Parents' Paradise

We met at Parents' Paradise, a new softplay area near Watford. Unfortunately it was incredibly busy, as it was the Friday of half term and it had just opened. We were delighted to welcome two brand new members. The older kids had a great time, and the Mums took over the small kids play area to share our slings. I'm not sure what the other families made of us. It was lovely to meet new slinging Mums and we look forward to seeing them again soon.

Summer meets

Babyslingers met twice over the summer, once in The Case is Altered, in Hatch End, which was great place for a meet in the summer hols thanks to the great play area outside. We took over the sofa area whilst the older kids took over the garden.

We also had a meet at Linds's house, where we were v excited to welcome our newest baby, Yara Marie, who was one week old. Much broodiness, especially at the sight of such a tiny baby in a gorgeous Napsack. Her Mum, K, was looking amazing, and everyone agreed it was incredible that she was up to socialising so soon after the birth.

more Singapore

So....what did I see in Singapore. Well, lots and lots of people carrying older babies/toddlers in SPOC (simple pieces of cloth) or shortie wraps in basic hip carries. This was especially popular on the underground. I also saw a couple of ring slings and one lonely Hotslings pouch. No MTs, which was a shame.

Singapore pictures

Have been having great success bw in Singapore. Have only used the buggy for one half day, on a trip to the zoo where we were outside all day. (Buggies have their uses, obviously!) The pouch is useful for in and out of taxis, the MT for days out, and of course the RS for the pool.

I'm a bit disappointed in my summer wrap which I bought especially for the trip. It's v pretty, but i can't get it to hold a knot. Have done disastrous hip carry and also back wrap cross carry (in pic). Today ventured out with DD in a JBC (Jordans Back Carry) which worked quite well. I am feeling homesick for my Didymos wraps.

Love the JBC though - will try to find a link to post with wrapping instructions.

We are attracting a lot of attention - not sure if it is because of the babywearing, or the blonde blue-eyed children. Here's a pic of DS4 in the middle of a school party watching the elephant show at the zoo, just before a woman took several pictures of my children!

Regent's Park Sling Meet

Another mini meet took place at The Hub in Regents Park on 2/8/07. It was Ang's first meet and it was lovely to meet her and her son. It was also great that some dads came along too. We practiced back carries using wraps and and a mei tai. I now have a renewed lust for another Didiymos Indio in the Malve colourway, thanks to Teila who looked stunning in hers.

Random pictures

This is me with my nephew (nearly 3) in a MT, and my stepson (12) with DD in an Ergo.

The Ergo is a little big for him. He actually prefers the MT.

(NB children should not use baby carriers unless properly supervised. My ss is 12, almost as big as me, and v sensible, and he was never alone.)

Singapore babywearing

I went to Singapore and I took..... a Freehand MT, a GypsyMama Bali Baby Breeze Freya, a Comfy Joey Pouch, and a Solarveil ring sling for the pool. So far.... I have used them all, but the BBB the least.
The weather in Singapore is a little cooler than usual, so I was out all day yesterday with DD(1) in a MT, with no problems. We get a lot of stares, but I'm not sure if it's the carriers, or my two blonde, blue-eyed children. Two people yesterday took pictures of them!

Pictures to follow.

Acton Carnival

A micro mini meet was held at Acton Carnival where C and I slung the boys and went around handing out flyers for the Summer Sling Show which is happening in Pimlico in London on 28th July. I met and had a long chat with a lady, B (pictured below) who was slinging her baby girl in a lovely home made wrap. C slung her son in a Maya Wrap Lightly Padded Ring Sling.

The picture above shows a rucksack style back carry in a Didymos woven wrap called "Jan". There was plenty of music and food and a fun fair for the kids.

Sling Library

Baby Slingers is starting a sling library so local parents can try out slings before buying. Obviously we are all happy to share our slings but sometimes a more long-term practice is necessary to decide whether a sling is for you. Shani and I are donating some carriers, and any other donations from local BW parents will be gratefully received. We'll post details of the carriers in our library soon.

