So many parents come to me wanting a carrier that will do absolutely everything. It needs to fit newborns and toddlers optimally, offer knee to knee support, head support, back support… It should carry front or back and either hip. It needs to be machine washable, fit vastly different shaped adults, be cool in summer and warm in winter, and be soft and comfortable to wear. It needs to be quick and easy to use, so they don’t want a wrap.

Now it is not to say that there are no carriers in the library that can fill that brief without being a wrap. But I am here to fight its corner, just a little. If I could choose just one carrier from the library to suit me and my children through our carrying years, it would need to be a woven wrap. For you to consider it, I want to correct a couple of common misconceptions about woven wraps.

Woven wraps can be used from birth

Sometimes people assume that because a stretchy wrap is a newborn and small baby specialist carrier, woven wraps are designed for older babies. Yet in truth woven wraps can be used from birth and offer a great deal of support and strength to floppy and new babies whilst also being soft and snuggly.

Woven wraps do not have to be expensive

Sure, they can be, but there are some wonderful woven brands out there that are supportive, beautiful and do not break the bank. In the world of wovens, there are a lot of fashions and trends, and there are collectors, but there is no reason you need to join in unless that appeals to you. It is perfectly possible to buy a lovely cotton German style woven wrap in a colour you love and use it again and again throughout your children’s carrying years for much less than a buckle carrier or equivalent. Woven wraps can offer tremendous value for money. My oldest woven wrap has been with me for over seven years and carried both my children – still as strong as ever and one of the best value baby items I have ever invested in.

There are a range of brands and prices on the market, but here are some examples of German style woven wrap brands I have personal experience with which I highly recommend as strong, supportive and long lasting – these are examples but by no means an exhaustive list! Alongside is listed their various prices for a standard line, cotton, standard length size 6 wrap – the size most people buy. Please see the note below if you are interested in purchase or hire.

BB Slen – around £70
Colimacon et Cie – around £60
Hoppediz – around £53
Lenny Lamb – around £47
Little Frog – around £50
Natibaby – around £64
Neobulle – around £67
Storchenwiege – around £70

Woven wraps are supportive especially for heavier babies and toddlers

A lot of parents are concerned about the support for their baby, and the way a carrier fits the adult as well – does it offer ‘lumbar support’ is a particularly common question. A well tied woven wrap is the epitome of an ergonomic carrier and that is down to its complete custom fit – carrying your child snugly all the way along their backs and legs, from knee to knee and as high to their neck as needed – high for newborns or arms free for older babies and toddlers if they prefer. A woven cloth feels supportive against your muscles – consider how we bandage a strained limb – and moulds perfectly around you, offering a close carrying experience that does not strain either shoulder muscles or the lumbar region.

Woven wraps can be pre-tied

A lot of parents enjoy the convenience of using a stretchy wrap that has been pre-tied – with all the fabric in place before the baby is put inside. This can reassure when you are starting out, or work very well as an option when out and about. Tie the carrier on at home, pop the baby in the car, and when you get where you are going slot the baby into the carrier and in and out at will. Pre-tying is something I did a lot when my babies were tiny – in and out of doctors appointments, popping out to the shops, for the school run – with my woven wraps. Yes, woven wraps can be pre-tied too. For babies and for toddlers. Now I use a pre-tie with my toddler for things like train journeys – on and off my knee, in and out of the carrier at the station, walks a bit, slots in the wrap to tackle the stairs and make the connection, walks a bit, slides back inside to tackle the train gap and luggage. Woven wraps can be used quickly and easily when you are used to tying them.

Woven wraps do not have to be complicated

A wrap is, quite literally, what you make it. However there is no reason at all that using it need be any more complicated then learning to use any of the other library carriers – a ring sling, a mei tai, a buckle carrier, all have a learning curve. Or learning how to collapse a pushchair or install a car seat – I venture to say the latter is a lot more complicated than woven wrapping as I still struggle with car seats nearly eight years into parenting. The reputation for complexity comes from the hundreds of ways there are to use it. But, as I point out with some frequency, you need learn only one. Yet at some point in the future, when that one is not exactly what you need, you might feel the urge to learn another. Or maybe more than one. The reassuring thing to realise is that as your carrying needs change, so can your wrap, for as long as you need it to. The versatility is what I ask you to concentrate on, not the imagined complexity.

 

Woven wraps have a huge amount to offer as a genuinely adaptable birth to toddler to preschooler option. You don’t need to adapt the carrier between children, just pick it up and it will carry your newborn or your big kid. You don’t need to adjust sizing or buckles between users, just pick it up and it will fit you. You don’t need to learn every way there is to tie it, just pick up some basic skills and you will wonder what you did without it.

If you are in the market for a woven wrap, I highly recommend the above brands for producing good quality wraps that will last, and most of these brands are available to buy through our library supporters, see the tab at the top of the page. If you have used library services some supporters offer a library discount code, please ask for further details.

If you prefer to hire, the sling library has a large selection of colours, brands, blends and sizes available for hire at any of our sessions.

If you would like help with your wrap, we offer free wrapping help by email or at any of our drop in sessions, for as long as you need it. For more in depth help we offer one to one sessions so do get in touch for more details. Call 0113 2100855 or email wyslinglibrary@outlook.com.

