A little end of year celebration

December 20, 2015December 20, 2015Leave a comment

As the library is now closed until he New Year I felt it was time to have a look back and here are some statistics from our year.

We reopen at Ace Playce in Killingworth on 4th January and our first consultation appointments are from Thursday 7th. So as I have a little bit of down time I have been working out what we have done this year.

In 2015 we made 774 individual sling hires. This doesn’t include those people who had one sling and extended hires. We currently have 103 slings out on hire. Our stock consists of 252 slings. We currently have 8 drop in sessions a month and it still costs just £8 for 4 weeks hire.

In terms of percentage increases we have increased our stock by 40%, our yearly sling hires by 26%, our Facebook page likes has increase by 45% and our group now has 1058 people in it.

It hasn’t been the easiest of years as local changes have made it harder for us to compete. But I still enjoy helping parents to carry their babies big and small. We have been running for 4.5 years so can confidently say we are the oldest and the original sling library. I have trained with the widest range of schools and continue to continue my professional development. I have plans for more training this year. I won’t stop.

Library, Workshop or Consultation?

April 6, 2015April 6, 20152 Comments

We offer several different services at The North East Sling Library. In order for you to select the one which is right for you and you family please take a moment to have a read through the pdf below. Selecting the appropriate service will help you get the most from your visit.

Service for you v2 – click here

Our 200th sling (plus a few more)

February 23, 2015February 24, 2015Leave a comment

There are days when running a sling library frustrate, upset and annoy you. But then there are days when you receive positive feedback, a thank you card or just a thanks as they leave.

When my library launched in July 2011 we did so with 23 slings. Many of which were my own and some donated from a long since closed library and a couple of donations. Never when we met for that first time in my living room did I imagine that The North East Sling Library would grow as much as it did.

But grow it has and today we hit a milestone. This is sling number 200. It is a Connecta Baby Carrier in ‘Anchors in Life’s Ocean’ and it was kindly donated by Connecta. Connecta Baby are amazing supporters of sling libraries and of NESL. We would not be the library we are without them.

Only two years ago we only had 60 slings as Timehop informed me recently. That’s 152 slings we have got in 2 years.

This afternoon I opened a box which contained 9 Connecta, 2 Sakura Bloom ring slings, a BabyHawk Oh Snap, a Moby wrap and a Boba 4g. I had been feeling pretty poorly but this box made me smile. The contents of it became slings 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 2011 and 2012.

Words cannot express how much the support of Connecta and their sister company Natural Connection means to me. They are truly an amazing team. Thank you Sarah, Darren, Anne and all of your team. Today’s donations brought the total number of Connecta Baby Carriers (across sizes/types/fabrics) to 48! Almost 1/4 of my library stock.

I am already planning the next few slings and hope to place order for 3 in next few days. Then it’s save the pennies again as I want to add something quite expensive to library in May. 2015 is going to be a great year for The North East Sling Library. 7 sessions a month, consultations, workshops, 200+ slings, last week we broke the 2000 likes barrier on our Facebook page, we have over 1000 followers on Twitter and building Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube followers.

Consultations packages – what is available?

January 19, 2015January 20, 2015Leave a comment

What is a sling consultation?

Babywearing is an art which has been traditionally passed down from generation to generation, and friend to friend. However, in the UK the skills are less well known. In July 2011 I decided that I wanted to do something about this and so established the NE Sling Library using the knowledge I had gained since I learnt to carry my son. Very quickly I decided that I wanted to increase my professional knowledge and undertake further training. There are so many different baby carriers on the market that choosing one can be quite confusing.

I have trained with three different UK babywearing schools; including Trageschule, School of Babywearing and Slingababy. I am also a Born to Carry Tutor. These course have given me a detailed and indepth understanding of the different slings and carriers on the market, and the skills to be able to help you on your carrying journey. As a babywearing consultant it is my aim to help you find the best way to carry your baby. I use the knowledge I have about your baby’s anatomy and different carriers to help you find the best solution. I have a variety of different carriers to choose from. Standard (90 and 60 minute) consultations include the hire of one sling for a minimum of two weeks. I have professional, product and public liability insurance and am fully trained to offer consultations. For your peace of mind I am also a member of the British Association of Babywearing Instructors and Baby Carrier Industry Alliance.

I serve the whole north east – County Durham, Sunderland, Newcastle, Northumberland, Teeside, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and beyond. I offer consultations from my designated consultation room at 13 Brecken Way, Meadowfield, Durham, DH7 8UZ. Price can include travel within DH1 AND DH7 postcodes but if I travel to you, (I can travel further afield I simply ask that my expenses are covered) this limits what I can bring. Also please check before booking that the appointment you wish to select is suitable for an at home visit in case I already have appointments booked at home. Consultations are held on Wednesdays and Thursday’s. Other days available by request but are subject to convenience fees. To book simply visit our online booking system.

What packages are available?

It is my aim to find the type of appointment suitable for you and your babies needs, and as such offer a variety of different types. Standard, follow up and paired consultations include sling hire for a minimum of 2 weeks. I have an online booking system which allows you to choose and book your own appointment at a time and date that is convenient for you.

