Slings N Things
I’m still contemplating the double stroller but I do hope to spend the first few months with the baby in a sling and Sabrina in her single stroller. Sabrina loved her sling during our first couple of visits – until she was about 6 months old. After that she loved the Baby Bjorn (which killed my back) and her stroller.
I had a pouch sling for her. By the time I moved to Antigua to foster, I had lost enough weight that the sling was too big for me and it didn’t fit snugly enough to put her in it on my hip and she wasn’t happy if she wasn’t sitting up and looking around. I was always eyeballing everyone else’s carriers to see what appealed to me. For the older kids, there were several I liked the looks of better than the Bjorn (mine was an older version…it looks like they’ve improved the weight distribution with an additional strap or two now). But for babies, I always thought many looked too complicated. The Mei Tai wraps are lovely but I don’t think I have enough hands to put it on by myself. And the ones that you wrap around yourself in a special way start with 5 yards of fabric and I can’t imagine how hot that would be in the summer and how difficult it would be to keep that fabric out of the dirt while you are trying to wrap yourself up. So the pouch slings and ring slings always looked like they made the most sense to me. My only issue with the ring slings (I like that they are adjustable – when I lose baby weight I can make it smaller and Steve could make it larger for him) is that long tail of fabric that trails down you – does it bug you? Does it feel bulky?
So tell me about your favorite and most hated baby carriers. Did you love the pouch or the ring or another version? Did the fabric tail of the ring sling get in the way? Was it hard to adjust to the right size? Did it loosen itself?
In case you aren’t sure what I am talking about –
The Pouch
The Ring Sling:
I still use my ring sling with Eliana (she’s about 19 pounds now, maybe) and still love it.
I wear the ring in the back, though. The tail doesn’t bother me, even when walking for exercise. If it did, it would be easy to tuck up.
I experimented a bit with these.
The Mei Tai was probably our most used. Largely because with some practice you can get the babe on your back which makes it much easier to get some things done around the house. It only took me a couple tries to get the hang of it and that was from watching videos on youtube. If you know someone in person who can demo for you you’d be good to go.
I like the ring sling a lot too. The pouch is convient, but everything you can do in a pouch, you can do in a ring sling. And there is the whole adjustablity factor. The tail doesn’t bother me and it also provides some coverage for nursing or for shading a sleeping baby from the sun.
Oh and the stretchy wrap (5 yards thing) is really comfy for around the house. But yes, it gets hot. You can always just buy some cheapo t-shirt material and make your own for a fraction of the cost. (www.mamatoto.org)
W never liked laying down in a cradle hold, but you can do a tummy to tummy carry for newborns in most carriers.
Jordana let me borrow her extra Maya wrap with Elise, until I could get a feel of whether I would like it or not. It took several tries of wearing it around before it felt “normal”–but I have to say it felt most normal after Elise was big enough to be positioned upright on my hip.
You are welcome to do the same with my Maya wrap, if you’d like.
After deciding I liked it, I found one at a consignment store. The upside of the extra fabric is that the larger you are, the less fabric you have to trail behind you : )
Otherwise, I felt more stable with the Baby Bjorn when we were actively out and about. The sling is easier to throw in the diaper bag or fold up in the stroller pocket, though.
We have multiple hotslings (different sizes) – got them for relatively cheap on eb@y. They were so comforting, and I *really* liked the no buckle thing for feeling secure and not having to mess with it. I find that as we’ve changed size, for what we do the sling is still okay. There are ways to adjust its fit a little without any sewing. We still use them for a hip carry for Ally a lot. It keeps a clingy toddler in control and happy, but allows you to have some arm relief and you can carry something else, too.
My personal favorite (not for a newborn, though) is the ergo. It is awesome – I use it all the time, still. And for a guy – it is as manly as carriers can be. If Ally were bigger, I still would use it all the time. We also (yes, I know) have a mei tei (babyhawk.com) and that is nice, a lot like the ergo but without the buckles, so no rubbing, but it can be harder to wrangle.
Around here, there are specialty baby stores where you can try on these carriers in various sizes – that helped our decisions a great deal. If you can find such a place in a less-granola urban area then ours (meaning most of the US)…
My girlfriends Jen & Rai swore by their ring slings. Other girlfriends loved the Moby Wrap. However I would have absolutely no experience with either.
I loved my pouch—-but wonder if Id have used it here?
not sure.
and I never did once home as e was almost 11 months and NOT into it any longer.
My best investment for my daughter was the peanut shell sling. I LOVED it when she was a baby, had her in it at 2 days old and felt very safe.
