Hello there! You’ve come here because you need babywearing support and you’re not sure which session is the best suited for your needs, so let me guide you so I can manage your expectations and address your needs the best I can!
First, a few things you need to consider:
I can’t currently offer long private consultations (as much as I would love to!) as I am a full-time mum to my baby (not to mention my 2 older boys outside of school hours), therefore I run dedicated sling sessions with different formats and time is limited per person. I offer 1 to 2 session per week. This is all I can offer at the moment and I thank you for your understanding (I bet you know what it’s like to juggle it all!). We can’t try a ton of slings as trying on slings is very time-consuming and I need to make sure you understand how to confidently use the sling and understand safety. This is very important. So you will need to have an idea of what you’d like to try out before coming to a session, that is, which type of sling you’d like to try out: buckle carriers, stretchy wrap, Close Caboo, ringsling, woven wrap, meh dai, toddler carriers etc… To help you narrow things, you can have a read of my (absolutely fascinating) blogs
or message me to try and narrow things down together (text/DM only). You’re always welcome to book more appts or come to other sessions if you want to try other types of slings later one. In all honesty, starting slow with just a couple of slings is much more manageable when you have a small baby than risking becoming overwhelmed by a ton of information and piles of slings (trust me, I’ve been doing this for almost 10 years!). If you already have a sling and need a fit check or learn how to use it in different positions or learn to feed in it, we can help you with that too! Please be aware that for safety reasons we don’t teach back carries with woven wraps to beginners but we can help you perfect your technique if you need a boost!
At Wrap a Hug, we run regular sessions with slightly different formats on different sites in Tower Hamlets and Hackney. You can hire slings at all sessions:
Bethnal Green sling library
The Bethnal Green sling library runs on a Thursday morning, 10am to 1pm, twice or thrice a month at The Canvas E2. It is ran by me and Jazz, another sling consultant and sometimes we have a third consultant when things are very busy. It is appointment-based with 20mins allocated slots either 1-0-1 or you might be paired with another parent coming to try out the same sling (this will be agreed prior). You can try a sling type on (e.g., stretchy wrap, ringsling, buckle carriers, onbuhimo woven wrap…), work with your own sling (fit check or learning how to use your sling in a different position) or learn how to feed in a sling. We decide on what you want to do before your appointment. You can also come and try slings on by yourself without an appointment (please do get in touch ahead) or assistance from us if you are confident and already have used slings before (e.g., if you want to try lots of buckle carriers on or want to play with different ringslings and woven wraps). Fees apply for the appointment. Get in touch ASAP to book as we are booked quite in advance. Next dates: March 2024: 28th. April 2024: 18th and 25th. May: 9th and 23rd, June: 13th and 27th, July: 11th (25th TBC). You can find all the information here.
Hackney Sling Clinic
The Hackney sling clinic is ran monthly on a Friday morning at 11am at Hackney Central library E8, straight after the Hackney Real Nappy Networks’ cloth nappy demo which starts at 10am. This session is dedicated to sling fit checks and it’s 10mins per person/parents are grouped together if they have the same slings. Parents come with their own sling/s and I show you how to use them, check the fit and positioning, show you alternative positioning or how to feed in it. Or if you want to try a particular sling or brand you can also get in touch and I’ll bring it with me for you to try either by yourself or with assistance. I don’t bring a lot of slings with me for this session so make you contact me before coming so I bring the sling you want to try out, and please register to tell me that you’re coming for a fit check. It is ran only by me and is free, but donations are gratefully received for my time! You can hire on the day. Next dates: April 19th, May 17th, June 14th, July 12th. You can find all the information here
Tower Hamlets Family Meet-up
The Tower Hamlets Family meet-up is ran every first Thursday of the month (except in August when we take a break) at Poplar Union E14 10.30am-1pm. It is a space for new and expectant parents to find their ‘village’. You can meet other parents, chat, get professional support from the various perinatal experts who come and volunteer and we offer babywearing support from me and other sling consultants (you can come if you don’t need babywearing help!). The meet is usually quite busy, so we try to group up parents who want to try the same slings together. It’s very sociable and fun! We can’t offer long 1-0-1s but you can tag along and try various slings with other parents in groups. The support we offer is very much the same as the Bethnal Green sling library’s one except we don’t book appt slots. You can also get fit checks with your own slings/ learn how to feed in slings. Best for parents who prefer not having an appt time (but try to come at the start of the meet, we won’t be able to help people who arrive right at the end) and are happy to be grouped up and want to be sociable with other parents. You can hire slings on the day. The meet is free but we kindly ask for a small donation to cover the room hire. You can find all the info here.
Clapton Sling Information Session
The sling information at the Round Chapel in Clapton E5 runs every few weeks on a Wednesday morning 10am-11.30am alongside the Hackney Real Nappy Network’s Give and Take whereby you can come and pick up free nappies and baby and maternity clothes and items. I offer a free sling information session there where you can ask questions, watch demos and try a couple of slings on and get fit checks with your own slings/learn different positioning/learn how to feed. As it is usually quite busy and I run this session alone, you might be grouped up with other parents. I bring a variety of slings with me, but please contact me ahead if you want to try a particular sling/brand. You can hire on the day. It is free, but donations are gratefully received for my time. Next date: June 26th. You can find all the information here
Workshops
We occasionally run dedicated workshops at the Canvas in Bethnal Green E2 (Thursday morning) to learn how to use 1 particular type of sling or learn a special skill. Those are advertised on my social media platforms and on this page, so keep an eye out!
Next one: Stretchy wrap workshop May 16th, Canvas, Bethnal Green E2
Wrap a Hug Sling Library East London 