We respect and welcome each individual, and we expect you, whether a customer, a follower, or a casual happen-er upon our social media posts or blogs to do the same. We will not tolerate abuse because of who we are and if exclusionary behaviours or language are used in our spaces, we will take steps to deal with it in an appropriate manner.

Likewise, if you feel uncomfortable with the sentiments people are expressing in our groups or on our social media platforms this will not be tolerated either. Please let us know, as busy parents we are not always as on top of things as we might be and can miss things. We will not tolerate hate speech or exclusionary comments, and aim to challenge these, and where this does not result in engagement, a willingness to understand the hurt that words or attitudes have caused, or to reflect on their attitude then comments will be deleted, and persistent or extreme offenders will be banned from the spaces.

There are two of us here at It’s A Sling Thing, Emily (she/her) and Jenni (they/them). If you would like to make a complaint about either of us, you can make it directly to us, or to the other person if you prefer. Either way your complaint will be handled carefully, we will reflect upon your experience and attempt to ensure that it is not repeated in the experience of others. You can email us jointly at care@itsaslingthing.co.uk, or as individuals at Jenni@itsaslingthing.co.uk or Emily@itsaslingthing.co.uk

It can be hard to complain to a small organisation, but our commitment to inclusivity also means taking other people’s thoughts and feelings seriously. All feedback, whether positive or negative gives us a chance to reflect and improve, and that is our constant aim: to strive for excellence in all aspects of the services we offer.

We welcome customers of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. We are not, however, highly knowledgeable about the many traditional carrying methods of any or all the different cultures in our world. If you are looking for us to impart cultural knowledge about carrying, then there are likely to be better people to go to depending on the culture that you want to understand better. We will do our best to signpost when we can.

We will support people to carry in whatever way and using whatever carrier they feel most comfortable. We are not “experts” in specific types of carrier, although we have more experience with some than others. Our wealth of experience is in working with diverse tools (sling/carrier/towel) at hand to meet the unique needs of those who come to us looking for support to help them comfortably and safely carry babies or children.

We are trained to support carrying in many different circumstances and to help you to use carrying to meet your needs. We welcome those who have a strong personal carrying background when you need support, and we welcome those who have none. We are happy to support people carrying using carriers from our selection, or carriers that they already have. In fact, we always seek to support people to use the tools they already have before trying something new, unless you tell us otherwise.

We will never judge you based on your race, ethnicity or cultural background.

We welcome customers, regardless of gender. Most of our customers identify as women and we are very positive about womanhood. We believe, as intersectional feminists,  that challenging the patriarchal norms destructive to all people and celebrating diverse experiences of womanhood, raises women, promotes equality and justice, and seeks to make our world a better place.

We recognise that men are a minority group within the carrying and parenting support community. We value men as parents and role models to their children and strive to make them feel welcome and included. We appreciate that it can be difficult to break from societal norms and seek support as a man, and we are working to challenge the media portrayal of men as engaged parents as emasculating.

We aim to avoid assumptions that everyone is a woman or a man and identifies as such. We seek to use the gender pronouns that you use about yourself and your family members when talking with you, please feel free to tell us what these are. We seek to reflect the language that you use about your body when we are talking to you about your journey and experiences. If you’re uncomfortable with any of the terminology we use, then we always welcome you suggesting an alternative.

We do much of our work over the phone or via messages and so lack access to many visual indicators of identity that we often use to give and receive signals of our identity. This means we are very aware of and open to correction where we make any inaccurate assumptions and we welcome you challenging us when we fall short and make assumptions about your identity.

We welcome you if you are non-binary, gender fluid, trans, woman, or man. We will never judge you based on you gender identity.

We understand that families came in all shapes and sizes and that your family structure and dynamics are unique to you. We will treat you as an individual, respect your family culture and work with you in a way that suits you.

We welcome you regardless of your sexual orientation. Most of the time mention of sexuality doesn’t come up in our sling consultations. However, it crops up quite often when people are giving us background to their family, for example, talking about a partner who may also wish to carry a baby or child. It also often comes up in BabyCalm and ToddlerCalm consultations when your family structure and culture is hugely significant to the individualised nature of what we discuss.

