What is The Baby Sling Boutique?
I started thinking about this business whilst on maternity leave in 2013, as I got a bit obsessed by slings and baby carriers for my daughter, and struggled to find a shop or site I liked, that sold the kind of carriers I was after. There was a gap in the market for somewhere specialising in baby carriers and slings.
I buy stock in small quantities and try to support other small businesses. And I don’t enjoy the feeling when customers are unhappy with what they’ve bought and need to return something – so I will help you get the right sling first time, and when you receive it I will help you get settled in with it, so it fits properly and you feel confident using it.
Because it’s just me here, I know my slings and my stock pretty well, I know why I bought each one and what I like about it.
Choice of Carriers
The carriers I stock are there because I came across them in my babywearing journey, and they are really good carriers. I don’t get told what to sell, and I’m not selling them for a massive profit margin. I’m selling carriers that I think genuinely offer something more than you will find on the high street, Amazon or eBay. All are ergonomic carriers, that support your baby from knee to knee, meaning they are healthy for developing hip joints, and they will support the natural kyphosis of the spine.
It is now more than 10 years since I found myself in the world of slings, and things have changed hugely. It used to be that the only type of carrier that gave a really good position for baby was a wrap; and while wraps are still the most versatile and can be fantastic value for money, there are also now many clip-buckle carriers that provide a good ‘seat’ and are much quicker and easier to use. So I stock a bit of both.
Babywearing Education and Experience
I became a mum in 2012 at the age of 38. I didn’t realise how hard being a mum was going to be, how little sleep I was going to get for a good few years (and how that would affect my health), how much conflicting parenting information there was, or just how difficult and time-consuming breastfeeding was going to be. Nobody told me my baby wouldn’t want to be put down, would never sleep in a cot, or would hate a pram. Much of the ‘essential’ baby equipment we bought was never used, and I started off thinking a baby carrier was another one of these gimmicky things we didn’t really need, or would only need when she was older.
I read parenting books books and we went to NCT classes, we thought we were well-prepared, yet it felt like we were making such a mess of it. I came across Babywearing and Attachment Parenting a bit by accident, as a baby of the 70s this was foreign territory, very very different to how I had been brought up. I read carrying in a sling might help with reflux so I booked a slings consultation with our local sling lady, and didn’t look back. I discovered books like What Mothers Do by Naomi Stadlen, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League, The Wonder Weeks, BabyCalm by Sarah Ockwell-Smith, Three in a Bed by Deborah Jackson, Whispers Through Time and Two Thousand Kisses A Day by L.R. Knost. These books opened my eyes and my heart, and we started to find our rhythm.
I attended the School Of Babywearing Peer Support Course back in 2013, and decided to buy in a few slings and start a business whilst on maternity leave. I followed this with the amazing and informative Slingababy Carrying Consultancy course in 2015.
I carried my daughter since she was 6 weeks old, until she was 5 years old, in all different types of carriers – stretchy wraps, woven wraps, ring slings, mei dai, half buckles, onbuhimo, ring tai and buckles – and on my front, hip and back.
After our local sling library moved away, I started to hire out other popular carriers as well as samples from the shop, and started a new sling library for Heathfield, Bexhill and Eastbourne which I ran up until the 2020 covid lockdown.
I can help you with comfort and positioning, and the different types of slings/carriers in my babywearing consultations. Some of the ex-hire carriers are for sale in the shop. If you’re local to East Sussex you can book in-person appointments, otherwise online appointments are available.
What else do I do?
I am a Nutritional Therapist, practising in East Sussex and online. My clients are mostly mums who are feeling tired and run-down, and I support them through dietary and lifestyle changes, supplements and functional testing. Here is a link to my website. I also work part-time for the NHS as a business analyst. I have a hard-working husband who is a luthier and author (if you or your partner are into guitars check him out!), an amazing home-educated daughter, and a daft chocolate labrador.
Get in Touch
I hope you find all the information you need, and enjoy browsing the range of fabulous carriers on the site. I am very happy to help, so please do email me.
I send out a newsletter from time to time, so if you’d like this popping into your Inbox, with the latest blog posts and news, then leave me your email address below (keep scrolling!).
Happy babywearing!
Tiffany xx
(updated 13/08/2025)
