Exhibiting at my first baby show

Getting things ready for my first baby show next weekend, Yorkshire Baby Show, in Harrogate!

Can’t wait to introduce my babywearing book Carry You Close to some new and expecting parents at the show. Really hoping people will see the book as a bedtime story their little ones will love, while they are able to learn some babywearing wisdom themselves. And launching my Substack community too: https://open.substack.com/pub/carryyouclose

Looking forward to all the chats about babywearing, meeting lots of new faces, including the other exhibitors (little networking event after should be fun.)

Still lots of last minute bits to get together for the stall. Quite the juggle with two poorly little ones at the moment but we’re surviving. Not quite thriving. But getting there.

One week tomorrow. Feeling really excited and hoping this is the first of many baby shows.

Jenny x

P.s. Roller banner (pictured) is ordered, just in time 😮‍💨

Inspirations as a children’s author from Beatrix Potter’s home, Hill Top

What a joy and inspiration to visit Beatrix Potter’s house. I was hit with such a real awe of the characters and stories she created.

We absolutely love Beatrix Potter stories here and regularly read them to our girls. Just magical to see the place that inspired so much of the books and personalities that we love.

I didn’t snap many pics because I was just enjoying it so so much with my girls and my husband. But still wanted to share something after the fact, because what a special place Hilltop is. A new favourite place!

Also hadn’t appreciated that she only moved to her house in the Lakes, that inspired so much of her writing, once she was in her forties. She also self-published her first edition of Peter Rabbit. Dared to draw on my hopes for my future works…

Carry You Close is hopefully just the beginning of the children’s stories I’ll write. I’ve several penned already, about babywearing and about other adventures.

Left feeling so inspired by what Beatrix Potter created. What an incredible woman. What a feeling to draw on.

Photo 1: my four year old daughter sat on the windowsill inside Beatrix Potter’s home, next to a copy of one of her books

Photo 2: me breastfeeding my little one in a woven wrap in front of Beatrix Potter’s home, Hill Top

A Conversation Starter

This week, we went to visit some friends who had just had a baby. I had seen my friend across church a few days earlier, wearing her little one in a stretchy. She was doing an amazing job! Though I could see a few ways in which her carry could be more comfortable and safer if she had a greater awareness of ‘TICKS’.

I’ve recently qualified as a babywearing consultant and so I planned to offer my friend a session, but I was thinking also how I might approach things if it was just more of a passing opportunity. This was a big motivation behind the book Carry You Close. Because it can be so hard to start the conversation with people when people are new to babywearing, doing their best, while dealing with hormones, sleep deprivation and all the demands of a new baby. Sometimes it feels even harder if it’s a friend! Giving a new parent a copy of Carry You Close, which walks them through the safe babywearing ‘TICKS’, can in itself help new parents to think about those important safety checks. It can also be the difficult conversation starter. Instead of immediately directing our attention at them and how they are wearing their baby, Carry You Close can ease us into the chat.

I’ve created this as a tool for our community. A tool for babywearing consultants, peer supporters and general babywearing enthusiasts, as well as for the new parents themselves. I hope it’s a useful book to have on your child’s bookshelf. An opening to chat more about safe babywearing with those we come in contact with, grabbing it off the shelf, popping it in the change bag, maybe gifting one to a friend. Starting the conversation from there.

It goes without saying that this is not the be-all-and-end-all. But hopefully it’s a useful tool for our belts. And hopefully you’ll find it a lovely read, too!