Standard Consultation– £30 for 90 minute appointment (£25.00 for 1hour). This is designed for one baby and their parents. I discuss with you your requirements, benefits of babywearing etc, before offering demos of different types of slings/carriers. You then get the chance to practise using either your baby if you wish or a weighted demo doll. At the end of the appointment you are able to select one sling from the NE Sling Library to take home for a 2 week complimentary period (usual deposit fees remain although these are refundable). If during this period you find the sling isn’t right for you it is possible to swap it for a different carrier (subject to it being in stock).

Paired and Group Consultations – £45 for 90 minutes (2 babies). This type of consultation is designed for groups of similar aged babies. The price includes sling hire fo up to 2 babies and additional hire can be arranged for groups up to a maximum of 4 at the additional rate of £5 per sling. Context of consultation remains as close to the standard consultation as possible.

Follow up Consultation – £18 for up to an hour. This appointment is for people who have previously had a Standard Consultation but want more advice, support, practise etc. Again it includes a 2 week hire from the NE Sling Library at the end of the appointment.

Sling demo – £15 for 45 minutes. This is package is aimed at expectant parents who want to be introduced to different slings before their baby is born. During this appointment I briefly explain the benefits of Babywearing before showing you the different styles of carriers on the market and how they work.

Sling Clinic Slots – £18 for 60 minutes. If you already own a specific sling and want to learn how to use it this is the appointment for you. Or finding something isn’t quite working for you and want to solve it. Does not include sling hire although this can be arranged at normal hire rate.

Workshop Wednesday’s – £10 per person (56p booking fee if paying by card). Workshop Wednesdays are a small group workshop held on 1st Wednesday of each month and focus on a specific sling or skill. They are advertised on our Facebook page.

Born to Carry Peer Support Courses – Although I arrange courses myself, if you have a group of friends or colleagues who would like to undertake a Babywearing Peer Support Course these can be arranged privately.Born to Carry are a UK network of highly trained, qualified and insured tutors. We have a variety of backgrounds from teaching to medicine. These courses cover safety, benefits of babywearing and practical sessions on using and optimising carriers. A minimum of 2 participants to ensure course runs with a maximum of 8.

Bump to Baby Package – £50. This package is designed in 3 parts and would be ideal as a gift to expectant parents or for parents wanting to get to grips with slings from the start. It includes a 30 minute antenatal sling demo. When baby is here I can either come to you (although this limits how many slings I can bring) or you can come to me for a full 90 minute Standard Consultation (this allows for baby to be fed, changed etc and refreshments for parents). You will then get to select the sling you feel most comfortable with or that you feel is right for you from the NE Sling Library to take for an extended 4 week hire period. If during this time you feel this isn’t the sling for you it is possible to swap it for one of the others you tried during the consultation. The final part of the package is a Follow up consultation. This can be immediately after the 4week hire period or at any point in the next 6 months, and again includes a complimentary hire from the NE Sling library (2week period).

Blogs, public hysteria and why they don’t help babywearing educators

January 5, 2015October 14, 20152 Comments

Firstly, I get the irony. I am about to say I don’t really like blogs and how they can cause hysteria when it comes to slings. But, I also realise how blogs can be educational and beneficial. They have a place but it is our job as a reader, and in the case of me and other babywearing educators to point out their flaws and often fire fight the consequences of their publication.

The sling world can be highly opinionated. The launch of the Ergo 360 for example was a prime example. Babywearing enthusiasts from around the world were up in arms after the company who had advocated Forward Facing In for so long had ‘given in’ to mass market pressures and made a carrier that allowed baby to Forward Face Out. The Ergo 360 has turned out to be one of their greatest successes: an ergonomically designed carrier with the ability to forward face out but with clear advice on time, age and the issue of sleep. Other blogs like those written by Rosie of Sheffield Sling Surgery use detailed medical knowledge and training as a babywearing consultant and busy sling librarian to provide clear and fact based articles. I too like to ensure that if I am stating something as ‘fact’ that I have the links to evidence to back it up.

So you can imagine how I feel when I logged on the computer this morning to find an article stating that forward facing carriers should be burned because they ’cause hip dysplasia’. This said article has been floating around on the internet for at least a year (and I will not link to it here for fear of stoking the fire) and each time it is posted it causes controversy. It is a sad story of one mums experiences but that it. One mum, one baby, one sling. It is not a medical research paper, its not really a case study. It is one mum angry at professionals who worked with or came into contact with her baby. It does not make it right. The fact it was shared on a Facebook page by a well respected Attachment Parenting focused organisation was even more worrying. 1) Forward Facing out cannot cause hip dysplasia in babies with normal development of hip joints and 2) surely any carried baby is something to celebrate. We should not criticise or disown those who chose to use high street style front packs and we should definitely not say that they are going to ‘harm’ their babies. There is simply no proof. Not until the judgements stop will those of us who advocate ergonomic carriers be seen as a mainstream choice. If people continue to jump on Facebook threads where a new mum posts a photo of their little one facing out, we will be forever viewed as judgemental and hippy. Lets celebrate all carried babies and stop the berating of parent and remember most of us will have started our carrying journeys with high street carriers.

Slings and More

Helping the NE carry their babies big and small since 2011

Tag: sling library