Wrap happy, everyone.

 

 

 

My littlest baby turns 2 on Saturday. Which is just crazy – the time has flown ridiculously fast, and just as I got started carrying her and trying all the lovely new slings, she started to walk and was off – or so it seems. It seemed a good time to rethink how carrying works for babies who aren’t quite babies anymore – she likes to walk now, for sure….but my question is, is it always wise to let her? And is carrying purely about transportation anyway?

We went away this weekend on a last minute, last few days of school holiday, day out frenzy, and as I wandered around the aquarium yesterday I thought over all the times the carriers I had taken had been used over the two days we were away. It was a lot. More than even I had thought. And it illustrated to me how much (or how little) difference the child’s ability to walk actually made.

I took with us the lovely new Neobulle Evolobulle mei tai and the Storchenwiege Leo Marine Ring Sling. Both very comfortable, ‘toddler-worthy’ carriers.

After our road trip, out first task was to find something to eat – and quickly, as the day was slipping away! We found ourselves in a shopping centre – a busy one – with shoppers all over the place, lights, fun, and confusion. Browsing our food options meant a good bit of wandering around and toddler pace was soon frustrating – up she went on my back in the mei tai and we tackled three sets of glass steps and an escalator before finding a place to eat. She stayed up whilst we were served and I carried a tray of drinks, then got down and had a wander around before we ate.

After dinner she stayed down, managing all the stairs with aplomb until we were yet again in a busy crowd being buffeted in all directions. She was knocked over once and I found myself picking her up off the floor, apologising to all who were tripping over us – and carrying her in my arms. So I put her on my back in the mei tai and we navigated out, and tackled a 20 minute walk through the city with some speed.

It was a museum visit we had planned – the Transport Museum – and she had a glorious time running around in train carriages, ‘driving’ cars and pushing flashing buttons – so exciting that by the time we had been there 90 minutes, she was diving round each corner out of sight, refusing to hold hands, and had developed a penchant for shutting doors.

After she barricaded herself into a replica of an old shop, closing doors that were not designed to close and holding them bodily shut (shouting no! Mine! Mine! In true toddler fashion) we were heading for meltdown and any in-arms holding resulted in her flinging herself to the floor shouting ‘down!’ I secured her on my back and she changed her shouting to ‘out! Out!’ (Although I wish she’d learn to say her T sounds as it sounds more like ‘Ow!’ Which is embarrassing in public! After ten minutes of a more sedate pace around the attraction, she had calmed down and was ready to walk around again herself.

She talked the twenty minute walk back to the hotel easily after that and enjoyed running around with her sister. We all wandered along holding hands and it was rather nice. We got all the way back to the car and emptied the bags to check in. I needed to make my way a few hundred yards back through a car park, across some busy roads and through the train station dragging a wheeled suitcase and carrying two shoulder bags. This is where the ring sling came out of the car – toddler slid in onto my hip, shoulder bags on the opposite shoulder, drag the suitcase and I had a free hand to hold my elder’s hand.

 

The ring sling didn’t come out again until after dinner in the restaurant – overtired toddlers are not known for their tact and this one took against the travel cot we had been provided with. After an hour of trying to get her to sleep in it, and her disturbing my older one and who knows who else in the hotel, I took her for a walk around the hotel corridors snuggled on my chest – and eventually – at midnight! – we had peace and quiet. This child is not one for sleeping in slings – she likes her own room and her own cot, which was why she was cross in the first place – but it was apparently less evil than the travel cot!

After her disturbed night, a full on day out was unlikely to be smooth sailing, and from the off she had a grumpy face on. We had planned a full day at The Deep in Hull – and straight out of the car she was nodding and sleepy. I packed her into a front carrying using the Neobulle – and very comfortable it was too, not that you would know from her expression!

The Deep is quite the structure, many floors, sets of steps, ramps and lifts winding round a central hub of a large submarium tank. Dark in most places, with narrow walkways. As claustrophobes, we don’t manage lifts well,l so the toddler stayed in the carrier up the six flights of steps that greeted us on entry. When she had adjusted to the darkness and realised there was fun to be had, all sleepiness fled and she asked to get down.

 

So she used her little legs round the attraction, launching happily at each new experience, learning new words and running about down the slopes and round the corners. Occasionally she needed a lift up to see better so I sat her in the carrier whilst we watched talks and feeding events, preventing her from escaping at knee levels through a stationary crowd. But no-one can go on forever, and three hours plus lunch later, she was clearly exhausted. With the option of a carrier, I loaded her in on the front and she drifted off to sleep. We did the whole attraction again from the top down at a more sedate pace for the elder one, not rushing from shiny button to flashy light.

The centrepiece of the attraction experience was a journey back up through the central tank – you can choose between a glass lift or the scenic stairs with full height viewing on each floor. For those unable to take the stairs, that meant either a very long wait for the exit lift as family after family queued – or bypassing the experience entirely and using the normal lift. We chose the stairs with our sleeping toddler and had them all to ourselves. I am so glad I did not have to make the choice of waking the toddler, waiting or skipping the experience, especially with an older one to disappoint. And what was waiting at the top of the scenic stairs? Six more flights down again!

