Summer in Australia can be hot. Dry heat. Humidity. Extreme heat and heatwave. This huge country has almost all climates, from temperate in the south, through to tropical in the north. East and West have their variations and cities like Melbourne can cycle through all seasons in one day!

Babywearing needs in each of these conditions will vary, as we endeavour to keep adult and infant comfortable and safe.

It is important to remember babies cannot regulate their body temperature in the way adults can. Overheating is a risk we must minimise at all times. On days of extreme heat, the best place for your baby or toddler is indoors in the coolest conditions you can provide. Limiting time outdoors to the cooler parts of the day and avoiding both direct sun and reflected sunlight is important.

Although Wales, Scotland, Ireland and even England itself had histories of carrying babies with shawls, blankets and other fabrics, the practice was associated with poor, ignorant women who cared for their own infants while working on the farm, the family shop or other domestic enterprises. By the time Australia became home to British families, the industrial revolution had sent mothers out of the home to work in factories and mills, separate from their babies. The very old and very young were left to care for infants as best they could. Affluent women, by contrast, were able to out-source their children to nannies and nurses, freeing them to do good works in the community and accommodate an active social calendar. Queen Victoria popularised the new perambulator and baby carriers all but disappeared from use.

The ancestors of Australia's indigenous people came to these lands tens of thousands of years ago and it is likely they travelled with babies and young children. We don't know the form of carrying tools they used at that time. However archeological evidence suggests that baby slings were used by mothers in the northern hemisphere around 10 000 years ago.

Combining our #babywearing meets with our Fresh Air and Friendship weekly events in playgrounds, we have been able to offer support in a covid-safer environment.

Winter can make it less-attractive to leave the house and hang out in a playground, especially if you have younger baby. We get that! However, a dose of daylight in the morning is good for everyone's body clock, so time outside each day is always a good idea.

Heading in the the winter season, we will be offering venues with an indoor option and child-friendly environments. These include cafes, libraries and parks with undercover spaces alongside playgrounds.

Keep a close eye on our Facebook group SNPN Events for updates related to weather and cancellations due to illness. Our volunteers won't be facilitating meets if they or their children are sick, so do check on the day before heading out.

We hope to see you at one of our meets soon.

I wanted to make a demo doll to use at our babywearing sling-meets as it is by far safer for teaching and learning to use than a real baby. However, finding a tutorial on how to go about it wasn't the simple Google search I expected it to be! Eventually, I managed to piece together the process from various instructions I found (some quite vague!), so I thought I would try to pay-it-forward to the next person searching and create the tutorial I would have liked to find!!!

A stretchy wrap is a great introduction to babywearing. By getting the fit right, you and your baby will have a safe and comfortable experience right from the start.

Because the fabric used in these carriers is elastic and moulds around your bodies, you and your baby will embraced by the fabric. To achieve this embrace, you need to maintain the tension of the stretch by fitting the wrap more tightly than you might expect. Often, when people are struggling to get the fit right we find there is too much slack, allowing the baby’s body to move away from the adult body.

People seem to love being the voice of doom around parenting choices and one particular subject attracts strong opinions from those around you.

So let's look at the most common beliefs around using baby carriers.

Getting out and about with small children is like herding cats! Making sure everyone brings what they need, doesn't lose it and manages to bring it home at the end of the day is challenging. Wrangling a baby or toddler at the same time, in car parks, public spaces or in nature often means you can't sit them down so you have both hands and if you brought the pram, it is usually laden with everyone's stuff which they promised they would carry all day!

It's school holidays here in Melbourne. That means family fun at the pace of the big kids.

Little legs can't always keep up the pace with bikes and scooters. But you can leave the stroller at home and keep them engaged by #babywearing.

And if you are heading away on the holidays, you can make room in the boot by taking your carrier instead of the pram.

Whether you are exploring bush reserves, the zoo, museum or busy playgrounds, baby carriers keep your littlest where you can see them and allow them up and down as required. And when it's nap time you can just keep on going while they sleep.

Get out and explore these holidays!

Moving on to back-carrying can be pretty daunting. How on earth do you get them up there without dropping them?

There are several techniques you can use on your own, so you don't need to rely on having a helper around. Once you are confident using your soft-structured carrier on your front and your baby is developmentally ready to safely be on your back (generally around 6-9 months) you can progress to this method.

We are happy to take you through the process at our meets and markets, with face2face support while you achieve each step. You can practice with our demo dolls until you feel competent to try with your own child.

Back carrying keeps curious hands away from the action with a great view of everything. Perfect while you prep dinner, do laundry or shopping or enjoy public places and events without manoeuvring a pram through crowds.

"Which carrier should I buy?"

It's probably the most common question asked in #babywearing groups.

There are so many options out there when you Google - how can you work it all out?

Wearing your older baby or toddler on your back makes life much easier but little hands like to explore whatever is in reach: trading fingers up your nose for hands grasping your hair doesn't seem an improvement!

Some people really seem triggered by the sight of a toddler or older child in a carrier. Odd declarations - "You're big enough to walk young man!" - from strangers confuse everyone. The word "judgement" comes to mind.

But what is really going on here?