Saturday 22 June 2013

Babasling Competition



When my children were younger they spent a lot of time in slings. My oldest had terrible colic and screamed for hours every day, the sling was the only way to soothe him enough that he slept and fed calmly and I was far happier to carry him around for 4 hours than listen to his heartbreaking crying.

As I had more children I discovered that with your baby in a sling you are better able to attend to the older ones. Holding hands to cross the road, or helping with jigsaws and making lunch are easier with that extra help to hold the baby for you.


When I had my 3rd child I didn't get a double pushchair, I pushed my 2 year old and carried my baby in a sling for the first 6 months, and it worked really well until my toddler was old enough to use a buggy board all of the time.

I'm a total advocate.

For my 4th child I didn't hesitate to get a sling, it was something we had ready before he was born, and it was very well used. It's much easier to get on a bus and find your change or hold an umbrella with baby in a sling than it is with a pushchair!


One of the best things about slings is the ability to feed your child wherever you are and whatever you're doing. You are well covered, so you aren't displaying your goods to the world and you don't get cold. Baby doesn't need to be overly-disturbed, and you don't need to spend ages finding somewhere suitable to sit comfortably to feed. It makes breastfeeding in public something that most people wouldn't even notice you were doing!

I've fed for about 8 years in total, and over that time I think I have fed just about everywhere....
  • I've fed several of mine at the table while out for a meal in a restaurant.
  • I fed my 1st at Derby Beer Festival.
  • I've definitely answered the door to the postman while feeding all of my children.
  • I've fed my babies on the bus, train and on coaches
  • I fed my 4th sitting in front of the Christmas tree in the Trafford Centre
  • I fed my 5th in A&E, radiography and several other departments when my 2nd slipped on ice.
  • I fed my 2nd at a pantomime when he was 3 weeks old and he never made a single noise the entire performance.
  • I fed my 4th when he was 3 months old while serving behind the Tombola at the school Christmas Fair.
  • I've fed whilst dancing or walking around at more festivals and shows than I could possibly begin to remember.
I'm sure there are about a thousand other places where I've been confident and able to feed my children in a sling, and I might not without it.




The lovely people at theBabasling have kindly donated a sling for me to giveaway as a prize. The winner will be able to select whichever sling they wish from the entire range. It truly is a great prize and I'm delighted to be able to have this opportunity.
theBabasling is designed to carry babies and toddlers (0-2yr+ / 7.7lbs-33lbs / 3.5kg – 15kg). It is available in 9 colours, 3 different styles for different seasons, can hold your baby in 5 positions and is machine washable. They come with a lifetime guarantee and free delivery.


 

My competition question is this ~ Where is the strangest or most interesting place you have fed your baby?

  

We'd love to see photo's* of you feeding and/or carrying your child in a sling in an unusual place. We want you to show that feeding doesn't have to be a major event, it can be something you just do.  It's the most natural thing in the world, it's almost an every hour event when your child is tiny and it can be done anywhere. Photo's can be e-mailed to me thebrickcastle@gmail.com, tweeted to @thebrickcastle or uploaded to my Facebook Page

If you don't have a photo then a story will be just as good an entry, and can be left on my Facebook wall, e-mailed to me or typed as a comment to this thread. 

The competition will close to entries at noon on Saturday 6th July 2013, and the winner will be announced by noon on Monday 8th July. Please include a method of contact with your entry - including if you enter by comment on this post.


Please keep any photo's nipple-free because I don't want to get into trouble with Facebook, Twitter or Blogger for 'adult content' (whether I agree with that or not) and I also don't want to scare off new Mums and Mums-to-be who aren't yet confident with feeding in public!

Don't forget all of my other Keep Britain Breastfeeding Competitions which are all listed on this page.

Terms and Conditions - This competition is open to UK residents only. The prize is one theBabasling of your choice which will be sent to you directly from theBabasling. The competition winner will be chosen by myself and a representative from theBabasling and our decision will be final. No correspondence in this matter will be entered into. This competition is in no way endorsed or supported by Blogger. The winner will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the competition ends, if they do not respond within 5 days we reserve the right to choose another winner from the competition entries. For any further information please e-mail thebrickcastle@gmail.com

33 comments:

  1. I don't have any photos unfortunately! But I have fed everywhere with my youngest one, nowhere massively weird tbh but on the tube, bus, park, restaurants, in the town hall.. I was on a Palestine demo with my friend once and she covered her baby with the palestine flag and fed her on the march :D
    those pics of boy number 4 in the sling are so cut :D

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    1. Well recognised! I've been through tons of photo's and can't find any of me carrying any of the others. I didn't get a digital camera until the 3rd one was little though!
      I think in The Town Hall has to be a pretty good answer! :)

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  2. I once had to feed my newborn daughter in Tesco down the cereal aisle. She was screaming despite me holding her as she was so hungry so I just gave her a quick feed stood there pretending to browse the cereal.

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  3. I had to feed my little girl when I was on a walk in the middle of the countryside, was kind of weird, but other than that, it's been mostly OK

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  4. just once had to give a quick feed in a park

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  5. I have had 3 children in the last 4 years and the longest I breastfed was 6 weeks due to tongue tie and reflux both I was unaware of before stopping. Its funny to me it was very scary to breastfeed in front of anyone other than my partner. Its sad looking back that I felt that way as I am in awe of mums that breastfeed. If only I had bought a sling I think it would have gave me the privacy and confidence to feed anywhere. Maybe next time ;)

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  6. victoria2322@hotmail.co.uk is my email x

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  7. me and my sister where holding a meetup in the park for mums, dads and their children. We were having a picnic and to make ourselves knows, we attached banners and balloons to our buggies. it was a while before it was going to start and our little girls needed feeding. So we feed them in the park. Because we had made ourselves so 'known' everyone walking past were staring at us. I don't think anyone realized we were feeding though and me and my sister had a laugh as we got cold boobs!

