When Em and Jenni from It’s A Sling Thing found out that I was struggling with just one size 4 wrap (my go-to length) and a vomit comet of a baby, they offered to loan me a wrap from their catalogue in exchange for some photos on Instagram! This kind, generous act sums up Em and Jenni perfectly. They’re two wonderful ladies, who I’m very lucky to call friends. They’ve both supported Elise and me on our babywearing journey from the start and I’m extremely grateful for everything they’ve taught me, particularly about woven wraps.
I received a month’s loan of the wraps in this post for consideration on my Instagram account. More information can be found in my full disclaimer.
If you’ve been following our journey, you’ll know that before I had Elise, I was housebound. As a result, I wasn’t able to make it to a sling library. Even with my SmartDrive, it’s not been possible. My ‘local’ library takes place in our nearest city, unfortunately, the meeting place is about 25 minutes away from the train station.
As a result, my initial babywearing experiences were a little fraught – trying to find a carrier that worked for me, with YouTube videos and other online research as my only guide. I wish I’d known about It’s A Sling Thing and their hires during my pregnancy!
Em and Jenni are trained babywearing consultants, who have a significant amount of experience between them. As well as being very knowledgable and lovely people, they’re also very tuned in with the individual needs of the people they work with. I found their understanding of my needs as a photosensitive wheelchair user to be exceptional. They both listened and understood what I told them, asked thoughtful, sensible questions to gain a greater understanding of our needs and never made assumptions about my abilities or needs. I can’t recommend these ladies highly enough, especially if your situation is a complex one.
When Jenni offered to loan me a size 4 wrap, we got talking and she suggested that I might like to try some other sling options too. Of cause, I jumped at the chance!
Jenni suggested some options she thought I might like to try. We had a chat about these and came up with a great combination of options for Elise and me to test out. I’ve included part of my side of the conversation below, as it explains my thought process well (and it’s silly for me to waste time paraphrasing the conversation when I can just copy and paste it!).
“Ring sling: Initially, I didn’t think a ring sling would work for me with my weak shoulders. But I also didn’t think one shoulder wrap carries would be any good for me, but actually the one I’ve tried has been fine.
I’ve been curious about ring slings recently, particularly for times when Elise wants to be held because she’s uncomfortable. The burp hold isn’t ideal – it puts strain on my shoulder. Elise was squirming so much a few nights ago that she subluxate my shoulder.
I can see a ring sling being good for things like going to the doctors too, where I need to be able to get Elise in and out quickly. I’m not loving my Hana stretchy. I was hoping to try Lorna (babywearing consultant cousin)’s ring sling when we saw her on Bank Holiday Monday, but didn’t get a chance.
I’m clueless on size and shoulder style, so what ever you think. Designs that would work with my photosensitivity are: Baie Elements, Didymos Geckos, Kokadi Diorite Stars, Little Frog Barite Greys and Tula Uno Sunburst.
Meh Dai: A few weeks ago, I thought a Meh Dai would be a good idea for quick in and outs, so ordered a Hop-Tye. I loved the concept, but didn’t feel the Hoppediz Meh Dai worked for us – the back was high and with the wide straps, Elise’s face was covered.
Stretchy: I don’t know what it is with the stretchy – I’m not finding my Hana very comfy. It digs in in places because I’ve done it up so tightly, but other bits I need to work the slack out after tying (which sort of defeats the object of being able to pre-tie). I then have to readjust each time I put Elise in. It’s just as much effort as using a woven, but not as comfy. I’m wondering if my proprioception difficulties are making it hard for me to pre-tie and judge how much space I need to leave for Elise. Either that, or the stretch is pulling my joints out of place and that’s what’s uncomfortable. Could be a combination! The bounce I get when out and about makes me nervous too. Our pavements are awful and I’m concerned Elise will hit her head on my chin.
Would I be able to try a size 3 wrap instead please?”
The above text sparked a conversation about my photosensitivity, with Jenni checking with me that the Firespiral Verdant Cyano Birch Trees in It’s A Sling Thing’s catalogue would be ok for me, before sending, I don’t know what is! We also touched on my proprioception difficulties (a challenge linked to my hEDS). We’re going to get together at some point to talk more about proprioception and how it affects sling selection and use, as Jenni wants to learn more, to be able to better advise It’s A Sling Thing customers. If that isn’t a great commitment to accessibility and personal development as a sling consultant, I don’t know what is!
Jenni was already aware of my wheelchair and the need to not have knots or buckles on my back, so this was already in her mind when we started talking about options to try.
