As standard your hire fee includes Tracked 24 delivery. 

This means that it usually arrives the next day. However this is not guaranteed. For guaranteed next day delivery within the UK we would need to use Royal Mail Special Delivery. We are often able to do this if needed for an extra fee. 

In order to ask us to send your sling Special Delivery please phone us on 0800 6891251 between 09:30 and 14:00. Post is collected shortly after 14:00. We need time to set this up online, pack, manifest and print the paperwork and ensure the parcel is in the designated pick up location on time.

On some occasions we will be unable to send an order by Special Delivery, this includes where the order has already been dispatched, or when the person managing rental orders is not available. We will do our best to work with your request wherever possible. 

Additional charges:

Guaranteed by 9am Mon-Fri: £6
Guaranteed by 1pm. Mon-Fri: £4
Guaranteed by 1pm SATURDAY DELIVERY: £8
Guaranteed by 9am SATURDAY DELIVERY: £16

Our article Why hire a sling or carrier?  covers this in detail.

If you know what you want that’s great! We can help you buy a sling if you want to buy new. If you want to buy preloved we recommend somewhere like Little Possums Preloved on Facebook. 

However, if you don’t yet know what you want, renting a sling or carrier can save you money. There are so many different brands, types and sizes out there it can be confusing to know what to go for.  Every parent and every baby have different sizes, shapes and comfort zones, so trying it out first makes sense. Just because a carrier worked for a friend, that doesn’t mean it will be the one for you, just as their favourite comfy shoes may not suit your needs!

If you rent something before you buy, you can find out whether it really suits you, your child and your lifestyle.  

Other families hire a sling or carrier for special occasion such as a wedding or christening when they would like something pretty, or to match on outfit or colour scheme. Buying a sling for an occasion like this may be out of budget.

Holiday or event hires Other families find that hiring a sling for a holiday, day trip or special occasion where their usual sling, or pushchair option don’t fit the bill. Hiring once a year, and being able to pick a carrier that is ideal for the environment, type of holiday, weather, and the age of the child may make sense if slings are only used fro 1 week a year. Children grow! Hire the ideal size for your child right now.

Some families like to try lots of different carriers because they enjoy trying new things, or because what they find comfy changes as their child grows. Renting can be a more cost effective way to manage this than owning a big selection!

Whatever your needs, we’re sure to have a sling or carrier to suit.

Our article Why hire a sling or carrier? covers this in more detail.

Our range

We have a huge range of carriers. Many local sling libraries cannot afford multiple twin carriers, preschool carriers,  or the bigger brand names. As we serve families throughout the whole of the UK we are able to offer a larger range of carriers, and have most carriers in stock or with a very short wait. 

Convenience

We send the slings to you at your home (or work) address, so you can order from us without ever leaving your sofa. This may be ideal as local events are in person, and often limited to once a month, limiting your options. Getting to an in person event with one or more babies, or toddlers can be tricky, as can fitting in a trip around work hours. Hiring from us can be managed from your phone or computer.

Book in advance

If you know when you are going on holiday you can book in advance to be assured that the sling you need will be ready for you when you need it. Avoid the frustration of there being no cool version carriers available for your holiday by booking online from our rental catalogue.

We have several articles that can help you to choose a sling:

Help me choose
What’s the best sling?
Does my sling fit OK?

If you need someone to one support then we can help. 

You can get in touch on 0800 6891251 for a quick chat (free 15 minute phone consultation).

Email us on hello@calmfamily.org, or message our Facebook page, for advice or to arrange a longer consultation, or a video consultation. We will be happy to help. We are experienced in supporting a hugely diverse range of families including those with more complex carrying needs.  

Our article “Help me choose a sling” helps you think through the questions you need to ask yourself when choosing a sling.

See FAQ “What should I hire, can you help?” For more information on help for choosing a sling. 

Yes we can. Help me choose a sling is a great place to start. If you need more personalised support you can get in touch for a quick chat or email support from one of our consultants. We will do our best to suggest some good options.

