I recently read a fantastic article about the evolution of modern humans, and the role slings played in that process.

Archaeologist and anthropologist, Timothy Taylor talked in New Scientist magazine, about how baby slings, made from animal viscera enabled upright female hominins to walk about, carrying their baby, but conserving the precious energy that it would have otherwise taken to carry them in their arms.

I was interested to note that this means that babies can be born more dependent, as they can continue to be nurtured after the birth, and are not required to immediately fend for themselves, as with other species. In turn, this solves the problem of  the narrow pelvis requiring a small head for birth – because the head and brain can continue to grow afterwards. For this reason, he claims the advent of technology (in the form of slings) came before modern man, and enabled man to further evolve in the way we did.

It seems to me that we have a lot to thank slings for!

I am often asked why I came up with SnugBaby. Quite simply, I needed a comfortable sling, that could cope with my demands – easy to use, looked good, would last a while, husband could use it, and it could be washed!

When I had my first son, I admit I had never even heard of babywearing. We were given a structured front carrier, which we used for the two weeks we spent on holiday in Florida, when he was 12 weeks old, and that was pretty much all the use it got. When we had SnugBoy#2, however, it was clear I needed to be able to keep him close, and happy, and look after SnugBoy#1, then 2 years old, aswell. I tried a sling, liked the concept, but the one I tried wasn’t very comfy.

So I made my own, shaping it how I wanted it, adding padding, changing bits and making it my own.

Babywearing was about to make my life a whole lot easier.

But, I hear a lot about people not knowing enough about babywearing to be able to make the choices they need to in order to have the sling they want. I am attempting to answer some of the more common ones here.

Do slings have age limits? Most slings, carriers, wraps and mei tais are suitable from birth, as long as they have a supportive headrest. If they don’t they may only be suitable from an age when baby can support their own head (usually around 4 months). The upper age limit varies from sling to sling, even within types. If they are tested to British Standards (and remember, not all are, so it’s worth checking) they will have an upper weight limit – which is usually anywhere between 12kg and 18kg. This is usually reached anywhere between 2 years and 4 years.

Are they easy to use? Any reputable sling will come with instructions, to help you get to grips with them. Some look easier than others, but they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

What about the different carrying positions? Some slings can be used in many different ways – on your front, hip, back, lying down, facing out. Different positions take different amounts of practise, but after a few goes, most people find them all pretty straightforward to do. I find mei tais a great compromise between ease of use, and versatility.

Can I share it? Many slings are suitable for parents to share, with varying degrees of ease. A pouch sling is sized, usually by lady’s dress sizes, and is not usually easy to share between parents. Buckle slings and ring slings can be shared with some adjustment, whilst wraps and mei tais are easily shared, with no adjustments needed.

So, which is the best? That depends on what you want it for. If you want something that you can easily pop baby in and out of, with no tying and untying, don’t go for a wrap sling. You would be better with a pouch. If you want something comfortable for long periods, a two shoulder carrier, such as a mei tai, would be great. You need to think about what you will use it for.

But isn’t it a bit, well, hippyish? Well, I guess it falls under the “natural parenting” category, but for me it is all about convenience. Parenting is hard, and anything that makes my life as a mum easier, has got to be a good thing in my book.

So, for me there are loads of reasons to use a sling…

I can go places that I can’t go with a pushchair.

I can hold my eldest son’s hand at the same time as keeping SnugBoy#2 close.

I can easily walk the dog – hold the lead, walk across fields, and not run her over with a pushchair.

I can fold the sling up and pop it in my bag, and only get it out when SnugBoy#2 gets fed up of walking.

I get to spend a lovely time chatting to SnugBoy#2, and he gets to see something other than knees.

SnugBoy#2 is safe, and close to me – especially important at busy holiday times, as it means there is no chance of me losing sight of him!

If you have any questions about slings, mei tais, carriers or wraps, please ask and I will do my best to answer them all for you.

Question: When is my bear old enough to go in a back carry?

As reported in The Telegraph yesterday, this is the picture that has come under heavy critism after it was displayed in a Rochdale hospital. It shows a littl girl of about 2 or 3 years pretending to breastfeed her dolly.

