How to dress a baby in the cold weather is often a source of anxiety for parents. Use our handy guide to help you feel confident dressing your baby in the cold, both inside and outside.

Many people carry for a variety of different reasons, and it's normal from an evolutionary point of view for humans to carry their children. All cultures around the world have some form of carrying in them, many having their own styles and ways of carrying.     In this blog, we collaborated with Zoë Woodman, from The Sling Consultancy, to share more information about the biology of infant carrying, how carrying helps infants develop, plus our top tips for choosing a sling/carrier. What is babywearing? Babywearing is simply the practice of carrying a baby or toddler in a carrier. Babywearing is the more popular term and is used more often than the word ‘carrying', even though it is a much broader term. However, it is important to recognise that often we ‘carry' infants much longer than just the ‘baby stage.' Watch this video with Sling Consultant Zoë who shares her experience and why she has continued to use a carrier with her youngest son who is now 5 years of age. How to find the right carrier  There is so much choice when it comes to choosing a carrier that’s right for your needs. A great place to start is to check out a sling library in your local area. What is a sling library?  Like traditional (book) libraries and toy libraries, sling libraries’ main role is to loan out slings and carriers and to offer advice and information on babywearing. Each one is run by volunteers and they run in different ways, meeting anywhere from weekly to monthly in someone’s home, a children’s centre, a community venue, a play centre or a library.  When at the sling library it's helpful to try on different slings and carriers because we are all shaped differently; some people have shorter torsos, broader shoulders etc… and like trying on a pair of shoes you want to make sure it fits you perfectly so you feel comfortable.  Carrier v Sling? It’s important to ensure your sling or carrier is well-fitted, and it’s sufficiently tightened. If the infant is slumping, you need to adjust the carrier or choose a different type of carrier.     Below you will find different types of slings and carriers available. A wrap: A stretchy wrap is great for newborns, it's a long piece of thin fabric that you tie it in a certain way, and the infant can slip in and out quite easily. This carrier supports skin-to-skin contact as the fabric is thin and due to its stretchy nature, it tends to fit all body types well.   A buckle carrier: This is a square piece of fabric with buckles that can do up differently and they come in different sizes.    Tie-on carrier: This is similar to the buckle carrier, it’s a square piece of fabric, but rather than buckling the fabric together, you “tie” this carrier together.  Ring slings: A one-shoulder fabric carrier, with a ring you thread the fabric through.  Frame back carrier:  These carriers are metal carriers, and are typically used for an older infant as they don’t offer much support.  Wrap carrier: This is a fabric carrier that is very flexible and it will always fit your body because you tie them yourself. There are ways and means of adjusting the carrier you currently have if you're finding it uncomfortable. Sling Consultant Zoe speaks about the different ways you can use a carrier/sling to carry an infant to support their development. Benefits of babywearing There are so many benefits associated with babywearing, for both the infant and the carrier.  Many people carry for a variety of different reasons, and it's normal from an evolutionary point of view for humans to carry their children. All cultures around the world have some form of carrying in them, many having their own styles and ways of carrying.     In this blog, we collaborated with Zoë Woodman, from The Sling Consultancy, to share more information about the biology of infant carrying, how carrying helps infants develop, plus our top tips for choosing a sling/carrier. What is babywearing? Babywearing is simply the practice of carrying a baby or toddler in a carrier. Babywearing is the more popular term and is used more often than the word ‘carrying', even though it is a much broader term. However, it is important to recognise that often we ‘carry' infants much longer than just the ‘baby stage.' Watch this video with Sling Consultant Zoë who shares her experience and why she has continued to use a carrier with her youngest son who is now 5 years of age. How to find the right carrier  There is so much choice when it comes to choosing a carrier that’s right for your needs. A great place to start is to check out a sling library in your local area. What is a sling library?  Like traditional (book) libraries and toy libraries, sling libraries’ main role is to loan out slings and carriers and to offer advice and information on babywearing. Each one is run by volunteers and they run in different ways, meeting anywhere from weekly to monthly in someone’s home, a children’s centre, a community venue, a play centre or a library.  When at the sling library it's helpful to try on different slings and carriers because we are all shaped differently; some people have shorter torsos, broader shoulders etc… and like trying on a pair of shoes you want to make sure it fits you perfectly so you feel comfortable.  Carrier v Sling? It’s important to ensure your sling or carrier is well-fitted, and it’s sufficiently tightened. If the infant is slumping, you need to adjust the carrier or choose a different type of carrier.   Below you will find different types of slings and carriers available. A wrap: A stretchy wrap is great for newborns, it's a long piece of thin fabric that you tie it in a certain way, and the infant can slip in and out quite easily. This

