Lindsay Judge

About

I live in Ash Vale with my husband and three children who are 12, 7 and 3. I began using slings when my second child was born, as it felt like the most practical solution for the school run. I started off with a high street brand but moved on to a more ergonomic style as she grew. Before I knew it I had a beautiful rainbow of woven wraps, buckles and ring slings and had ignited an unexpected passion. As Middle Baby started getting too independent to be carried (despite my efforts at coercion) I decided that what we needed locally was a sling library.

I completed my Babywearing Consultant training with Slingababy in 2014 and started a library, turning up to a pub once a month with two small bags of slings. At the time I was pregnant with my third child and didn't have an awful lot of confidence in my own ability to run a library.

These days, my little library is a different animal. We have over a hundred carriers, including some of the most current and desirable on the market (although most people don't leave with what they imagine they will!). Our sessions run every week and cover Farnham, Camberley and Godalming. I've been lucky enough to acquire 9 incredible peer supporters plus 6 amazing volunteers who help out with paperwork, tea making etc. We've always run as a non-profit and all of the money raised is reinvested in new carriers.

I have always focused on making our groups friendly and inclusive as I remember how isolating baby groups can make you feel as a new parent. I strongly believe in nurturing the parent/carer as much as possible whilst they are with us. I have experience with working with adoptive and foster parents, multiple births and families with additional needs. I have found solutions for many infants fitted with a Pavlik harness and have worked with children with low muscle tone, hypermobility, SMA and cerebral palsy, plus parents with spinal abnormalities, severe post-natal depression and PTSD, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and deep vein thrombosis.

My "real" job is with Surrey Police. I've worked in the contact centre there for 13 years now, dealing with 101 and 999 calls, which can be incredibly challenging but is ultimately rewarding. I'm also 1/3 of online sling and kids clothing store Wallababies. I'm slowly plodding my way through a psychology degree with the Open University, and I don't like to brag but I'm also the poster girl for Thrombosis UK in maternity wards. I even managed to get a ring sling into that project...