Swindon and Devizes Sling Library

Swindon and Devizes Sling Library Our sling meets are free to attend, and allow parents to try out slings and ask questions. Individual consultations can also be arranged.

Swindon and Devizes Sling Library aims to help parents choose and use the right sling(s) for them through slingmeets, our lending services and individual consultations. Parents can also bring their own slings along, if they are having trouble using them. And of course, being a library, if parents want to take a sling away to give it a proper try before investing in their own (or if they just want a sling to take on holiday or to a specific event) then any of the slings can be borrowed.

We're holding a slingmeet tomorrow (Thursday 28th May) The Wyvern Club, in Devizes.Drop-in between 10am and 11:30am, to ...
27/05/2026

We're holding a slingmeet tomorrow (Thursday 28th May) The Wyvern Club, in Devizes.

Drop-in between 10am and 11:30am, to try out library slings and/or get help using your own slings.

There will be scales available for you to use, if you wish to weigh your baby. You don't need to try out any slings, if you don't want to. You can just come in, weigh your baby, and then leave. Or if you'd prefer, have a sit down and chat with other families attending the meet/weighing their babies, while your little ones kick about on the playmat or play with the toys.

As we're having a bit of a heatwave, I think it's a good time to repost my tips for staying cool while babywearing.In ho...
25/05/2026

As we're having a bit of a heatwave, I think it's a good time to repost my tips for staying cool while babywearing.

In hot weather your baby can feel like a sweaty hot-water bottle on your chest. But that doesn't mean you cannot use a sling.

Your baby is no more likley to overheat in a sling than in a buggy or carseat. Parents living in very hot climates wear their babies year-round. As adults are better thermoregulaters than babies, skin-to-skin contact with your baby can actually help them to stay cool. Although it may make you feel even hotter.

But as no-one wants to feel like they're carrying a sweaty hot-water bottle, here's some tips to make things a bit more comfortable (and safe).

❤Drink❤
Both you and your baby need to drink plenty (and frequently) to keep yourselves hydrated.

🧡Ditch the layers🧡
Layers trap air. Great for keeping warm. Not so great for keeping cool. Try using a sling that has minimal layers over you and baby (such as a ring sling). If using a woven wrap, do so in such a way as to have only one or two layers covering either of you, if you can.

💛Go natural💛
Go natural - Natural fibres such as cotton and bamboo are breathable and can help keep you cool. Opt for clothes and slings that are made from cotton, bamboo, linen or silk.

💚Hats💚
Lightweight, wide-brimmed hats can protect from the sun, without making heads too hot. The wider the brim the more shade they provide for other body parts. Even if baby won't wear a hat, if you wear a hat with a very wide brim, it will likely still provide some shade for them. If sling hoods are made of light breathable (rather than thick heavy) fabric, they may be used to shade baby from the sun. But care must be taken that using a hood does not reduce air flow, trapping hot air in the sling, and that you can still see baby's face. It should also not stop baby from being able to move their head, so loose rather than snug fitting. And only ever put one side of the hood (the side behind their head) up at a time.

💙Shade💙
Stay in the shade as much as possible. Use a parasol, umbrella or, as previously mentioned, wide-brimmed hats, to keep you and baby shaded.

💜Fans💜
Hand-held fans can help keep you both cool.

❤️Water❤️
Spraying cold water on your skin, using a spray bottle, or damp muslins placed against the skin can be really effective in cooling you down.

🧡Avoid the hottest part of the day🧡
If you can, plan your day so that any walking outside is done early in the morning or after things have started to cool down.

💛Arms out💛
If your baby is able to sit-up unaided and the sling you have allows it, have baby's arm out, rather than tucked inside the sling.

💚Back or hip carry💚
If you are confident to do so and your sling allows it, then carrying on your hip or back feels cooler than on your front.

💙Go mesh/lite💙
Many slings come in versions specifically designed for warmer weather. They tend to either be made of either lighterweight fabric than the original versions or have mesh panels.

💜Fridge/freezer💜
Finally, a tip I got from an Australian babywearing consultant. Put your sling in the fridge, or even the freezer, to cool it down before putting it on. Only put fully fabric slings (with no plastic or metal components) in the freezer, to avoid ice burns to you or baby, as well as damage to your sling. The sling may not stay cool for long once you've got it on. But it may make the process of getting it on a bit more pleasant.

It is perfectly normal for your baby to cry everytime you put them down. We are 'carry mammals', designed to carry our y...
15/05/2026

It is perfectly normal for your baby to cry everytime you put them down. We are 'carry mammals', designed to carry our young on our bodies.

We're holding a slingmeet tomorrow (Thursday 14th May) The Wyvern Club, in Devizes.Drop-in between 10am and 11:30am, to ...
13/05/2026

We're holding a slingmeet tomorrow (Thursday 14th May) The Wyvern Club, in Devizes.

Drop-in between 10am and 11:30am, to try out library slings and/or get help using your own slings.

There will be scales available for you to use, if you wish to weigh your baby. You don't need to try out any slings, if you don't want to. You can just come in, weigh your baby, and then leave. Or if you'd prefer, have a sit down and chat with other families attending the meet/weighing their babies, while your little ones kick about on the playmat or play with the toys.

