I’m collecting links to interesting articles and films about baby carriers and slings around the world, both modern and in the past.
Things to Watch:
- This is a fascinating short film from the ’60’s; not only does it show some really interesting carriers and variations from around the world, but it reveals how, even 50 years ago, research was showing the benefits of using baby carriers and of keeping your baby close to you. Link to Short Film: ‘Baby Toting’ in 1963
- Here’s a modern tribute to the traditional Welsh Nursing Shawl, which was still used to carry babies until the middle of the last century: Link to Short Film: Cerys Matthews – BBC National Treasures
- There’s also a lovely photo showing a very similar shawl being used to carry a baby in Scotland on this page: http://www.glesga.ukpals.com/folk/forces5.htm
Things to Read:
- Here’s a lovely article with lots of photos of babywearing around the world and in history: Babywearing Through the Ages
- This one from SlingBabies is interesting and also has some fantastic photos: The History of Baybwearing and ‘Modern’ Slings
- Here’s an article from Gentle Parenting on The History of Babywearing
- A great blog with loads from all over the world: Celtic Baby Carrying
- An English poem from the 1600’s featuring descriptions of wrapping, reproduced on the SLSL Blog: The Beggar Woman
- If you’d like to find out more about traditional baby carriers and slings from around the world, then I’d recommend reading the fascinating book ‘Beloved Burden: Babywearing Around the World’ by I.C. van Hout. This amazing book looks at the international cultures and traditions surrounding babywearing and (together with our other books) is available to browse at or borrow from the Sling Library!
Things to See and Feel:
- At the Sling Library we have a range of traditional carriers from around the world, including an Ethiopian Leather carrier, a South American Rebozo, a model of a Native American Papoose, and hemmed fabric in a size commonly used all over the world.
- You can also often spot examples of babywearing in objects in museums – there’s a fab bronze statue of women working with babies tied to their backs in the African Exhibit at the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill!