My name's Emma Gilmour - I'm a mother of two and started using slings in 2009 when my eldest child was born. As he approached a year old, I began to realise that I did not have to stop carrying him close as he outgrew his first carrier. I clearly remember the first time I braved a shopping trip with just a sling to carry him in, leaving the buggy at home… I felt completely free and exhilarated! He loved it too and we couldn’t stop grinning at each other as I wandered up Dunfermline High Street with his chubby arm round my neck, his other arm waving at amused shoppers.
Carrying him in a sling has helped us through difficult days, tired trips round town and times when we just needed to reconnect a bit, well past the toddler years when older children still need as much reassurance as ever, if not more than they ever did. Babywearing is most definitely not just for babies!
As I learned more, I looked for a local sling meet but there wasn’t one. Having started to use a woven wrap with my son, by then a young toddler, I founded Fife Sling Meet in 2010. The aim was to provide a meeting point for other sling users in Fife to socialise and share tips and this soon evolved into Fife Sling Library, which I ran as an advice and lending service until May 2021. For over 10 years, I ran meet-ups and sessions throughout Fife and Kinross (and sometimes further afield!), at baby groups and public events, and regular groups in several venues across Dunfermline, Cupar and Kirkcaldy.
Throughout 2011, I completed babywearing consultant training with Trageschule UK at Foundation and Advanced level, going on to complete the Slingababy training course in early 2015 to expand my skills and knowledge further. In 2017, I was a consultant to the Scottish Government Baby Box team in preparation for the scheme's launch that autumn, and have since trained NHS Fife staff in showing families how to use the baby box stretchy wrap.
Carrying him in a sling has helped us through difficult days, tired trips round town and times when we just needed to reconnect a bit, well past the toddler years when older children still need as much reassurance as ever, if not more than they ever did. Babywearing is most definitely not just for babies!
As I learned more, I looked for a local sling meet but there wasn’t one. Having started to use a woven wrap with my son, by then a young toddler, I founded Fife Sling Meet in 2010. The aim was to provide a meeting point for other sling users in Fife to socialise and share tips and this soon evolved into Fife Sling Library, which I ran as an advice and lending service until May 2021. For over 10 years, I ran meet-ups and sessions throughout Fife and Kinross (and sometimes further afield!), at baby groups and public events, and regular groups in several venues across Dunfermline, Cupar and Kirkcaldy.
Throughout 2011, I completed babywearing consultant training with Trageschule UK at Foundation and Advanced level, going on to complete the Slingababy training course in early 2015 to expand my skills and knowledge further. In 2017, I was a consultant to the Scottish Government Baby Box team in preparation for the scheme's launch that autumn, and have since trained NHS Fife staff in showing families how to use the baby box stretchy wrap.