Transcript: 3 Gentle Baby Sling & Babywearing Hacks for Stress-Free Days with Baby

This is a text transcript from The First Time Mum’s Chat podcast. The episode is called 3 Gentle Baby Sling & Babywearing Hacks for Stress-Free Days with Baby and you can click on the link to view the full episode page, listen to the episode and view the show notes.

Helen Thompson: Welcome to First Time Mum’s Chat. I’m Helen Thompson, a childcare educator and baby massage instructor, with over 20 years of experience supporting families. On this podcast, I share practical tips, expert insights, and calming support to help you feel less overwhelmed and more confident as you step into motherhood.

Now, let me ask you this. Have you ever wished you could soothe your baby while still having your hand to get through the day? Or wondered if baby wearing could actually help you bond more deeply, settle colic, or even boost your confidence as a new mom?

In this episode, I’m joined by Hannah Eccles from Oscha Slings, a beautiful Scottish company, creating handcrafted, sustainable baby carriers.

Hannah not only works with Oscha, she’s also a mom who has experienced the magic of baby wearing firsthand. She shares how carrying your baby close can help you read their cues, calm unsettled moments and even bring that ” sleepy dust” every parent dreams of those magical naps where baby settles against your chest and you both finally exhale.

We’ll also cover safety must-knows, choosing fabrics for different climates and yes, even how baby wearing can support breastfeeding.

So if you are ready to discover how something as simple as a sling could transform your early parenting journey, you won’t want to miss this conversation.

Hannah, welcome to First Time Mum’s Chat. I’m delighted to have you here today. As someone with, with Scottish Roots like myself, it feels extra special to be talking to you. So welcome to first time Moms chat.

Hannah Eccles: Thank you very much, Helen. I’m delighted to be here today.

Helen Thompson: So Hannah, what first inspired your passion for baby wearing and how does it tie in with the story of Oscha?

Hannah Eccles: So when I started working at Oscha slings, about 12 years ago now, so it was much before I was ready to have a baby of my own. And I was just amazed at the world of baby wearing. So when Oscha started up, about three years previous to when I arrived, it was very much a sort of buy, sell, trade, you know, on Facebook, it was kind of the peak of all of that and Oscha was right at the center of this. The owners, father and daughter team, Mike and Zoe, they brought a kind of new look to the baby wearing world really. So it was very much design led with the parent in mind and our customers just absolutely loved our designs and the unique colorways. And because I had studied at the Edinburgh College of Art, so I’ve done a design degree, I kind of felt really connected with the brand because I could see all of the design and artistry that went into it.

And I’m also really passionate about British craft. So for me, that really connected the two things. So I could see that this product was being appreciated and enjoyed by mums across the world, but it also connected in with my values. So British Craft, looking at real kind of design led products, which kinda married into what I believed in.

And we are still true to that today. So everything is made in the UK and we’re really proud of that actually because it’s quite unique, to have baby carriers and slings being made in the UK still. So that was a really big part of it for me. And then of course, as I’ve continued to work in the role and continued to grow with the business and having my own babies, it was such a pleasure to be able to carry in our slings.

Helen Thompson: I’m really passionate about being born in Scotland and have my roots still in Scotland.

Hannah Eccles: Yes, I should clarify, we actually make everything in Scotland and we are really proud of that as well. Mike is actually from England, I believe, but you know, we’re so interconnected over here with families and everything. But Zoe is absolutely very passionate about having production in Scotland, which we do. But we have our fabrics woven in a historic mill in Lancashire, so that’s in England. So technically the full product is made within the British Isles, but it is made in Scotland, yes.

Helen Thompson: So, what do you see as the biggest benefit? I’m not talking just about the practical side, I’m talking about the emotional side too and the touch and when they’re having tough days when you’re tired and juggling everything.

Hannah Eccles: So I think in terms of baby wear in general, it’s really is that being able to be a little bit more hands free. I had a baby that didn’t want to be put down very often. Certainly not for naps, certainly not in in the pram. So I used the slings to carry them and then able to get on a little bit more easily with the day-to-day tasks that you all need to achieve as moms.

