Rocket City Sling Swap
Rocket City Sling Swap is the local babywearing group for the Tennessee Valley area. Started in 2013 by Sarah Bailey, the owner of Acorn Treasures, the group meets a few times a month to discuss everything babywearing and assist local families with troubleshooting to use carriers. Started with 10 friends in a Facebook group, the group grew fast. Eighteen families attended the first meeting! The group grew to 3,000 members. Rocket City Sling Swap provides
- Active Facebook message board for troubleshooting babywearing
- Active B/S/T features in Facebook group
- Monthly support group meetings
- Monthly Babywearing Library meetings
- Opportunities to meet and socialize with other families
Navigate to Rocket City Sling Swap's Facebook Group by clicking here. You can request to join, and your admittance will be approved by a group leader after you answer the three questions presented to join the group. You must be parenting small children and live in the greater Tennessee Valley area to join.
Not needing support but interested in following the group? Rocket City Sling Swap also has a Facebook Page! Visit this page and be sure to click "LIKE" and "FOLLOW" selecting "SEE FIRST" in your newsfeed.
Babywearing wasn't prevalent in the Huntsville area nearly a decade ago when Sarah Bailey started wearing her baby. That has since changed. Parents are wearing their babies in our local area at a much higher rate than just 5 years ago. The efforts of this group, growing popularity of babywearing in the United States, and an increase in access to baby carriers has resulted in more families in the Tennessee Valley area that are wearing their babies. There are many benefits to babywearing for both parents and baby. Although babywearing has increased, we still have work to do to share the babywearing love. New families are created every day.
Being volunteer led, this group needs the support of babywearing enthusiasts to continue meeting the mission, which is to increase babywearing in the Tennessee Valley area. Here's how you can help:
- Spread the word. Share info about this group with everyone you know, but especially new parents. Social media makes this easy!
- While wearing your baby, keep Rocket City Sling Swap cards with you. Pass them out to people you encounter.
- Donate your gently used carrier to the Babywearing Library to be tried by other families.
- Be active on the Facebook Page. Comment on our message board.
- Volunteer to help at group meetings. All levels of skill are welcome. You can greet newcomers, help with checking out library carriers, or teach other families new to babywearing. Contact Aimee Park or Samantha Moye to volunteer.
Sarah passed the leadership torch on to Samantha Moye and Aimee Park in January 2018 in order to devote more time to developing Acorn Treasures. They now lead the group with help from several volunteer babywearing educators and babywearing enthusiasts. Sarah still volunteers with the group regularly, holding Babywearing Library Events and being an active participant on the Facebook Page and the Facebook Support group.