Babies pushed in buggies facing away from their parents could suffer lasting psychological damage

Everyone has their own reasons to choose a baby sling, need to get stuff done around the house, love that snuggly feeling and feeling them close to you, breastfeeding on the go, enjoy going out and about with your hands free...
Choosing a sling doesn't mean that you can never use a buggy. Some families choose not to own a pram or a buggy at all and go through their children's childhood with just a sling (or many slings!). For others, using a sling at time and using a buggy other times works better. Only you can judge what works best for you and your child.

Scientists have been studying mothers and children in their buggies.
Their findings very much confirm what we know as mothers.

"A quarter of parents using face-to-face buggies talked to their baby - more than twice as many as those using away-facing buggies.
Babies facing towards the buggy-pusher enjoyed a reduced heart rate and were twice as likely to fall asleep.
Only one baby in the group of 20 laughed during the away-facing journey, while half laughed during the face-to-face journey.
Dr Suzanne Zeedyk, from Dundee University's School of Psychology, said: "If babies are spending significant amounts of time in a baby buggy, that undermines their ability to communicate easily with their parent."

"Our data suggests that for many babies today, life in a buggy is emotionally impoverished and possibly stressful. Stressed babies grow into anxious adults." Continue reading.

You're often told that the child needs to see the world, that a forward facing buggy allows them to see everything while a rear facing buggy (and moreover a sling!) limits their view to their mother. We're talking babies here, not teenagers! Seeing mummy, hearing her voice, being able to touch her, see her smile at your giggles ... for a baby, there is nothing better in the world. Seeing the outside world means seeing things, hearing noises without a familiar reference point to help you make sense of it.
I often use the same example. A firetruck races by all sirens on, is it a noise signaling danger? In a sling, the baby can feel that his mum is startled but her voice is calm, her heartbeat is regular, her scent hasn't changed... While the noise was loud, my mummy isn't scared, I'm still safe.

Only you can decide what's right for your child, depending on their character, how you feel about it, their age, their preferences, where you're going...

When baby wearing becomes the most chatted subject on the net

Motrin thought it might be a good idea to make fun of the mums they were trying to sell to. I'm not sure how they could have ever thought it would be a good idea but anyway!

Anyway, they publish a clip on their website, and printed it in popular parenting magazines, making fun of mums who use slings and carry their baby (it hurts you need pain killer!)

Little did they realise that mums around the world would rally so quickly to defend themselves.

Baby Wearing International published a press release to outline the benefits of baby wearing and protest against the ad. Bloggers & Tweeters were buzzing over the weekend. Facebook's boycott group already has more than 1000 members. Quickly, the company (owned by Johnson & Johnson) withdrew the ad and apologised.

You can still view the original ad on You Tube along with lots of responses, including some really funny ones!

Here is the original ad:


And the replies are flying in:

Are baby slings any good for mothers and baby? Ask The Times

Of course at Calin Bleu we believe that slings are good for mothers and babies. They're the easiest way to regain some kind of normality after baby is born, you can put the baby to sleep easily, feed him or her with just one hand, move around the house, go out and about, look after other children, cook, clean even catch a movie (!) with baby snuggled against your chest.

But this weekend The Times had a long article about baby slings, some great information for parents who may have never heard of 'baby wearing' and some not-so-good (Gina Ford and baby being 'just an accessory' doesn't make a lot of sense to me but hey, what do I know, I have 2 young children and she has ... well, none!)

I'm pleased that Calin Bleu is mentioned for our instructions on how to wear a sling. That's something that's very dear to me:
"Putting on a sling for the first time can be an intimidating prospect, especially when they require instructional booklets and DVDs. But help is at hand; for clear instructions go to www.calinbleu.com/baby_sling_instructions.html."

And Sling Meet, whichI founded with my friend Stephanie French in 2006 is also mentioned. "Another sign of their popularity is the mushrooming of “slingmeets”. In 2006 two mums set up the first group, a place where mums can get together and talk about “baby-wearing”, as well as try each others' slings. Now there are 40 nationwide (www.slingmeet.co.uk ). "

This weekend saw celebration of the first International Baby Wearing Week ... more to come soon!

Join the Sling Meet fans on Facebook

After the Calin Bleu Facebook page, we're pleased to introduce the Sling Meet fan club on Facebook. Come and join us, post your photos, details of your meetings...

Buy a baby sling and help a mum in great need

There is no limit to solidarity between women, together we can reach the sky.
Today, a group of mums around the world are working together to help a mum and her children in great need. They are the victims of heartbreaking domestic violence and have lost absolutely everything.

A new shop has been set up to raise funds to help them.

http://hyenacart.com/TBWFundraiser/index.php?viewall=1

This is an amazing opportunity to grab some bargain slings, nappies, jewellery at amazing prices and help a family get back on their feet.

Please also consider forwarding this link to your family and friends.

If you have items to donate, please contact tbwfundraiserATwvi.com

More and more and many more items will be added later, including raffle tickets for some amazing prizes!

Join us in Glasgow for a Sling Family Day!

This week is the First International Baby Wearing Week, to celebrate the joy of carrying our babies (and toddlers!)

Join us for a Coffee and Yummy Cakes Sling Sunday.
Try a different kind of baby carrier, get some help with your sling, help others with theirs, learn to carry your little one on your back, just share a cup of tea and chat with others.

Sunday 16th november
1-3pm

The Annexe 9a Stewartville Street Partick G11 5PE

Everyone is welcome, whether you usually don't use a carrier but fancy having a try, pregnant mums, families... The event is open to all and free. We'll ask for a small donation to cover the cost of the hall. Bring a cake to share.

email me if you have any questions: infoATslingmeet.co.uk
or call: 0845-862-0073

WE HAVE GOODIES TO BE WON AND EVERYONE PARTICIPATING IS ENTERED IN A PRIZE DRAW FOR LOTS OF LOVELY BABY CARRIERS.

PRIZE LIST

1- A Napsack Mei-Tai donated by Napsack (worth £66)

2- A £30 voucher from Little Possums

3- A micro fleece wraparound sling from Calin Bleu (worth up to £39.50)

3- A Unakite Circle Little Gems Nursing Necklace donated by Big Mama Slings

4- A Storchenweige wraparound or ring sling donated by Big Mama Slings , winner chooses colour & size (worth up to £56)

5- A Storchenweige wraparound or ring sling donated by Big Mama Slings (worth up to £56)

6- A fancy red Calin Bleu wraparound sling donated by Calin Bleu (worth £38.50)

7- A Unakite Circle Little Gems Nursing Necklace donated by Big Mama Slings

8- A Napsack mei tai donated by Natural Mothering, worth £66

9- A Unakite Circle Little Gems Nursing Necklaces donated by Big Mama Slings

10- A Napsack baby carrier donated by Sling Jax

11- A ByKay wrap donated by Rumplebums

12- A pair of huggalugs, a toyclip and a slingview mirror donated by Rumplebums

13- A Zidee custom or instock Podeagi donated by Tiddlybums worth £60

A comfortable budget wrap

Are you looking for a comfortable baby carrier but watching your budget? Then we have the perfect carrier, a limited edition Calin Bleu. Only £29.95 including postage, choose a cheerful red or simply natural. The simple size is slightly shorter than our normal range:

• Ideal for the simple wrap cross carry
• For wrapping when it's wet or something light under your coat
• For breastfeeding on the go
• For parents under size 10 and of course
• For back carries
• Packs small so ideal for travelling, leave at nursery, grand parents, or while your other sling is in the wash.

Why is a Calin Bleu such good value for money?

• One wrap from birth to toddler, that's less than 2p a day!
• One wrap for front, hip and back carry
• One wrap for mum and dad

It's the present for a new baby, for Christmas or just because it's lovely!
The carrier distributes the weight evenly across both of your shoulders and provides excellent support for both baby and adult. Easy to care for, just pop it in the washing with your regular laundry.