Every time I go out with Ingrid in the sling, I am surprised by how much heat she generates. She’s like a little nuclear reactor. In the beginning I always put on far too many clothes – just whatever I’d wear without her – and ended up shedding almost everything. In fact once late November I walked around in a short-sleeved t-shirt, plus Ingrid in the sling, and I was still sweaty. But that was a fast walk because I was in a hurry.

Now that I’ve learned my lesson, I normally just take a thin rain- and windproof jacket to keep my back and my arms out of the wind. Ingrid herself is in her indoors clothes. If she’s awake and her head is outside the sling, then she gets a little hat as well. That’s it! And it’s quite enough to keep both of us toasty, even when the temperature is below +10°C.

Going out with the sling therefore takes very little preparation. It works great, for example, if I need to go out while she is napping: she doesn’t notice anything at all. The hardest part is putting on and lacing up my boots: with her in the sling, it’s a bit hard to reach my feet. Just like when I was pregnant, in fact.