Product Review – Sakura Bloom Ring Sling

We have decided to launch a section of our blog entirely devoted to reviews on our favorite Zoolikins products!

To jump start this series, we’ve selected the Sakura Bloom ring sling. A little backstory, my name is Kristin and I have 2 sons, a precocious 2 year old named Beckett and a 7 month old named Kellan. Between the two of them, I have plenty of opportunities to test and re-test various products from Zoolikins. I was never much of a ring sling fan until Kellan came around. I had one prior, but it was made of Solarveil which to me was incredibly uncomfortable to wear. So, unless I was in the pool or at the beach, it was never used. When I had Kellan, I quickly realized I needed a carrier that would keep him on me securely but would still allow me to chase after Beckett. I attended the babywearing workshop in store and tried on the Sakura Bloom linen ring sling and it was love at first wear! I couldn’t believe how quick and easy it was to get Kellan in the carrier and secure. With just a couple pulls on the tail, he was snuggled right against me and I was hands free to tend to Beckett. It was amazing.

Pardon the “selfie” I need to get in pictures more!

There’s really nothing extraordinary when you look at a ring sling. It’s a piece of fabric, sewn at one end and contains a couple rings that the fabric threads through. In fact, ring slings are a dime a dozen in the babywearing world. However, the way the pleats on the Sakura Bloom are sewn, makes it slide over your shoulder like butter. It creates a nice wide spread over your shoulder allowing the fabric to spread nicely across your back as well (this is if you’re doing a basic front or hip carry). This helps to offset the weight of the baby allowing you to wear that little bambino comfortably for an extended period of time. The linen is super breathable and has such a great strength to it, that once you secure the baby in the ring sling he’s not budging. This is great for itty-bitty kiddos where you need something strong to give them head support and comfort, but also beneficial for 30 lb toddler that needs support as well.

Ok, it’s not a Sakura Bloom, but this should tell you how often I would wear Kellan. Beckett wanted his own sling to wear his “baby”!

At the end of the day, if a ring sling can win over a pretty hard core soft-structured carrier girl like me, there must be something to it! It’s become one of my favorite recommendations for new parents, whether it’s your first or fifth kid. It’s compact when you’re out and about, quick and easy to get the baby in and secured, versatile and easily switched between parents of different body types, and the colors are simply stunning! If you haven’t tried one on yet, you must do it. The age range is from newborn to toddler and you can safely wear your child on your front, hip or back with minimal thought!

The Sakura Bloom double silk sling is absolutely stunning! Easy enough for every day use, but simply beautiful for special events!

Does anyone else have a Sakura Bloom and share my affinity for this amazing ring sling?

Get to know us-Shira

We want everyone to feel like family when they shop with us, whether it’s in store, over the phone, or on-line. A fun way to do this is to have a monthly “Employee Feature”. These posts will highlight a member of the Zoolikins family and will allow you to   get to know them a little better.

We’re kicking this series off with the store’s matriarch: Shira.

Have you always lived in AZ?

 Nope, a newcomer….only two years come this March

When you’re not at Zoolikins, how do you spend your time?

Time away from Zoolikins, it doesn’t happen 🙂

 Do you have any children?

 3 wonderful children and a grandson on the way

 When were you bitten by the natural parenting bug?

 Hummm if my oldest is 30 years old, I’d have to say 31 years ago

What are your three favorite products in the store? Must have 1 diaper, 1 baby carrier, and 1 of whatever else you’d like:

 In anticipation of my soon to make an appearance grandson…..Lillebaby carrier, Bumkins SIO in gray, L’oved Baby striped NB gown

What has been the best advice you’ve received as a parent?

 You’re they’re manager for only so long, you then become a consultant…..important to know the difference and recognize when the switch happens

What is your favorite thing about living in the Phoenix area?

 The weather

Do you have a favorite quote/mantra?

I’ve got 2 – From Nike…..’Just do it! ‘ AND from Mary Poppins, ‘once begun is half done’

When placed in it’s holder, does your toilet paper roll over or under?

Many many years ago this became an argument with my husband….I would not dignify an issue such as this with a second of pondering, not then…..still won’t. For those who think that ‘the other guy’ put it on the wrong way…remember…it takes less time to switch it to the other direction than it does to mention it. Ha, that’s more time than I’ve ever given this issue….

