Festive Baubles - buy a calender! Buy Two!

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When working out your finances this month, and deciding you can buy yourself a present after all.. after all, you are the centre of your family's world.. you are the engine that drives your family... you deserve the cheer... consider gifting yourself a couple of breastfeeding calenders. Everyone needs to look at nice images to cheer themselves up. Most people need to know the date... and most if us need somewhere to write down that we should be somewhere, sometime, something important. So a calender is usually something we could all use.

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Most of us also want to contribute to the world around us, and buying a calender from an organisation that uses the money to support babies, and breastfeeding, is A Good Thing. So here's my guide to where you can get your breastfeeding calenders from, and why you should buy these ones!

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First of all, a good breastfeeding calender is more than pretty pictures and a set of dates. Photographs are a moment in time, and every year, calender committees sit and argue out who and what should be included this year. Their decisions are always interesting, and always say something; they set out to show us where breastfeeding is 'at' that year. Sometimes, when I view the calenders, I swear I can hear the ruckus that went on behind the scenes! I commend you to the opening picture here - last year's October in the Australian Breastfeeding Association calender - and ask you to ponder with me for a moment, what sort of hell and high water discussions must have gone on to include this startling, wonderful and gorgeous photo! How many matrons must have fainted, when presented with a pink haired Mama feeding her older baby over the top! ABA - I applaud you! This photo is just a wonder, and I for one am very glad that whoever wanted it in, won the debate.

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Lest you think this year's crop from Australia cannot compete with the wonder of last year - this one here is currently my favourite of 2009. All together everyone... aaahhh. :-)
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And yes, I do have an actual paper copy of October 2008. And yes, it will be being put in a proper frame as soon as I can afford it. And no, you can't have it.

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See, you really do need to buy these beauties on your own, in time!

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The one calender that everyone needs to buy, no matter where they are in the Globe, is the IBFAN calender. The International Baby Food Action Network, is the core defence for babies worldwide, on infant feeding issues. They fight to protect breastfeeding, and breastfeeding babies, and to keep as safe as possible babies being fed formula. The work they do is both immense, and totally underfunded and undervalued. Every year they produce a stunning quality, cheap to buy, breastfeeding calender on a global scale. Most of the main breastfeeding support organisations only sell the IBFAN calender, and you can purchase it in your own geographical area, from the local region IBFAN office.

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The main suppliers in the UK and Europe, are Baby Milk Action. For North America, go to INFACT Canada. For other areas, go to the IBFAN group map.

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.Some of the groups, such as Baby Milk Action, will also offer you last year's calender for under half price. Think about this - if you buy it, you get 12 superb photographs/posters, very very cheaply. You up profits on previous print runs, and you free up storage space. Know anyone pregnant? Giving any talks or peer group meetings? How often have you thought "I could use a nice picture now, to pin to this wall whilst people file past..." Buy last year's calender. If all else fails, it's excellent wrapping paper for a maternity gift!

You will get a lovely warm glow inside... and 12 superb posters. And no, there isn't a big black box on them - that's just for the internet!

The message here, today, is... if you can only afford one calender... buy the IBFAN one. Every penny you spend, will be used wisely, and well. How often can you say that?

Other areas, and regions, also produce their own breastfeeding calenders. My searching found two lovely ones, both in the USA. Unfortunately, my searching hasn't yet found out how to buy them! I actually did the research on this a few weeks back, and found that New Mexico, and Sonomo Country California, hold competitions etc, on putting together their next year's calender. So I can show you images of the 2009 from both...

But neither site have let us into the secret of how to purchase them yet..
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Although New Mexico now has an eddress to contact!.

.There are much more gift options available, of course, than simply buying yourself a stunning calender. Baby Milk Action does a wide range of postcards, t-shirts, mugs, magnets and cotton shopping bags, all in support of defending babies and their health. One of the most thoughtful gifts I received this year, personally, was someone who sent me a mug from Baby Milk Action, as a thank you. I felt warm and touchy feely and acknowledged, and thrilled that the same gift went in protecting babies too. It's a lot of bang for very little buck.

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The holiday season is a time for giving - give yourself something nice to look at for the entire year. If all else fails, give one to someone who is giving you grief about breastfeeding! Many an office wall will look the better for having the IBFAN calender proudly displayed! ;-)