Tomorrow, the sling library will be at the West Swindon Family Hub, from 11:30am until 1pm.Drop in to get help with your...
10/05/2026

Tomorrow, the sling library will be at the West Swindon Family Hub, from 11:30am until 1pm.

Drop in to get help with your own sling or to try out any of the library slings.

You can have a cup of tea and chat to other parents, or even weigh your baby (and if you're there before 11:30am, you can also get feeding support).

If only I'd had a sling! It wasn't until 18 months later that I discovered slings.
09/05/2026

If only I'd had a sling! It wasn't until 18 months later that I discovered slings.

On Sunday 31st May, I am running a using a stretchy wrap with your newborn workshop.Find out how to safely and comfortab...
06/05/2026

On Sunday 31st May, I am running a using a stretchy wrap with your newborn workshop.

Find out how to safely and comfortably use a stretchy wrap with your baby.

Suitable for expectant parents or parents with young babies, who are either considering buying a sling or who already have a stretchy wrap and want to ensure they are using it correctly.

If you already have a stretchy wrap, do bring it along with you. Do not worry if you do not have your own, as we have plenty for you to use during the session. Even if you have your own, you are welcome to try out any of the library slings and to compare them to each other and to your own. And don't worry if you do not have a baby yet! If you attend before your baby is born, you can use one of our suitably sized and weighted demo dolls.

If at the end of the session, you wish to hire one of the wraps you have been trying out, this can be arranged.

Please note that this session will cover the use of stretchy wraps with a single baby only. If you would like to learn how to carry twins in a stretchy wrap, please contact me directly to arrange this.

Numbers are limited to a maximum of 5 adult participants.

For more information, and to book your space, follow the link: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/using-a-stretchy-wrap-with-your-newborn-tickets-1987774880176

Myself, Dave, Lara and Luke (and all the slings) are at the Lyneham MOD Community Centre. We'll be here until 11am, if y...
30/04/2026

Myself, Dave, Lara and Luke (and all the slings) are at the Lyneham MOD Community Centre. We'll be here until 11am, if you want to pop in, for help with your own sling, or to try out some library slings.

I often get parents looking for the Swiss army knife equivalent of the sling world. By that I mean they want one sling t...
28/04/2026

I often get parents looking for the Swiss army knife equivalent of the sling world. By that I mean they want one sling that does everything.

They want to buy one 'tool' that does everything, instead of a few that each do one specific job.

Now what often happens when we try to build one tool that does more than one job, is we find that it doesn't do those jobs as well as the specilaised versions.

The scissors in a Swiss army knife are not as good as a proper pair of scissors. The tin opener in a Swiss army knife is not as easy to use as an actual tin opener.

So when parents try to find a sling that will be able to carry their child from newborn right through to their 2nd birthday, on their front (facing towards and away from them), as well as on their back and hip, what they often get in a sling that does all these things. But does none of them as well as some of the less versatile slings. They are also likely to get a sling that is complicated to use.

For example, a sling engineered to be able to carry from newborn to toddlerhood, tends not to carry the newborn as well as a sling specifically designed to carry a newborn. Although sometimes the opposite is true and the sling carries a younger baby well, but is not so good for a child aged over 12 months.

A sling that can carry baby facing away from their parents is generally more complicated to use than one that specialises in parent facing. And engineering the sling to accommodate facing away from the parent, may mean a less comfortable facing towards them position.

A sling that is primarily designed for front and back carries, is generally not as easy, or comfy, to use for hip carries, as a sling specifically designed for hip carries.
Buying two (or three) slings that don't try to 'do it all' can be as cheap as buying one sling that does try to.

While an 'all-singing-all-dancing' sling can cost £200 or more, you can buy a sling perfectly designed for a newborns for less than £50, and then one perfectly designed for a child from 3 months to 2 years, for a little over £100. You may actually spend less money on two slings that do their specific jobs really well, than one which tries to do more than it really can.

So I'd suggest that rather than going for a complicated 'jack-of-all-trades' sling, consider going for a sling that is simple to use and is a 'master' at what it does, even if this means buying more than one sling.

Just read an article with the title: "The best baby carriers and slings to keep them close, tested by parents and expert...
28/04/2026

Just read an article with the title: "The best baby carriers and slings to keep them close, tested by parents and experts"

Looking at the slings included, there are many of them I would not recommend. In fact there are some I would advise people to outright avoid!

This article does not look anything like the list I would compile, if someone asked me, as a babywearing professional, who has tried out many, many slings, to list my top 10.

The title of the article suggests that babywearing professionals were consulted in the writing of it. But there is no mention of any such professionals, and reading the article's description of types of slings, it is painfully obvious that no-one trained in babywearing was involved.

It seems to me that the slings included were those that paid to be included. If it were a genuine list, written by someone with actual training in babywearing, it would include slings made by Little Frog, LennyLamb and other excellent brands, who don't spend a fortune on advertising.

So, please don't use such articles to make up your mind which sling to buy. An article written by a babywearing expert would tell you there is no 'best sling', because what is the perfect sling for one person will be uncomfortable or difficult to use for another, so best to try before you buy, at your local sling library.

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Devizes

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+447980225929

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