interest that the co-founders shared, to a full-time business with national sales generated online and through boutique retailers across Canada.
Giving Back – Recently Monkeywear found itself in the fortunate position to be able to give back to its community, the people that have supported it from the start. Jenifer Clarke, the owner, has launched a national Hospital Program where a set of carriers is given to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or Special Nursery for care of the hospital’s littlest patients during their stay, which for premature or special needs babies can be quite some time.
New parents and nurses in both Lakeridge Health Oshawa and the Peterborough Regional Health Centre wear the Monkeywrap to foster ‘Kangaroo Care’, a practice known to promote a baby’s ability to thrive in those first days of life.   A NICU nurse from Oshawa shared, “The monkey wrap is safe, easy, and comfortable and is ideal for mother and baby as it allows them to bond. It is also efficient as the mother can hold infant hands free; allowing her to perform other tasks and is great for fussy infants who require much attention and love.”

Keeping it Canadian – This is a commitment that Jenifer takes very seriously and she strives to maintain this business practice. “It can be challenging to keep operations completely Canadian but it’s important to us to support both the environment and our economy. Our product’s price is remarkably in line with many similar products that manufacture off-shore and ship great distances, so we intend to continue doing what we are doing.”

Monkeywear fabrics are knit and dyed in Toronto and Montreal and the carriers are handcrafted in Ontario. All other materials and packaging are local as well.  Monkeywear has also introduced a more environmentally friendly line with its Bamboo & Organic Cotton Monkeywraps and the plan is to move all products to this fabric blend in the coming year.

For more information on babywearing, Kangaroo Care or Monkeywrap baby carriers please visit www.monkeywear.ca