On the journey home, we had a much happier little one – even so she struggles on longer trips, so we stopped in a truck stop style service station. Out came the ring sling again, seeing us across a busy car park until she could get down and stretch her legs – and then she won herself a teddy bear on a grabber machine and ate a banana, so all was right again in toddler land.

I thought about it, and realised that over the course of not even two days on our mini break away, I had used carriers many more times than even I would expect. I used them to get my hands back, I used them for her to sleep in, I used them for safety, for containment, to calm. I used them to navigate places tricky for little legs or wheels, for speed, for crowds. I carried her front and back and hip, at her request and despite her protestations. And yet she ran around until exhausted, she jumped on beds, she explored everything, pushed her buttons, played on exhibits, chased her sister and was chased back again. Carrying worked over and again for us all through the trip, comfortably and hands free. She really likes to walk. But it doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be carried.

 

 

Some very exciting news!

The library is teaming up with one of our fabulous local resources to offer a new type of library session – with a new day and a new venue!

Every Tuesday morning we will be offering themed sling and carrier information sessions and classes. Got a stretchy wrap? Book in to ‘Getting the most from your stretchy wrap’ Want to back carry? Check out the ‘Keep Calm and Back Carry’ class. Ring sling masterclass? No problem. Are you pregnant? Come to ‘Carrying Your Newborn’. Each week will have a different focus so you can choose the session to suit you.

Each class will last 90 minutes, cost £5 per family and be open to a maximum of eight families (some will have fewer places for safety reasons) You can prebook to confirm your place or come along on the day.

Or new venue is Fingertips Art Studio, which is a children’s art space in the newly revamped Sunnybank Mills complex in Farsley. The studio is run by the fabulous Steph Callaghan and is a free flowing creative play environment for children of all ages. As an OFSTED registered early years practitioner, Steph can engage and entertain toddlers and older children and give them an exciting, messy time whilst you concentrate on babies and carriers – or cups of tea and cake in the cafe area! The studio is all in one room so your child does not need to be away from you, but you can have a little space to learn and enjoy the session.

Joining in with the art space is just £3 per child for the 90 minute sling session. This amount is payable to Fingertips studio.

The cafe area of the studio sells hot drinks, snacks and cakes at between £1-£1.50 so it could just be a great excuse for a sit down.

The first class will run on July 29th 2014 from 10.15am- 11.45am. Classes can also be block-booked if you fancy making it a regular event.

Themes for the first month are:

29th July – Woven Wrap Skills
5th August – Keep Calm and Back Carry!
12th August – Hip Carrying
19th August – Getting the Most from your Stretchy Wrap

For the first four sessions, I am offering half price carrier rental with each pre-booking – just call 0113 2100855 or email wyslinglibrary@outlook.com to book in!

If you have any questions about the new venue, childcare or art space, do contact Steph at Fingertips on 0113 2567342 or on steph@fingertipsart.co.uk

Fingertips Art Studio
Sunnybank Mills
Mending Rooms
85 Town Street
Farsley
LS28 5UJ

Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances the sling library will need to close next week between Sat 24th May and Monday 2nd June.

i do my best to keep the library open as many weeks of the year as possible so do apologise if this causes any issues or problems for anybody.

Anyone with a carrier due back to the cancelled drop in session of Wednesday 28th May will get an automatic free one week extension to their rental, making all carriers due back at the session 4th June.

Anyone with a carrier due back at the Sling Social of Friday 30th May can still return to the Wellbeing centre where the Social will be running without the library present. Library helpers will take returns at this session but will be unable to offer advice or carrier swaps. If you need advice or swaps do call me on 01132100855 or email wyslinglibrary@outlook.com to arrange this before or after the library closure. All carriers due back on the 30th will also have the free extension to June 4th if required.

Please do share this information with anyone you know interested in coming along as I would not want anyone to have a wasted journey. I really do apologise for the inconvenience.

It’s a great thing to have such a range of carrying products online, at your fingertips, and even better that you can just click to buy, and have your carrier delivered to your door. In lots of ways it is ideal, but in others it is difficult – buying online is buying blind, and it pays in the long run to do a few checks before you commit. This applies especially if you are buying from an auction or marketplace style site, or somewhere you have not used before.

Old sayings nearly always have their basis in truth, and there are two that are more than relevant here.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

It’s a great idea to check out the usual secondhand sites for goods before you commit to buying new – you never know, there might be one going for a song. I absolutely do it myself, along with research on brands and types with all kinds of items – I’ve recently been searching Ebay for decking and flooring, comparing brands and prices per square metre with the big online stores.

The first big problem here is that you just won’t find the brands of carrier stocked by specialist carrier stores (such as Connecta, Beco, Didymos) in any numbers on Ebay or other marketplace sites in the UK. They just aren’t enough of them there to buy. And because there are so few, the competition on these brands is steep – for context there are currently 9 Connecta baby carriers for sale on Ebay in the UK, lost amongst the 628 Baby Bjorns, 139 Mothercare carriers, 59 Mamas and Papas carriers, 198 Infantino carriers, 194 Tomy carriers – you get the idea. Rarity pushes up the price, and more than one of the Connectas currently for sale there are selling for well above their new price. This imbalance also leads to the second big problem – that using general auction sites to research brands and options for carrying your baby can only give a very limited view of what is on the market. As I said, I use Ebay – you expect it to have an average cross section of stuff – but in this case it is severely skewed – the Ebay market does not represent a range of carrying options.

That begs the question – what is there instead? Well, there are the mass produced front pack style of carriers, some brands of which are listed above. It is only natural that they are there in large numbers, there are physically more of them, they are easily available on high streets across the country, and their usable life is less than some other carriers which means there is a higher turnover.  There are then the carriers of unknown origin – often shipped from overseas, there are many sellers who use promotional pictures from bigger brands to sell their products. I have recently challenged sellers who are using Hoppediz, Moby, Wrapsody, Ergo, and Boba promo material to sell their product, and received dismissive replies or silence in return.  There is likely an overlap with counterfeited carriers here – counterfeiting is a big problem especially with brands like ErgoBABY (Beco, Moby, and Freehand have also had issues and is just getting worse). It is odd to realise that counterfeiting happens in the baby carrying world, but it is more common than you might think. Naturally, once counterfeited carriers are in circulation, they can also make it back onto the market secondhand from private sellers who may not even know they are selling a product made by an unknown person with unknown quality control.

Buy cheap, buy twice

Quality control on goods that seem to be so much cheaper than all of their contemporaries can sometimes be an issue. I have seen in the past some worrying workmanship and construction materials on carriers brought in to the library. It is always difficult to tell someone I have safety concerns about their carrier or that I believe it to be counterfeit, but it happens with increasing frequency. Sometimes quality control is fine but the inherent qualities of the product make it much harder to use for some buyers than another brand – for example, a mei tai with shoulder straps set at a wide angle can mean users struggle to provide their baby with head support, and their child leans away from them, hurting their back. On paper the carrier looks the same as the more expensive one on another site, but the most popular brands are so because they work for the majority of people the majority of the time. Another example is a lightweight woven wrap which lacks width or mouldability, making learning to use it comfortably much, much harder. We help people out with both these problems on a regular basis in the library, and the majority of carriers can be used well enough for a certain period with some additional skills and a bit of practice. But it is nearly always a mistake to buy something that looks the same, only much cheaper, on the assumption that it will be the same. It is a difficult thing for me to watch parents who want to carry their child so much they research carriers, invest in a budget version to see if they get on with the type, then find it difficult and uncomfortable to use and conclude that carrying will not be useful for them at all.

Value For Money

When cost is an issue, it is nearly always helpful to look at your carrier on a cost per use basis. It’s a simple enough sum, and we can help you fill in the estimated numbers if you need to.

Think about how often you will use a good, reliable carrier (say, three times a week or 150 times a year), then multiply that number by how long you can or want to use it for (for example, 1.5 years), to get your Uses number (in this example, 225 Uses).

Find the new price of the carrier you want to buy (say, £62 including postage, which is the price of a new Connecta baby carrier) and subtract from this number the secondhand price, which is a reasonable guess at the money you can see returned when you come to sell. (The average price of a secondhand Connecta Integra, based on the last three to sell on Ebay, is £52.56 including postage). This gives you a Carrier Price, which will be your overall investment (in this case, £9.44)

Divide your Carrier Price by your Uses number, and in this case your Cost Per Use is a little over 4 pence. Looking at resale is a great use for eBay, once you have identified some brands to search for on sling and carrier sites. It is always worth doing your sums like this where cost is an issue.

We will help you get the most out of whatever you use

The West Yorkshire Sling Library’s primary objective is to help you carry comfortably and safely, for as long as it is useful to you, your baby and your lifestyle. It is all about the carrying, not about the carrier. That is why the first thing we do is try and make the carrier you already have work for you, as hundreds of our visitors will attest. It is important to realise that there will always be a bargain to be had somewhere online, and not all come with strings attached. I want you to feel safe and confident buying online, whatever your budget and whatever style of carrier you want to buy. I have frequently found carriers for library users, passed on my own bargains, provided proof of counterfeiting for credit card refunds, helped library users to make their own safely, looked over potential purchases that look too good to be true, and of course given out hundreds of discount codes and vendor recommendations. This is not designed to put anyone off buying, but to help you make the right choice for you.

So where are all the carriers?

If they aren’t on Ebay or Amazon, if they aren’t in Mothercare or Mamas and Papas or Kiddicare or your local baby shop, where on earth are they?

It’s a good question, and one the libraries across the country try to provide the answers to.

You can try carriers before you buy at any of the libraries across the country – check out The UK Sling Library Network for your nearest sling library.

You can get advice and help with fitting and using all types of carriers by visiting a local consultant, trained to help you and your baby, you can find all sling services near you on the sling map 

Plenty of online specialist carrier stores have walk-in shops where they can help you face to face – do check if there is one near you – Connecta Baby Carrier have a store in Godalming,  Love to be Natural in Augher, Closer to You in Edinburgh, Marsupial Mum in Hebden Bridge, there are many more. If you are not close to these, yet more offer email support with your choice and honest advice with your purchase, as well as great return policies and even postal hire – check out Slumber Roo, Natural Connection, Kangarinos, Sling Heaven, Show Me Slings….

