Exeter Slingathon: slinging mums and dads take over the city

On Saturday 12 October from 11am, there will be a large gathering of 'babywearers' at the Cathedral Green, ie mums and dads who choose to wear their babies and toddlers in slings or ergonomic baby carriers, rather than use a buggy. This is called the Exeter Slingathon, and is part of a national Slingathon initiative for International Babywearing Week.

At around 11.30am, there will be a gentle sling-based 10min exercise class led by Emma Jones, a postnatal fitness instructor and babywearer of her toddler, Eva. This will be followed by a walk around the town, taking in Northernhay Gardens and elsewhere.

The Slingathon is being organised jointly by Emma, Arabella of The Natural Nursery (a local business selling slings, along with cloth nappies and other eco-friendly baby products), and Gill of Isca Sling Library (which hires out slings to parents to try before they buy). It will be the culmination of a week of events to promote and celebrate babywearing in Exeter.

International Babywearing Week exists to promote the benefits of wearing your baby in a sling or ergonomic baby carrier. Some of the benefits include: calmer babies, happier mums (less likely to suffer PND), a greater and earlier bonding, easier breastfeeding (meaning women may choose to breastfeed for longer), a great way for dads to be close to their babies, convenience in being able to comfort your baby while remaining hands-free, and more.

IBW also seeks to inform parents about the negative aspects of the most prominent high street carriers, such as that they don't support baby's thighs properly which can be bad for physical development, and also that the weight is not distributed properly making longterm usage of the carrier very difficult. In contrast, many parents still regularly 'babywear' their older babies and toddlers because the slings/carriers being used are well-designed, often drawing on the wealth of knowledge from mothers in Africa and elsewhere. In many countries, it is standard practice to wear young children for several years, and it is seen by many as a very natural and instinctive way to parent.

You are invited to come along to watch or take part on Saturday. If you have a little one and don't have a sling, you are still very welcome. And if you want to ask questions about babywearing, there will be plenty of slinging mums and dads on hand to help out!