Whether you love Christmas shopping and carefully selecting gifts for everyone you love, or find it a huge stress, trying to make sure you don’t get your partner’s Auntie Morag the same generic Christmas socks/bottle of grog/novelty mug as last year, we are here to help with our handy Christmas Gift Guide.

Our number 1 rule of gift giving is don’t buy tat. If in doubt about what to get someone, ask them what they want or need, because Auntie Morag may be just as tired of stacking the novelty mugs in her cupboard as you are of buying them!

So to that end, browse through our Gift Guide 2020 and see if anything there takes your fancy, see if anything looks like something one of your friends, family members or children would love and treasure or get use out of, and if not, leave it on the shelf! There’s enough rampant consumerism at this time of year that you do not have to buy stuff “just because.”

Don’t forget if you want to give someone the gift of a consultation or put money towards a larger purchase we do also have Gift Vouchers!

Gifts for Kids

What do your kids really need? If they’re babies the answer is probably that what they mostly need is you! Now feel free to gift wrap yourself and burst out from under the tree on Christmas morning, or, consider whether there is anything that could make your life easier when looking after your little ones! After all a calmer you will probably find it easier to meet the needs of your little ones anyway.

Keeping them Calm

Cuski Comforters are the snuggly soft comforters from Cuski with the evidence based backing. These, and their bamboo version the Cuskiboo, and the mini version, the Miniboo are made from cotton or bamboo terry so they are super snuggly and soft. They are designed to be like little floppy people, with head cute hatted head, and arms and legs, as studies show that babies attach better to comforters that are person shaped, and they are made of absorbent fabric so that they can be snuggled by mum or dad to take on their smell, which helps to comfort the baby, so having 2 can be great so one can be with the parents charging up its comforting scent, and the other can be with your baby, helping them feel safe and secure when they aren’t in your arms!

The Great Swandoodle– sounds like a magician and maybe this product will magically change your life (I’m afraid we don’t guarantee that!) these muslins are giant- no, think bigger, a bit bigger – they are 1.4m square. I can make one into a full length dress (probably not for going to christmas parties, but to entertain the kids!) They are made of soft and absorbent bamboo, and they are one of the softest things on the planet! Both of my kids love to snuggle them as blankets, and so do I, to be honest. The are fantastic for safely swaddling your baby, they are totally breathable, they can be used as a muslin burping cloth- I challenge any baby to manage to miss a Muslin cloth that large, or they can be used as a nursing cover, to give a little privacy whilst latching on a baby out and about if that gives you more confidence. These can also be used as comforters, which take on a parent’s smell, as bamboo has great properties of retaining scent, but is also antibacterial, so less likely to be a cause for concern around young babies! We really love these, as I think you can tell!

The Mini Swandoodles are 4 packs of the same silky soft bamboo material as the Great Swandoodle in jazzy designs the size of normal Muslin squares. The Sweet DreameezzZ are the same bamboo fabric in dark fabrics in a large size, between the Mini Swandoodles and the huge Great Swandoodles! Apparently this range is designed for men, because of the darker colours, but we have heard that it is acceptable for mums to use dark coloured objects around babies too, so if your palette is more bold than pastel these muslins could be for you…because heaven forfend your sick cloths don’t match your style ;). Seriously though, lovely and soft, really practical, and gorgeous!

Keeping them Warm

Lenny Lamb Turtleneck for Two These super cute cosy cuddles have a balaclava type hood for your baby, and a neck warmer for grownups and they can be poppered together to prevent any draughts between you whilst your little one is in a sling, or they can be separated, if they are in a buggy, or walking! They have a long front and back section for tucking down into their coats and create a wonderful snug and draught free neck, head and ears! They come in a range of colours and are made of snuggly fleece. They are also really tricky for small people to pull off so can be a win for hat refusing babies!