We want you to feel comfortable discussing the realities of life for your family, but we will never push you to share more than you are comfortable with. We accept and welcome people of all sexual orientations.

We will never judge you based on your sexual orientation.

We understand that families came in all shapes and sizes and that your family structure and dynamics are unique to you. Families can include adoption, fostering, surrogacy, blended families and more. We will treat you as an individual, respect your family culture and work with you in a way that suits you.

We support people of all family structures. We often ask whether you will be sharing the carrying of your child/children with another person, be it a partner, co-parent, siblings or grandparent, nanny or other care provider. This is because when we are trying to find sling solutions to fit multiple people there are more considerations, and also because when talking to parents of multiples and children of different ages we discuss the option of carrying one at a time to share the load.

When delivering BabyCalm and ToddlerCalm consultations it can be useful to know if there’s more than one parental home, if there’s more than one parent or carer in the home, if you are fostering or are adoptive parents and how your family works. We want you to feel comfortable discussing the realities of life for your family, but we will never push you to share more than you are comfortable with.

We will never judge you based on your family structure.

Everyone has limitations, whether that is a condition that means that you use mobility aids to enable you to live your life, or whether you have a more or less limited range of movement in your joints, or you have limitations in your hearing or sight. All of these things, and more, can affect how you might use a sling or carrier, and can form an incredibly helpful part of the picture when troubleshooting or advising.

Carrying in special circumstances is our passion. Jen has personal experience of relying on a range of mobility aids for their adult life and is passionate about supporting families with different needs. Whilst many people come apologetic about the level of complexity that their or their children’s needs and conditions can add to a consultation, we never see complexity as an inconvenience. We welcome the opportunity to really get to grips with someone’s needs and desires, and work through a situation to come up with individualised options of solutions.

You can expect all language to be respectful, you can divulge as much or as little as you wish, however, where there are safety implications for withheld information, we cannot be held responsible if we are not informed about the nature or extent of your condition.

We are always happy to adapt what and how we do things to make it work for you. The key thing is always to ensure that you get to a satisfactory outcome, whilst feeling supported and accepted along the way. So, if we are suggesting something that isn’t possible for you, or you’re struggling with our methods, let us know. Then we can rethink and try something new.

We will never judge you based on your physical ability.

We recognise that neurodivergence may have an impact on your level of understanding, your communication or the ways you take on or process information. We will work with you to establish ways of learning that are appropriate for you to enable you to meet your carrying goals. We understand that these things may impact on how you might use a sling or carrier and it can be really helpful for you to give us a good idea of where you feel your limitations might be.

You can expect all language to be respectful, you can divulge as much or as little as you wish, however, where there are safety implications for withheld information, we cannot be held responsible if we are not informed about the nature or extent of your condition.

As neurodivergent parents of neurodivergent children we have experience of making communication work, and a willingness to adapt how we work to make it work for you. The key thing is always to ensure that you get to a satisfactory outcome, whilst feeling supported and accepted along the way. So, if we are suggesting something that isn’t possible for you, or you’re struggling with our methods, let us know. Then we can rethink and try something new.

We will never judge you based on your neurology.

The vast majority of the population will struggle with their mental health at some point in their lives. We understand that this can make all aspects of life difficult at times and in particular if you are feeling anxious or panicked by the thought of seeking support this can be a huge barrier.

We will aim to make as many of our services as possible available either online or via telephone to make them more accessible if leaving the house or seeing people face to face is difficult for you. We will work with you to offer you support in a way that respects your mental health and enables you to get support with your carrying or parenting.

You can expect all language to be respectful, you can divulge as much or as little as you wish, however, where there are safety implications for withheld information, we cannot be held responsible if we are not informed about the nature or extent of your condition.

We are always happy to adapt what and how we do things to make it work for you. The key thing is always to ensure that you get to a satisfactory outcome, whilst feeling supported and accepted along the way. So if we are suggesting something that isn’t possible for you, or you’re struggling with our methods, let us know. Then we can rethink and try something new.

We will never judge you based on your mental health.