The Carrying Matters blog page, enjoy reading my thoughts on carrying, social change and more!

The Carrying Matters blog page.. enjoy reading! If you have any topics you'd like to see covered, get in touch! I enjoy writing and am always keen to hear of new ideas, and to host guest blog posts too!

journeys to recovery

Journeys to Recovery?

3rd May 2021

congenital heart disease kanga

Carrying a child with congenital heart disease, Abbie’s story

3rd May 2021

Benefits of babywearing

Adversity and connectedness in the early months

29th April 2021

Parenting Criticism

17th April 2021

Skin to skin Skin to skin pic soft touch babywearing

The importance of soft touch for infant development

5th November 2020

babywearing in the time of coronavirus

Babywearing in the time of Coronavirus

20th March 2020

Babywearing for all

“Babywearing for All”- helpful or harmful?

28th November 2019

carrying with a weakened pelvic floor

Carrying with a weakened pelvic floor

15th September 2019

babywearing and autistic caregivers

Babywearing and autistic caregivers

1st September 2019

Babywearing and Breast Cancer

Babywearing and breast cancer

31st August 2019

sling FAQs wobbly head

Sling FAQs – How can I support my baby’s wobbly head in their sling?

21st July 2019

What is the pelvic tuck Sling FAQs

Sling FAQs – What is the pelvic tuck?

18th July 2019

how do i keep my baby safe in the sling

Sling FAQs – How do I keep my baby safe in the sling?

18th July 2019

which sling is the best, the best sling faqs

Sling FAQs – Which sling is the best?

18th July 2019

Ten FAQs about Slings part one

Ten FAQs (frequently asked questions) about slings – part one

2nd July 2019

carrying in the heat

Why Black Babywearing Week Matters, by Dr Ilhan Omar

21st June 2019

babywearing holds me together

How babywearing holds me together

29th April 2019

Breastfeeding infant mental health mother-baby dyad

Babywearing can support the essential formation of the mother-baby dyad

29th April 2019

way of the west vs the way of the rest

The Way of the West vs the Way of the Rest & how babywearing can help

27th April 2019

babywearing with fibromyalgia

Babywearing with fibromyalgia; meeting the challenge

27th April 2019

double amputee

Babywearing as a double amputee

20th March 2019

Infant mental health

Infant Mental Health; how to build a happy brain

5th February 2019

talipes boots and bar with Beco Gemini

Babywearing with talipes – or club foot

24th January 2019

premature babywearing twins

Babywearing Premature Babies

13th January 2019

surviving christmas

The Babywearer’s Guide to Surviving Christmas

17th December 2018

Seven Reasons why babywearing matters

Seven Reasons Why Babywearing Matters

24th November 2018

masculinity

Piers Morgan, masculinity and the real problem

16th October 2018

babywearing with multiple sclerosis

Babywearing with Multiple Sclerosis

5th September 2018

worth

Are baby carriers worth the money?

23rd July 2018

Babywearing dads rock – carrying matters for fathers too

16th June 2018

babywearing village

The babywearing village – something wonderful

13th June 2018

babywearing in ramadan

Babywearing in Ramadan

6th June 2018

end of babywearing

The end of babywearing…

1st June 2018

Babywearing and the 4th Trimester

31st May 2018

The unhelpful “rules” of babywearing

17th May 2018

A look at “In Arms Carrying” with Mel Cyrille

16th May 2018

fathers' mental health

Fathers’ mental health matters: for the whole family!

1st May 2018

reduce crying

A sling can calm your baby and reduce crying

30th March 2018

the learning brain

Carrying and the learning brain

24th March 2018

resilience

Carrying children can help build relationships and resilience, a buffer against adversity

19th March 2018

Babies who face-plant in slings

10th March 2018

antenatal depression

Carrying is connection; healing from antenatal depression

4th March 2018

wrapping your bump

Wrapping your bump in late pregnancy

31st January 2018

offering sling support

Offering sling support to a stranger

30th January 2018

carrying with autism

Carrying an autistic child

22nd December 2017

cultural appropriation

Is “Babywearing” Cultural Appropriation?

20th December 2017

carried baby

I am a Carried Baby

14th December 2017

Why do we carry our babies? We carry them because it is a biological, instinctive parental response, that blesses the children we carry, and that blesses us. I find myself blessed by the small part I…

Can I carry my baby in a sling if I have epilepsy?

16th November 2017

Guest Blog from a friend of mine about her choice to use a sling to keep her child close despite her diagnosis of epilepsy. It has worked out very well for her. Here she discusses the processes of…

Breast and Bottle Feeding Safely in a Sling

5th August 2017

I meet a lot of pregnant ladies in the course of my varied roles, and many new mums, and one of the questions I am most frequently asked is "Will I be able to feed my baby in a sling?" It's an…

mental health disorder

Carrying a child when you have a mental health disorder

9th January 2017

carryingmatters

Help! why does my baby seem to hate the sling? Thi

Help! why does my baby seem to hate the sling? This is such a common question!

