A CARDENDEN entrepreneur is offering free talks to parents across Fife in a bid to raise awareness of the use of slings to carry babies.

Emma Gilmour established her own consultancy, SlingSure, last year and is now travelling to antenatal classes and baby and toddler groups across Fife to talk to parents about sling safety and babywearing.

Slings have many uses, from soothing a tired child to making journeys and trips more accessible without the need for buggies or prams, and Emma, who uses a sling to carry her own two-year-old, has been providing support to other families since 2010 when she started up Fife Sling Meet.

The group meets fortnightly in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy, and brings parents together to socialise and swap tips about babywearing.

“I started using slings with my eldest child,” explained Emma. “I did lots of reading about different kinds and looked for a local sling meet but there wasn’t one, so I decided to set one up myself.

“Word of mouth was a huge factor in its success - parents see other people wearing slings and talk about it. It was a small, local thing at first but now it’s much bigger and there is a Facebook group for people to chat and meet.” Alongside her private bookings, Emma decided to visit community groups free of charge in order to promote awareness.

In these sessions, she delivers short talks about babywearing and sling safety, giving demos and taking questions.

“I visited an NCT group last year and also a breastfeeding support group to do introductory sessions,” she said. “I’m keen that people have basic safety information and I want to get the message out as widely as possible.

“Slings are fantastic tools if people know the basics.” Now that it is the time of year for children to enrol in schools and nurseries, Emma has been approaching toddler groups to offer her services.

“As long as it’s local, I wouldn’t charge,” she said.

Emma Gilmour established her own consultancy, SlingSure, last year and is now travelling to antenatal classes and baby and toddler groups across Fife to talk to parents about sling safety and babywearing.

Slings have many uses, from soothing a tired child to making journeys and trips more accessible without the need for buggies or prams, and Emma, who uses a sling to carry her own two-year-old, has been providing support to other families since 2010 when she started up Fife Sling Meet.

The group meets fortnightly in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy, and brings parents together to socialise and swap tips about babywearing.

“I started using slings with my eldest child,” explained Emma. “I did lots of reading about different kinds and looked for a local sling meet but there wasn’t one, so I decided to set one up myself."