Come to Chat and Find out About Slings and Babywearing
Sling Meets & Libraries
In response to demand, Babywearing Ireland (BWI) have been setting up and running local sling meets all over the country. BWI Sling Meets are peer-to-peer support meetings, facilitated by volunteers who are experienced babywearers. Peer-to-peer means that all those attending the meet help each other, share their experience, maybe even their slings. Facilitate means that our volunteers provide a space for the meeting to take place and are available to share information. Sling Meets are not workshops or a safe space for in-depth advice and instruction/teaching. It is not possible for any BWI volunteer to give detailed instruction or professional advice at a BWI sling meeting.
Most sling meets have a library too, so once you’ve tried a sling you can rent it, for a small fee, and try it at home. The slings stocked in each library vary from group to group, but will contain at least one sling in each of the following categories/ types – stretchy wrap, woven wrap, ring sling, mei tai, soft structured carrier (SSC).
Find all Sling Meets & Libraries listed at the bottom of this page
The National Sling Library
Our national sling library is a fabulous and unique resource. There is no other country in the world with a country-wide sling library! There are approximately 150 slings currently in the National Library, with various brands of stretchy wrap, woven wrap, ring sling, mei tai and soft structured carrier (SSC).
You can borrow slings from our National Sling Library and try it out for a couple of weeks, before buying one yourself. There is a small charge for borrowing. The fees earned from renting slings cover postage to you, and any remaining funds are reinvested in the library so that we can respond to demand for various carriers. BWI is always working hard to keep the selection of slings in the BWI National Sling Library up-to-date. We only carry slings that are currently available in Ireland or Europe.
”Sling meets are a lovely place for parents to meet others alike and learn more about slings and babywearing in an informal setting” – Mags, Laois Sling Meet facilitator
Sling Meets are a place where you:
- can chat and learn about slings and babywearing
- can get information about safe babywearing
- can see a demonstration of all of the basic sling types
- can hear other people’s and share your own experience about using slings
- can ask questions you may have about day-to-day life with slings
- can get assistance in trying on slings
- can rent slings for a small fee
- can get to meet other parents who live in your area