Slings and Shoes

A sling is something very individual. You might wonder why I say that, as a lot of people tend to rave about one carrier or the other. But there is not one carrier/sling which can be all things to all parents. What if you buy this really popular carrier and get it out of the box and think “um, not so sure about this now, looks a bit complicated to me, I might just hide that away somewhere and give it a go maybe when baby is a bit bigger”. Or you start to use the carrier and something just doesn’t feel right. You might carry on for a bit, and after a few days of an aching back or struglling to get your baby in and out of it, and hearing your baby’s screams because they actually are not comfortable in it, you might decide that carrying is just not for you and your baby.  Maybe you start to feel slightly guilty because you just can’t seem to get the hang of something all your friends are going mad about. 

Then one day you see a parent at the supermarket. She gets out of her car the same time as you. She has a baby too. You watch as she gets the baby out of the carseat, and tucks him into a different kind of sling which looks really simple. You hold your breath and wait for the screams. Nothing! Silence! 

Wow! How can I achieve this? That looks way more comfortable and easier than what I have. 

The thing is that what works for one person, won’t always work for another. Some might prefer to use a woven wrap all the time and never use anything else. For others a buckle carrier is their go to and they promise you’ll never need anything else. Well maybe it’s not that simple. 

If you bought a pair of shoes because your friend said they were great, but they gave you blisters, and they pinched your toes, or they flopped up and down like flipflops when they were actually trainers, even though you’d bought the same shoes in the same size and same style etc as your friend, no matter how much you liked them, you’d never ware them! but you wouldn’t give up and walk about in socks all your life. You’d get another pair of shoes. You’d go to the shoe shop and try them on till you found a pair or too which fitted really webbl and were comfortable. Well it’s the same with slings. 

The reason there are sling libraries and sling consultants, is because everyone is an individual and has different tastes and needs. It’s such a great idea to try a sling before you splash out on something that’s not comfortable. Having said that, if you have a carrier already there is no reason why we can’t make it work for you, or at least have a good go! 

The point is, by having a chat, looking at and trying on a few options, you might find something perfect! or several somethings perfect! Well after all, who only has one pair of shoes to their name? You might want more than one, just as you need trainers for running and slippers for feeling comfy at home. 

Also, babies needs change. They might love being snuggled in your wrap when they are teeny tiny new born, and for a few months after. Then they might decide that the world is kind of cool and they’d like to see what’s going on please. So you want to know how to carry on your hip, or get advice about worldfacing carries. Well guess what? You can come back and have another chat! 

There are so many different carriers out there! from woven or stretchy wraps (long single pieces of material), to ring slings (1 piece of material with 2 rings which help to make a loop and tighten the sling), to pre-tied wraps, to full buckle carriers, soft structured carriers, half buckles (buckle waste and tie shoulder straps, a cross between a buckle carrier and a wrap), to meh daes (1 panel with a tie waste and tie shoulders), and anything and everything in between those things. Personally, I can’t know about or own every kind of sling or carrier. Although there are a fair few examples in my house right now, in fact I did think about asking my husband if he wouldn’t mind moving into the shed to make a bit more room for my sling library stock, but… anyway where was I? 

So yes, although I won’t know every type or make of sling, I can tell you what I do know about and we can see if there is an option for you in t will work.at. Or I can go away and do some research and we can work things out together. Either way, there is a carrier out there for you! And if you’d like to give some a test drive then please do get in touch, even if you don’t know what your really looking for. We can have a nice natter while we work out some solutions. 

Just a note before I go to say that while I can’t know every sling in the world, I can promise to have tried and got to know all the slings in my library. So if you say “hey Philippa, what does this wierd bit do at the side of this sling?” or “how do I make the panel smaller?” I can help without feeling like I’ve given you 2 left shoes! 

I look forward to speaking to you soon!