September is Sling Library Appreciation Month – if you haven't visited yours, take an hour out to meet some lovely parents and try on a range of slings that could make life easier and brighter for you and your little one.
September is a bit like my January. I've cruised all summer - two months of relaxation with my children home, no school run and SleepyNico ticking over. I can't do much running because it's just me and the girls at home during the day and we try not to drive too much as we are sick of the car from all the travelling during term time. So we have been happy at home :).
I have been pondering what I should write about for this next blog - back to school, reduction in plastics, how many baby carriers I saw at the airport!?! Then earlier this week a Mum from my daughter's school got in touch asking if I had any fabric scraps that weren't needed.
If you asked me why you should carry your baby I could give you many answers, it's not always as straightforward as a list of bullet points. Some days you carry your child because they need you and it's the easiest way to be close; others you find it's because you need them but have to get on with life – other children need to be fed or the shopping has to be done and that little body snuggled up next to yours is keeping you sane!
Life is full of significant moments and landmarks; 1st, 18th, 21st and 40th Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries etc. Yesterday was my eldest daughter's 11th Birthday and we have had some lovely celebrations and she has enjoyed feeling special, but both my daughter's special days are a quieter more thoughtful celebration for me. It was the day I gave birth and the joy and celebration of their arrival was a day of mixed emotions.
Before I had my daughters I was the sort of person who wasn't just on time, I was early. I couldn't wait to get to places and I would leave early, arrive early and then hang around for ages feeling irritated that I had to wait. I was like a child - totally impatient.
Once upon a time there was a wild girl and her friend who every summer went to many music festivals. They loved Glastonbury the most and would wander from field to field enjoying the entertainment, people watching and atmosphere. They made a vow that when they had children they would take them and never stop going.
Almost six years ago, Sleepy Nico became part of my working life (as well as an invaluable tool for our family's parenting) and every evening I sat at our kitchen table and beavered away, often with my youngest daughter asleep in our sling. For the past three years though Sleepy Nico has been located in a studio in Sudbury, the town where we lived. It has been great, giving us much needed space back at home and a more professional working environment for myself and the freelance staff that make Sleepy Nico tick.
I love the theme for this year's European Babywearing Week. It encompasses the many different ways in which carrying a child is beneficial and lovely. It connects us to our children and them to us, it puts them at the centre of family life and connects us all to the wider world.
It seems since I've had children and run a business that that is all I do, I do the school run, I am always late so we run into school and then I rush home to go for a run. I am that Mum who looks like a headless chicken.
You may have noticed that our new collection has two rainbow carriers in it. Alfie, our charity carrier which has so much emotion in it really does represent hope – it supports the work of Pancreatic Cancer UK and SANDS. Rainbow Starburst, our collaboration with Wild Things, has such energy and fun wrapped up in all those colours. It's a joyous creation much like each beautiful child it carries.