sick children
real stories

Slings can be so helpful for sick children

Slings can be so helpful for sick children and those with life-limiting or chronic illness, as well as those needing intensive hospital treatment.

Earlier this week we had the great privilege of helping a little girl receiving chemotherapy for leukaemia.

She’s not well at the moment with quite a lot of pain and is needing a lot of reassurance and love from her family. She is tired a lot of the time due to the illness and her treatment… so it was so great to be able to give her and her family a toddler Izmi carrier. It will help her mum and dad keep her close and make her feel safe, as soft touch and cuddles reduce stress and anxiety and pain. She was very keen to try it on and nestled against her mother as they learned how to use it. It was a great fit and really soft and comfy for her, and will help her to enjoy their weekend away a little more and get through the months ahead a little more easily. The whole family was delighted at the new option for closeness that they now have.

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If you’d like to help us help more families, do get involved! Donate to us, send us your nearly new carriers, spread the word!

 

hospital, real stories

Slings can help to communicate love and offer practical support

Carriers can make a real difference to families in difficult situations in a very practical way. The Building Bonds Project team were asked to come to the Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Charity to help this family. Their little boy Blake who was previously very well only a few months ago, is now unable to walk or talk, due to a brain condition. He is getting intensive rehab from the physiotherapy and occupational therapy teams and his family wanted something to help them hold him close: he needs to feel loved and they want to be able to express their love for him. That’s what the power of a hug and being cuddled close can do.
We gave his family this Beco Toddler carrier (donated by Sling Spot) and you can see how it is helping to hold him against his mother’s body. The close all round contact with her familiar shape and scent helps him to relax. She is able to walk around with him nestled into her which makes it very practical for getting on with things.

His arms can be wrapped around her waist and the occupational therapists can be seen working on his stiff fingers and wrists from this place of relaxation.

He smiled and made happy sounds at his father from this position… it was very therapeutic for everyone amidst the sadness of it all.

We hope the carrier proves useful and therapeutic to them all.