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  8. I have fed my daughter anywhere I've been. I don't think any of the places are particularly strange or interesting places to feed a baby because the whole point is it should be renormalised in our culture, so that feeding them anywhere is nothing to comment on. Therefore you could argue that in the current state of our society, everywhere is a strange place to nurse, as so few people do it!

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    1. sc2987@gmail.com by the way.

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  9. At my sons school play :) when there hingry there hungry

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  10. I feed Joe whenever and wherever he needs feeding. Browsing around ikea, waiting in a long till queue at Tesco etc. On a cliff top at Tintagel in his sling is my particular favourite with him looking up at the birds soaring overhead :)

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  11. When my son was a baby I had to take my husband to work at 4am and had to stop in a lay-by on the way back home to feed my son. The look and second look I got from a sleepy trucker that was parked up for the night there was priceless!

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  12. I've never breastfed because my baby is still in my tummy for another four weeks! I really want to try it though, and not bottle feed. Think this sling would be perfect!

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  13. I don't really see any of the places I feed my baby as unusual cos they're places I'm with my baby so therefore just what I have to do for peace but being a member of a re-enactment group I've fed with some great back drops. Blenheim Palace being the most recent and most beautiful. Unfortunately hubby is too busy "fighting" the enemy to take pics of me feeding but was lovely I just found a tree to lean against, got my older child an ice cream and fed my baby. Usually carry my baby in a moby but do have a baba in black.

    Oh I've also fed at twycross zoo and on my parents narrowboat. Where I go baby goes and has food! :) If you need to contact please e-mail psamiad69@yahoo.co.uk ;) many thanks

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  14. I'm sure I'm not the only bf-ing mum to have done this but I've not come across any others who'll admit to it ! I often wedge myself in the back seat of the car in between our boy's group 2 car seats before long road trips so i can feed the toddler on the move while daddy drives. I must say that having 'spaniels ears' for boobs is actually a distinct advantage in this case as you need a bit of leverage and pliancy to get the necessary into the mouth from a side angle! . My toddler is not the most discrete feeder so I'm sure I've flashed a few fellow travellers in my time but this is a small price to pay in exchange for a contented boy rather than a car full of toddler angst and sobbing when we get stuck in a traffic jam. The ultimate drive thru snack! Belindadervish@me.com

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  15. Only been breastfeeding for 13 weeks now, not really strange but i feed where ever i am and if that means walking around shopping or down the street, let it be! But this little chunk is getting heavy now so this sling would be god sent!! :)

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  16. charlotte louise24 June 2013 at 16:55

    I fed my youngest in a woodland park with toddlers coming up to me asking what I was doing

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  17. There isn't really anywhere I haven't fed! Probably the strangest place was flat on my back on an osteopaths couch. My midwives thought it was pretty strange that a BF'd number one while I laboured with number two. :)

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    Replies
    1. Hiya,

      Congratulations - you have been chosen as the winner of this competition, please get in touch!

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    2. Hi!
      I didn't think I could be the right Libby Ray but this is my comment so I must be! :)
      What do I need to do? I'm all co fused and excited because I never win anything! :)

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    3. I've e-mailed you back. I'm delighted you have finally got in touch :D

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  18. I breastfed behind a bin in a MacDonalds carpark once. No I'm not being silly - I was told to leave the restaurant and very close to leaking. Hubs had the carkeys in the restaurant and I couldn't go back in. It was horrendous.

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    1. I can't believe you were told to leave, it must have been awful. I'd have been livid. What a nightmare....

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  19. Strangest place would have to be the train ride at Drayton manor, not that strange I suppose, just don't think anywhere is strange when you have a hungry lol x @alexwilletts1

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  20. Only been breastfeeding 17 weeks and no where interesting. Only the usual places we have been like the park, restaurant, in the car, whenever she's hungry

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  21. On a long haul flight to South Africa.

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  22. Mine was probably at work when we went into visit, lots of colleagues walked back out of the room when they realized! I have fed in loads of places though and don't mind at all. Sometimes I end up feeding in the car though as its comfier then other chairs!

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  23. Oh, all these sweet memories....! Well, the strangest place to beging with was ... in the swimming pool! Yes, you heard right:-) We started swimming with the little one when she was 12 w.o. She would get hungry after about 5 min in a water and would try to latch on my wet swimming suit:-) So I would feed her right there, sitting on the step inside the swimming pool with only her head and my boobs sticking out of warm water:-) 5 min feed and she is a happy baby again ready for her next dive!

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  24. Where haven't I fed?! I took part in the BF flashmob at Paddington station about 18 months ago. On the way home on the train in rush hour I fed sat on the carriage floor as there were no seats. Rather a lot of red faces and shuffling feet from the male commuters (none of which gave up their seat...)

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  25. So far not had to feed as baby is due in 2 months but im sure they will be loads of interesting places :/

    @Jamiecomps

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  26. I've fed my 2 more or less everywhere - I see it as a natural thing to do but the strangest gad to be sitting in a doctors waiting room full of soldiers - who were all very red faced and didn't know where to look (the receptionist offered us a side room and I politely refused)

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  27. In a pub. We were looking for used furniture for our new home in a village and went for a drink in only one pub that was available, because baby needed to eat. Was strange to sit there and breastfeed with all those man around!

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I read every one and try my best to reply!