What happens at a carrying consultation?

At a carrying consultation, parents or carers meet with me for a period of around 2 hours to learn how to use a sling safely and comfortably to carry a baby, either in their own home or in my consulting space. We will practice any carries together using weighted demonstration dolls until you’re feeling confident and, providing they are awake and cooperative, will then practice the carries with your child(ren). Before the consultation, we will exchange e-mails and/or phone calls to establish what you would like to learn at the consultation, to ensure that you get the most out of the time available.

Why would I benefit from a consultation?

Consultations are useful for:

  • Parents who already have a sling they’d like to learn how to use
  • Parents who would like help choosing the right sling and/or carry for them and their child
  • More experienced babywearers who would like to learn a new carry
  • Parents of children with special needs who would like to carry them but aren’t sure of the best way to do this (please note: I am not medically trained, but I can help you with questions to ask your child’s healthcare team and also belong to a network of experienced babywearing consultants whose experience I can draw on)

So long as a carry is safe and comfortable for both parents and the child, I am happy to teach it. Here is a list of some of the carries I can teach – if the one you’re interested in learning isn’t listed here then please do get in touch and I’ll let you know whether I can help:

Front carries

  • Pocket wrap cross carry with a stretchy wrap
  • Front cross carry and front wrap cross carry with a long woven wrap
  • Front carries with a mei tai and soft structured (buckle) carrier

Hip carries

  • Classic hip carry and hip carry with a slip knot with a short woven wrap
  • Hip carry with a long woven wrap
  • Hip carry with a ring sling

Back carries

  • Rucksack carry, back wrap cross carry and double hammock with a long woven wrap
  • Back carries with a mei tai and soft structured (buckle) carrier

Is there anything else I need to know?

I recommend that, where possible, you book a consultation at a time when any children who aren’t old enough to entertain themselves are having a nap or being looked after by someone else. This will help ensure that you get the most out of your consultation and can devote your full attention to learning this new skill. The ideal scenario would be for any child that you are learning to carry to come back into the room for the last part of the consultation so that you can practice any new carries you’ve learnt with them once you are confident doing them using the demonstration doll.  Of course, this isn’t always possible and I’m happy to be flexible and take short breaks for feeds and so on.