So I think that at the core of that is really a big thing. But I think that there’s an emotional element to that as well around bonding and emotional attachment and being close to your baby, but also being able to see their cues as well. So if you have them close and connected with you, you can more easily react. Do they need fed, have they got a windy tummy, do they need a nappy? All of that sort of thing and that builds confidence and it kinda makes things a little bit easier. So you’re catching these things before baby gets into a bit of a fuss and then it avoids that kind of overwhelm of, oh my goodness, baby’s really upset now toddler needs this. You can kind of grow in confidence and be a little bit ahead of the curve.

In terms of our particular slings at Oscha, I would say that the design and the beauty of them are really important to our community of moms. And I think that when everything is overwhelming, you maybe haven’t showered for a couple of days, you don’t feel your best, you don’t feel that you look your best, wrapping up your baby in a sling or popping a carrier on that makes you feel beautiful and actually just gives you that little bit of sense of self in amongst all of that. We’ve heard from our customers that that’s something that’s really important and it’s probably something that people don’t really think about, but actually it’s important to feel a little bit good as a mom too.

You’re devoting so much of your time and energy to your little ones. It’s nice to kinda have something for you that is also a practical tool.

Helen Thompson: I like those. I particularly like what you said about the bonding and the cues because I come from a childcare and baby massage background, and I’m very aware of, baby’s cues and relating to the baby and talking to the baby and communicating with the the baby.

And when you are struggling, as you said, when your one wanted to be picked up all the time, having them in that sling, you can be walking around and you can be talking to them and having a chat to them whilst you’re doing other things and I think that can be quite calming for you, but it can also be incredibly calming for the baby ’cause they can actually feel your heartbeat while you’re talking to them, which I think is great and that’s a great benefit.

Hannah Eccles: Yeah, absolutely and I think that really ties into the concept of the fourth trimester. The three months after baby arrives into the world. We’re talking about quite small babies in this situation, but obviously these benefits kind of expand over months. But at the very start, it can be really overwhelming for little newborns coming into the world. Bright lights, noise, smells, senses, there’s a lot going on. And so to be able to cocoon them within a sling on your chest, they have that familiar heartbeat rhythm that they’re used to. They have your smell, your scent, the hormones are all there and I think that kind of can also almost ease that transition into the world.

And they can nuzzle in if they feel overwhelmed or they can kind of look around a little bit more if they want to kinda take in more of the world. So I think that is a really lovely benefit that maybe new moms wouldn’t have really thought about or kind of thinking about, okay, how is it gonna feel for my baby when they first come into the world?

Being able to be cocooned next to mom or dad is a really, really lovely benefit that actually makes everybody feel that little bit calmer as the transition into motherhood as well as into the world, is happening.

Helen Thompson: Yeah, definitely. I’m also thinking about the safety aspect. How would I know I’m wrapping them up safely so that they don’t actually fall out? How can we make it more comfortable for a mom.

Hannah Eccles: Yes and being a mom of a newborn myself, I really do understand that worry and that fear, because everything is new, they’re very delicate. You are worrying about how to hold them, how to position them, is everything okay, are they still breathing? That’s always going on in your mind as a new mom. So I think really with baby wearing in general, so not just our slings, but with all carriers and all wraps and slings, there are two main points that you need to look out for when you are carrying your baby.

And it’s also important or useful to recognize that any container you put your baby in, you need to be aware of these things too. A car chair, a pram, a cot. So the first thing is that their airways are clear. So you don’t want any fabric or anything obstructing their face. It could be your clothing, it could be a blanket or a muslin or whatever it is.

But when you have your baby in the sling their nose, and their mouth should be clear. And that just allows clear airflow, clear circulation. And the second thing is that they should have a supported back. Now this is what aids their airways being clear. So you need to make sure that the sling is on tight enough that they’re not able to slump down into the carrier. And this is really important when they’re little babies, and like I say, with any sling or carrier or any position that you’re carrying your baby, and even in arms obviously too. And what’s great about the wrap style slings is that you can tighten them exactly to your baby and to your body.

