About hug-a-bub®
About Tania | About Suzanne

At hug-a-bub® we are advocates of “attachment parenting”. Attachment parenting is a high touch, responsive style of baby care that brings out the best in both baby and parents. It is a style of baby care that parents would naturally practice if they followed their own intuition.

In cultures all around the world this style of parenting is practiced with support from extended family, friends, or community and often employs the use of some kind of baby sling.

The hug-a-bub® baby carrier was designed with the appreciation and understanding for why babies need to be in close contact with their parents and how hard this can be for a parent without the support of an extra pair of hands.

We have designed a baby carrier that has made it more comfortable and convenient for parents to wear their baby as they go, than to continually have to stop what they are doing to rock the pram, shake the rattle or bounce the bouncer.

About Suzanne
As a mother of 3, a child birth educator and a Doula (birthing support attendant) I have had the privilege of working closely with hundreds of pregnant women, mothers and midwives from whom I have learned much from over the last 14 years.

My personal experience as a young, first time mother many years ago, was quite shocking. I was not prepared for how demanding, isolating and tiring it would be. I was clear from the beginning that I wanted a natural birth and that I would breast feed which I did. I studied birthing naturally so thoroughly that I should have a degree in it. Unfortunately I did not come across much information on parenting naturally. By my families standards I was probably thought of as a very natural parent simply because I breast fed my son, but I was not confident to trust my instincts when it came to caring for him. I was easily persuaded by well meaning advice on every topic from what to feed him, how often, how to get him to sleep and where he should sleep.

While pregnant with my daughter 10 years later I read a wonderful book called the ‘Continuum Concept’ that altered me as a parent forever. Here I read about an isolated tribe in the South American jungle whose babies were carried by day in a type of sling as the parents continued about there normal and busy days and slept with their babies at night. Not only did these babies rarely cry if ever, the parents did not show any signs that they were overwhelmed or burdened by this high touch style of parenting. They were in fact far freer than mothers in our culture, who must give up working and stay home to care for their infants. These babies not only were calmer but appeared far more advanced than babies in our culture.

When Chela was born I carried her in a variety of slings much of the day and she slept in my bed at night. Not only did I feel so close to her, it just felt so easy and right to have her with us - never a burden. I was told frequently by family and some friends that I was spoiling her and that she was sure to be dependent on me forever more. How wrong they were. Soon to start school soon, she is a very confident, secure and intelligent child who would sooner go anywhere with anyone than most of her friends of the same age.

Babywearing has since become a passion for me. Since designing the hug-a-bub I have realized how few parents are aware of the very real and natural need for babies to be held and the countless benefits and advantages babywearing offers. For the last 3 years I have been pursuing a ‘degree’ in attachment parenting and am committed to providing information, support and encouragement to others who no longer want to buy the ‘you’ll spoil that baby’ line.

Having a hug-a-bub with my last son made it possible for me to stay connected with him; meet his needs for comfort security and entertainment; allow me to go anywhere, do anything in absolute comfort and allowed me to get this business off the ground!!

I have a vision of Westernized cultures realizing the that the information our parents and grandparents were given by the so called ‘experts’ of the time, about child raising was wrong. Babies thrive from just being held, touched and having their needs met. Across the world, in countless cultures mothers know that babies belong with them, on them and every one is happy ever after…

About Tania
After 15 years of a great design career…something inside was urging me to take off and trek across South America. Little did I know it would be the beginning of a huge personal awakening, new purpose, perspective and career.

3 months I traveled through Ecuador, Chile, Peru and Bolivia… there was one amazing thing that stood out from so many…and it was the children. There was a content, calmness that I hadn’t associated with children at home. It took me a while to put my finger on it, why did they behave so differently? What was different?

Aha! There were no prams!

Babies were carried around in wraps on their mothers back. As my awareness heightened, I observed intently every time I was around them. They suckled when hungry, slept when tired. They went wherever their mums did…to work, in the fields, at the market…even at home. They didn’t need to have a tantrum, they didn’t need to scream to get comfort from their mother, nor food nor rest…everything was within their reach…all day long.

Wow… it all made so much sense.

I emailed my girlfriend who I thought would be fascinated by my latest ‘discovery’…she said “yeah…its called ‘babywearing’…a natural way of parenting that has been practiced by Africans, Indians, Eskimos, Indonesians and South Americans for thousands of years”. (Oh and here I thought I stumbled across something new and ingenious)… “Its great for babies and really practical for parents. I am designing a sling right now with a friend that is really fantastic…I can’t wait til you see it”.

I did see it…it is called hug-a-bub®…and it is fantastic.

There was no doubt in my mind that my life had taken a new direction. I left the design world and began promoting a a wonderful baby sling and a parenting paractice that had been in existence for centuries.