Pardon our Dust…

I’m sure many of you have seen this quote floating around the internet, and let’s be honest, it’s a great one. At Zoolikins we’ve always focused on giving you a great customer service experience and building a community around like-minded people. We’ve never considered you a customer, at the very least, you’re a friend-but truthfully, you’re like family. Family is always honest with each other, even when it stings a bit. It seems that some of you feel like we’re family too because we’ve been getting a lot of honest feedback lately. While most of it has been awesome, there have been a couple comments that need addressing. We have discussed this with each individual person, but we also felt an “open letter” of sorts was warranted as well.

When we decided to launch a second store, it was to meet the needs of our families in the Valley. There were a ton of requests for different locations, but we ultimately decided on the downtown Chandler location as most ideal for our expanding customer base. We loved that the location also contained a designated classroom space to be able to get more interaction with the families that come to shop with us. We responded to the request for classes by bringing in a great team of instructors who are experts in their respective field. Initially these classes were offered for free, or discounted rates, to allow you to see what kind of amazing resources these instructors are.

We’ve also welcomed your feedback regarding our website to make itmore user-friendly; easier to navigate. We’ve begun making Zoolikins.com a one-stop shop for fulfilling your natural parenting needs, whether it’s shopping, registering for a class, or looking for informational resources.

All of these additions, changes, updates etc. take time and resources. Because we are a small mom-owned business, we are not only shop owners, but we are also the IT department, the graphic designers, the web designers, the purchasers, the customer service, the public relations, and well, you see where this is going!

There are constantly moving parts to being a business owner and we love every minute of it. However, we are only human. Mistakes will (and have) happened. Communication can (and will) be improved. But at the end of the day, we’re doing this for you. To make sure you have the experience you want at a natural parenting store, to introduce you to new products and ideas all while earning and maintaining your trust and confidence.

So please, understand while we’re not new to the field, we’re new to this part of our store. The errors with scheduling of classes, the glitches in our website, and the miscommunication between us and you will all be worked out.

We just ask that you bear with us, we’re only human. We’re doing our best to give you our best. So please, pardon our dust as we “renovate” and work to build all aspects of our business to better suit you.

What’s the deal with Bumkins?

Anyone that knows Zoolikins knows how much we love to support local commerce and love working with other small businesses. One of our most popular brands is Bumkins. We love Bumkins because they cover the gammut when it comes to everything baby and toddler, not to mention they’re eco-friendly and focus on creating reusable products. We also love Bumkins because they have exceptional customer service. Our Zoolikins families are often the first people contacted for product testing, sizing, photo shoots and more. Bumkins reaches out to our parents to learn about what they love about their products, and what changes they’d like to see in the future. Because of all of these great things,  Zoolikins has made Bumkins their “in-house/store” brand.

So, what does that all mean? Really, for you, our valued customer, it means you now have an “in” to the natural parenting world. Basically a “no questions asked, satisfaction guaranteed” experience whenever you buy a Bumkins product from our stores. You now have an opportunity to trust in a brand and grow with them. When you have a great experience, tell us about it! Let us know what details you love, what you’d like to see more of! If you have a suggestion for an improvement, let us know that as well! Bumkins always welcomes suggestions from our Zoolikins crew.

Thanks to your customer feedback, Bumkins has now launched their Nixi line. This mom-focused product line includes teething jewelry, wet/dry travel bags made from recycled materials, reusable nursing pads and more! And to answer your question, yes, these are now available in store!

So tell us, what are your favorite Bumkins/Nixi products?

Welcome to Zoo-Thousand Fourteen!

Welcome to 2014! Zoolikins is ringing in the new year with a complete digital makeover! We aim to provide our community with not only an amazing experience in-store, but an equally exceptional online resource. Part of that makeover is jumping into the world of blogging.

Our blog will be a place where you, our friends, will get to know us as a store. You’ll learn about the products we carry and why we choose them. You’ll meet our amazing staff and see why they’re so dedicated to natural parenting. We’ll highlight our contract instructors, those incredibly helpful teachers, leading the various classes we’ve begun offering.  This way, when you walk in to our store, or call us on the phone, you’ll feel like you’re talking to a trusted friend.

Additionally, our blog will be a resource. A place where you can go to research products, get up-t0-date information on articles surrounding the natural parenting community, and a place where you can learn more about the local communities in which you live.

We’re excited for you to get to know more about us and strive to keep making Zoolikins your go-to place to shop! Please feel free to comment on what you’d love to learn more about and we’ll do our best to tailor our posts to what our community members are looking for!