In addtion, babywearing encourages healthy mental and emotional development and research shows babies who are worn cry less.

The first two trips were hosted in collaboration with Morecambe Bay Slings.  This library loans baby carriers to families and provides support in how to use the sling.  The first trip to Clapham, which took place in May saw the group of parents travel from Lancaster to Clapham.   After the walk from the station to the village, everyone enjoyed a cake and a drink in the sunshine.   One of the mums commented that she would return to the village again in the summer now she knew how easy the journey was with a sling.

The other trip saw other parents visit Grange-Over-Sands from Lancaster in June.  After enjoying refreshments at the Hazlemere, the babies, toddlers and their parents went to feed the ducks and had a walk around the gardens before playing in the park.  Many parents made friends with each other on this trip and swapped details in order to meet up again.  Sometimes it can be lonely when one is on maternity leave, so it is fantastic that these trips have helped to address social isolation.

In September, Community Rail Lancashire teamed up with CarryMoor Sling Library and Carrying Consultancy. Like Morecambe Bay Slings, this library loans slings and provides support in how to use them.   The group met at Shipley Station where Northern kindly provided a space to get the babies into the slings and to leave the prams.  After all the mums felt comfortable with their babies in the carriers, they headed off to Ilkley where they had refreshments at the Outside the Box cafe which were kindly paid for by Northern.  Outside the Box offers a supported work environment that helps adults with learning disabilities gain real experience and develop new skills.

After the coffee and cake, the group had a look around the shops where they commented how much easier it was to look around the store without a bulky pushchair.   One mum, Sadie said she was “totally converted” to babywearing after her trip and looked forward to making further journeys with a sling.

For more information about;

Morecambe Bay Slings: https://morecambebayslings.co.uk/

CarryMoor: https://carrymoor.co.uk/

Outside the Box: http://www.outsidetheboxcafe.com/