Meet the Experts for HELD Columbus 2026!

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Three lenses. One shared mission: better carrying support for real families.

What makes HELD different isn’t just the carriers on the tables...it’s the people in the room.

HELD Columbus isn’t a day of “listening to speakers.” It’s a working lab: real case studies, real bodies, and honest conversation across disciplines about what families actually need in order to make babywearing work in real life.

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April Kline, CPM, IBCLC, CST

Founder of The Well: A Center for Wellness
Midwifery • Lactation • Prenatal & Postpartum Health • Nervous System Regulation • Trauma Resolution

April brings an “upstream” lens that we wish every family had access to earlier, because struggles don’t just come out of nowhere. They build slowly, quietly, and predictably when a caregiver is under-supported.

As a Certified Professional Midwife, IBCLC, whole nutrition consultant, Emotional Release Therapist, and founder of The Well, April has spent more than two decades supporting families through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and feeding...especially when the story is complex: trauma history, nervous system stress, sleeplessness, colic, crying, and the emotional load that so often goes unnamed.

At HELD, April helps us ask better questions: what kind of support does this family actually need (physically, emotionally, and practically) for these parenting practices to be sustainable? If you’ve ever felt like a family’s struggle wasn’t “about the carrier,” April is the kind of expert who helps you see what it is about.

Follow April on Instagram at @thewellforwellness and @thelactationclinicatthewell

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Dr. Taira Fischer, OTD

Pediatric Occupational Therapist • Founder of Sensory Savvy Kids
Sensory Processing • Regulation • Neurodevelopment

If you’ve ever watched a baby settle instantly with one kind of movement… and escalate with another, you already understand why Taira’s work belongs in this room.

Dr. Taira Fischer is a pediatric OT specializing in sensory processing and regulation, helping children build the foundational nervous system skills needed for play, learning, and everyday life. She’s passionate about giving caregivers practical strategies they can actually use, not in a perfect clinic setup, but at home and out in the world.

At HELD, Taira brings the missing piece so many educators can sense but struggle to name: why some babies “don’t like the carrier” (until they do), why certain positions or rhythms help, and how regulation is often the doorway to better carrying experiences. This lens changes how we troubleshoot resistance, fussiness, and “it only works for five minutes” scenarios.

Follow Taira on Instagram at @sensorysavvykids

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Jaime Kent, DPT

Pediatric Physical Therapist • Owner of Mighty Milestones
Gross Motor Development • Torticollis • Plagiocephaly

Jaime Kent is the kind of pediatric PT who makes you feel better just by talking, because her whole approach is rooted in empowering caregivers, not overwhelming them.

With 14 years of experience across pediatric outpatient settings, schools, and a NICU follow-up clinic, Jaime now leads Mighty Milestones, where she applies that depth of knowledge in a more personalized way. She specializes in gross motor development, torticollis, and plagiocephaly, areas that come up constantly in babywearing work, especially when families are trying to balance “doing tummy time” with all their other needs and responsibilities.

At HELD, Jaime will help educators and clinicians connect the dots between movement patterns, positioning, development, and carrying in preventative and therapeutic ways that support babies without creating fear. If you’ve ever wanted clearer language around head preference, asymmetry, or milestones (and how carrying can be part of the solution), Jaime’s perspective will be invaluable.

Follow Jamie on Instagram at @mightymilestones.llc

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Why this matters for educators

Here’s the magic of HELD: educators don’t lose their role in an interdisciplinary room. They gain power.

Because when you understand how these lenses fit together - midwifery/lactation, sensory regulation, gross motor development - you become better at: