When you meet us, you might be startled by our babies.

Babywearing educators and consultants use specially developed baby dolls to demonstrate and teach how to use baby carriers.

There are a few reasons for this:

• We can pace the lesson to your needs, without an impatient baby or toddler getting fed up!

• We can show you safety issues with no risk to an infant.

• Our own babies grow beyond the stage of being carried before we do!

And we will encourage you to try with a doll before you do with your baby because:

• Learning something new can raise your anxiety, which makes your baby unsettled.

• Babies are not always fed, rested and calm when you meet up with us.

• You can try as many carriers as you like, whereas your baby might only tolerate one or two

• You can learn the safety measures first before placing your baby in an unfamiliar carrier

We have three baby dolls:

• Rosalie is a newborn, weighted to represent a typical baby 0-3 months.

• Lisa is a baby, weighted to represent a baby aged 4-9 months

• Ronnie is an older baby/toddler, weighted to represent a child aged 9 months plus

Our dolls are extremely realistic however they do have some limits:

• The dolls do not have muscles or bones, so they don’t have any independent support compared to human infants

• The dolls have hard plastic heads, hands and feet. Humans are much softer.

• The dolls are tricky to position on the back compared to an actual baby or toddler

However, the demo dolls are a great introduction for you and we can then support you to safely learn with your child.