To buy second-hand, there are the carrier lists – if you use Facebook there are tens of thousands of members on Slings and Things – FSOT and Advice offering items for sale or trade, the same applies to Babywearing FSOT, Babywearing DIY Advice and Support, and Affordable Baby Slings for Sale or Swap. If you prefer not to use Facebook, the forums at Natural Mamas offer a For Sale or Trade board, a Feedback system for both private vendors and businesses, so you can look up reviews and feedback before you deal with somebody, and a Carrier Review section to help you make up your mind.

Do enjoy carrying your little one, whatever you use – the most important thing to take away from stumbling across this article is that people are out there to help you make your choice, with no strings attached – for as long as it is useful to you.

 

I’m a big fan of stretchy wraps – simple long lengths of material tied in ways designed to support newborns and small babies, taking the strain off the parent’s back, shoulder and arms whilst letting them be hands free. They can be pre-tied, meaning you can put it on and pop your baby in and out when needed. You can have your stretchy wrap tied in the car, round the house, under your coat, for whenever you need an extra hand. I used mine for in and out at doctors appointments, around the shops, to see friends, to eat my dinner in the evenings, at home to hang out washing or do the floors, and to give me two hands back for typing, studying or crafting whilst the baby slept.

A good stretchy wrap does not have to be difficult to learn to use, or expensive. There are stretchy wraps to suit all budgets, some are suited better for early days use and some trade on the longevity and multiple carrying positions. Not all wraps are equal, some will perform better than others – different widths, how stretchy the cloth is, how many directions the fabric stretches, it’s length, tapers, finish and features all make a difference to how usable it is for most people, and for how long.

The Snugiwraps stretchy wrap has had a makeover, and the pre-Jan 2014 models are quite different from the newer, slinkier version. Lovely and soft fresh from the packet, the cloth has a lot of stretch and is lightweight. This is a good thing if you like your carrier to fold down small for storage, and can be cooler for carrying in the summer. Steph at Snugiwraps has told me that they recommend it’s use with babies under 12 months, for comfort reasons, but it is acceptable for use with babies 3-15kg. It is blunt ended, without tapers, but this does not affect the size of the knot particularly with a lightweight wrap. It has a useful, unobtrusive label for middle marker and a label on one short end detailing washing instructions.

I gave this good budget wrap option a decent test with my 18 month old, who is on the smaller side. We used it twice, once indoors and once for a walk. I needed to draw the wrap very tightly and pay close attention to the spread of the cloth, but as I was using it outside of the recommended range, that was fair enough. I used pocket wrap cross carry to carry her, as the default stretchy wrap position. Overall it performed well – She was tight and snug and felt secure, with only a little settling after our walk. I would prefer more width with this wrap – more width would have secured the leg position better, and allowed for more head support – there was none spare here if Rosalind had gone to sleep, but she was comfortable enough to do so. Having also tried this wrap with the demo doll – 8 week old size – and helped a library user try it with her 6 month old, I believe this would also be the case with younger babies. I think the suggested range of use for babies under 12 months is reasonable, but suggest it would perform at its best with babies under 6 months. My advice to anyone using one of these wraps or thinking about doing so is to make sure you fit it tightly and carefully due to the amount of stretch, but once you do this it should perform well.

Overall, I am happy to recommend this wrap as a good budget wrap and to include it in the library, and to welcome Snugiwraps as a library supporter, meaning they will offer The West Yorkshire Sling Library users a discount on their products. Thank you Snugiwraps.

Snugiwraps stretchy wraps cost £19 including uk postage from http://www.snugiwraps.co.uk – they are available to try on at all library session or to take home on rental. Discount code is available to all library users on request!

1) Take two old T-shirts in your size with similar levels of stretch to the fabric.

2) Cut from armpit to armpit, as above.

3) Place each loop diagonally over your body to create a cross.

4) Sit your baby inside the cross and spread the fabric across them, from the back of the knee to the back of the knee, making sure their shoulders and head are supported, depening on theage of your child.

5) Get a scarf or pashmina of a decent width and tie it around you as above.

6) Check your baby is in view, with the chin off the chest, and close enough to kiss.

We talk a lot about brand names at the library, but our most basic job is to help parents carry safely and comfortably, and that has nothing to do with brand names at all.

There are plenty of ways to support your baby without venturing into the world of commercial carriers. The majority of carried children the world over are carried in simple pieces of cloth. The same safety considerations apply whatever carrying aid you choose – homemade, mass produced, traditional, artisan – the libraries in the UK can help with all or any of these.

There are many reasons you might to choose to go back to basics with your carrying choice – to experience carrying on a trial basis, to see you through a tricky time with items you can find at home, because of budget restrictions, in an emergency or just out of curiosity.

