• ‘I’m expecting my first baby in a few weeks and I’d really like to try a sling but there are so many to choose from I don’t know where to start.’
• ‘My baby wants me to hold him all the time – my arm hurts from carrying him all day and I’m getting nothing done!’
• ‘My baby naps really well as long as she’s on me, but if I put her down she wakes up after about 10 minutes’
• ‘My toddler is finding it really hard that I’m always busy with our new baby – how can I carry the baby on my back so my hands are free for her?’
• ‘My baby hates her buggy and wants to be carried all the time. I probably need a sling but I can’t justify it – the buggy was really expensive!’
• ‘I’ve been carrying my baby in a front carrier since he was tiny. We both love it but now he’s getting really heavy and my back hurts.’
• ‘I am passionate about babywearing, but no one else round here seems to do it. Where can I meet other sling fanatics?’
• ‘What is babywearing anyway?’

Does any of this sound familiar? Then Oxford Sling Meet is for you!

Oxford Sling Meet is a not for profit association promoting babywearing (using a sling or carrier to carry a baby or young child) in the local area. It started in February 2008 after two of us met on the national Sling Meet website. We aim to promote babywearing by providing a forum for parents and carers to share skills in babywearing and socialise. We welcome anyone who uses any type of sling or carrier to carry a child, or anyone who is interested in doing so – especially pregnant women or those who are new to slings. We normally hold a ‘formal’ meet on the first Thursday of the month – we hire a room and provide refreshments for parents and children, and some toys for babies and toddlers. The meets are a great way to get to know likeminded parents (both mums and dads are welcome, plus grandparents or other carers) and find out more about using different types of slings or new ways to use your existing sling. We also like to meet up more informally during the month for a walk or at a playroom. We run a chatgroup, which you can join via our website, and we often catch up with each other on this to ask advice about using a particular sling or share stories of our babywearing and parenting lives.

What’s so special about slings anyway?

Carrying a baby or young child in a sling or carrier is a centuries-old parenting practice that is alive and
vibrant in many more traditional cultures especially in Africa, Asia and South America, and is becoming popular in Western cultures. Essentially, babywearing is a way to keep your baby happy while getting on with your life. It produces many benefits
for babies:

• Research has shown that the more babies are held and carried, the less they cry and the more time they spend in the ‘quiet alert’ state that enables learning and interaction.
• Babywearing has a regulating effect on babies’ behaviour by providing the rhythmic motions and sounds familiar from the womb.
• Closeness with mother regulates babies’ adrenal hormones, helping them to distinguish night and day and sleep better.
• Babywearing mothers have been shown to be more responsive to their babies, which is crucial to babies’ optimal brain development and emotional security.
• When babies are carried their respiratory rate, heart rate and body temperature are more stable.
• Carried babies breastfeed more frequently, gain weight better and are less likely to posset or suffer from reflux.
• The touch and movement of babywearing enhances babies’ motor development by stimulating the vestibular system.
• Babies naturally adjust their position in the sling as the parent moves, exercising their developing muscles – carrying baby while moving counts as ‘tummytime’. They are less likely to develop plagiocephaly (flat head) because slings keep pressure off the back of the head. The shape of most slings and carriers also encourages healthy hip development.
• Babywearing allows babies to be included naturally in family life – they are in the thick of the action, able to observe and interact while protected by the security of closeness with their parent.

(For a full summary of research on the benefits of babywearing, see the references below*)

Babywearing also does good things for parents – as well as the obvious benefits of having two free hands while holding your baby close, it enables you to take your baby almost anywhere you choose, knowing he will be content while you carry on with your adult activities. Parents use babywearing to enable them to continue household chores, gardening, socialising, and even working outside the home while keeping their babies close. Walking while babywearing helps burn off those post-baby bulges or the effects of several pieces of coffee-morning cake. It allows you to look fabulous in a beautiful sling while holding your
baby. It can really help with what are usually stressful times for parents – a baby who fusses during the evenings when you are trying to cook dinner, a sick child, or a toddler who plays up while you are feeding the baby.
The great thing about babywearing is that pretty much anyone can do it – it doesn’t matter how you are feeding your baby, where or how your baby sleeps, what kind of nappies you use… and you don’t need the money to buy expensive slings, you can make your own sling or wrap very cheaply and easily – or use our library! Babywearing doesn’t mean you have to ditch your buggy – many babywearers find buggies helpful at times, especially when they pack a sling for when baby wants to be carried. Some physical health problems or disabilities may make babywearing difficult, but in other cases babywearing can be a positive advantage – people who use wheelchairs, for instance, often find slings/carriers most practical.

Babywearing is possible and may be especially beneficial with twins, premature babies and those with developmental disabilities. Some babywearers have babies who practically live in their slings, others choose to do it just at certain times, for instance while taking an older child to school or clearing up the kitchen. There is no need to worry about doing it too much – a suggestion from Dr William Sears, the paediatrician who coined the term‘baby-wearing’, is to carry your baby as you go about your daily life and watch for cues that she wants to be put down (rather than waiting for baby to ask to be picked up, as we usually do). Equally, there is no compulsion to do it all the time if you don’t want to – any time spent babywearing is an investment in your baby’s healthy development. It can be a fantastic way for dads and other relatives to connect with baby and help out, and it can also be a great way for substitute carers to comfort your baby if you can’t be there.

What about the sling library?

In May 2008 we launched Oxfordshire Sling Library. We already have quite an impressive collection of slings and carriers, many donated new by some generous sling manufacturers and others very kindly passed on or loaned by local parents. This aims to enable parents and carers to try out and hire slings on a short termbasis – for instance to get a feel for the babywearing lifestyle, try several carriers to decide on the best before buying, or hire a sling for a special occasion or holiday. We charge £2 per item for a month’s hire, plus a £30 refundable deposit. Deposits are waived for members of Oxford Sling Meet; membership costs £5 per year. The library is available at the monthly ‘formal’ sling meets in Oxford, and we are also planning to do some library ‘roadshow’ events in other parts of the county. Slings can be returned at the next formal meet or other arrangements can be made.

To find out more

Please visit our website at http://oxfordslingmeet.wordpress.com.

As well as information about our group, there are links to other websites with detailed information and resources about babywearing. You can send us a comment or join the chatgroup to contact us. Or just turn up to a sling meet! Details of the meets are always posted on the website. We’d love to see you and your baby (or bump) there!

References:

* Blois, M. (2005). Babywearing: The Benefits
and Beauty of this Ancient Tradition. Pharmasoft
Publishing.
* Sears, W. & Sears, M. (2003). Babywearing: The
art and science of carrying your baby. In Sears,
W. & Sears, M., The Baby Book. Little, Brown &
Co.