I have not used it when she got older. We recently took a trip to disney and I took it with us. I got her in it whiel we were in the hotel and all I kept thinking was “I’m a genious for bringing this along.” Yea, as soon as we got going she wanted out to walk so I guess it’s not her thing anymore! LOL
I had a basic snugglie with my son (hey, it was almost 5 yrs ago, we weren’t as advanced back then) and it worked well, I just hated having to snap it my myself, I always felt like he was going to fall!!!
One thing I have learned though……no 2 babies are exactly the same. I wouldnt invest TOO much $ until you know if Tessa will even like being in one. Maybe get one on sale even if the color or fabric isnt perfect….slings can be EXPENSIVE!!!! Oh and check ebay!
I never had a pouch, but I LOVED my ring sling!!!! I actually bought the smaller size, so I didn’t have “as much” tail. BUT, when i was fostering, I came to wish that I had more tail…it was great for covering the baby from the “frio police”, and was very convenient for breastfeeding. One fostering mom had a longer tail, and wore it like a very fashionable “shawl”. I really liked that as the baby grew, you could change the position (or even just do to mood, sleeping vs not, etc). At 18mos, and 24 lbs, I still use mine to hold my daughter a in a hiphold if we are going to be out somewhere when a stroller is inconvenient. Most of the time now, I just keep my Ergo in the car….it works well on front or back and for a 24lb princess or 35lb prince.
If you go for the ring sling, make sure that you get “hands on” lessons from someone that has used, and LOVED theirs!
I agree with Becky–the ergo is the way to go! It can do hip carry, front carry, back carry, up to 40lbs and has an infant insert for newborns. It is awesome, especially for me with my bad back and Tom and I being Jack Sprat and his wife–it fits us both. It is THE hip baby carrier right now . . . all the cool moms have it.
I borrowed an Ergo from a friend and did not like it at all. I had heard such great things about them but it just did not fit me right. Or I was too stupid to get it adjusted right…not sure which. But the straps kept falling down and it seem bulky and awkward to me. What I actually used a lot when C was younger was a hip carrier…Playtex I think…a whole whopping $20 purchase that ended up being fabulous. Now he was nine months and up when I used it so I’m not sure how it would be with an infant. I will have to look and see if you can use it with infants. But super easy to adjust and the best part is that I really don’t need it any more so you could have mine for the low, low price of free.
Love the peanut shell sling – my total fave! I also loved loved loved the Moby Wrap when M was wee. (TMI note here: if it’s too warm, wear it w/out a shirt. You’ll be at home quite a bit at first, anyway!) If I can find it, I’m sending it your way. I have an extra Peanut shell, too, that you can try if you’d like. Just let me know.
if you have to pick one? ergo. we still put julian in it all the time. he rides on my front when he needs some quiet time but won’t settle down. he rides on the back when i’m cleaning and cooking and can’t have him on my legs like a monkey.
for front riding and UNDER 20 lbs for bonding with julian we used the mai tai, it is actually pretty easy to learn to use. he loved it. i’ll send you a photo or two.
for when they’re little, i agree the pouch is the way to go.
We have both a Moby and Mei Tei. We used the Moby a lot when K. first came home. He LOVED facing out, especially the first few days. It helped keep him calm. It is a TOTAL pain to put on, especially on an airplane when you don’t want to get anything on the nasty floor. I can do it, but it takes a lot of wiggling.
We use the Mei Tei now, and he seems to dig it. The only thing is that he’s kind of on the small side, so we only use it with him facing in-mostly to calm him down when he’s melting down. We haven’t tried on the back, but I think I will this summer. And it’s surprisingly easy to put on.
Okay, I am sorry but you lost me at the part of your post “I lost enough weight that the sling was too big…blah blah blah………..I have never gotten to say that in my life “lost enough weight and something was too big” I am so jealous. Sorry left for a minute in my own dream sequence. Just thinking I could get too small for something. AHHHH…….
Okay now I can go back and read the rest of the post. I am sure there was something else more meaningful in there, something about a pouch or something. HA!
I have no words of wisdom here since Matthew came home at 9 months. But I did have to make a funny.
Jules
I never used a sling, but I like the pouch one. I have a sewing pattern for a sling that is similar to it. It requires about 2 yards of fabric. I can get the actual dimensions of it and if you want me to make you one I can. I’ll just charge for the fabric, which you could actually pick out and get if you want. I’ve done them all in one fabric, or reversible. I’ll see if I can find a picture to send you. It’s very similar to the pouch.