For more in depth support you may need a longer session, which we can arrange. There may be a charge for a detailed consultation.

We may also be able to recommend a local sling consultant in your area who may be able to give one-to-one advice (this is usually a paid for service).

When you hire a sling from CalmFamily you will receive:

• ✴An email with the details of your contract including start and end date, and the terms and conditions of hire.
• ✴The sling or carrier you have hired
• ✴Any accessories that you hired
• ✴A copy of your contract including details of the end date and how to return your rental. (Terms and conditions are available on our Policies page here and in a link attached to your contract in your confirmation email.)
• ✴A prepaid return label to affix to the parcel and get scanned in at a Post Office
• ✴A new return bag (however, where possible please reuse the postage bag that the carrier came in. This helps to reduce unnecessary waste creation.)
• ✴A copy of a carrying safety leaflet
• ✴A fuss free hire with NO NEED to wash and dry slings and carriers prior to return. (See “Should I wash the sling or carrier before I return it?” Or you rental terms available on our Policies page here for more details.

Our shortest hire period is 2 weeks and 2 days. The 2 days covers the time spent in the postal system at the beginning and end of your hire. Two weeks is the shortest period that we feel gives you enough time to get to grips with a sling or carrier and use it in everyday life. This gives you a chance to get in touch if you need any support in using the carrier you have on hire. 

You enter your desired start date and end date on our website, so you can select a bespoke duration.  You will be charged for the closest hire period to our standard hire periods of

• Two weeks (and 2 days) 
• Three weeks (and 2 days)
• Four weeks (and 2 days)
• Six weeks (and 2 days)
• Eight weeks
• Twelve Weeks

For stretchy wraps our hire periods are:

• 6 weeks (which costs the same amount as a two-week long hire for any other sling or carrier)
• 12 weeks

You may extend your rental as many times as you like as long as no one else has reserved the sling.  Extensions are available for 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks or 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, or 12 weeks.

For information on costs see the costs section of this Frequently asked questions page. 

You can extend your hire for 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks or 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, or 12 weeks so long as nobody else has reserved the sling or carrier that you have on hire.

To extend your hire please email hello@calmfamily.org or phone us on 0800 6891251 Monday to Friday between 09:30 and 14:00. 

We will need your order number and how long you would like to extend for. 

We will let you know whether it is possible to extend for your chosen duration, and inform you of the cost. We will ask permission to take the payment for the extension from the card that you used to pay for the original hire. Once you have given permission to take the payment, the end date on your hire will be adjusted and the extension is finalised.

We accept all major credit and debit cards via our secure payment provider, Stripe

Your order will be posted to you on the first day of your hire. If you require a sling or carrier for a specific date, such as a holiday, please ensure that you book it to be sent several days before your departure. We cannot be held liable for slings posted on the first date of their hire that do not arrive on time because of delays to Royal Mail .

If you need a guaranteed delivery then you can request that we send your carrier using Special Delivery. Please see FAQ “I need a sling urgently, how fast can you get it to me?” for more details.

We no longer take deposits on sling or carrier hires. We use Stripe to save card details that acts as a security deposit. Please read the terms and conditions of your hire available on our Policies page here or refer to the “Cancellations, refunds, additional fees and charges” section of this Frequently asked questions page for more details on additional charges and fees.

The terms and conditions of your hire are available on our Policies page here.

See our article “Caring for your rental sling” for more information.

Please DO NOT wash our carriers. Some are delicate, and need special cleaning.  Ordinary detergents can damage carriers or shorten their usable life span.  Washing the carriers is part of our service. 

Please let us know if you are not happy with the condition when you receive it so that we can either instruct you what to do or rectify it ourselves. We understand that children may get the odd bit of food, such as chewed up biscuit, or posset marks on a sling. We ask that you only spot clean these with water only before returning the sling.

In the instance of heavy soiling, please contact us for advice.

Food, such as chewed up biscuit,  and posset marks are expected when carrying children, but please keep the sling away from anything that may stain permanently (tomato based sauces, greasy foods, oil, paint, pens, hair or make up products, nail varnish etc.), or anything that might damage it (scissors, velcro, keys in your bag, fire, etc.)

