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Terms of hire

An online record will be completed for each carrier you borrow with your full name and contact details, loan charges and due date. Terms and Conditions are available online  for you to review, and will be emailed to you with your contract.

Your personal details will be kept in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, and will only be used to contact you in relation to your loan.

If you opt to receive marketing from CalmFamily/It’s A Sling Thing we will only ever contact you ourselves about news and promotions and will never pass on your details to third parties. You can view our Privacy policy.

All carriers are lent subject to availability, condition and suitability.

Hires are usually posted on the first day of your hire using a 24 hour postage service. We will sometimes dispatch them early if they are ready early. In these cases you get some free days as a bonus at the beginning of your hire. 

We cannot guarantee your pattern choice if there are multiple slings of the same type. If a previous hirer has not returned the sling then we may substitute for a different design of the same carrier.

If there is a delay due to the non return of a previous hire which will affect your hire we will get in touch ASAP

If there are any outstanding late fees, replacement fees or similar owed on your account we will not send out any new hires until they are cleared.

We ship our rental orders using Royal Mail services.

What postal services are included?

All postage fees are included in the carrier rental price; both outward postage and return postage using the prepaid label we provide, as well as packaging.

For slings and carriers we use Royal Mail tracked services. If we are sending your hire out early we use Royal Mail Tracked 48, if we are sending out your hire on the start date of your hire we use Tracked 24.

A parcel can contain 1-3 slings, or 2 slings and a story sack. If you order more this we will charge for a second set of postage at £12 for outward and return postage.

When will you send my sling?

Your parcel is due to be sent out on the first day of your hire. We often dispatch all carriers booked for the week on the Monday, so 3-5 days early if they’re available to give the greatest chance of them arriving by the day after your start date, in case you are taking them on holiday. If they arrive early then you get some bonus days for free. However, you cannot rely on us posting early, so if you need a carrier for a specific date such as for travelling, please book it to be sent out several days early.

When will my parcel arrive?

We cannot guarantee when your carrier will arrive, because, whilst we use 24 hour services, Royal Mail does not offer a guarantee to deliver these within 24 hours.

If you require a sling or carrier for a specific date, such as for travelling, please book it to be sent out several days early. Royal Mail tracked 24 is not a guaranteed service, and we cannot be held liable for a carrier not arriving the day after it is posted. Where we are notified of the postage taking longer than expected we will add days to the end of the hire to compensate for the additional time spent in the postage system.

Special delivery is the Royal Mail next day guaranteed service. If you require special delivery for your hire then phone us. Where possible we will arrange this, and add the fee for the increased postage cost onto your hire.

Returning the carrier hire

You simply pop the sling or carrier/s in the postage paid bag provided, affix the prepaid return label provided and drop it off to a Post Office counter by 12 noon on the day before the final day of your hire to ensure no late fees will be owed.

If you cannot return a sling to us on time, please contact us before it is due to be returned to arrange an extension of your hire.

If you have lost your return label just get in touch and we can send you a new one to print out

We ship our rental orders using Royal Mail services.

What postal services are included?

We use Royal Mail 24 or 48 services for dispatching books and story sacks, unless they are being hired alongside a carrier or sling. (In which case see Carrier hire shipping)

Outward postage fees are included in the story sack rental price. However, we do not provide a prepaid return postage label as it is more cost effective for you to buy return postage at the Post Office.*

*If you have hired a story sack and a sling or carrier then you will be sent a prepaid tracked return label. Please do include the story sack with your sling rental return. There is no need for you to buy additional postage.

Returning the book/story sack hire

Seal the story sack, or book, and all items that came with your hire that are not listed as for you to keep into the postage bag provided. 

These hires do not come with prepaid return postage labels, so please address them as follows

CalmFamily
c/o Jennifer Littlejohns
66 Preston Road
Coppull
Chorley
PR7 5DW

Send them using a service that will ensure that we receive them on or before the last day of your hire.

Please provide tracking details when you return these items. Keep the tracking details until your account shows that we have checked in your rental items.

Because the contract for return postage is between you and Royal Mail, if the parcel goes missing, you will be required to contact Royal Mail and pursue the issue of missing items.

In the case of items going missing you are liable for the the costs of replacement as outlined in the section “Deposits, additional fees and charges.”

Once your book or story sack is returned to us, we will check it back in. 

