Too late for sling?

[Rtfairy]

My dd is almost 7 months and is quite a clingy baby meaning I often end up carrying her round the house trying to get on with things with one arm. This is getting a bit difficult though and I often feel the strain on my arm/wrist. Would it be possible to introduce a sling/moby wrap now? I really don't know why I didn't use one from birth it would have been ideal.

I'm in the North West. Going to Google 'It's a sling thing' thank you!

Fantastic I can hire a sling by post for 2 weeks for £8. Going to try that first then decide whether to buy. Thanks for all your advice you've all been so helpful!

This thread has inspired me! My 3.5 year old doesn't really need a buggy anymore, but does get tired in days out. The Rose and Rebellion mentioned above look lovely. He is 14kg, would it do? There don't seem to be any sling libraries or meets around me

He's too big for any of the baby carriers, but Rose and Rebellion do toddler size and pre-school size carriers. I have a toddler size one and my 15.5kg 4 year old still just about fits in it. The pre school size will last up til about 6!

Are they actually comfortable?

They are, it might be a bit of a shock suddenly carrying a 3 year old though rather than working up from a baby.

I have a custom toddler sized mei tai sewn by opitai. It's beautiful and soooo comfy - an assisted piggy back and room for growth until she's about 5 I reckon. But I have been carrying her since birth so your muscles will need a bit of getting used to - it's good for core strength, just remember to hold in the pelvic floor initially!

Oops preschool sized, not toddler... She's grown out of our toddler!

Thinking about the near future, a sling that makes it easy to do back carries might be your best option. I lie the beco butterfly because it's so easy to do back carries in the sling. There are loads of videos on YouTube showing how easy and safe the butterfly is for back carries. I got mine when ds was 6mo. Before that I used a ring sling.

I bought mine from Slumber-roo and would recommend them.

Well I adopted and started using a sling - DS was 13 months and had never even been outside before! If he could adjust to using a sling then any child can.

Can't remember which one I had though - enormous French thing from memory with a really big waist strap as I'm prone to back trouble.

Please try a scootababy if you get a chance - a hands-free hip carrier which I used with DS between the ages of 9months and 2.9 years. Best money I ever spent, we both loved it. I found it very comfortable and would often walk around with DS in a sling all day. Bonus - I lost 6lbs as a side effect of all that bonding.

Sweep I have a preschooler Rose and Rebellion. But found it a bit big and ended up having a custom (bit bigger than preschool size) Melkaj mei tai made. The prices are similar (Melkaj was £75) but it fits me much better. So it really is worth trying before you buy - especially if you haven't used slings much before. To be comfy, you need to be able to get it really tight, think bandaging a sprained ankle level of tightness.

I had a mei tai that I used from about 4 months until 4-5 years (even with tall ds). They are fabulous. I originally bought it so I could put the washing out and do housework but quickly discovered that I could use it for ds when his legs got tired. Look on YouTube for hints on tying.

DS is 2.4 and weighs about 14kg. I carry him very comfortably on my back in the Ergo. He loves it and it's also great for travelling and he always goes to sleep in it.

I am feeling inspired by all of you carrying older toddlers. I can still carry dd, who is 18 months and about 23lb, but only on my back, but i struggle to carry all of the other paraphernalia she needs as well. We normally walk everywhere or use public transport and i only carry her these days when dp is with us too

I just don't want to take a buggy on holiday for the maybe 5hours, spread across a week when he is too tired to walk!

MsBug some people I know have a granny style shopping trolley for "stuff", but nice pattern obviously! I just have a huuuuuge cross body bag.

Granny trolley sounds like a good idea, i normally end up carrying dd and putting the shopping in the buggy...

My Boots nappy bag goes across my body so I can use that with the Ergo. The Ergo also has a fairly roomy pocket. Large enough for keys, mobile, cash and nappy/wipes.

I couldn't be without my growing collection of wraps and slings! My nine month old DD is a real velcro baby, and after her screaming hysterically every time she was put in the pram as a newborn, I put that in the cupboard under the stairs and it hasn't come out since. I started off with a Caboo stretchy wrap, then a ring sling, and now I have several woven wraps. DH has his own carrier, a Boba, which he loves using with her too. She loves it when we're out, especially as she is very nosey inquisitive, she can see everything, and it's lovely to show her things and chat to her and of course have sleepy snuggles! Old ladies always stop and coo over her. I found a sling library helpful in deciding what to go for after she grew out of the Caboo, and for DH to hire some buckled carriers to see what he liked. Good luck!

Dd is 7 months and we use a Connecta and a rose and rebellion with her. She was in a moby as a newborn. I tried ring slings but she seems determined to wiggle up and out of them which makes me uncomfortable using them.
The connecta was a lifesaver and arm saver on holiday and she got so many people stopping to coo over her. Only downside is she wants to grab my face all the time at the moment and a sling is an ideal place to try it from.

Im from Sa-Be www.SaBeBabyWear.com & make stretchy wraps and Mei Tai style carriers and dribble bibs (started in 2008!). My youngest is still being carried at just gone 2 and Ive carried all 3 of my babies Ive loved every minute.