Are baby slings any good?

[michelle1978e]

Hi all,

I’ve been thinking of getting a baby sling for a while now and just noticed half price offer on ebay for one called a baba sling @ 20 pounds. It looks pretty good and I’ve read that slings are supposed to be good for a babies growth and easy to wear but does anyone have any experience of baby carrying and slings? Like how long can you hold them before getting tired? I’m probably going to buy one anyway but would be quite nice to get feedback both good and bad beforehand!

x
Michelle & Lydia (3 months)

The littler your baby is when you start the longer you will be able to go as you will get stronger.

I can carry my 16kg 3 year old on a hipseat (the next stage) for around 3 miles, but you have to work up to it!

She may "hate" the sling to start with, this is not a sign to stop using it. Start using it instead of carrying her capsule around and you will realise the joy of having your hands back.

I wore 4 month old ds for 12 hours a day in the bad old days.

I used the Tomy one for ds2 and had no problems. It has a very good back support belt. I found it very useful particularly since ds1 was still using the buggy but I only used it for shopping trips or local walks and not for extended periods. I've heard the Baby Bjorn one is also very good.

I had a babybjorn, and it's worth the money, very comfortable, but next time round I will probably get three or four different sorts of slings as I just love them.

I've just looked it up and it looks similar to a ring sling I bought from a mum here. It definitely takes practice to get you both comfortable, but I've found it more versatile than the baby bjorn type thing which gave me back ache when my baby was bigger.
I aslo found lots of useful advice and links on \link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=67&threadid=128385]this thread}

\link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=67&threadid=128385\sorry ...try again}

Would not be without my sling... it really suits my style of parenting which is very hands on, keeping both baby and child close day and night.

Both of them love and have loved the sling. My 6 month old is "wrapped" to see the sling.

There was a good thread awhile back ... check out this. \link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=67&threadid=128385#2728776
\this}

lol Jasnem did not realise your link was one I just posted! :)

I've been using that thread for help and advice for months (and I don't think I posted on it at all)

I used da baby bjorn style baby carrier for dd1 and didn't like it all all, she got v heavy v quicky
for dd2 I borrowed a ring type sling from a friend and it was fab. I have bought one now and will use it for dd3 when she is born! really comfy to carry and there are lots of different positions that the baby can be in

The ring type slings are marvellous. It would be the absolute top of my list Essential Buy for a new baby. I used mine for various purposes till ds was 3, they are a revelation really :)

Agree - ring slings are brilliant :)

I have a ring sling and a hugabub. I love my hugabub to bits and would recommend it to anyone - it is about £50 full price (I got mine for about £30 off ebay though), but it is worth its weight in gold.

michelle - I used a sling on my dd as a newborn for a couple months before she got too much of a strain for my back. But my dh luurrrves it and still carries 7 mo dd around in it now and prefers it to the buggy. 20 quid is a bargain I reckon :)

how do you carry a brand new baby? I have a pouch-type sling that I never used for DS (he much preferred his Baby Bjorn). I rememebr my old HV in Canada saying she had reservations about slings for newbrons where the baby lay flat on their backs - she felt the head curled onto the chest too much and was worried about trahceal obstruction.

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice...has been very helpful! Found out recently a friend of mine in Edinburgh has a baba sling and she is v.happy with it - am going to buy mine tonight b4 sleep. V. tired has been a long day!!!

x x
Michelle & Lydia

Message deleted

I bought a babasling for my daughter and her baby has lived in it for over a year. Brilliant when he had colic, brilliant with all the sleepless nights, great for getting him off for naps, so soothing when miserable with teeth, colds etc. I've used it as my boobs don't work to get him to sleep (same as her DH), and it is very comfortable. Much easier and comfier than the front carrying slings that I used on my daughter when she was a baby. He only has to see it and his eyes get heavy

I found I couldn't use a ring sling after 8 weeks, but I have slight scoliosis and find one shoulder carries very difficult. I used a didymos wrap after that and it was very comfortable. I could also carry dd all day in that. I've started using it again a lot (she's 15 months) for doing the preschool drop off and it's still comfortable even worn on the front.

I find that little babies love it. NB's are great for getting around hands free and getting them off to sleep and quick trips out of the car without dragging a pram. I used a Hug a Bub when DC3 was a bit older - very comfortable compared to Baby Bjorn IMO

I tried both a baba sling and baby bjorn with ds. I didn't get on at all with the baba sling, but ended up using the baby bjorn a lot, more than the pram to be honest even though I did use both. (Very handy when shopping to put bags in the pram and carry the baby in the carrier, btw) When he was strong enough to hold his head up, I'd turn him around so that he was facing outward and when I could feel him start to get tired, I'd turn him to face inwards to sleep. Gave me lots of freedom and free hands. Great when flying on my own with him as I knew exactly where he was and had both hands free to carry bags/hold boarding cards, passports, etc. The other advantage was that, when he was really small, carrying like that made people less likely to try to touch him (which they did when he was in the pram) as it meant that they would in effect be invading my body space and not "just" his.

As to what model to choose, I think that you really need to try out a few to find which one suits you and your lo best. You may alos want to consider who else might use the carrier/sling, dp/dh for example. The baby sling hardly went around 6'3'', 15st dh while the baby bjorn could be adjusted so that it fitted either of us. Do know anyone that has one that you can try before you buy? They are quite expensive as you've noticed.

I read something in the Metro earlier this week about a particular type of sling which had been withdrawn becuase it was linked to the deaths of two babies.

The article, which wasn't at all indepth, said that slings in general had been linked to a string of infant deaths in somewhere else (Canada perhaps?) and were being looked into there.

This is extremely vague and scaremongering, sorry - it was just a brief article and I haven't looked into it as I don't have a baby small enough for a sling - but probably worth doing more research on if you're planning to use one. Highlander above refers to a particular type of sling which there were doubts over - v. likely that it is just limited to one particular style.

the slings that have been recalled are "bag" type sling, the infantino...which a lot of people who use carriers are actually quite happy about this recall. These bag type sling put baby in a C position lying down in the sling, and babies head rests on the chest, also the top off the bag tended to close together again causing problems, and making it hard for mum to see baby.

other types of sling, ring slings, shallow pouches, wraps, MT's are all considered safe if fitted and worn correctly.

check this link out [http://www.slingguide.co.uk/]] Lots of info about the bag sling recall and also other types of slings available.

hmm www.slingguide.co.uk/