The history of Sheffield Babywearers
Sheffield Babywearers was started in 2010 when four mums got together in a cafe in a park to talk about their baby slings. Babywearing wasn't a big thing back then, and they were just glad to find each other! Over the years more and more parents have joined the group, and now we run two regular sling meets per month plus informal get-togethers. We share our ideas, tips and slings with each other, and generally help out anyone and everyone who is interested in carrying their child, both in person and online on our Facebook group and page.
Two of our founder members tell their stories.
Two of our founder members tell their stories.
Kirstie says:
I remember vividly all the snuggles I got with my eldest in our stretchy Kari-Me. We persevered with it for far longer than was comfortable, but I didn't know of other options until she was nearly a year old and hadn't been worn for a few months. Then I saw another babywearer using a different kind of carrier, and I started exploring the Internet. On the Babycentre forum I encountered Kate who was similarly seeking other babywearing options for her newborn, and we started this group. It's a shame that I didn't get to carry my eldest for longer, but my youngest is 19 months old and she has been carried almost every day of her life. No room for regrets with all the wonderful memories of carrying them, sometimes at the same time!
I remember vividly all the snuggles I got with my eldest in our stretchy Kari-Me. We persevered with it for far longer than was comfortable, but I didn't know of other options until she was nearly a year old and hadn't been worn for a few months. Then I saw another babywearer using a different kind of carrier, and I started exploring the Internet. On the Babycentre forum I encountered Kate who was similarly seeking other babywearing options for her newborn, and we started this group. It's a shame that I didn't get to carry my eldest for longer, but my youngest is 19 months old and she has been carried almost every day of her life. No room for regrets with all the wonderful memories of carrying them, sometimes at the same time!
Kate says:
My BabyBjorn and cheap ring sling were useful for a while with my son - we loved being able to get up and down stairs and ride the buggy-unfriendly buses - but really he was too heavy for these carriers and we mostly used the buggy because we didn't know that other slings were available. Indeed, when expecting my daughter we invested in a tandem buggy because we assumed that's what we'd be using. However, when she was born I couldn't resist digging out those old baby slings, and with her being a much smaller baby they were so much more comfortable. That encouraged me to look into other options that I could use long-term with her. I did some research online and met Kirstie. We recruited a couple of other members and bingo! Sheffield Babywearers was born!
My BabyBjorn and cheap ring sling were useful for a while with my son - we loved being able to get up and down stairs and ride the buggy-unfriendly buses - but really he was too heavy for these carriers and we mostly used the buggy because we didn't know that other slings were available. Indeed, when expecting my daughter we invested in a tandem buggy because we assumed that's what we'd be using. However, when she was born I couldn't resist digging out those old baby slings, and with her being a much smaller baby they were so much more comfortable. That encouraged me to look into other options that I could use long-term with her. I did some research online and met Kirstie. We recruited a couple of other members and bingo! Sheffield Babywearers was born!
Read more of our members' babywearing stories.