It is, of course, perfectly natural for little girls to copy their mummy, and many first children will copy the act of breastfeeding when they see their younger sibling being fed. However, although the poster was designed to promote breastfeeding, it has come under fire, with complaints along the lines of it being “innappropriate”, “offensive” and “shocking”.

Personally, I feel it is a good way to highlight how natural breastfeeding is. We all know breast is best, but there are still many areas of the UK where the majority of babies are formula fed, though choice rather than necessity. Although I only managed a couple of weeks feeding my two children, I certainly do not find this image offensive. At the end of the day, it is a photograph of a child playing. If someone chooses to be offended by what they percieve the message to be, then that is their choice.

SnugBaby#2 copies me and his father (and older brother, but let’s not go there!) all the time. Just the other day, he asked me if he could use the SnugBaby sling which I use to carry him in, so that he could carry a dolly around. I am fairly sure that isn’t disgusting.

So let’s be clear here about what is offensive – is it the thought of a child doing a grown up act (my son hoovers – is that wrong too)? is it a child copying their mother? or is it the actual breastfeeding? If it’s the latter, I think it is a sorry state of affairs, and that the breastfeeding counsellors and midwives of the North West really have their work cut out!

As always, let us know what you think…

***Breaking news!***

We mentioned recently that we were very excited about attending the Issyboo Baby Fair in Hull on 16th May, and as always, SnugBaby will be offering babywearing advice and demonstrations with SnugBaby slings.

However – we’ve also announced that we will also be offering the opportunity to see just how comfortable a SnugBaby sling is whilst you browse around the Issyboo Baby Fair – by borrowing one for the day.

It’s simple:

• Leave your pushchair in the pram park
• Borrow a sling to try, free of charge!

This is an opportunity too good to miss – visit the SnugBaby stand for more information, and the chance to discover first hand the joys of babywearing!

See you there.

I have been itching to do this post for weeks now, and I am so excited!

So, here it is – a sneak preview of the new 2009 range of SnugBaby baby slings.

All of the carriers in the new range are made using Oeko-Tex Standard 100 accredited fabric, and they’ve been safety tested to BSEN 13209-2:2005, which puts SnugBaby slings amongst the safest, and most stylish, mei tais on the market.

The new designs are fabulous – and we have kept a couple of the old favourites too. We haven’t quite finished the range, so keep looking for new ones popping up in the coming weeks, and hopefully we will be adding an organic alternative before the Summer.

Can’t wait? Don’t worry, although our mix and match slings are no longer available you can still snap up one of the current range of ready-made baby slings in our shop.

And, as always, if you have any suggestions for colour combinations that you would just love, let us know and we will see what we can come up with!

This is just a very quick blog to share a fabulous picture I found. How is this for demonstrating the practicalities of slings over pushchairs!

What a fabulous way to promote babywearing

We have been really busy this month with our fabulous birthday competition (winners to be announced very soon) and with getting ready for another fair – we will be at Houghton tomorrow for the craft fair, and will be on hand to demonstrate SnugBaby slings and some other of our products. It starts at 10am, and entry is free, with all donations being given to Comic Relief, so do come along if you are local to the Carlisle area.

You may have noticed that the sling area of the SnugBaby shop is a little sparse – apologies for this, but I am sure we will be forgiven when you see our amazing new range which will be unveiled in the near future.

Finally, on the family front, we have a new addition to the SnugBaby household. No, not another baby (two is quite enough for me). We have recently taken into our family a gorgeous puppy! She is utterly gorgeous, although making cutting and sewing fabric a little, erm, interesting! I hope you don’t mind me sharing this picture of DS2 with the new pup.

In order to make way for some unbelievable new slings coming very soon, we have slashed the prices of some existing styles.

To take advantage of 25% off selected SnugBaby slings, check out the Special Offer page, and choose the one you like best! Remember these prices include UK postage, but at just £40 they won’t stay long, so make sure you get yours while you can!

After huge interest in a neutral coloured sling, embroidered with the SnugBaby logo, we have decided to add them to our range as our signature sling.  Made in the same way as our other slings, but with the fantastic SnugBaby design, these slings are sure to be a hit. As always, the padding makes them delightfully comfortable and enjoyable to wear, and the natural colour means it is ideal for Mum or Dad. Priced at £60, including free delivery.