Returning a carrier hire

You simply pop the sling or carrier/s in the postage paid bag provided, affix the prepaid return label provided and have it scanned in at a Post Office counter by 12 noon on the day before the final day of your hire to ensure no late fees will be owed.

If you cannot return a sling to us on time, please contact us before it is due to be returned to arrange an extension of your hire.

If you have lost your return label just get in touch and we can send you a new one to print out.

Keep your tracking details as proof of postage until your account shows that your sling or carrier/s has been checked back in.

Returning a story sack or book hire

Seal the story sack, or book, and all items that came with your hire that are not listed as for you to keep in the postage bag provided. 

These hires do not come with prepaid return postage labels, so please address them as follows

CalmFamily
c/o Jennifer Littlejohns
66 Preston Road
Coppull
Chorley
PR7 5DW

Send them using a service that will ensure that we receive them on or before the last day of your hire.

Please provide tracking details when you return these items. Keep the tracking details until your account shows that we have checked in your rental items.

Because the contract for return postage is between you and Royal Mail, if things go missing, you will be required to contact Royal Mail and pursue the issue of missing items.

In the case of items going missing you are liable for the full RRP replacement cost.

Carrier condition

All carriers are checked before lending to ensure that they are in good condition and working order. Please ensure you are happy with the condition of the carrier before using it.

It is the borrower’s responsibility to check over the carrier before each use. Check all buckles, hems and seams ensuring that there are no tears, breaks, cracks or holes. If any damage is discovered, please stop using the carrier immediately and contact us.

Suncream

When using suncream with a carrier, apply suncream as directed on the bottle, and allow 20 minutes for it to be absorbed into the skin before carrying your child in the rented sling. This is because suncream can stain carriers, and because before 20 minutes suncream can be rubbed off easily, preventing it from protecting your child’s skin.

Cleaning slings and carriers

Please DO NOT wash our carriers, some are delicate, and need special cleaning. Please let us know if you are not happy with the condition when you receive it so that we can either instruct you what to do or rectify it ourselves. We understand that children may get the odd bit of food, such as chewed up biscuit, or posset marks on a sling. We ask that you only spot clean these with water only before returning the sling.

In the instance of heavy soiling, please contact us for advice.

Food, such as chewed up biscuit,  and posset marks are expected when carrying children, but please keep the sling away from anything that may stain permanently (tomato based sauces, greasy foods, oil, paint, pens, hair or make up products, nail varnish etc.), or anything that might damage it (scissors, velcro, keys in your bag, fire, etc.).

Marks or fading

We cannot guarantee that there are no marks  or signs of fading on the carriers we lend. Carriers are laundered as appropriate, with all newborn suitable carriers being washed between every hire. This can fade fabrics.

Woven wraps and ring slings are washed as needed and quarantined for a minimum period between hires.

Specifying a rewashed carrier

If you would require a freshly laundered carrier please request this before you borrow. In  most cases the carrier will have been washed at the end of its previous hire. Rewashing may delay the start date of your hire whilst waiting for a carrier to dry.

Smoking

We ask that you do not smoke or vape whilst using our rental carriers and that you do not use it or take it into very smoky areas.

Smoke residue is impossible to fully remove from carriers. We will be unable to continue to hire out carriers that have been contaminated with cigarette smoke.

Animal hair

We cannot guarantee that there are no animal hairs on our carriers, but we ask that all carriers are kept away from pets to minimise this possibility. If you are very allergic to animal hairs, please request that the carrier be laundered before you borrow it to help avoid any potential reaction.

Travelling with a rented carrier

If you are going travelling with the hire please keep it with you rather than in any stowed or hold luggage which could go missing. If the hire is lost in this manner we will invoice you to replace the carrier. (See Deposits, additional fees and charges for details on lost and damaged carriers.)

Ensuring the carrier arrives on time

See carrier hire shipping

Deposits

We no longer take any deposits from anyone hiring carriers, story sacks or books from us.

We do our best to resolve all issues quickly and to everyone’s satisfaction. However, these are the occasions when we would charge additional fees.

Late fees

Late return of the sling or carrier, book or story sack.  Late returns will be charged at £2 per day.  These may be waived in exceptional circumstances, but you must contact us to discuss, preferably before the end of the rental period. We may begin taking late fees from 7 days overdue, and will collect them, where possible from the card you paid on weekly until your carrier is returned or non return is resolved.