Lenny Lamb Elf Hats Well frankly is there anything cuter than dressing your baby or child up as an elf? Forget Elf on a Shelf, I give you Elf in a sling, elf in a highchair, elf in, well you get the picture. and for £3.50 each they are a bargain level of cute factor too!

Huggalugs Leg Warmers– keeping your babies legs or arms cosy and warm in even the coldest of weathers, by adding a light layer onto the bits of your baby not snuggled up in your sling. There’s a range of cute designs available and these are one of our top sellers this autumn.

Keeping them Entertained

Our fab new range of Story Sacks are available now featuring a range of family favourite stories brought to life with our carefully selected puppets, toys and other objects for a full sensory story time experience. You can even sign up for the Story Sack Club and enjoy a whole selection of the stories! Each Story Sack comes with an activity sheet to help you explore the story further with your child.

Lenny Lamb Doll Carriers are probably our number one top selling product. They are made from gorgeous Lenny Lamb fabrics and with the same high quality webbing and buckles as they use on their actual baby and toddler carriers, and they allow your babies to carry their babies around, just like they have seen you doing. There are few things so cute as that. What is your favourite Lenny Lamb wrap? If there is a design you love but can’t see on our website, get in touch, and we will try to order it for you!

Gumigem Toy Bags- in Bath Bag and  Hand Bag If you are familiar with the chewy jewellery you will know how calming an effect chewing can have for little ones. These toy are made from the same silicone as the jewellery in fun and funky shapes. The bath bag is designed for wet play, and has NO HOLEs so no black slime to ruin bathtime fun, instead they can be safely chewed and splashed with, then stored in their bag for next time, which comes with a sucker to fix to bath tiles. The handbag is designed to replicate the kind of items we carry around in our changing bags all the time as parents- keys, a phone, and we all know how kids love to get their hands on a phone! Give them their own bag- just like yours- and watch them chat away on the phone, just like they see you do!

Viga Lacing Blocks and Cutting Fruit Wooden Toys can be used in a variety of ways, to learn fine motor skills, for imaginative play with cooking, as building blocks, and a multitude of other ways- just watch your child find 101 things to do with these simple, gorgeous toy sets! Hours of fun, and each come with a wooden tray to tidy them away in too.

Gifts for Grown-Ups

Lenny Lamb Hobo Bags

These soft woven wrap conversion bags have tie straps so you can thread them through your carrier and tie wherever is most comfy for you. No more do you need to worry about how to carry your baby and your baby gear with these versatile bags! Look out for more stock arriving soon and if there is a different fabric you’d like get in touch to see if we can order one in!

SlingyRoo Babywearing Bags

Choose from 1 ring or 2 ring finished bags allowing them to be tied in different configurations to suit you, these are converted by the makers of Wompats from Vanamo wraps to make the perfect babywearing bag.

JellyStone and GumiGem Jewellery – We have bangles, beads and pendants to suit different people! Let your baby have something to chew on whilst you carry on looking good.

Scrapdoodle Necklaces

Handmade by Gill at Scrapdoodle these pendants on matching chains are made from scraps of woven wraps to set off any outfit and commemorate and celebrate these days whilst our little ones are comforted by being held in our arms and our slings.

How Mothers Love by Naomi Stadlen

This wonderful mix of anecdote, observation and evidence talks us through the bonding and development between mothers and their babies. It is a touching and affirming read and one I highly recomend for the new mum to realise that whilst it may feel like they get nothing done, in reality they are doing one of the hardest, most full time jobs there is, and doing it well!

Mamalila Coats

We offer the range of Mamlila coats- the softshell jacket, the raincoat and the men’s softshell jacket. We don’t yet know if these will continue to be available from January, so please do get your order in in plenty of time before the end of the year!

If you are interested in a babywearing coat but need some help working out which one to write on your Christmas wishlist then our article Choosing a Coat may help.

If you want to see how we are preparing for Christmas, as a business, and as two families then follow us on Facebook, Instagram and sign up for our monthly email The Sling Thing. We would love to hear your tips on managing life over the hectic Christmas period too!