So you can make sure that that fabric is covered right the way across their back and they’re really supported. And their cheek should be resting across next to your chest. So there should be enough space between their chin and their own chest. You could fit two fingers in underneath their chin and their chest.

So basically what you’re looking for is that their own chin can’t sit onto their own chest. So if you have a supportive back, then they’re not able to curl down. So that is where the supportive back comes from. Now to know whether you’ve got your sling on too tight or too loose, there’s a couple of steps that you can look at.

It’s good to remember that too tight is better than too loose when we’re talking about baby wearing and baby slings. So it’s safer to have your sling just that little bit tight than it is to have it a little bit loose. So to find out whether it’s too tight. If you are unable to take a full breath in without feeling restricted, then it is not too tight. If you are looking to see whether it’s on too loose, then support the back of baby’s head, gently lean forward and if your baby moves more than one centimeter away from you, then it’s too loose and you re-tighten.

So there’s a couple of really practical steps that you can look out for, just to check whether it’s on too tight or too loose. Most important thing is airways are clear of fabric, baby can’t rest onto their own chest, they should be resting onto your chest instead.

Helen Thompson: Yeah, you don’t want the baby to fall out, but you also don’t want the baby to feel too tight either because they’ll be congested.

Hannah Eccles: Yeah. And I think in terms of tightness, you’ll kind of feel that in your own body. You’ll feel that, okay, I can’t breathe in properly. And if you think about the size of baby’s chest and how much baby can expand, it’s much, much smaller. So if you are finding it difficult to breathe and take that full breath of air, then that’s an indication that, okay, it is a bit tight, but you know, you’re probably still far from the sling being too tight on.

It’s much smaller than you are in terms of how much you’re breathing and your chest is gonna expand quite a lot. So that’s a good guide to understand the tightness for the safety element of it.

Helen Thompson: Where you live in Scotland, it can get cold in the winter and wet. In the summer in Australia it gets warm and in Scotland you get snow. So what sort of fabrics do you have to keep the baby warm, but on the other extreme to keep them cool in the summer? I’m not sure if they’re tweed or not.

Hannah Eccles: We have got a huge number of different types of fibers and I think it’s one of the things that our customers love most about us. It can feel overwhelming at the start if you’re brand new because you kind of come onto the website and you think, okay, what fabric is it that I should be looking for here, what’s going to be suitable for me?

We’ve got lots of guides and you can also reach out to us and we can help you decide. But we’re always looking at trialing new yarn and fabric compositions. So what I would say is we do have woolly slings. So we’ve got wool slings, so super wash cache wool is a customer favorite, so that would be a great option for the winter months or the cooler months, but wool is also temperature regulating, so it’s gonna keep you cool but cool in the summer months as well. Depending on your climate obviously. If you have really hot summers, you’re not going to maybe feel comfortable in wool, but somewhere like Scotland or Europe or even some states in the US and parts of Australia, you might actually find a little hint of wool during the summer can actually be temperature regulating too. And we also have different thicknesses of slings as well. So it could be that you go for a slightly thicker one if you’re really intending to carry more in the winter months.

And then on the flip side, we have many different yarns that are perfect for summer and perfect for cooling. So there’s actually a yarn that we’ve been working with recently called ice cotton, which is spun in a particular way that repels the heat and it’s very breathable and it actually does feel cool to the touch.

And this fabric, this yarn has been a real customer favorite. So we always get asked for it around summer months as well. That’s really designed for summer and that could be designed for winter.

But you do have then your classic linens. So we have European wet spun linen that we use and we have hemp blends as well and these are particularly good for the summer months ’cause they’re moisture wicking, they’re breathable, they’re airy. And then of course we have our just 100% BCI organic combed cotton. So we only use the best fibers available basically and our BCI stands for a better cotton initiative. So it’s healthy for the farmers and there’s a whole cycle of production, in terms of the sustainability as well as the farming practices of that cotton, are all certified under the Better Cotton Initiative, and that’s organic as well.

