Monthly Archives: June 2012

http://www.slingmeet.co.uk/

I am a mum of two and originally from Germany. In Germany I had seen lots of beautiful wraps and was surrounded by some forums where babywearing was normal and it made sense to have something else in addition to a pram. So when I was pregnant with my boy, who is nearly six now, my babywearing journey started.

The first carrier I bought was a Glückskäfer, a carrier which received good results in tests in Germany and was quite structured, making it easy to put on. When he was three weeks old I carried him in it for the first time and it felt right. Though the carrier itself was not the best as I had the feeling I had to hold him so that he does not fall out I was determined that there must be something better out there. I was determined to find something suitable for us as my son was only really happy when he was close to me and also suffered from mild colic. Having him upright and close to me, meant that I could get on with things and that his colic was not as bad which we both benefited from. It was fabulous for bonding.

Looking into slings more opened a can of worms… I quickly bought my first wrap – a Didymos stripes. And then I was so disappointed that I did not get the hang of it at all. There was just too much fabric and my son and I were far too impatient to practice.

So I continued to do my research and found Mei Tais. Luckily by that time I was in Germany for a holiday and took advantage of vendors offering tester parcels in which I could specify some carriers I would like to try. Nowadays in the UK there are a lot of fantastic sling libraries and sling meets but 5 – 6 years ago that was a resource that was not available.

Anyway, I found a Mei Tai I liked, bought it and used it. Then I found a forum in the UK dedicated to babywearing and learned more and more and started to experiment with lots of different type of carriers.

I ended up enabling my sister who was carrying her daughter as well as she saw that my son was so much happier when he was carried.

Sadly our journey came to an end when he was about 3.5 as he was far too interested in walking.

Last year I was lucky to give birth to a little girl and before she was born I was determined to make wraps work this time.

So the fantastic lady who is running the West Yorkshire Sling Library explained carries to me and we have not looked back. Suddenly it clicked and both my daughter and I are happily using our slings daily. She loves snuggling up to me and looks very content. By the way – I have had my son in my wraps as well and was able to carry him, too J

Slings definitely have been a great tool in our journey and have allowed me to ensure that both my son and daughter can have their share of me when we are out and about and at home.

Have a go and try one – you will hopefully be pleasantly surprised.

Don’t be put off by one type of carrier – there are so many out there (sadly not necessarily on the high street) there will be one that is suitable for you and your child and there are so many sling libraries and sling meets nowadays that it is much easier to try before you buy.

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