Queen Bee is the place to shop for maternity and breastfeeding clothing – but did you know we stock a great range of baby carriers as well as fabulous bags to store all your baby’s bits and pieces too?

Baby carriers (often just called slings) have been used in traditional cultures for centuries, and research shows babies carried in a sling actually cry significantly less than babies which aren’t, particularly during what many parents find the most difficult part of the day, the late afternoon/early evening. It’s not uncommon for a baby in a sling to be lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of your movements as you go for a walk or do things around the house.

Best of all, while you are carrying your baby and keeping them settled and happy, you can also be doing other things at the same time – cooking dinner, gardening, chores, even dancing! And a sling is invaluable when you have more than one child, as it lets you keep baby close while entertaining your toddler.

There are some places where taking a stroller can be a bit of a struggle – like up stairs, or onto a bus. Slings come into their own here, and if you want to take your baby out of the sling while you are out and about it can easily be folded and put away in your bag for later. You’ll also take up much less space on a busy bus or train than you would with a stroller in tow!

While being carried in a sling, your baby is likely to spend more time in a quiet, alert state, which promotes learning from the world around them – and while carried they see things at the same level as you, rather than spending their day looking at an endless procession of knees and legs, or unbroken white ceiling. The sensory stimulation they get from everyday sights and activities while being carried by you is very beneficial to their mental development.

Emotionally, slings help with attachment and bonding too. Baby’s sense of security and trust is promoted by being carried, and for tiny newborns, particularly premature babies or low birth weight babies, feeling secure and being kept close to the parent’s chest, where they can hear and feel the familiar heartbeat, breathing and warmth, is the key to faster weight gain too. You may have heard this referred to as ‘kangaroo care’.

Queen Bee’s range of slings are as fashionable as they are functional. Our favourites are this beautiful ornately patterned stretch sateen carrier, “Sky Temple Garland” by Pippalily, and the white vintage print on dark brown of this soft sage minkee-lined carrier, “Story” by Lucky Baby.

Our range of bags is equally successful in blending function with urban-chic looks.
Many nappy bags are bulky and less than fashionable. They look like exactly what they are, and after your baby grows up you will probably put them away in a cupboard and never use them again. But that’s not how you’ll feel about your Isoki or Mama bag from Queen Bee. We love the Chocky Mousse coloured Mama Nappy Bag, and the fully reversible Isoki bags. In a range of fashionable fabrics, they will always be in style and will double as a handbag or small overnight bag for years after your children are grown. And for the guys, we stock a great range of bags specially for them, by Diaper Dude. It’s the brand Angelina bought for Brad Pitt.

Personally, I’m not at the post-baby stage yet; I still have a toddler, and use the Isoki Zanzibar print hobo bag with its practical pockets and inner bags for packing all her clothes, favourite toys and other stuff whenever we go on holidays. Yes, even holidays involving air travel become possible with a bit of planning, a great baby bag, and a sling or two to keep baby settled as you move through the airport and once you arrive.

If you do go on a plane, don’t forget your breastfeeding tops from Queen Bee – breastfeeding your baby while you take off and as you land is the best way to help them gently equalise their ears.

Enjoy sharing the world with your baby!

Hannah
xx