So that’s kinda like our baseline and that would be great for all climates. And then of course you can look at, like I mentioned before, the weight of the slings. So if you’re looking to carry in really warm weather, you might want quite a thin sling because, it is obviously a, a less thick layer of fabric over you and your baby. Then in the winter months, you might want to go for something slightly heavier. However, like I say, you could go just for one type of fabric that takes you all year round. And then what you would do is you would adjust your clothing and your baby’s clothing so you would make sure that the baby was wearing a layer less in the summer, and of course they don’t have to be wearing a lot. If you are in really warm weather and you’re obviously be staying under the shade as much as you can and you’ve got your sling over you and your baby to carry them, but then, you can just have a little vest top or something there too.

It’s being aware of that because I know that heat is again, a safety factor. So what you want to be doing is looking out for, okay, are we feeling sweaty, do we need to take off a layer? Again, you’re next to your baby, so you can tell right away if they feel too hot or too cold.

So that’s a really lovely one. And, and also I should mention in terms of temperature regulation, especially for little babies although it probably is true for slightly older babies as well, that being close to mom, you do get, if you do a skin to skin contact, which you can do with the slings as well, you get that temperature regulation.

Helen Thompson: And that’s so important, skin to skin. What if it’s wet or if it’s snowing or, blowing a gale? I know they keep warm, but what if the fabric gets wet?

Hannah Eccles: So what I would definitely recommend would be a baby wearing coat. So you can buy a baby wearing coat or you can go for a coat that is larger than you need. So it might even be your partner’s coat that you wear while you’re carrying a baby in the sling.

So obviously it is fabric, so it is gonna get wet. It is just the fact if you want to carry a baby in the sling and you want to go out for a lovely walk in the snow and maybe it rains or wherever you’re going is not buggy friendly, not push-chair friendly, you’re going on public transport, whatever it is. I do still have a great baby wearing coat and it had an extra panel, in the front and it would just seal up and little baby’s head would be out the top and they would have a little hat on, just like I would, and I would have my hood up and by the time I had my hood up and they had their hat on, I could see that their airways were still nice and clear and everything was fine. They were cozy inside. Then once we got to where we were going, maybe a cafe or whatever it was, take that coat off and then you’ve got your baby in the sling and you don’t need to readjust them. You don’t need to take their snow suit off, or take their layers away because they’ve been cocooned and cozy in you and on really cold days, I would’ve had a cardigan over us both and then my coat over that so that whenever I was going and likely they would fall asleep as well. So likely I wouldn’t need to get them all out of the sling and everything. You just take off the layers.

So that’s generally what we would do, is we would kind of suggest, okay, wear your baby and the way you want to wear them, where you’re getting to your destination and layer on top.

Helen Thompson: Yeah, that sounds sensible ’cause you don’t want to put too many clothes on the baby because otherwise it’ll make the sling much looser too.

Hannah Eccles: Yeah. It means you’re a wee bit less intuitive with what’s going on. I remember as well taking my son, we would be just going somewhere in the car and when they’re little, they can’t stay very long in the car chair and you’d have to take them out off the car.

He’d be sleeping and I’d be getting nervous. Okay. He’s in his little sleep snowsuit thing, I need to take him out, wake him up and get him all out. Whereas when I was going somewhere in the sling with my baby wearing coat on, it was actually so much easier and much less stressful ’cause I didn’t need to wake him, arouse him, take him out of where he was and, and all of that.

So yeah, I do find that it is a really lovely way, I mean, it’s obviously not always practical. You might have to transition them from the car every so often. But if you are battling cold weather, then a baby wearing coat is definitely a must.

Helen Thompson: Does your little one only settle when they’re being held? You are certainly not alone. So many moms I talk with face this daily. One of the easiest solutions is babywearing, and that’s why I’m so excited to have partnered with Oscha Slings, the beautiful Scottish company. Their slings are sustainable, handcrafted, and so comfortable. They create gorgeous, practical carriers that keep your baby close while giving you your hands back. You’ll find my special link in the show notes or at MyBabyMassage.net/Oscha. And by using it, you’ll also be helping support First Time Mum’s Chat.

