About Us

Back in 1981 Dee-Dee joined our local LLL while expecting Elsa, our oldest of 4. I had studied child psychology and child development and earned teaching credentials in special education (learning disabled) and regular education. My education was valuable, but did not prepare us for the reality of, and decisions to be made regarding pregnancy, birthing and nurturing an infant. Among many, many other things, some of Dee-Dee’s new friends shared a pattern of a soft front pack that was much nicer than the commercial baby carriers that were available, and Dee-Dee’s early love for sewing had garnered her a sewing machine for her hi school graduation a few years earlier.

We didn’t know it, but over in Hawaii Rayner Garner and Sachi Yoshimoto had designed a two-ring sling that they called the “Baby Sling” to use with their daughter Fonda who was just Elsa’s age. They were sewing them on a one-of basis. When Aubrey, our second, was born a man stopped at a yard sale we were having, and he was wearing one of Rayner and Sachi’s slings. We immediately got one through him for Aubrey, and Dee-Dee and I fell in love with it. I thought, why not manufacture baby slings since no one else is? Soon after, the Over the Shoulder Baby Holder baby sling was born.

 

Over all these years many of the babies that were raised in the OTSBH babyslings have grown into young adults and becoming-young-adults, and the results are very heartwarming. The magical bonding that occurs when a baby is raised attached optimizes connection between people, and that connection produces characteristics that make a difference for a lifetime. We are seeing young people grow up who are showing love and consideration for others—they are showing maturity that is beyond the cultural norm for their age group. They are showing healthy confidence in themselves that allows them to develop more to their potential, and to build relationships with others that are based on healthy values.

Dee-Dee and I are the proud parents of 4 such young people, and we are very aware that it is not because we are extraordinary parents (we have plenty of faults that we are still working on), but because so many special people unselfishly shared with us this beautiful way to parent our children, we have been blessed in so many ways. And we have a vision, we see the more secure and connected sling babies influencing a world full of new slung, breastfed, attached and loving babies.

Carry On,
Bill & Dee-Dee Devin/Over the Shoulder Baby Holder baby slings/parents of Elsa, Aubrey, Hana Lei and Josiah (natural, natural, natural-frank-breech & natural) (breastfed 10 years total)
“To the world you might be just one person, but to one person you just might be the world”