I often give out sewing patterns for people wanting to make a Mei Tai, advice on creating your own ring sling (either sewn or no-sew) or finding fabric to create stretchy or fleece wraps from the haberdasheries and markets of West Yorkshire. I often carry my own baby in nothing more than a bath towel. It is not about the carrier you have, or even about the carrier you want to have, but about finding something that will work for you.

With any sling or carrier, don’t forget the TICKS – Tight as a bandage, In view at all times, Close enough to kiss, Keep the chin off the chest, Supported back.

 

The more I work in this very specialised little area of child care, the more I realise that the majority of people I come across, prior to meeting me or coming to the library, have very little idea of what I do or what a sling library is actually for – what possible value could something like this have?

At the end of each librarying day I sit amongst the heaps of discarded carriers having my first cup of tea for several hours and think of all the people who have been in and out that day, how each have seen a tiny portion of the library’s work – perhaps enough to realise its value – for them, for everyone – or perhaps not.

So here is a full day, an insight into my life and work – a chance to think about the people and situations the sling library serves.

A Wednesday Drop-In Session

In the morning, I rise with my own two children, and I’m sure the scene before the school run is exactly the same as in countless houses across the world – one child is moaning about getting dressed and searching for reading records and PE kit, the baby is smearing marmalade in her hair and doing death dives out of her highchair, and I am putting on tights with one hand and brushing my hair with the other – in the kitchen.

It’s just before we leave the house the picture changes a little, as the baby is wiped down and secured into one of the day’s selection of carriers as we work our way up the street to school.

On return, it becomes clear that this isn’t exactly a normal house on a normal day. I give the baby a kiss and settle her with someone else, as it is near impossible for me to run services at this level and care for her at the same time. The dining table is moved to one side, and there is sweeping, wiping and mopping before the boxes, suitcases and bags are carried through and the carriers are arranged in various ways around the kitchen and dining room. A full length mirror is pulled out of the understairs cupboard. Several weighted dolls rise from the trunk in the kitchen. The dining room dresser, instead of holding plates and glasses, is emptied of carrier instruction manuals, accessories, forms and handouts. The printer is set to churn out rental forms, welcome packs, rental pack, TICKS guidelines, healthy hips handouts, positioning posters, discount slips. Library information displays replace the birthday cards on the shelves, the childrens’ toys are brought out for them to share with the public, and last but not least the gate is propped open and the sign displayed -The West Yorkshire Sling Library is open.

First of all

Within minutes of opening, our first visitor arrives, followed by two or three more. Straight away we have one of our returning customers who finds her carrier invaluable for her toddler, something to have in the handbag ready for when little legs are tired or not going fast enough in the right direction. She is a happy long-term renter and does a swap, returning her Toddler Connecta and having a go with the Tula Toddler. We go through a back carry demonstration, and she takes it away in its box, saying it’s like having an early Christmas present.

Our second visitor is returning a Didymos woven wrap, and asks about options for back carrying her small baby with the woven wrap she has now bought, so she can do things with her older toddler without a baby on her front. I suggested that carrying on the hip could work just as well for this, and that was a welcome idea, so I passed on videos of several types of carry for her to access at home.

Our third visitor has been trialling a Beco Gemini with her 9 week old baby and is happy with the support it offers out on walks and getting out and about, but wanted to make use of our free swap service to try something a little softer to give her her hands back at home. Together we tried on the Hop-tye and the Angelpack with the demonstration doll, then she tried the Angelpack with her baby using the mirror, and was happy with the fit, so did a straight swap.

The door goes again and the fourth visitor is someone who has not visited before, but has had advice on the phone. Her lovely 2 year old suffers from health conditions meaning she is not yet able to walk, she naturally finds this very frustrating and her preference when she is upset is to be carried by an adult – taking a Toddler Connecta and a Storchenwiege Ring Sling away allows her parents to carry her comfortably with respect to her medical needs, and she can be comforted and included with all goings on at the same time.

A few people arrive at once and we quickly assess their needs in turn. The fifth has a Hop-Tye which she is finding too small for her 8 month old. I do a quick demonstration to show how to make the most of its panel size and she is able to make it grow to fit. Her one problem then is that she now cannot justify buying something new!

The sixth has another Hop-Tye, a library one this time, and is worried it takes too long to put on with her wriggly 20 month old, who wants to be up and down a lot when walking outside, but she’s not happy about the idea of pushing an empty pushchair and chasing him at the same time. She shows me the process she’s been going through and her little boy shouts ‘No! Down! No! Down! so we abandon the idea. I fit her with a Scootababy hip carrier, and in a few minutes she is able to give him a quick carry on the hip which turns into a quick sling on the hip without him really noticing.

The seventh has a 17 week old who is fully in the grip of NOSY baby syndrome and only wants to be carried off to the side with her head inclined so she can see everything that is going on, her parents arms are very tired! I look at how the baby is being carried in arms and we swap the Bondolino that she had been crying in for a Storchenwiege Ring Sling and demonstrate three positions with this. On the very first go, the crying, fighting the carrier babe relaxed and looked about, and the mother told me it was the first time she’d been happy in days.