How can you tell when your baby’s getting too big for this sling? I’m thinking of a mom who’s got a baby and then they transition to a toddler and then they might have a second baby. Can you carry two at the same time?

Hannah Eccles: Yes, you absolutely can. So we have our customers, oh my goodness, it is brilliant. So you, you will see photographs if you join our community group, Clan Oscha on Facebook, you will see lots of our customers carrying toddlers on their backs and babies on their fronts.

And that’s a really fun way to get around and can be practical for lots of moms too. So it depends really on what kinds of slings. So at Oscha we make the woven wrap style slings and the ring sling style slings. We also have a bairn carrier, which is a full buckle carrier and then we have a hybrid carrier called the cairis carrier, which is between a full buckle and a wrap. So if you’re going for a wrap, generally you could wear that one wrap with your newborn all the way up to toddlerhood. What you may find is if you’ve gone for a fairly thin sling, so that would maybe be something between 250 and 280 GSM, what you might find is you might need to learn a new carry that we would call a double layer carry, which is where you’d have the fabric going over twice. So it would mean that it would be more comfortable on your shoulders. When you’re just carrying one baby or a little baby, you can do a single layer carry, we call it. So that would mean that you would just have one layer fabric over your shoulders, but there’s lots of different types of caries that you can do.

So you would adjust your carry for that. So it could be that you have a tiny little newborn, you’re carrying them on the front, then when they grow, you can carry them on your back with a double layer carry, like a double hammock. That’s one of the names of the double layer carry and ring slings as well. The same ring sling could be used from newborn to toddlerhood.

When it comes to carriers, like a full buckle carrier or a half buckle carrier, that’s where you would have like a buckle around the waist and then tie straps, and that’s similar to our cairis carrier. What you’re looking for there is really like the width of the body panel. So you’re looking for it to be knee to knee. So that means that the fabric of the sling goes into each knee pit. And that just provides comfortable support for your baby. And then you’re also looking at the panel height. So with a little baby who doesn’t have head control, you’re looking for the panel height. Panel height should be just at the nape of the neck here.

And as baby grows, if they’re a toddler, you could be looking at the panel height just under the armpit. So basically what you’d be looking at is the width and the height, and once they start growing out of that size, then you’d need to go up to the toddler size version of that carrier.

So when you have a wrap, because you’re tying the wrap exactly to the baby’s knees, and it’s always gonna be wide enough to reach any toddler height that’s why you can use one all the way through, but when it comes to carriers, you would need to size up. But to be honest, most carriers will last. For example, our bairn carrier goes from zero to two. The cairis carrier goes from zero to two and a half. So it’s really only once you’re looking to carry over kind of two, two and a half that you might find that you need to size up to the toddler version.

Helen Thompson: We mentioned earlier about skin to skin, which is the heartbeat and everything on the front, but does it matter if you put them on the back? if I was carrying a baby i’d like to have them on my front so I could watch and observe what they’re doing and watch all the little smiles and all that kind of stuff and feel their feet and feel their hands.

That would be harder to put on, I would’ve thought if it’s on the back, ’cause you can’t really see what you’re doing. Would that be right?

Hannah Eccles: Yeah, so with back carrying, what we would say would be that babies should be able to sit upright fully on their own. So you’re looking at around six months or so and that’s really where we do find that perhaps if you’re cooking or something at home it wouldn’t be safe to obviously work with hot liquids and things with baby on the front. You might find that when they just get a bit bigger, six months plus, you might just find it more comfortable to have them on your back.

It is definitely a skill, you do need to learn how to put them on your back. There’s lots of YouTube videos for that. And there’s also sling consultants and many sling consultants will do online consultations as well so you can learn how to do it. And we would always say to practice with a doll or a teddy until you feel comfortable, and then you would have a spotter with you. So have a, a partner or a friend or a parent with you to help you just be there, until you get the confidence to put baby on your back. It is better to see a visual on this.

