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We had a great sling meet at the Hallamshire House this month! Because it was half term we had more kids than usual and it was so much fun to have them running around enjoying themselves. 

We talked about what you can do with a size 3 wrap, and started our Size 3 Challenge - can you go a whole week using only a size 3 wrap and no other sling? This inspires us to learn new carries and get out of our comfort zone. We'll be posting about how we got on at the end of the week.
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And as always, lots of parents got to try out different slings and got some tips on how to use them. This mum is demonstrating a half buckle carrier...

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...but we think her daughter wears it so much better!

We meet at the Hallamshire House every month. It's one of our four regular Sheffield sling meets - check out our upcoming events as there's bound to be one at a good time and place for you!
 
We all love nosying at the celebrities' lives, and increasingly they're using slings to carry their babies. Some of them have clearly had some good advice and are doing it brilliantly, while others.... well, it makes us want to jump into the photos and fix them! Here's a comparison of three actors using a very popular soft structured carrier, the Ergo.
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Mira Sorvino has started so well by getting an Ergobaby carrier - easy to use,  long-lasting and value for money. But if you think the baby doesn't look comfortable, we'd agree! No idea how that leg ended up down inside the waistband, but it really isn't supposed to be there. This carrier needs tightening up at the waist band and at the shoulder straps, and the child needs to be put in properly. Nice colour Ergo though!

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Time to swoon, ladies, it's Orlando Bloom with a squish! Full marks for effort, but unfortunately he hasn't realised that the Ergo isn't designed to carry a newborn without the infant insert. You can see that he's having to hold the baby's head because it's not properly supported by the sling. When your sling is on right, you shouldn't have to use your hands to keep the baby in!

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Julia Roberts has got it sorted though. Her child is in a nice knee-to-knee seat, and the sling is tight at the waistband and shoulder straps. Julia is holding the child's hat on for privacy, rather than supporting her head - an older baby can manage her own head support. 

For more information on how to use a sling safely and comfortably, see our safe babywearing and positioning pages, or come to a sling meet!
 
In today's Sheffield Star there's an piece all about babywearing! This article is great because it's always nice to see slings getting some mainstream attention. 
If you know someone who's interested in babywearing but doesn't know where to start, why not tell them about Sheffield Sling Library, as well as all the sling meets provided by both Sheffield Babywearers and Sheffield Slings.

Sheffield Slings is a new slinging group, formed by some Sheffield Babywearers members who wanted to take a slightly different approach. It's fabulous that there's enough sling-users in Sheffield for two groups, when in many areas of the country babywearers would love to just have a single sling meet. 

http://m.thestar.co.uk/community/we-let-the-slings-take-the-strain-1-5401688