Under adverse or unforeseen circumstances we may reduce or waive fines for late returns as long as the late period is less than 7 days and has been fully agreed by us before the end of the loan period

Non return, theft or loss of the carrier, book or story sack/s

(This does not include loss in the post when using a prepaid return label for a carrier, having had it scanned in at the Post Office and provided tracking details to us.)

This is deemed to have occurred 14 days after the original agreed return date.  Please ensure the contact details you give us are correct as we will attempt to contact you.  However, be aware it is your responsibility to return the sling or carrier, book or story sack on time.  

Where we have full cooperation and timely communication from you, you will be liable only for the full replacement cost of the sling or carrier including postage fees to our rental headquarters, and late fees for the period between your return date and the resolution of the case.  We may offer the option of making these payments by payment plan.

If we do not hear from you, or get a response from you to our attempts to contact you within 14 days then you will be liable for the full RRP cost of the sling or carrier, book or story sack, including postage fees to our rental headquarters, and late fees for the period between your return date and the resolution of the case., plus an admin fee of £10.  In the first instance we will attempt to take payment by card from the card details held on our system. If this fails, and we have not had timely response from you we will, as a last resort, initiate a small claims court proceeding against you.

Damaged and unsafe or unusable item

Return of a sling or carrier that is damaged in such a way as it is now unsafe, or a story sack or book in such a way as it is now unusable.  The sling or carrier , story sack or book will be retired from the library immediately. 

Where we have full cooperation and timely communication from you, you will be liable for the full replacement cost of the sling or carrier, story sack or book including postage fees to our rental headquarters, and late fees for the period between your return date and the resolution of the case.  We may offer the option of making these payments by payment plan. 

If we do not hear from you, or get a response from you to our attempts to contact you within 14 days then you will be liable for the full RRP cost of the sling or carrier, including postage fees to our rental headquarters, and late fees for the period between your return date and the resolution of the case., plus an admin fee of £10. In the first instance we will attempt to take payment by card from the card details held on our system. If this fails, and we have not had timely response from you we will, as a last resort, initiate a small claims court proceeding against you.

Damaged and usable but unhirable item

Return of a sling or carrier that is damaged in such a way as it is not unsafe but is permanently damaged or stained and unsuitable for hire.  The sling or carrier will be retired from the library.  

Where we have full cooperation and timely communication from you, you may be offered the option to buy the carrier from us at a price, that will cover at least the replacement cost to us of adding a new carrier, story sack or book to our library, including postage to our rental headquarters and a £10 admin fee.  If you do not wish to purchase the sling or carrier,  we will offer it to Little Possums Preloved, and you will be liable for the difference between the price offered by Little Possums Preloved and the replacement cost to us of adding a new carrier to our library, including postage to our rental headquarters, postage of the carrier to Little Possums Preloved and a £10 admin fee. 

For story sacks or books your liability is for the replacement cost to us of adding a new story sack or book to our library, including postage to our rental headquarters and a £10 admin fee, as we do not have a relationship with a preloved book or story sack trader.

If we do not hear from you, or get a response from you to our attempts to contact you within 14 days then you will be liable for the full RRP cost of the sling or carrier, book or story sack, including postage fees to our rental headquarters, and late fees for the period between your return date and the resolution of the case., plus an admin fee of £10. In the first instance we will attempt to take payment by card from the card details held on our system. If this fails, and we have not had timely response from you we will, as a last resort, initiate a small claims court proceeding against you.

Non return or loss of accessories, or carrier parts

Non return of accessories.  This is deemed to have occurred 14 days after the original agreed return date. 

Please be extra careful to look after any accessories that you hire. If you have returned most of your hire on time then the cost of missing accessories, or story sack parts will be charged at replacement cost to us, plus postage to our rental headquarters, plus a £5 admin fee. Some items come in packs such as certain puppets in story sacks. Where we have to buy a new pack in order to replace a part you will be charged the cost of the entire pack. 

We will first contact you to ask if you can find them. If we don’t hear anything from you we will attempt to take payment by card from the card details held on our system. If this fails, and we have not had timely response from you we will, as a last resort, initiate a small claims court proceeding against you.

All fees will be taken from the card which you used to pay for your hire, unless you request to use another card in your communication with us.

If you have any outstanding fees on your account you will be unable to hire unless you settle the fees first.

Sling/carrier hire charges

Rental fees are the same for most of our slings, except for stretchy wraps and Close Caboos. The rental fees include postage to you and back to us.