What you would generally do is have baby sort of semi tied into the sling, and then you can supported, scoot them round your back, and I would also recommend until you get really confident that you do that in front of a mirror or even a car window or something. You can kind of check to see, okay, is that looking right?

And then once you get really familiar, you’ll know exactly what you’re looking out for, which are their legs squint in the carrier and so on. But because your baby will be bigger, they’ll be more robust. They actually do have a clinging reflex as well. So you will find that actually standing upright and putting baby around your back, it’s not as hard as you might imagine it to be, but it definitely is something that you would need to learn and baby needs to get used to it as well. And so you’ll find that the more you do it, the more you practice, the more everybody becomes comfortable with it.

Helen Thompson: I’ve tried to carry babies when I’ve been nannying in slings, and I’ve just done it round the house. ’cause I’ve been a bit scared that I wouldn’t do it properly. But from what you’re saying, it’s not that hard.

Hannah Eccles: I guess it’s different maybe when you’re thinking about caring for a child that’s maybe not your own as well. You might feel a bit more nervous. But I think it’s about developing the skill and the repetition of doing something. Anything that you’re learning that’s new, it does take time to practice. But it will be worth it in the end. So yeah, it’s one of those things that does just take a little bit of time.

Helen Thompson: I know many moms struggle with fussy and colicky babies through my baby massage. So do you find baby wearing with the closeness of that and the gentle rhythm of movement can help soothe unsettled babies?

Hannah Eccles: Absolutely. So I think with refluxy babies, a sling can really be a lifesaver because it gives you, again, that hands free. If you’re feeling that you need to bounce, walk and move baby and have that rhythm all of the time, not having to have your hands supporting them and holding them in that moment or for however many hours need to do that for is gonna feel much more sustainable for you.

Also you’re likely gonna be sleep deprived. It’s just a really difficult time, you’re exhausted yourself. So being able to have baby in the sling and sway from side to side, even to some music or something it really is a life saver. I would also say that because the slings carry baby upright too. So of course refluxive babies generally have less symptoms when they’re upright. And then you do get a wee bit of a tummy massage going on when you’ve got your tummy against their tummy and you’re doing that movement. So that’s quite nice to think about it in those terms as well.

It might be that you’re actually able to, just chop some things, make a sandwich or, you know, do whatever it is that you, that you wouldn’t be able to do if you were carrying that baby that was really unsettled, in arms, like you’re actually able to care for yourself a little bit as well. Or even pop outside and get a little bit of fresh air and go for a wee walk without having to carry them without a support. So I think it’s a really good tool if you’ve got a refluxy or colicy baby.

I found that with my son, like I mentioned earlier, he didn’t sleep in the bassinet, so I didn’t have a rest, so I would find that popping him into the sling, it was like my time and quite often I would just sit down once he was sleeping and just have a little bit of me time, a little bit of a rest.

It was just that way where you do just feel exhausted in those early days and actually having a sling can help with that, especially if you’ve got a baby who doesn’t like to be put down.

Helen Thompson: If you are breastfeeding, can you actually breastfeed in this sling as well?

Hannah Eccles: Yes, you can. With breastfeeding there’s a couple of safety elements that you need to be aware of, but you absolutely can breastfeed in the sling. There’s some studies to prove that carrying your baby in a sling can help with milk production and can promote breastfeeding. So that’s a lovely thing to think of if you are struggling a little bit there. And then of course, it enhances bonding too, which also then helps with milk production and helps with yeah, with breastfeeding too.

So what you would do is you would breastfeed them generally in an upright position. So you would loosen off the sling, you’d bring the whole sling and baby down, and then you would re-tighten. There are some cradle positions but you do need to look at YouTube video or make sure that you’re doing those right.

And the three points actually to keep in mind is that breastfeeding in a sling is never hands free. So you can’t take both hands off baby. You need to still support baby because that sling is loosened and you need to basically be aware of them and you need to ensure as well that their head is again, not covered by any fabric. So the same safety elements apply. Airways are open, airways are free, nothing’s covering the fabric and their head should also be allowed to move. So the idea would be that you wouldn’t have any fabric coming up the back of their head.

