Category: sling library

Today I am a Mum of a 7 year old. 

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Today I am the mama of a 7 year old. Happy Birthday Henry. 


Born 12.31pm on 9th January 2010, 6lb 12oz at  37 weeks + 3, 2.5 hours of labour, and 3 feet of snow and a blizzard. It feels like a lifetime ago but every second is etched in my memory.

 Henry you made me a mother, mummy, mama, mum, mam. You taught me to trust my instincts and to do what felt right. I love you with all my heart Henry. You are an amazing little boy and a joy to be around. Your smile, caring nature and zest for life is infectious. Without you, the sling library would not be here.
Happy Birthday my darling boy.

Love Mummy and Daddy


“You’ll need a proper carrier” – framed carriers are they necessary?

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hellvelynI love walking and have spent many happy hours walking in the Lake District and Weardale with my husband, dog and children. We first took Henry when he was just 4 months old and we have been going ever since but I have never owned a proper carrier. By proper carrier I am referring to a framed back carrier which are commonly seen as a necessary item if you want to do some ‘proper walking’. Well, I think I come in the ‘proper walking’ category: this year we took Henry and Isaac (then aged 6 and 4) to climb Catbells and more impressively Hellvelyn (they successfully summited both). I did take a carrier for Isaac – it stayed in bag the whole time on both days.

56089368_sFramed carriers are quite bulky pieces of kit and when I first started carrying simply didn’t have the room to store one. They are suitable only for older babies and children (approx. 6 months) who can sit unaided. Visually they look very similar to walking rucksacks, often with thick structured waistbands and heavy padded shoulders. They are readily accessible in many high street shops and outdoor shops with most being priced anywhere upwards of £80 (with some of the most well known being over £100). For many then, they seem the ideal piece of equipment to spend your days walking.

Reasons people like them include:

  • integrated storage
  • sun canopies on some
  • child can “see”
  • no need to take child out – simply take off and use the ‘feet’ to stand carrier up.
  • a little more roomy for the child

But, why then have I not felt the need to buy or use one? Firstly, they are bulky. I am used to carrying big backpacks but my spatial awareness is not one of my strong points. The bulk of them means I simply find them too big; especially if I want to traverse small gaps. I do not go on walks alone and thus my husband has been able to carry the necessary ‘baby kit’ in his rucksack. He has even been known to carry Henry on his back and a rucksack on his front.

blencathra-front-and-back

Why do I need to buy another carrier? Many people who want to use a framed carrier already own a carrier that would work perfectly adequately. Soft Structured carriers are perfect. They fold small, so if you are carrying a slightly older child and they want to walk for a bit you can wear it without it feeling heavy or simply put in your bag, and most have the flexibility of front carrying (some facing out) and even hip carries, where as a framed carrier can only be worn on the back. In a Soft Structured carrier, the baby/child’s weight is also closer to you and this can help with balance and our centre of gravity. Framed carriers can, especially for smaller parents, feel like they are pulling you back and make you feel like you need to lean forward to compensate.

In terms of how baby is positioned in a framed carrier, this can vary from a seat to more of a harness in a frame. This has a big impact on the comfort of the journey for the child.  The distance between the wearer and the child is an important factor to consider; especially in snowcold weather or exposed environments. In most carriers where the baby/toddler’s torso is against the wearers front or back they will benefit from sharing body heat. If the child is too hot, heat transfer to adult occurs to help the child cool down, and if they are too cold, warm up. But this cannot happen when they are not against the adults body. An adult may feel perfectly warm but babies and young children cannot regulate their body temperature as effectively as adults, and thus can get much colder than you would expect.

 

Further reading, links and images

http://www.babywearingadvice.co.uk/backpacks.htm

https://southlondonslings.co.uk/sling-info/about-baby-carriers/types-of-baby-carrier/about-framed-carriers/

http://www.sheffieldslingsurgery.co.uk/new-to-slings/welcome-to-slings/

https://southlondonslings.co.uk/sling-info/about-baby-carriers/types-of-baby-carrier/about-framed-carriers/thoughts-on-framed-carriers/

https://www.cpsc.gov/content/cpsc-approves-new-federal-safety-standard-for-frame-child-carriers

Photographs are either my own and thus copyright belongs to me. For stock images please read copyright details below:
Copyright: dmosreg / 123RF Stock Photo
Copyright: dmosreg / 123RF Stock Photo

Slinging New Year’s Resolutions

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Hands up? Have you made a New Year’s Resolution?  Was it financial, health, educational or technological related? As these are often in lists of the most popular. Or have you made a slinging resolution? 

Many of us will have set ourselves targets for 2017. In the USA approx. 45% of individuals will have made a New Year’s Resolution. This figure in UK is around 32-35%. But roughly only 50% manage to stick to them for the 6 months (8% the year), although around 3/4 of us manage to stick to them for at least a week.

In terms of your New Years Resolution – have you written it down? Told someone what it is? How are you going to ensure you keep it? Sharing them with others apparently can help us to stick to them.

I have set myself the target of selling my personal collection of ring slings as our carrying days are over. So far I have asked Isaac to pick one to keep –  as I want to keep one each for the boys (Silver Waves for Henry, our Dyed Roses Zen for Isaac) – but at the minute this is as far as I have got.  The bag of slings is sitting there looking at me. I want to be successful and have told the sling library users this is my resolution and I am hoping this will assist me in keeping it. My bank balance would certainly appreciate me selling some slings.

