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

Babywearing can be a tool to facilitate secure att

Babywearing can be a tool to facilitate secure attachment. It keeps babies close where they belong and gives you your hands back! Yay! But not everyone enjoys or wants to use a carrier. I’m good with that.

There are many other ways to build secure attachment. Slings don’t work for everyone, and that’s OK. I sometimes get messages from people saying that they feel they tried loads of carriers and never got comfy or baby seemed to hate it, or that they felt too tired to carry for hours on end, etc. There’s often a sense of guilt in these messages.. There is no need for guilt at all!

The goal is the relationship, the connection. How you build it is your choice.

A sling does not have to be part of it at all, and that’s not a loss or something to feel bad about (unless it was something you really want to work - if it is, ask someone for help). The key thing is what’s happening between you and baby and that it’s working for you both.

Yes, some carriers can be difficult or uncomfortable to use (do go and see someone with training to help as there’s often something that can be tweaked/tried instead eg back carries or a an easier method), yes, some babies prefer not to be cuddled as much, we all have different personalities, and yes, if you’re exhausted with anaemia or sleeplessness or childcare, hours of babywearing can be too much. It is important to take care of yourself and recognise your boundaries.

You won’t get any shade from me if you don’t use a carrier. All I want is to encourage closeness and relationship, which is just time spent together, engaged and connected. That’s the magic, after all!

This is one of our commonly demonstrated “fixes” for carriers that seem to be to short up the back or lacking in lifespan when they’re supposed to fit toddlers too!

This is often due to having the waistband too high - people start with it high with their babies and then as baby gets longer and longer, the panel seems shorter and shorter. This is because you naturally hold your taller child lower down on your body, so part of the length of the panel ends up travelling downwards under bottom before it then comes up again across the back.

Move your waistband down…so child sits above the waistband- and this way you use the full length of the panel across their back and it is longer!

With back carries, it’s very very common to end up with this pouching and a too-short panel which allows leaning back! Make sure your child is well above the waistband. This is one reason why hip scoot back carries work so well: you can ensure the panel height is right before you get the shoulder straps on.

And this beautiful carrier is one of the @slingspot Lenny Lamb half buckles… been so popular this year!!

#carrythem #oxytocin #babywearingconsultant #babywearinglove #closeenoughtokiss #connection #responsiveparenting #buildahappybrain #babywearingmama #carryingmatters #babywearingtutorial #toptip #TopTipTuesday #babywearingeducator #halfbuckle

A thousand repeated episodes of being comforted an

A thousand repeated episodes of being comforted and co-regulated during stress helps a child to build their own ability to self-regulate as they grow older and gradually into their own independence.

How else will they learn, but from us showing them that love and kindness and connection helps them manage their stress/discomfort/unease/uncertainty? Without this, they will develop maladaptive stress responses. Research into the neurosequential development of babies’ brains shows that the first two months of life have a significant impact on how their stress response systems organise; are they adapted to being under chronic stress, or are they adapted to peace and security?

The effort of building a happy brain is all so worth it...

...and if your baby wants to be next to you all the time, that’s entirely normal. The world is a strange and very overwhelming new place. You are home, you are safety, you are reassurance, you are part of their resilience-building system.

It can be intense, meeting these needs; after all, we weren’t meant to be parenting in isolation. A carrier can help you keep your baby close the way they need, but still get on with everything else.

#buildahappybrain #carryingmatters #babybraindevelopment #nurture #responsiveparenting #babywearingforthewin

Have you been enjoying my content? If you’re in

Have you been enjoying my content? If you’re in a role where you support parents and children(health or social care, early years worker, run baby massage classes etc) or are a parent who loves to learn more about how your baby “works”, I have a brilliant online course for you to explore the theory behind why choosing to carry a child (in arms and sling) is so important. It’s packed full of science, stories, quizzes, videos and some practical videos and tips, and can be done at your own pace!

And at only £40 it’s a bargain. It’ll give you all you need to know to be able to be an advocate and feel much better informed to be able to deal with misunderstandings and myths that can make people unsure.

Available anytime!

For those of you who want to learn the skills to be a peer supporter, I have a couple of spaces on a course in October - this is the Zoom session where you practice with slings with me and a few others and hone your skills at supporting others (ideal if you want to set up a sling library or be able to offer hands on help to the families you meet).

Contact me for any further queries, and links in bio and on website.

#carryingmatters #buildahappybrain #connection #secureattachment #responsiveparenting #trainingcourse #lifelonglearning #babywearing #babywearingeducator #babywearingtraining #peersupport #closeenoughtokiss #babywearingconsultant #babywearinglove #babywearingmama #oxytocin #carrythem

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