The Sling Library holds weekly drop-in Open Sessions, run from Emily’s home at 34 York Hill, London, SE27 0AD. At Open Sessions we help you with your own carriers or slings, suggest new ones for you to try, and demonstrate and hire out any of our available carriers. Please remember to bring cash or Paypal details for any sling or carrier hire fees and refundable deposits.
We ask for a contribution of £2 per adult for anyone coming to get advice, try on carriers and otherwise make use of the Library service. Contributions are put towards the costs of administration and paying for extra staff so that we’re able to help more people during busy sessions. There’s no charge if you’re just coming to return a borrowed carrier.
You’re welcome to drop in any time during open hours without an appointment, though the sessions can get extremely busy so please come at least 30 minutes before the end to give us the best chance of helping you.
The London Sling Library is currently open to the public at least once a week for drop-in baby carrier information and advice at the following times:
Alternate Tuesdays 10:00am – 2:00pm
Alternate Wednesdays 9:30am – 12:00pm
Alternate Thursdays 12:30 – 2:30 pm
We’re next open on:
Wednesday 12th June, 9:30am – 12:00pm
Thursday 13th June, 12:30 – 2:30pm
Tuesday 18th June, 10:00am – 2:00pm
Wednesday 26th June, 9:30am – 12:00pm
Thursday 27th June, 12:30 – 2:30pm
Tuesday 2nd July, 10:00am – 2:00pm
And continuing with at least one opening every week except for holidays
Library closures and holidays are listed here: Library Holidays
Please be aware that Sling Library staff may have their own child/ren with them so please be understanding if we need to attend to their needs. These sessions can get extremely busy; if you’re intending to borrow a carrier, we would be very grateful if you could print off a copy of our loan form to bring with you with your personal details completed. If you need advice or to try on carriers, plan to allow at least an hour to be here – you’re always welcome to feed and change your baby, watch and listen to others getting advice, and to chat to other parents while you wait for us to help you. Waiting times when it’s busy can be longer than this, but we’ll do our best to help as many people at once as possible.
Open Sessions can get extremely busy and aren’t always the ideal teaching environment. For safety reasons we’re not usually able to help you to do a back carry with your baby at an Open Session, though we can demonstrate back carries using a doll. There may not be time to do more than help you to try a sling once before you borrow it. If you have more detailed or complicated questions or needs, or if you just feel that you’d like more time to try different options and to get the hang of using a carrier/s in a calm setting, then you’d probably find a private consultation or small group workshop more helpful.
Click here for More About Open Sessions, including how to get here, parking, the facilities available, and what we can offer during Open Sessions.
For those that can’t attend Open Sessions, Emily is available at other times for private consultations and group workshops. It’s also possible to collect a carrier that has been reserved to hire in advance from the Library at other times including evenings and weekend – there is an additional charge of £5 for out of hours collections. Email info@southlondonslings.co.uk for more details.