There can be lots of reasons.
🧩Baby is uncomfortable wet/full/hungry/ annoyed at not being given boob access (sort out the other issue, feed in sling, ask someone else to carry/try back carries)
🧩Baby is overtired/overwhelmed and not used to the process of being put into a sling - this is sensory overload (try when baby is happy and calm, not just before a nap, and then go for an immediate walk, do this till they have become accustomed to it)
🧩Child is ready for more control over their body or has FOMO and wants to see more (try arms out/facing out/hip/back carries depending on their developmental stage, or just let them down and try again later! Movement is good for growing bodies, this becomes more common at 12-16 weeks plus.)
🧩Carrier feels too tight/hot (especially if reflux or eczema. Babies over 4months don't need quite as tight a fit as a newborn.)
🧩Carrier is not comfy (eg, not a good fit/needs a pelvic tuck or sizing up)
🧩Child is picking up on your own anxiety (if you're unsure how to use the sling and feel frustrated, baby will be aware of tension.. practice first, get some support from someone like me; etc)
🧩Child just likes their own space!

For more, see the blog post on my website (in the FAQs) or see link in bio - and my DMs open

...and don't worry. Slings are only one tool to help build secure attachments: in-arms carries, piggybacks, contact naps, stories, bath time, games, talking and smiling are some other ways to build connections.

It’s Infant Mental Health Awareness Week this we

It’s Infant Mental Health Awareness Week this week. #imhaw2021

“The goal of this year’s IMHAW theme is to encourage everyone working in children and young people’s mental health policies, strategies and services to think about and include babies. Children and young people’s mental health should refer to the mental health of all children from 0-18 and beyond, but too often it is focussed on older children. There is a “baby blindspot”. We are encouraging everyone to think and talk about infant, children and young people’s mental health, and to consider how babies’ mental health needs can be met.”

There are so many of us working towards a greater understanding of the needs of babies: how their brains develop; their need for connection, relationships and responsive, good enough parenting, as well as sharing information about what happens when babies lack this positive start. The impact of the first two months, and the first three years of a baby’s life is hugely, hugely important for their future; their long term physical and mental health.

Thank you to all those accounts I follow here who do so much good work, especially around normalising how babies really sleep and why they behave as they do. The mainstream media so often ignores this work, and always seems to focus on “school readiness. Life is so much more than just school; and families may need help long before this... this baby/toddler blind spot is real, even among mental health services, and the waiting lists are so long. Early parental support and intervention can save so much distress and time and illness later. This image is from @homestartuk

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#carryingmatters #babybraindevelopment #normalinfantsleep #lockdownbaby #consciousparenting #gentleparenting #babywearing #buildahappybrain #motherhoodsimplified #wearallthebabies #motherhoodunplugged #infantmentalhealth #parentingstruggles #responsiveparenting #doulasupport #postpartum #fourthtrimester #nurtureneuroscience #biologicalbaseline #babiesofig #letthembelittle #infantsofinstagram #postpartumjourney #secureattachment #oxytocin #motherhoodrising #includinginfants #softtouch

You are enough for your baby. It is the modern wor

You are enough for your baby. It is the modern world that is not enough.

Human beings are meant to distribute caregiving among a range of adults in their community. “In a typical hunter-gatherer clan (and our brains have not evolved far from this) for every child under 6 there were four more developmentally mature people who could model, discipline, nurture and instruct the child. We now think that one caregiver for four young children is “enriched”... 1/16th of what the socially developing brain is looking for.” (Bruce Perry)

It is not you that is inadequate or failing as a parent: it is the world around you. You’re doing a great job from a position of disadvantage, especially now with the pandemic and its impact. We need each other, our families, our communities, and we need our governments to recognise the importance of investment in the first three years of family life. Supporting babies and their parents right at the start makes such a long term difference to the health of a society.

Using a carrier can be one way to help meet your baby’s needs for connection and closeness without having to ignore or sacrifice your own needs, and also to be able to care for more than one child (one in the sling while you’re engaging with the other!) Your co-parent/alloparents can use them too, even your child’s nursery carers. Slings can be a way to help you feel more in control, more confident that you’re nurturing your baby as life swirls around you.

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#carryingmatters #babybraindevelopment #normalinfantsleep #lockdownbaby #consciousparenting #gentleparenting #infantmentalhealthawarenessweek #buildahappybrain #motherhoodsimplified #wearallthebabies #motherhoodunplugged #infantmentalhealth #parentingstruggles #responsiveparenting #doulasupport #postpartum #fourthtrimester #nurtureneuroscience #biologicalbaseline #babiesofig #letthembelittle #newmum #postpartumjourney #secureattachment #oxytocin #motherhoodrising #dailyparenting #mumsofinstagram #imhaw2021

I’ve had lots of fun on the peer supporter train

I’ve had lots of fun on the peer supporter training day today with participants from the Isle of Wight, Lichfield, London and Northern Ireland!

What a great bunch of people: they’ve done the theory and safety course (packed FULL of anatomy, neurobiology, sociology, child development, mental health etc) already, so we spent today learning about the different types of carriers and how to use them: and how to support others in using them too! I keep the courses small and personal, and really enjoyed myself!

The next June course is fully booked; there’s one more on July 20th before I have a summer break.

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