In the meantime, the toddler has been going in and out of the Scootababy for practice behind me, and I turn to find him in a wonderful position, everyone looking really comfortable. ‘Do you want to get down?’ he is asked by his Mum. ‘No!  He says in reply. She starts planning a day out that would be difficult with a pushchair.

We write up some forms, and three more visitors join us. The baby in the ring sling has now fallen asleep.

Our eighth visitor of the day is returning a Boba 3G she has been using with her 8 month old. She tells me how everything now takes so much less time, because she can just put him in it and get things done without him wreaking havoc in her wake. She wonders how she ever managed before – she has used the library codes and bought her own. Another returnee, our ninth visitor brings back her long term loan of a Beco Gemini and parts with it reluctantly – although she is another who has her own carrier now waiting for her at home.

Number ten is a couple who have not been along before visiting with their 3 week old baby. They self-confessedly say they have no idea at all about what is out there, but they need something, as the little one is having feeding problems, is colicky and not settling. I demonstrate a stretchy wrap, a Close Caboo, a Bondolino and a Beco Gemini – one parent is very put off by the idea of the wrap, but both parents try the Bondolino with the doll and then with their newborn. As they walk around carefully cradling the baby in the carrier they suddenly drop their hands, then swing their arms, then smile – the sensation of carrying your baby close, but having your hands free, for the very first time. They decide to rent the Bondolino and we do some paperwork.

Visitors eleven and twelve arrive together. One has been using the library’s Tricot Slen to help her get out and about with her baby and toddler. She got in touch with us as she could not use her front pack carrier with her baby born at 5lb, who is now 9 weeks and just hitting the 8lb lower weight limit for its use. The other had been using a library Moby with her 9 week old, now 16lb in weight at the other end of the spectrum. Each wanted to try the next stage up before committing to buy so I demonstrated a woven wrap, two small bodied soft structured carriers in the Beco Gemini and the Rose and Rebellion, then the Napsack, Himmel and Babyhawk mei tais by request. After trying on sessions with dolls and babies our littley took home the Beco Gemini, and our big lad went with a Napsack.

 

Our thirteenth visitor of the day pops her head in to return the Caboo DX, she was another facing the lower weight limit problem with her front pack, and she is happy that her baby is now big enough to fit in her baby bjorn. The fourteenth is our youngest visitor of the day at 10 days old, his mother came along to a library session when pregnant and came back with her new baby to borrow a stretchy wrap. We refreshed her knowledge with a doll demonstration and a rundown of safety checks, then she took her stretchy away already tied on as they were on their way out for the day to ease their oldest’s cabin fever.

Coming in the side door now is a returning library user who has an older child that needs to use a wheelchair, so she uses her carrier to allow her to take both of her children out at the same time. She has a selection of her own but wanted to rent something pretty for the festivities. Our fifteenth visitor of the day chose a bright red Hoppediz Paris ring sling for use over Christmas, and left quickly.

A challenge for us now, a new visitor who is looking at options for an epic trip around Europe next year with her toddler – now 13 months old – who has never been carried before. She expressed a preference for buckles and we looked at sturdy options such as the Tula, Ergo and Manduca as well as travel-light ideas such as the Connecta Toddler Solarweave and the Boba Air. Undecided, she took both the Ergo Performance and Connecta Toddler models away for a good road test.

Our seventeeth is returning to renew her carrier over the festive period as she is planning an exciting Disneyland Christmas with her 8 month old and 4 year old. Whilst here, her mother asks me if we’ve anything she could use to carry the older child on the trip, as he is in an ‘I want to be carried!’ phase and her arms are tired! So they go home with an additional big kid carrier in our preschool size mei tai, it’s nice to see grandparents involved in carrying.

The library is pretty full now and visitors 18,19 and 20 are waiting to see me. One Boba 3G is returned and she has made up her mind to buy, we discuss discount codes and the features of the new 4G in comparison. One Moby wrap is returned, charged with being too cosy and allowing her 5 week old to sleep a lot during the day, something she was trying to discourage – a buckle carrier was decided on as a better prospect and a swap was made. And the last in line was mother who had already bought a stretchy and a Connecta, but was struggling with both and her new baby – a demonstration of each, and a tutorial with the doll, as well as going through the safety checklists and paperwork – and she felt much happier with her purchases.

Visitor 21 is a family of three including a 4 month old baby who are going to visit family over Christmas on a plane and cannot take a pushchair with them, they had not used anything before but felt happiest with the Connecta after a demonstration of a selection. They asked about using the carriers facing forward and we talked through that option, including a demonstration with the Beco Gemini, bu tin the end they preferred the Connecta for them and the new Natural Mamas wrap conversion Connecta is off to spend Christmas abroad.

There’s only a few more to do, now, as number 22 asks how to get the most from her Tomy Freestyle which is hurting her back with an under-9lb baby, so we adjust it to its optimum and run through as many tips and tricks as we know to make it work for her. Having seen the other options, though, she decides to check out ebay and invest in something else. I give her details on buying new and secondhand, and offer support with any purchase she makes.