So you’ll notice when you’re breastfeeding that sometimes babies like to pop off. They take a little bit too much milk and they need to take their head back in kind of a sharp motion. You need to allow that. If you have something tight at the back of baby’s head, pushing baby’s head towards the boob, that’s when they can suffocate in terms of having their face right into your boob.

So it’s really important. You can do it and lots of moms do it, but you need to ensure that it’s not hands free. You need to be observing your baby and you need to ensure that they can take their head away from your boob if they need to. And then you must reposition them upright tightly back into the sling afterwards. So you burp them, bring them up, get them tightened back into the sling, and you wouldn’t leave them in that lower position, in that looser position. Even when you do loosen them down, you should probably really tighten it to a certain extent. But you’ll be supporting them with your hand anyway. So what it allows you to do is it allows you to maybe have one hand free. It allows you to observe your baby, maybe be standing somewhere, maybe be waiting for a bus. Maybe be on a bus, maybe also it’s quite nice because you can do it quite discreetly as well. You’ll find that there’d be breastfeeding moms out and about who can feed their babies on the go.

You absolutely can once you get the confidence in it as well. Maybe when they’re a wee bit bigger you can walk down the street and be feeding your baby, ’cause you’re still keeping a wee eye on them, you’re still making sure that they’re all okay. As baby grows and depending on the size of your test as well, you can get away with a little bit more. I would feed my son in our ring sling quite often and, nobody would realize that’s what he was doing.

So yes you can, and it’s a really practical wee bit of a skill to develop and it’s just really, really important when breastfeeding that you reposition them, that you do support them and that you’re observant of them.

Helen Thompson: Every baby burps, every baby spews up, every baby has their little sicky moments. Can they be washed easily?

Hannah Eccles: Absolutely. Yes. So that’s really important as well for all mums to be aware of. So, depending on what fabric you’re going for, of course. So if your sling or carrier contains silk or wool, then there’ll be hand washed and we would say that.

And if you trust your washing machine, go ahead. But that’s up to you in terms of making that decision. But we do have lots of easy care fabrics. So your linens, your hemp, your cotton, they can really be put through their paces, washed time and time again. And the ring sling style slings actually improve with use the more they’re washed and wore and they feel softer, they feel more easy to tie.

With the carriers, we would recommend putting them sometimes into maybe a pillow case just to protect the buckle so you don’t have the buckles clanking around your machine. But yeah, you can, I mean, normally we would just say like a gentle wash for a carrier, a gentle hand wash cycle. You can wash the slings. I mean, it’s really important when you’ve got babies who might have explosive nappies or who are sicky babies that you can pop any of the Oscha slings into the wash, depending on, on the fiber obviously.

If you do go for something that’s silk or wool, you’d need to take a little bit more care with that.

Helen Thompson: I’ve looked on your website and I’ve seen the slings with the buckle and i’ve actually watched how you do it, and I sort of looked at it and I thought, gosh, I should get a doll and try doing it with a doll. It didn’t look too hard. It actually looked reasonably easy.

So for a mum listening who feels unsure or overwhelmed what’s one simple step she could take to feel more confident with baby wearing?

Hannah Eccles: I think really you just have to give it a go. I think you have to recognize it’s not gonna be perfect first time, as long as you’re looking out for those wee safety elements. And even if you’re just popping on for 15 minutes or half an hour in the house, just to start getting a feel for it, just to get baby used to it as well.

What we do find as well is that if you are looking to try and you do feel a bit nervous, try it with a doll, try it with a teddy. Get used to actually doing the clips or moving the fabric around, tying the fabric. Feel how that adjusts. Feel how it knots, be aware if you pull this piece of fabric that there tightens and then also being aware that baby might not like it right away as well. If you haven’t tried it right away. When they’re really little, they might be like, oh, what’s this, i’m not sure about this. But our tip would be to make sure they’re fed, they’re changed, they’re not in a really grumpy mood, pop them into the sling, try it on and start moving. Go for a little walk, pop out into the garden, pop upstairs, just move a little bit and you’ll find that they’ll settle in the sling. So I think just go for it, try it, practice a little bit with a doll or teddy if you’re worried and when you do have them in the sling, just do have a little bit of movement. You’ll find that they’ll settle quite quickly if they’ve been a little bit fussy, like, oh, what’s this not really used to this fabric or not used to being held in that position. And especially if you are able to step outside the front door, you’ll be amazed at how just changing that environment and going out into the fresh air, they’ll be like, oh alright, okay and then if you’re able to get your bits on and go for a little bit of a walk, then you’ll understand the benefits of it and then you’ll feel that closeness with baby as well, which is really lovely.

And thinking about the mood of your baby when you’re trying it for the first time, and also you as well. If you’re feeling a little bit stressed or if you are not rested, or if you’ve not had your lunch and if you feel really nervous, I would definitely do it with your partner there, or a friend or a parent and just say, look, I really want to try this, I feel a bit nervous, can you help me? Then, you’ve got somebody there for moral support as well.

Definitely look at YouTube videos. We’ve got lots of videos on our website as well. At Oschaslings.com and there’s videos that we would recommend just to try the most simple type of carrier try that one first and see how you get on. Then obviously follow the instructions if it’s a carrier that you have too, so you’re tying it correctly. But yeah, just have somebody there to help you if you really need help.

The other thing is if you really want to get into it and you are really worried, again, you could look up a sling consultant or a sling library near you and you could actually go and see somebody and have that one-on-one experience with them. Or like I say, you can do online consultations quite often and you could even contact us and we could put you in touch with somebody. We have lots of Oscha online consultants that we work with.

So you could actually do that as well. And then you’ll get like a one-on-one confidence boosting session, which could be really handy as well.

Helen Thompson: And if anybody wanted to find out about your slings and find out about you, how would they go about doing that?

Hannah Eccles: Yeah, so the best place is to look at our website, which is Oschaslings.com. We are also on Instagram. You should definitely join our Facebook community, Clan Oscha. So that kind of chimes in with our Scottish brand, our lovely clan of mothers from all over the world. And we do ship internationally and that is such a good way to see other moms wearing our slings, using our slings. You can ask them questions. You can say, okay, I’ve got this age of baby, I haven’t used this before, i’m not sure which one to go for, what do you think?

And of course TikTok as well, so there’s lots of places you can touch base with us.

Helen Thompson: Well, thank you so much for being here today, I’ve really enjoyed the conversation. It’s been great. Thank you for spending the time to come on and having a chat to me. I really appreciated it.

Hannah Eccles: You’re very welcome. It’s been brilliant to talk. I think I said to you before, it is my favorite topic, so babies and slings and then being able to share with the world about Oscha as well, because we are a small business and it’s just wonderful to have so many fans and for you to recognize the artistry and the design and everything that’s gone into our slings and the Scottish heritage and everything. That’s really lovely.

Helen Thompson: Thank you so much for joining me today and to Hannah Eccles for sharing her passion and knowledge about baby wearing with Oscha slings.

We’ve covered how carrying your baby close can help you pick up on their cues more easily, soothe unsettled moments and bring a deeper sense of calm and connection into your day. We’ve also explored safety tips, fabric choices and even how slings can support breastfeeding.

If you’d like to try an Oscha Sling for yourself, I’ve added my special ink in the show notes or simply head to MyBabyMassage.net/Oscha. By using that link, you’ll be supporting this podcast at no extra cost to you and you’ll discover some of the most beautifully crafted carriers around.

Before you go, I’d love to hear your thoughts. What did you take away from today’s episode? Do you have a babywearing question I didn’t cover? Reach out through the details in the show notes or leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it really helps other moms find the show.

And don’t forget to join me in the next episode, where I’ll be sharing baby shopping made easy. We’ll be talking about the essentials versus what’s nice to have. Looking forward to seeing you there.