Hi, I’m Ella and am very proud to be able to say I’m a
Babywearing Mum from North Devon!
I had a vague awareness of baby carriers when I was pregnant
and so when I spotted a carrier at a car boot sale I bought it - a very simple and
well used Mothercare structured carrier with plastic snappy buckle type fastners for £5 – it was an “if I
want to carry my baby I can” purchase but not really thought about properly,
nonetheless, it was the first step…. And I needed to be able to ditch the buggy
at times……
We have a lovely Labrador who has to have a walk every day
and especially likes to run on the beach chasing a ball…..beaches and buggies
do not go well together!!
I did consider stopping the daily beach walks but seeing as
he’s so terrible on a lead thought that would possibly be catastrophic…..a
crazy headstrong Labrador pulling on a lead and me trying to steer a
buggy….hmmmm not wise!!
Anyway, when my little baby girl was born in January 2012 and weighed 6lb 3oz when we got her home, she wasn’t really big enough for the Mothercare
carrier (in my opinion) – it seemed huge compared to her scrunched up squidgy little
body! 
I looked on e-bay and did a little Google to see what might
be good but felt a bit overwhelmed - like I needed some advice and to see
something in person ….. I had a credit
note to use up in a shop and knew they stocked Close Baby Carriers – initially I was thinking it was too
expensive and that I could get one so much cheaper on e-bay - but then I
decided that it was a way of using up a credit note which would otherwise be
wasted as I didn’t want to purchase anything else in there and wasn’t likely to
in the future – I needed a different carrier for my little one and this in
theory would only cost me a tiny bit of cash with the credit note so it wasn’t
too bad….
I have to say, it did a wonderful first 6 months with me and my
little one – the feeling of having her snuggled up on my chest, sleeping and
squidgy, close enough for me to kiss her head and for her to hear my heartbeat
– it makes me emotional thinking about her tiny little body so snug and comfy
and me so very very proud to be walking around with her so content – she truly
loved being in the sling!
Needless to say, this stretchy sling could only carry a certain
amount of munchkin weight - unfortunately when purchasing it, I was advised it
would last me considerably longer and never thought to question this at the
time! This is where the impartial advice, the knowledge of a variety of slings, wraps and carriers and an opportunity to try before buying would have been great - North Devon Sling
Group and Library would have been such a benefit if only I had known about them/they had been up and running when my little one was newborn!
So, as my little one grew we found that she was bouncing
about in the close carrier - I had been
carrying her facing forward in this very stretchy sling! I tried using the Mothercare carrier too, as
she was big enough for it now – but she never really seemed as comfortable in
it and then I stupidly caught one of the plastic buckles in the car door and
broke it…..
Because of the retail cost of my Close Baby Carrier I was a
little reluctant to look at any other carriers – seeing it as being an
expensive luxury but I so desperately wanted to be able to carry my baby girl
still and felt so sad at the thought of not being able to. 
My husband made an attempt to assist and purchased a framed
back pack style carrier which is great for him to use but as I’m only 5ft tall
it is far too big for me to use…..I topple over backwards putting it on empty never
mind with a baby in it! Our daughter
loves it when Daddy carries her in it as she can see for miles and gets to bash
him over the head!!!
Thankfully since having my little girl and her getting too big
for the close baby carrier, I had gotten to know a very wonderful and
knowledgeable babywearing Mum - Hannah
Ashford – who we initially met as Nappies of North Devon when supplied us with
a wonderful fluffy bundle of cloth nappies.
When I told Hannah of my Babywearing situation she so
tactfully and non-judgementally pointed out that forward facing was not such a
great way to carry my little girl and that maybe I might find it useful to look
at some other options for baby wearing such as a woven wrap or something called
a Mei tai.
I had seen these Mei tai’s which Hannah spoke of and had admired
them from afar as Hannah and two other ladies I knew through a baby massage course
each had beautifully made Mei Tai’s which were crafted by the fantastically
talented Josie (Birthwise) Holt.
I let myself go along to a nappucino and have a try of
Hannah’s Mei Tai – with the tuition of
Josie I put my little girl in the sling and was completely amazed – she was
weightless!
It felt so strange to have her sat comfortably on my front,
facing me and for her to feel as light as a feather!! It made me realise just how uncomfortable it
had become carrying her in the stretchy sling (and forward facing)! That was it – I was sold on these….I just needed to choose
the fabric!!!
Needless to say, I have never looked back and several months
later my little girl is 15 months old and worn pretty much daily in her Spotty
Josie Mei Tai!
We have now moved onto back carries – and thanks to the
wonderful support of the sling library and group have worked out a way to carry
her comfortably on my back that doesn’t aggravate the pacemaker I have fitted
in my chest/shoulder.
I’m still bamboozled by all the other types of wrap, the various
carries, the Babywearing/sling language and the acronyms that go with it but we
are happy with our Spotty Josie Mei Tai and we are just keeping it simple –
that’s what works for us.
(OK, so, I do drool
over the everso pretty, often stunning woven wraps and amaze at the ease at
which people wrap their children, of all sizes)
We highly recommend trying Babywearing and to make use of
the North Devon Sling Library to try some different slings before buying - and go to some of the Sling Meets where you will find a bunch of really helpful and friendly people with a wealth
of knowledge and experience to tap into!!
Babywearing enables me and my little girl to do things
together that we wouldn’t be able to if we didn’t use our wonderful spotty
sling and I will always be grateful to Hannah and Josie for pointing me in the
right direction!!
When Elsie has outgrown this special spotty sling it will
be kept safe for when she starts a family of her own and I can introduce her to Babywearing
– perhaps she will join a babywearing group with your children……