You simply pop the sling or carrier/s in the postage paid bag provided, affix the prepaid return label provided, and have it scanned in at a Post Office counter by 12 noon on the day before the final day of your hire to ensure no late fees will be owed.

If you cannot return a sling to us on time, please contact us before it is due to be returned to arrange an extension of your hire.

If you have lost your return label just get in touch and we can send you a new one to print out.

Keep your tracking details as proof of postage until your account shows that your sling or carrier/s has been checked back in.

The CalmFamily rental return address is as follows.

Jennifer Littlejohns
CalmFamily 
66 Preston Road
Coppull
Chorley
PR7 5DW

If the sling that you have chosen to hire is unavailable for your chosen dates then you have a few options. 

Widen the search: Some slings have many patterns or designs, but are functionally identical. For example, all Tula Free-to-Grows will fit the same, so you could have a navy one instead of a grey one. Try searching for the name of the sling variety, rather than a specific design or pattern.

You can get in touch and ask when the sling you want is next available to hire, so you can book it for its earliest available date. Alternatively, if you need a carrier for a specific date, you can get in touch and ask for our advice on another suitable carrier that is available. 

Get in touch. Let us know what issue you are having. We are usually able to take payment over the phone, or offer another payment option. 

We suggest that you email us on hello@calmfamily.org, phone us on 0800 6891251 between 09:30 and 14:00, or message our Facebook page. We will aim to get back to you ASAP. If possible please provide us with a phone number so that we can call you to take payment over the phone.

In line with current advice that fabric poses little risk for transmission of Covid-19 hiring slings and carriers is generally very safe. Best practice means that items are quarantined for 72 hours between hires. This means that by the time a carrier was posted back from a client, and then out to another client there are very low risk of any form of transmission. 

We are practicing increased hygiene measures such as hand-washing, and are washing most slings after each hire. However, we are no longer washing every sling between every hire. 

We do wash every newborn twin sling, stretchy wrap, and newborn specific carrier between each hire, and any carrier that shows any sign or smell of use. 

We are happy to ensure that a carrier is sent out freshly washed if requested. Please get in touch to let us know. We may substitute your carrier for a different pattern if that one is freshly washed, to avoid a delay to your start date whilst we wash and dry a carrier, or we will amend your start date to reflect the later posting date. 

We ask that you DO NOT wash the carrier yourself. If you need to wash the carrier, please get in touch for advice on how to do this. This is to avoid damage to the structure of the fabric or elements of the carrier.

Link to the manufacturers’ instructions for our rental carriers can be found on the Manufacturers’ instructions page.

You are very welcome to take our rental slings abroad. Many of our rental slings are very well travelled. They can be really useful in the airport and on all parts of your travel. However, please be aware that if it goes in the hold and your luggage is lost you will be liable for the costs outlined in the terms and conditions of your hire as found on our Policies page.  We suggest that you keep the carrier with you, either wearing it, or in your hand luggage.

All carriers are extremely safe when used properly, however misuse can cause injury to yourself or your child.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you are using the carrier correctly and that your baby or child is safe at all times when using the carrier.

CalmFamily/It’s A Sling Thing cannot be held responsible for any accident or resultant injuries that occur whilst the carrier is in your care.

Carriers are checked for safety before they are sent out, but things can be missed, problems can develop, or carriers may be damaged during use or in transit. It is the borrower’s responsibility to check over the carrier before each use. Check all buckles, hems and seams ensuring that there are no tears, breaks, cracks or holes. If any damage is discovered, please stop using the carrier immediately and contact us. 

All hires are provided with a paper safety leaflet.  A link to instructions for all carriers can be found on the manufacturer’s instructions page where the Manufacturers make instructions available.

To familiarise yourself with basic carrying safety we would suggest that all customers read our Carrying safety article.

If you have any concerns about safety whilst using the carrier please stop and get in touch for assistance.