You are charged for the shortest period which completely covers your selected hire dates. These charges are 

  • 2 Weeks – £24
  • 3 Weeks – £29
  • 4 Weeks – £33
  • 6 Weeks – £41
  • 8 Weeks – £46
  • 12 Weeks – £57
Extension
  • 1 Week – £7
  • 2 Weeks – £12
  • 3 Weeks – £17
  • 4 Weeks – £21
  • 6 Weeks – £28
  • 8 Weeks – £34
  • 12 Weeks – £45
In all cases if you hire more than one item at once you can use the code ONEPLUS for 20% off your hire.
The minimum hire length we offer is two weeks so that you get a proper chance to try it out lots of times in several situations. That’s the best way to find out if it suits you, your child and your lifestyle.
 
Stretchy wraps 

Stretchy wraps have different hire costs. Stretchy wraps and Close Caboos are £24 for 6 weeks and £35 for 12 weeks. They have a minimum hire period of 6 weeks, but you can always return early if you want to.

Story sack hire charge

To hire a story sack you pay a rental fee.  This covers your hire, postage to you, and return postage to us using the included postage bag. Story Sack hire does not include a return postage label, because it is more cost effective for you to pay for return postage at the Post Office. 

You are charged for the shortest period which completely covers your selected hire dates. These charges are:

£12 for 2 weeks
£17 for 4 weeks

The minimum hire length we offer is two weeks so that you get a proper chance to enjoy it.

Book hire charges

You are charged for the shortest period which completely covers your selected hire dates. These charges are:

Books costs are £5 to hire for 4 weeks, £8 for 8 weeks or £12 for 12 weeks. This covers the hire fee, and postage out to you. 

 

In all cases if you hire more than one thing at once you can use the code ONEPLUS for 20% off your hire. 

Membership discounts apply. See terms and conditions for details.

It is possible to extend your loan for an additional period if nobody else has booked it. To extend your hire please email us on hq@calmfamily.org with your name, and the carrier you are hiring, requesting the duration of the extension, at least 3 days before the last day of your hire in order to ensure you are able to return the carrier on time should it be booked to another hirer. 

We will reply to let you know whether it is possible, and to confirm that you are happy for us to take the payment for the extension from the card on which you paid for your hire.

Once you have confirmed this, we will take payment and amend the end date of your hire. 

Carrier extension fees
  • 1 Week – £7
  • 2 Weeks – £12
  • 3 Weeks – £17
  • 4 Weeks – £21
  • 6 Weeks – £28
  • 8 Weeks – £34
  • 12 Weeks – £45

ALL CARRIERS ARE EXTREMELY SAFE WHEN USED PROPERLY, HOWEVER MISUSE CAN CAUSE INJURY TO YOURSELF OR YOUR CHILD.

IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT YOU ARE USING THE CARRIER CORRECTLY AND THAT YOUR BABY OR CHILD IS SAFE AT ALL TIMES WHEN USING THE CARRIER.

CalmFamily/It’s A Sling Thing cannot be held responsible for any accident and resultant injuries that occur whilst the carrier is in your care.

All hires are provided with a paper safety leaflet. A link to instructions for all carriers can be found on the  manufacturer’s instructions page where they provide these.

To familiarise yourself with basic carrying safety we would suggest that all customers read our Carrying safety article.

If you have any concerns about safety whilst using the carrier please stop and get in touch for assistance.

We understand that family life is unpredictable and so offer the following cancellation policy for reservations based on how far away from the hire start date you wish to cancel:

1) cancellations more than 28 calendar days before the start of the rental – full refund of rental fee offered

2) cancellations between 5 and 27 calendar days before the start of the rental – 50% refund of rental fee offered

3) cancellations less than 5 calendar days before the start of the rental – no refund of rental fee offered.  This is because other people have been denied the chance to hire the sling, carrier or book, during the time it was reserved for you.

**PLEASE NOTE*** cancellations that occur within the first 24 hours after ordering will be refunded in full, unless the carrier has already been dispatched. We frequently dispatch carriers 3-5 days early if they are available to give the greatest chance of them arriving by the day after your start date, in case you are taking them on holiday. If you wish to cancel your booking that is due to be sent out in the next 3-5 days, we advise you to phone to find out whether it has been dispatched.

If you have any questions, get in touch.

The CalmFamily free stretchy wrap hire scheme is a purchasing contract for a brand new stretchy wrap with a 4 week trial period, rather than a rental contract.

