About Us

In 2006, a new mom named Courtney Hughes had a daughter that constantly needed to be held. Courtney struggled to wear her new daughter, but knew no one to offer her guidance and could find no local support group. She searched online and found many videos and chat rooms such as at "thebabywearer.com", and she struggled to learn many new carries from these videos.

Hoping to help other moms learn to wear their babies, and to not have to do it alone like she did, Courtney found a larger group called “Nine In, Nine Out” (NINO) from which she created a local affiliated group. NINO advised her to create a lending library of slings for her new group, yet Courtney had no money for such a large expense. Courtney created a book called “Happiness is Babywearing” and sold about 100 copies online to raise money for the group’s first lending library.

In October of 2006, the first meeting of the NINO-Capital District was launched with just 3 moms and their babies. The group had monthly meetings, and word of mouth slowly spread among moms about the group. Soon after NINO-Capital District started, the larger group of NINO went under, and Courtney changed our group’s name to Sling Babies.

Sling Babies grew very quickly in the following two years with more leaders, a new online forum, both weekend and weekday monthly meetings, “slingouts” to local attractions, various babywearing workshops, an expanding lending library, and new literature for the group.

Based on Sling Babies’ strong following, a new nonprofit group called Babywearing International (BWI) invited Sling Babies to join its new group. Sling Babies officially joined BWI in August 2008, and remained with BWI until January 2010. It was at this time that Courtney and the other leaders decided to step down from Sling Babies and pass the torch to new leaders. The new leaders all agreed that it was in the best interest of all of the members to keep the group local, and changed the name back to Sling Babies.

Leader Bios

Hi! I'm Michelle, and I'm a SAHM to two sweet girls, Amelie and Corinne. I discovered baby-wearing in 2005, when my oldest daughter, Amelie, was about 8 months old. Before that, I had been using a Snugli (similar to the Bjorn), which I hated. I loved the concept, but figured here had to be a better (more comfortable!) way to wear my baby. Fortunately, we were living in California at that time, and I happened to stumble across a store that carried a few different brands and styles of carriers and the store owner was willing to let me try them out before buying. I ended up deciding an Ergo (the only SSC the store carried), which I used until Amelie was about 3, and I was 6 months pregnant with my second baby. When Corinne was born in 2009, I bought a handmade ring sling from a local mama because a friend had been able to breastfeed in her sling, and highly recommended it. Being able to use both hands, chase a preschooler and still carry and nurse my newborn was fantastic! I have been a huge baby-wearing advocate ever since. Once Corinne got a bit bigger, I bought a Beco, which I absolutely adored. I would wear her at the grocery store, hiking, running errands, and around the house when I have things to do and she needs to be held. When I moved to the Capital District in 2010, I found Sling Babies and began attending meetings. I have really enjoyed learning about and trying out all the different carriers - I had no idea there were so many different ones out there! A few months later, when I found out the group was seeking new leaders, I jumped at the opportunity. I think Sling Babies is an amazing resource, and I'm so glad to be a part of the group. I'm looking forward to meeting new people (and hopefully seeing some familiar faces!) at upcoming meetings!

 

Hi! I’m Katie, a SAHM to a precious little boy, Darren. I learned about babywearing when Darren was just a few weeks old. I had met another mom wearing her newborn in a stretchy Moby wrap, and knew immediately I wanted something similar for Darren! Darren loved being worn from the moment we tried the wrap on, and still loves being worn today. We started going to Sling Babies meetings when Darren was just few weeks old, and I learned so much about other great carriers that were available to area families. I began borrowing a different carrier at every meeting and looked forward to learning new ways to carry Darren properly. It was so wonderful to have the opportunity to try each carrier out for short amounts of time instead of purchasing a carrier only to find out later it wasn’t our most comfortable fit. We have tried a lot of carriers, including Mei Tei’s, soft structured carriers and even woven wraps. I have found that each type of carrier is useful for different situations, which is why it’s so great to try out all types. Wearing Darren throughout our day, whether it be at home, at the grocery store, or on a walk through the park, has been such a great way to stay in tune with his needs round the clock. I love how family and friends frequently comment how happy he is and how rarely he cries. Darren has also nursed while being worn- such a convenience on so many levels! I often wonder how I would accomplish so much on a daily basis if it wasn’t for babywearing.

 

 

Hi, I am Nina, a SAHM mom to four wonderful kids. I found Sling Babies in 2007 when my son was four months old and the Baby Bjorn (even with back support) was killing me! Suddenly, babywearing became so much more enjoyable and comfortable! I remember how great it felt to start wearing him on my back in a Mei Tai when he was six months old. After my second child was born I started using wraps and ring slings. Babywearing has been invaluable to me, especially when trying to accomplish any errand or outing. My kids have loved babywearing and the older ones still love the opportunity to go in a carrier as well as carry their own "babies." It has been a pleasure to meet so many new and experienced parents as they try out and learn about all the options available. I am very thankful this group exits in the Capital District.