Under One Sky Festival

A group of us met at the Under One Sky Festival in Harrow on 8th July. We brought partners, older kids, food, etc. and spread out on a large blanket to chill out, listen to the music, and empty our pockets so our kids could buy neon-coloured sweets to throw up later on the rides.

http://www.harrow.gov.uk/ccm/content/news-and-events/latest-news/news-archive-july-07/under-one-sky---a-tremendous-success.en

It was a great day with a really nice atmosphere, and we did a bit of sling talk too. There was a big welcome back to S and baby J, who's been AWOL for a little while, and lots of MTs tried on and commented on. K has made a really cunning solarveil cover for baby's legs in the hot weather, which looks like it would be very useful. Shani also had some exciting news for us about the growth of her business empire....

Babywearing and festivals is a really good combination, especially when the weather is good.

Torso carry - but not quite as good as S does it.

Lovely Barbecue in Pinner

Despite adverse weather forecasts, a large group of mums, babies, older children, and even three partners made it to K's house in Pinner for a barbecue in June. We managed to eat outside for a while, until the heavens opened and we rushed inside to save the carriers! The food and the older kids we left outside. As usual we started off with catch-ups and general conversation before getting into the nitty gritty of carriers. There were a lot of MT conversations as K is finding that her ds will no longer be wrapped and is trying to find the perfect MT. I am still trying to find the perfect wrap length and practise my BWCC. Some wraps changed hands (hooray, I now have Aqua Waves) and S demonstrated her amazing torso carry, with only a sarong-type piece of cloth.
Highlight of the day was seeing five one-year-olds wrestling for cheese sandwiches on a multi-coloured parachute. Thanks v much to K for having us and hope it wasn't too terrible to clear up.

Half-term impromptu sling meet

A group of Harrow area Mums took their babies and older kids to Fantasy Island in Sudbury for a half-term treat. It wasn't a sling meet as such....but three out of the four mamas brought slings, and we ended up outside in the summer house doing wrap demonstrations. There was a lot of interest from the other parents there, and a couple of people came up and asked to see how we wrapped our babies. It was a great day, and all the kids enjoyed themselves, especially the three babies, who sat in their high chairs and shared their lunches. Interesting also to see that the Burger King there also offers healthy sandwiches and baked potatoes alongside the usual menu.

Middlesex Baby Slingers sling meet

Middlesex Baby Slingers met on Sunday 27th May at The Doll's House, Harrow. The meet was hastily rearranged from the park when it looked like it would pour down all day (it did). There were five Mums, five babies, two pre-schoolers and a very helpful eight-year old. As usual, the meet started with general chat, tea drinking and cake sampling. The cakes in The Doll's House were judged to be of a very high standard (!).

Moving onto slinging, and to a more comfortable section of the cafe, we all enjoyed meeting the latest fluffy addition to the Baretrix household, a beautiful Jim Didy, and agreed that he is much more beautiful in the flesh than on the web. Sling topics focused on back carries, with MT and wrap help given to a couple of slingers, and yet more support for Linds who is finally mastering the BWCC. One new member demonstrated a home-made sling for easy torso carries, which we found v interesting. The meeting was the usual friendly chaos, finishing when the babies finally got fed up and demanded to be wrapped up to sleep.

Next meeting is planned for a few weeks time. Hopefully we can make the park this time with DHs and older children, but if not, perhaps Fantasy Island or The Doll's House again.

Welcome to Baby Slingers!

Hello and welcome to Baby Slingers. As the title says, we are a group of like-minded parents from in and around Middlesex who meet regularly to chat, share ideas, eat brownies, and share our experiences with different types of baby carriers.

The group is very informal, there is no need to have even seen a sling before coming (or breast-feed, co-sleep etc etc etc). Everyone is welcome, especially older children and partners. Sometimes we meet in peoples' houses, sometimes in a hired hall, and sometimes in the park or at a public place. All you need is an interest in slings, and usually a baby or one on the way.

Yes, there is a baby in there!

Here is a Ringsling



This is a wrap