During the 4 week trial period you may use the stretchy wrap and return it to us, at your own cost, and incur no further fees.*

During the trial period you have the option to buy the stretchy wrap you have on hire. To do this, simply do not return the stretchy wrap to us. This will the automatic balance payment to be taken 5 weeks after the date on which you placed your order.

If you are certain that you will not wish to purchase a stretchy wrap, but may wish to use one for longer than 4 weeks then you may wish to consider hiring a stretchy through our rental system. These are available for 6 or 12 weeks hire period with the option to extend if needed.

*Late fees, and fees for damaged goods may apply.

Automatic payment system

When selecting the ‘Try now or spread the cost’ option on a stretchy wrap you will be directed to pay by card through our payment system, Stripe. Stripe saves the payment card in order to take the specified balance payment. The amount and date due is clearly stated when you click ‘Try now or spread the cost.’ 

This payment is taken only if:

  • we do not receive the stretchy wrap return prior to the agreed payment date
  • OR the stretchy wrap is returned to us in an unacceptable condition.

You are responsible for ensuring that there are funds to cover the balance payment, and that you update us if your card is cancelled to ensure that we hold a valid payment card until the balance is paid.

Keeping your stretchy wrap

If you love your stretchy wrap and wish to keep it, and we hope you do, then you don’t need to do anything. The payment will be taken 5 weeks after the original purchase date from the card on which you paid using the card details saved by Stripe.

You will be emailed in the run up to the payment date. You are responsible for ensuring that we hold details of an active card with access to sufficient funds to cover the balance payment.

Conditions of use and return

You can use the stretchy wrap during your trial period. You may wash the wrap during the trial period, but you don’t have to. We understand that newborn babies frequently spit up, or have nappy leaks.

You do not have to return the stretchy wrap to us freshly laundered at the end of the trial period. However, please look after the carrier and use it as your own. You cannot make any permanent or irreversible changes to the carrier, damage it, or mark or stain it in any way that remains after we wash it.

Do not cut off any sewn in care labels, pin anything to the wrap, or do anything that may cause the fabric to be damaged. For example dragging the ends of the stretchy wrap along rough ground as you walk, catching it on sharp objects or trapping it. This can damage the fabric and make it unsafe to be used or sold.

You must keep all packaging, tags, and manual/instructions and return these with the stretchy wrap if you choose to return your CalmFamily free stretchy wrap hire scheme wrap.

Returning your CalmFamily free stretchy wrap

If you wish to return your CalmFamily free stretchy wrap then package it carefully with all its labels, packaging, and manuals and return it to the following address within your agreed 4 week trial period:

CalmFamily returns
c/o/ Jeni Atkinson
33 Cyprus Avenue
Beeston
Nottingham
NG9 2PG

Once we receive the wrap on time and in an acceptable condition we will change its status to returned on our online system, which will ensure that the balance payment will not be taken after 5 weeks.

Late fees and additional charges

Late fees are payable at £3 per day for every day outside the agreed four week trial period, plus a discretionary £5 admin fee.

Returning a stretchy wrap in a condition deemed unacceptable

If a stretchy wrap is returned to us in a condition deemed unacceptable, or unsaleable, for example, if it is permanently stained or damaged, then we will contact you by email to let you know that we are declining the return.

The stretchy wrap will not be marked as returned and the system will collect the balance fee 5 weeks after the original purchase date. We will email you to offer you the option to pay for postage to have the stretchy wrap returned to you.

Please respond within 10 days of the balance payment being taken if you wish to arrange this. After this the stretchy wrap will no longer be available for you.

Returning a stretchy wrap after the balance payment has been taken

If your stretchy wrap arrives back with us after the balance payment has been taken we are not obliged to offer any refund.

Please contact us if you are having difficulties returning your stretchy wrap so that we can bear this in mind and reach a mutually agreeable solution.

Failed payments

If Stripe attempts to take the balance payment but fails to do so for any reason, such as because of insufficient funds, or because the card is no longer active, then you are in breach of your agreement. Stripe will email you to notify you of the failed payment attempt. It will reattempt to take payment once a day.

We will contact you within 7 days if we are unable to take the balance payment. There is a discretionary £10 admin fee for every attempted phone call.

When we hear from you we will take payment details, process the balance payment and invoice for any additional fees incurred.

We reserve the right to take you to small claims court if we cannot contact you to take a balance payment, or if we do not receive payment of invoice for fees within 14 days of a payment becoming due.