The morning my parcel arrived, I received a text to say that it was on it’s way. I found this really helpful, as I was able to settle myself in the lounge so I could answer the front door easily. When the wraps arrived, they came packaged in a reused bag with a note explaining that It’s A Sling Thing are committed to being as environmentally friendly as possible. Which is absolutely fantastic!
In my parcel from It’s A Sling Thing were the following slings: a Calin Bleu ring sling, a size 3 Firespiral Verdant Cyano Birch Trees woven wrap, a Natibaby Blue Flamingos size 4 woven wrap and a Didymos Meh Dai in Lime Waves. The parcel also contained a pre-labeled bag to use to return the slings at the end of the loan period – it couldn’t have been easier!
I’m going to try to avoid giving you a mini review of each of these – I’ve already written rather a lot and the wraps aren’t the focus of the post – It’s A Sling Thing and their fantastic online sling library are! So instead, I’ll tell you about what I learned from the loan of each of these slings.
Calin Bleu Ring Sling – I tried this ring sling for about half an hour one evening when Elise just wouldn’t be put down. Oh the joys of cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA)! The next morning, I woke up with what I can only describe as pain inside my shoulder socket. I’ve never experienced pain in this place before and I think it’s safe to assume that it was the result of using the ring sling. Although I didn’t get on with the Calin Bleu ring sling, this is down to the type of sling. I love my cotton gauze wraps from this brand. Check out my Calin Bleu Lite Wrap review to find out more!
Firespiral Verdant Cyano Birch Trees (VCBT), size 3 – Elise and I fell in love with this wrap! I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, as I’m picky with blues and greens. However, the combination of the two and the graduated effect between them meant I was reaching for this wrap A LOT! At the height of her CMPA symptoms, Elise would only fall asleep in this wrap. It’s 100% cotton, 245gsm and so soft and mouldable! I really enjoyed trying out a size 3. I thought it might be too short, but was thrilled that we were able to successfully use this length (3.2m).
Since trying this wrap, I’ve invested in some (bargain) Firespiral wraps and absolutely love them all!
Natibaby Blue Flamingo, size 4 – I have to admit that this wrap didn’t get much love while it was with us. I was reaching for VCBTs so much! One of the reasons I didn’t reach for Natibaby Flamingos was that it’s the wrong type of blue with my glasses – a silly reason, I know! I also found it quite slippy and as a result, more difficult to get a good wrap job as a beginner (I think I’d do better with it now). The slip is partly is largely down to the bamboo blend of the wrap, as well as the smoothness of the weave. This wrap is 70% cotton and 30% bamboo, with a gsm of 236.
It was fantastic to try a bamboo blend wrap. It was lovely and cool in the warm weather (bamboo is a breathable material). Plus, I loved how the white on the wrap sparkled in the sunlight. It’s beautiful!
Didymos Meh Dai – To begin with, I struggled to get on with this Meh Dai. I couldn’t quite tie the waist strap in front and when I tied the shoulder straps, they trailed on the floor. However, after a few tries, I managed to figure out a way of tying it that worked for me (more to come on this in a another post). Elise and I loved it so much that we bought our own! I’ll have more on this in a separate review. It’s so great, it deserves it’s own post!
Our reactions to the different slings we had on loan from It’s A Sling Thing were mixed. However, I felt that each sling was a success in terms of narrowing down what works for us. It’s important to know what doesn’t work for you and why, just as much as what does work! Our It’s A Sling Thing loan has meant that I haven’t had to buy a ring sling only to find out that it doesn’t work for us. What a waste of money that would have been!
It’s A Sling Thing have a large variety of sling types to choose from (including water slings) and several loan length options, starting at £10 for 2 weeks and going up to 12 weeks for £45. There is a deposit of £40 when you hire a sling, but you get this back when you return your wrap. There really is something for everyone here! Want to try something new? Want a sling for a holiday or special event but don’t want to buy? It’s A Sling Thing have you covered!
I can’t recommend It’s A Sling Thing highly enough. Em and Jenni are going from strength to strength with the business. As well as the online sling hire, they offer Skype and phone consultations, have a try before you buy scheme on a number of different sling options, have lots of helpful information on their website and social media channels and have recently introduced The Wrap Club. Our family Instagram account (@thescfamily) were lucky enough to win a 3 month subscription to The Wrap Club! I’m excited be sharing more on this in a separate blog post.
Want to know more about It’s A Sling Thing, the largest online only sling library in the UK? Check out itsaslingthing.co.uk! Elise and I are really looking forward to seeing Em and Jenni at Midland’s Baby Carrying Convention!
Have you used one of It’s A Sling Thing’s many services? Do you babywear? If you do, what is your sling of choice? Is there anything you’d like to try, but haven’t had a chance to yet?
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