Content Warning – This blog talks frankly about different types of trauma, including birth trauma. If you are sensitive to discussing these topics, you may wish to close this blog, or prepare yourself appropriately for reading. There is information at the end of this blog on how to access support if you are affected by any of the issues raised in this piece.  We are almost at the end of Birth Trauma Awareness week, which this year runs from 18th to 23rd July. The theme for this year is diagnosis and treatment.  What is trauma? Trauma is an emotional response to a stressful event, such as a natural disaster, a physical or sexual assault, the sudden death of a loved one, or witnessing the assault of another person, e.g. a shooting or stabbing. What is birth trauma? The NICE Guidelines on Antenatal and Postnatal Mental Health (2014) definite birth trauma as: “Traumatic birth includes births, whether preterm or full term which are physically traumatic… and births that are experienced as traumatic, even when the delivery is obstetrically straightforward.” This means that even if your labour or birth did not require emergency treatment or deviation from what is biologically normal – you have experienced the event as traumatic. You may have had a birth someone else considers totally normal and not stressful – that does not mean your experience was not traumatic. Giving birth and experiencing birth trauma are very personal. Some families experience trauma after giving birth, if their babies are taken to SCBU, or NICU and are separated from them for some time. Many women are unaware that they have experienced birth trauma until weeks, months, or even years after the fact. Shock and denial are common in the early days after a traumatic experience. Birth trauma can also cause physical symptoms such as nausea, headaches, heart palpitations and symptoms of mental illness such as postnatal anxiety, depression or OCD. According to research carried out by the Birth Trauma Association in 2021, 84% of parents are living with the consequences of birth trauma without effective treatment as a solution, and “84% of respondents with physical birth injuries said it had impacted their self esteem and body confidence.” (BTA, 2022) How can you support someone with birth trauma? Listen but don't judge. Let them speak openly about their experience – when they are ready –without giving your perspective or advice. Validate their feelings. Telling someone it ‘can't be that bad' or ‘at least your baby is here safely' can totally invalidate the difficult and complex feelings involved with birth trauma. How a mother feels absolutely matters – yes, it's important that baby arrives safely – but this should not ignore the very real desire of a mother to give birth in a specific way and having this decision removed from her, or the lived experience of the fear, stress, and abject terror many women go through delivering their babies. Help them access the help and support they need. This may involve therapies such as EMDR or TFCBT, which require specialist training and supervision. Encourage parents to thoroughly check the qualifications of anyone they are working with after a traumatic birth, and that they are appropriately supervised by someone specialising in trauma. Some parents may also require medication. Connect with organisations such as The Make Birth Better Project ,the Birth Trauma Association and MASIC (for women with birth injuries). If you want to learn more about birth trauma and perinatal mental illness, we are offering a 20% discount on our Perinatal Mental Health Training (Including postnatal depression and birth trauma) until Sunday 24th July 2022. Use code FORTHE84PERCENT.

“I can pull in all this information that I've learned over the years and create a plan that is really holistic and evidence based, because I know the science behind the issues they're experiencing” – Rebecca Scott-Pillai

“One thing that drives me bonkers is when it does come in to the mainstream conversation about getting yourself a towel, put a pad in, and it's fine if you leak – dont worry about it. But it's SO NOT OK if you leak, it's a warning sign” – Sarahjane West-Watson