BABYWEARING |
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HOW IT WORKS |
Baby slings are designed to carry baby’s bum in a hammock of fabric that is comfortable for hours. This is different to the more readily-available front carriers which have a small strip between baby’s legs carrying all their weight; these carriers often aren’t comfortable for long – for baby or parent.
Babywearing isn’t an all or nothing thing – sometimes a buggy is useful, sometimes a sling makes life easier.
Slings, especially a wrap sling in the early days, are perfect - almost vital - if you:
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have a velcro baby who wants to be held all the time;
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have a colicky/refluxy baby who needs to be upright to feel comfortable;
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have a baby who needs motion to sleep without making you drive around for hours;
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have an older child to feed/dress/play with/put to bed;
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live in an upstairs flat;
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use public transport a lot;
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go to places like a zoo or farm - a lot of animal enclosures are not buggy friendly - the windows are too high, fences block the view from a buggy, but a sling is ideal for viewing;
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have a nosy or sociable baby - people talk to babies in slings LOADS!
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have a dog to take for walks
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have a baby wearing a pavlik harness to correct hip displaysia - good slings maintain the correct hip position, with or without harness.
The benefits of babywearing are many. Here's some links that make interesting reading:
Dr Sears
The Babywearer 1
The Babywearer 2
Here's a great article which includes personal stories from a couple of mums: The Joy of Babywearing
Facing outwards: Reasons why not, here
Interesting sling sites to browse are:
www.getyourhandsback.co.uk
www.slingguide.co.uk
www.thebabywearer.com
www.storchenwiege.com/babycarrierresearch.htm
Sling accessories you might like:
EyeSpyBaby sling mirrors
For winter babywearing: Baby leg warmers and Tights for boys and girls
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Benefit from our experience
Try before you buy
Everyone welcome: Mondays at the Oval Cafe 10:30-12:30 or home visits by arrangement
The sling library offers free, unqualified, peer-to-peer babywearing support and information. We have a variety of slings which are available to borrow to enable you to try them out and see if they work for you and your child before buying your own. Or perhaps you want to avoid buying one if you just need it for a short period, such as for a holiday, day out, or special occasion. Don’t worry, we’ll show you how to put them on and get your child in and out and not just leave you with a long length of stretchy wrap and no idea what to do with it!
When borrowing a sling, we ask that you sign out the sling giving us your name, address, and contact details. We may ask that you write us a cheque for the replacement value of the carrier – this cheque won’t be cashed but will be held in case you don’t return the sling so that we can replace it.
The borrowing period is for two weeks and the cost is £3 per sling (to enable us to raise money to replace the slings as they wear out).
When you've found the sling for you, here's some options:
1. Please consider buying your sling/accessories through us from Petit Poppet. Sale (and hire) transactions generate a donation to SANDS, and our support group benefits from sales ordered through us - email Corinne, or ask at Monday meetings. More brands are available than those currently on the website - please ask.
2. Check out these other sling vendors: A list of many of the UK sling businesses can be found on Sling Guide.
3. For second hand slings:
Mama Natura discussion board has a busy For Sale section
Yahoo eGroup: UKbabywearingSWAP
Ebay (recommend you stick to known brands, for quality assurance, but be aware there are imitations being sold, eg. Moby, Freehand & Ergo)
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SUMMARY |
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SAFETY |
Here's a summary of the slings we have.
Stretchy wraps
Stretchy hybrids
Pouch slings
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Hotslings (currently sizes 2, 3, 4 & 5)
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Hotslings adjustable pouch
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Coorie (sizes S & M)
Mei Tai
Structured soft carriers
Ring slings
Woven wraps
Other
* available to buy through Corinne at the library |
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Slings are strong enough to carry quite a large toddler. Any limiting factor is your ability to carry the child, not the strength of the fabric.
In the US there have been saftety warnings relating to slings (March 2010), however, the issues (already known to the babywearing community) relate to 'bag slings' rather than all slings. A US press release by major sling brands can be read here; and a UK press release by major brands and retailers here. If you have any queries about sling safety, please ask us and we'll happily explain.
Slings are supplied with full safety instructions, please read these carefully and thoroughly before carrying your baby in a sling.
Practice before you begin. Stand in front of a mirror to put your baby in a sling. If you’re out, your reflection in a car window can be useful. Once you’ve had a bit of practice this won’t be necessary. Back carries can be practiced with a helper, or kneeling on the floor.
Babywearing Saftey from Babywearing International
Correct positioning For the Safety & Comfort of your Newborn by M’Liss Stelzer R.N.
Neighbouring Sling Libraries/Meets:
3 Counties Sling Meet, Pitstone, Bucks. Monthly meets. Facebook page
MK Attachment Parenting & Sling Meet Group Facebook page |
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