September Meet at Short Notice
The September sling meet is being held at the Halesfield Pirate playpit on Tuesday 14th. You can blame the short notice on my lack of planning - apologies for the inconvenience!
Address for Sat Navvers: 3 Sovereign Park, Halesfield 24, Telford, TF7 4NZ
If you'd like more info about our sling meets, or about slings, please feel free to get in touch via hello@telfordslingmeet.co.uk, our contact page or using the comment form attached to this entry.
New to Babywearing? Start Here!
We all have to start somewhere :)
What is babywearing?
Babywearing is the practice of wearing an infant (from newborn to toddlerhood and beyond!) in a sling or a form of carrier, normally close to the body on the back, front or hip. Babywearing is an ancient practise, with many countries having their own traditional style of carrier or method of baby transport.
But I have a pram for that?
Prams have their uses, but they require two hands to push leaving you none free to carry on with housework, carry bags, or tend to other children. Wearing your baby is also cheaper than your average pram or pushchair!
But my baby is heavy!
All the more reason to start babywearing sooner rather than later - you will quickly tone up the muscles involved in wearing your baby in a sling. Furthermore, wearing a baby is much safer and comfortable on the back and shoulders than carrying a babe in arms (which is where a lot of pushchair babies seem to end up!)
OK, so which sling do I get?
Different slings have different advantages and different learning curves. Sling Guide has an excellent "Types of Sling" guide which explains the difference between each sort of carrier; you can get one to one advice from other babywearers through the Natural Mamas forum; alternatively, attend a sling meet! See you there :)
10 Reasons to Wear Your Baby
After spending around 9 months in the womb, it's no wonder that babies like to be close to parents to satisfy their physical and emotional needs. But why else should you carry your baby? Here's 10 reasons to get you started...
- Carried babies cry less - Research[1] shows that carried babies cry over 40% less, particularly in the evening hours.
- Wearing your baby aids breastfeeding - frequent skin to skin contact helps establish breastfeeding, and how better to do this than tucked into a secure sling? Furthermore, many varieties of slings enable hands-free nursing, with a discreet extra layer for public feeding if you're shy.
- Two free hands - if you have more than one child to look after, need to work from home or just have an overwhelming urge to get the housework done, slinging your baby can enable you to complete these with ease.
- Shift the baby belly - pop your baby in a comfortable baby carrier and go for a walk; the weight of the baby will help you get back into shape without putting unnecessary strain on your arms, shoulders or back.
- Tummy time - being in a sling has the same effect on baby as "tummy time", thus helping to develop muscles and avoid flat-head syndrome.
- Commute with ease - catch a bus or jump on a train without having to worry about bulky prams and pushchairs filling up the aisles and taking up spaces.
- Quiet and alert - babies in slings and baby carriers get a better view of the world going on around them, spend more time in a quiet alert state and therefore have improved mental and physical development.
- Out of danger - babies carried up high are out of reach of inquisitive children and animals, and toddlers out of the way of oncoming cars (no chasing little legs across the road!)
- Promote sleep - tuck a little one up somewhere warm and cosy, add to a bit of movement for good measure, and they're likely to fall asleep — where better are these conditions met than wrapped up near a parent?
- Share the love - encourage grandparents, aunts, uncles or friends of the family to bond with your infant through close contact and snuggles.
Are you convinced? Look out for the next sling meet near you for more information and a chance to meet local babywearers.
[1] Hunziker, U A and Barr, R G (1986) Increased carrying reduces infant crying; a randomised controlled trial. Pediatrics, 77, 641-8