Visitor 23 sticks her head round the door and waves a returned Manduca and Didymos at me, I nod gratefully and turn to our twenty-fourth attendee, who has been having problems with her baby’s position inside the Bondolino. Having troubleshooted the positioning, she elected to try something new and her 8 week old was soon snuggled up asleep in the Connecta. Discussing wearing options for that and running through safe positioning takes a further few minutes, and at the end of those I realise that the library has been open for nearly 5 hours,as it is approaching 3pm.

Yet, three more visitors are coming along the path. The first has brought a pouch for me to troubleshoot, but it was a gift from a friend and as it is a sized to fit carrier, was unfortunately the wrong size. This visitor suffers limited mobility on one side and liked the idea of a one shouldered carrier  for his 12 week old for this reason. We looked at the adjustment mechanism of a ring sling in comparison, then briefly experimented with buckle carriers done up on one side in advance. He was happy with the idea of both of these but chose to take the Hoppediz ring sling home, with access to my online resources, for further experimentation. Then talk turns to reflux babies and tongue tie, as a common theme in the room – visitors twenty-five have come on the advice of their health visitor to get something to keep their baby upright and moving, aiding the symptoms of reflux in many babies. Having been there myself, we experiment and they are happy with the idea of the babyhawk, so take that one home with them.

The twenty-sixth visitor looks to be the last of the day, so I flip the kettle on and delegate the afternoon school run. Our final issue is to address the idea of carrying her 5 month old around winter clothing, so we discuss options for comfort and adjustability including demonstrating several kinds of carrying coats and accessories. In the end, the type of carrier was adjusted, swapping something with a lot of fabric – the JPMBB stretchy wrap – for something with much less – the JPMBB ring sling.

Just as I wave goodbye and hit the kettle, we have one final visitor who I sit with until past 4.30pm. She is having feeding problems with her 5 week old and struggling with back pain from feeding, winding and carrying the baby in all kinds of positions, getting stuck under sleeping little one and not daring to move. She asks about the possibility of feeding in a sling, and we go through options and precautions for that. We spend a good chunk of time talking about positioning, infant reflexes, instinctive posture and baby feeding patterns. When we have done with our cup of tea she decides to take home a Hana stretchy wrap to give her her hands back, and she also takes the phone numbers for the local breastfeeding support resources, a copy of a breastfeeding guide and a copy of the Wonder Weeks to help her over the next month.

I wave goodbye, and look around at the devastation that is my dining room and kitchen, so get to work – he carriers get sorted into the wash pile and store piles then backed into their boxes and cases. The paperwork is sorted and filed, swaps noted and extensions marked. The emails for rental instructions will be done later, so they are put aside. The money and deposits are sorted out and the handouts and instructions filed away. Phone calls are returned and tea is started as my two have now burst onto the scene from their confinement to the living room with Daddy.

After dinner and bedtime, I sponge clean some carriers and put them to dry, another few go into the machine. When I do get to the sofa, I update the library page, answer emails and Facebook messages, and send out the rental mail. I am told that the toddler in the Scootababy had a lovely day out, and the baby in the ring sling is happy as larry. I’m sent a message of thanks from two more visitors, and one would like to donate her not used carriers to our library.

Are you feeling tired yet? I am. Are you feeling happy yet? I am.

With many thanks to all our library visitors.

Many small details have been changed for the privacy of those involved. 

I don’t know how, but it’s got to that time of year again when I realise, all of a sudden, I need to think abut Christmas rentals and opening hours – as well as planning some parties!

This Wednesday marks the ominous ‘4 weeks until Christmas!’ mark and any carrier taken out this week would be due back on Christmas Day! That’s not going to work out too well, so here are our Christmas Opening Hours and extended rentals – everyone gets a Christmas present from the library of up to two weeks extra, for free! 

Any 4-week carrier rental taken between 24/11/13 and 10/12/13 will fall due for return on our first session of the new year – 8/1/14. That’s up to two weeks extra rental for no extra charge. 

2 week rentals will be suspended from Thursday 5th December, unless in special circumstances. 

The library will close for Christmas at 3pm on Wednesday 18th December 2013 and re-open in the New Year on Monday 6th January 2014, with the first drop in session of 2014 taking place on Wednesday 8th January 10-3pm, and the first Sling Social running on Friday 10th January 12-2.30pm.

The Sling Social that would have taken place on the 27th December will not run. 

And for some special events:

Friday 29th November 12-2.30pm- Sling Social and Natural Mamas 5th Birthday Party

To celebrate the 5th birthday of this popular parenting and baby carrying forum that has helped so many of our visitors, we are holding some special events alongside the regular services of this Sling Social – providing extra cake and chances to try something new. Our sling socials are always fun and always free. The library has added a special new carrier for this occasion – the Connecta Baby Carrier Natural Mamas Wrap Conversion – it is just beautiful!

Friday 13th December 2013 – 12-2.30pm – Sling Social Christmas Party

This Sling Social will be our last before Christmas so we’re spreading some festive cheer with a lucky dip for the kids and some Christmas treats for the adults – so deck your carriers with tinsel, get your Santa hats on and come along for some free fun and games – all sling services run as normal!

Wednesday 18th December 10-3pm – Drop-in 

Our usual drop-in session, but the last one of 2013, so mince pies and mulled apple juice will be distributed freely throughout the day!

 

A Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!