So I asked the users of the sling library what their Slinging New Years Resolutions are.  Some like me want to sell our slings as our babies are no longer babies, others want to learn a new skill (e.g learning to wrap or improving their wrapping skills), and others want to try and ‘sling it only’. I have read at least two comments for mums saying the want to “stop buying slings”, and the opposite is true for a couple too. 

Julie’s slinging resolution:

Mine is to give a serious go to using a single pram and a sling for my 19mo and her baby sibling due to arrive next month. I don’t really understand why, but I desperately don’t want a double pram!

In a similar light, Charlotte would like to: “Go out proper hiking with sling, need to work out logistics! Like how to carry the rest of the stuff!”

My favourite are from Madeleine and Lucie (both peer supporters) who want to help enable more people to carry. Babywearing is a lovely sharing community and this is seen by the way people want to help others.

I suppose our slinging resolutions fit pretty well with general New Year’s Resolutions too: spend less/save more, personal development/mastering a new skill and even decluttering. I am here for 1:1 appointments if you want to develop your skills – learn to wrap or master a back carry. Just visit the  consultancy pages of our website to make your booking. 

I can’t though promise to help you destash but maybe if we do it together we might just be successful.

Links and photos 

http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/

http://www.comresglobal.com/polls/bupa-new-year-resolution-survey/

https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2015/dec/31/how-long-do-people-keep-their-new-year-resolutions

Stock photos used free of charge from Pixabay under common use licence. The photos of me are mine and copyright belongs to me.

Happy New Year

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Wow, 2016 is almost over. Just 3 hours or so to go.

Here is a little slingy celebration of 2016. Thank you to everyone who shared photos this year. But, a special thanks go to those who shared these after I asked for photos yesterday.

For Shelly, 2016 has seen the end of her baby carrying days – just like me:

My last ever slingy cuddle: Bought my first wrap in 2006

10 years, 3 babies And erm…..Lots of slings all now rehomed to new mamass.

I have kept a shortie as a scarf ❤


2016 also saw us collaborate with Which? of which Alex took part – here is Alex’s contribution:

1st time mama learning to carry! My little monkey wasn’t too keen to start with but with the support of Rachel and this fab group we persevered. We were fortunate enough to take part in the Which? trial and review and since then we’ve loved the stretchy and settled on buckles. Best moment has to be my first carry with a happy content baby who slept for over an hour in his carrier (previously he would scream & headbutt me lol) 2017 will hopefully see me grow with confidence and settle on one carrier. 

Thank you Claire for your honesty about parenting:

I love that I can share my positive experience of babywearing even though i do so rarely now and that i can absolutely recommend NESL to any mum to be! Being a mum is simply awesome (and bl##dy hardwork obvs!) Happy New Year.

Maria, a mum of twin 10 year old boys and baby Sofia:
Baby wearing for us has meant little one can fit in with the hectic schedule my two very active 10 year old twins lead. From rugby to football, swimming, tennis or cricket we are always on the go and spectating so Sofia being in a sling has made our lives so much easier. Holidays (the lakes and Greece this year, including a visit to the Acropolis in Athens) were made so much simpler. Looking forward to trying some wrapping in the near future! Here are my favourite pics of 2016

Katie said the following:

I carried my first in an ergo but since my second was born nearly 11 weeks ago we have both fallen in love with baby wearing! I have loved trying out different wraps to see what we like and feel like I have the most incredible bond with him now. Excited for the new year to learn different carries for a woven, particularly back carries and try some more wraps.


Mandi is also a mum of twins. I had the pleasure of a consultation with her in November. One of two in two days.


We discovered baby carrying our girls love it almost as much as we do! And our poor little reflux baby (in my sling on the right) can get some relief and closeness when she’s having a bad time with it and I can still see to her sister as I’m hands free! Loooooving carrying!

Joanne’s twins are older but she has still been tandem carrying when the need arose. This is how she described her 2016 slinging Year:

I learnt to wrap. I also learnt that I’m pretty poor at it and wriggly toddlers aren’t the best to learn on! But at least I’ve tried and I can now say that I truly am a buckles girl and know what I’m talking about! 

My most memorable slingy moment was at Glendale Show in August when both boys were tired and ratty and refusing to take another step whilst crying and whinging. My Dad offered to carry one in the Connecta but he was having none of it – only Mummy would do. So, at 2 1/2 and weighing an absolute tonne, I proved I can still tandem carry them. Just not so much now.

Finally, I suppose it’s my contribution. 2016 has been a funny year. I went back to work and had to change how Library operates because of this. It also saw our amazing exclusive collection with Connecta Baby Carrier and I helped Which? with their parent trials. It also saw probably my last slingy cuddle with Isaac. 


2016 was a great year: 2017 you have a lot to live up to. Let’s see where it takes me and you, as after all I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.

End of an era

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I think the day has finally one where we are no longer a family who sling. Last year I wondered if it had been our last slinging Christmas and I think it was. I asked Isaac if he would like a photo in a sling in front of the tree and he said no. 

I carried him off the plane in our preschool Henrys Hogs Connecta after our trip to Lapland but I only managed this as he was asleep. 

He would not have chosen it himself. He is nearly 5. We have had thousands of ‘sling cuddles’ etc but doesn’t stop you hoping there might be just one more. Slings have been a part of my  tool kit for almost 7 years and I am sad that they are stopping.

Here are to the next adventures we have. But instead of being on Mummy’s back they will and hand in hand. Although a more accurate description will be me running after Henry and Isaac as they run at full speed into everything they do. 

My love affair with wraps won’t stop. When I am not carrying other people’s babies, I will make do with my ever increasing ‘wrap scarves’ collection.