The term “babywearing” was invented by renowned paediatrician, Dr William Sears in the 1980’s, to mean the various methods of carrying your baby.

In fairness to the human race, Dr Sears only came up with the name for something that had been going on since… well, since the first human mummy stood up, looked around and said, “Now, where did I put Baby?” Even before that, our simian ancestors did (and still do) carry their offspring in a variety of ways attached to the fur of different parts of their bodies.

Humans around the world have been carrying their offspring for several millennia, and of course it has been subject to local diversity, so it’s not surprising to find a variety of methods.

In less developed countries it is still regarded as the best way of getting your kids around before they can keep up, so you will find African, Asian and South American varieties. It even used to be popular in the “developed” west before the Georgian and Victorian aristocracy persuaded everyone that children should be kept as far away from their parents as possible, handing them to nannies to be genteelly wheeled around in perambulators.

In 1981, a man named Rayner Garner invented a sling with two rings and padded edges, for his wife Sachi to wear their baby – this is what is now known as a Ring Sling. Dr Sears was so impressed that he bought the rights to the design and continued to make and promote slings. His philosophy is that the baby sling is an extension of the womb, and by carrying babies we can provide a great many benefits to both baby and carer.

Thanks to Dr Sears’ work, babywearing has made something of a comeback in the Western World, and has even been enjoyed by celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman and Brad Pitt. And thanks to their widely publicised use of baby slings, the popularity is gradually starting to filter through to the general population.