I’m so glad you posted about this because I was contemplating exactly what kangaroo method I should be looking at.
Gibb is right about the ergo, you may need help in figuring out how to wear it. It so depends on your body . . . as in shoulder to hip type adjustments. My husband likes this one strap high on his back, where I need it low (or else it will slip off like Gibb described). He is also a mile taller than me! The thing is though that it is totally adjustable. Alice’s grandpa has worn her in it even! I called the company though and they were sooo helpful in talking me through how to get it perfected! And Samantha is right, this is often how I cook, with Alice on my back because it is usually meltdown time for her, and she feels like she is being snuggled while I know I am am actually getting dinner ready!
Hi Michelle. : )
I have enjoyed reading what everyone has said so far. We used pouch slings with Emma. I have three of them and I love them. I still use a pouch sling with her (hip carry and I also carry her tummy-to-tummy). I love that there are no adjustments needed whenever I use one and I can just roll them up and slip them into a diaper bag. You are right…pouch slings must fit correctly to be safe and truly comfy. I have seen pics of people wearing slings waaay past their waist and my back aches just looking at the pics. Slinglings are buy one get one free…so, I purchased two for myself and one for Jason (solid colors…black and khaki…they go with everything). We also have an Ergo. Ergos are great…very sturdy and great for Jason since he prefers a carrier usually over a sling. There have been changes to the Ergo…for the better, I think…so, there are fewer adjustments that are needed when you use one of the new ones. I did have to watch the Ergo video to figure out how to use one correctly. Jason has mixed feelings about the Ergo. I’m thinking about selling our Ergo to get the new version. Ergos are pretty pricey but you can wear them for a long time because the weight limit is pretty high. Kangaroo Korner makes adjustable pouch slings (no rings)…I have a fleece one and I like it…it is a tad bulkier though because of the row of snaps.
I really enjoyed my babyhawk.
I could never get the hang of the sling I have so I just use the Snugli and carry her on my front. She likes it and it puts her to sleep during those colicky times.
Moby wrap for an infant and a mei tai for older infants! Just know that a babyhawk is a brand of mei tai’s (just letting you know b/c they are expensive and you can find cheaper mei tai’s without the namebrand label!)
I got a Hotsling on ebay for fairly cheap. Emma loves it! I use it when we go to her brothers’ baseball games. We still haven’t done the hip carry because she’s so content with the modified cradle. She sits and watches the game and when she gets sleepy, I lay her back some and she goes to sleep.
My sister also uses a Hotsling for my 16 month old nephew. He wants to be carried alot and it works well for both of them. Of course, she does the hip carry.
Good luck with whatever you choose for little Tessa!
Congrats on a beautiful name! It’s very English of you – Mia has a Tessa in her class. I love it.
I’ve had 2 different ring slings and one pouch sling (the exact lucky baby pouch sling you posted – they’re made by a mom in utah). The ring sling wins for overall use hands down – it’s not only adjustable to your size but to their changing size as well – newborns can be cradled, worm tummy to tummy, and nursed with ease while being carried handsfree. The extra fabric is good for a spare blanket tucked over the babe and for extra nursing privacy. As they grow, first they can be put in kangaroo (kids fav) then on the hip. All with the ring sling. The pouch just doesn’t allow any flexiblity.
The pouch was great for when they were older and only worn on the hip (probably 12 months plus). But with this upcoming third round, I think I will try the Ergo too when this next kid is that age. There are times when having them on the back would be helpful (mostly cooking/cutting vegies). Pouch was great though bc was small to tuck into bag.
The Sear’s Baby Book also has a big section on babywearing for more sling ideas.
I have worn a ring sling for about 3 years now with both my girls. They are both peanuts and when we saw them as infants (under 10 pounds) they were very comfortable. If I am on my way to the grocery for a quick trip, I can still put my 26 pound 2 year old in on my hip and not be bothered.
Tessa continues to live in her ring sling. I only used it when Tegan was much older and I had to ride the bus. I have a mei tai and an uhmbo. I am not impressed with either one. The Bjorn is ok when you need to do some manual labor. I had someone make my a few slings for me recently and its very cool because you can choose a very distinct fabric and have fun with it. Yes, there is a lot of fabric flapping around, but you can always use it to wipe the kids nose in a pinch. I have been selling few items on craigslist so that I can get an ergo! Tessa is ready for my back. Although I don’t think I will ever give up the sling, once you have mastered it (I went to a baby wearing party and learned) its just too simple