Best sling for breastfeeding on the go?

[pooka]

Hi there

Am expecting No. 3 in September. With dd, never really got the hang of slings, perhaps because only had a babybjorn and she loathed it. With ds, ditto.

What I am looking for is an easy to wear sling that I can put the baby into, from newborn, and feed while on the go, getting dd and ds sorted, keeping a semblance of normality for them.

There seems to be such a wide variety of products on the market and I am confused!

I would like:

• really unfussy to put on. Easy to just shove baby in. Preferably not involving complicated fabric origami around my body.
• Supportive, so I don't get the feeling of the baby swinging around my tummy.
• Something that dh can also wear, should the need arise.

Am not that bothered by the longevity of the design - is really just to get through the first few months.

Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Am not worried about maybe having 2 different slings for different purposes i.e. one for round the house and feeding while cooking (that kind of thing) and one for the walk from car to school to avoid having to get large pram out of boot.

Thank you thank you thank you.

I am also expecting my 3rd and have experimented with various slings. I have been told the best for feeding is either a wrap ring or pouch sling. I have gone for a ring sling in the end as I feel it is more adjustable to get a tighter /comfier fit. My baby is due in July so I can let you know!
I have to say I made my ring sling from a parishna (sp?) shawl and some rings off ebay and a helpful you tube vid for about £6
I did buy a wrap initially as I'm told they give good back support but I found I felt all wrapped up myself and didn't like it. I intend to turn this into a ring sling if it does work for me.
I haven't tried the pouch but it seems very similar to the ring sling without the adjustment. There is a website showing how to make a no sew version from an old t-shirt if you want to have a play before buying.
I wanted to go to a sling meet to try a few out but there wasn't one in my area.
HTH

I am in the same boat as you two, but I have gone for a mobywrap as advised on MN. I haven't tried it yet as DS2 due in 10 weeks.

The thing with feeding in a sling on the go is that it really depends on both body shape and how low your breasts hang - seriously! If you have breasts that hang low, the only way for baby to feed is to also be low (unless your breasts are supported by something to make them higher). The only kind of sling that will work in this case is something really adjustable like a ring sling. Some people can feed their baby in any type of sling - my friend fed her son upright in a structured type carrier - but my breasts ust aren't that high and tight.

I'm watching this thread with interest although I'm only 7 weeks pregnant. Last time around I used a pouch ling which I loved but there's no way I could have bf in it.

I too dislike the idea of fabric origami so I think it may be a ring sling for next time. As I'm not buying a pram/car seat/cot then I'm going to spend on slings .

I am big (currently 32G and not bf yet) but they are high up and nipples are still positioned quite high.

Ooh - all food for thought.

Boobwise, mine are fairly pert (ish) and not amazingly big/low slung. So for example, the base fabric in a feeding bra supports pretty well.

Will look at the moby and will keep an eye out for any updates from feeding experiences ;)

Wish I felt technically able to make one - my mother did apparently when I was a baby so I might ask for her thoughts. Think she used a fleece fabric. Apparently I spent much of my early days spattered by spag bol or grease from cooking.

One I've seen that looked like might do the trick for early early days and the school run was the premaxx pouch - but don't think would be much good for feeding as is more like a messenger bag that the baby hangs in and would be too low for my boobs. There's just such an enormous choice these days that I feel a bit overwhelmed. Am with you ladida in not needing to make any massive massive purchases as have most of the basic kit required (apart from the cot, as ds broke the old one, but am not planning on an heirloomy thing - though do want a bedside cot for roomy co-sleeping).

Have realised that saw a woman in ikea with a moby. I can see that it would be good, but am concerned at the faffage involved with tying, and am not really that keen on the idea of wearing it all the time - not sure whether I would feel "restricted" by fabric. Will ponder....

Thanks so much for responses so far.

I've been on the moby website and read the instructions pages, I think that I could manage the basic wrapping techniques ok so, if all goes well I think I'll be buying one of these .

With the moby you do have to do "fabric origami" () but it's not that bad when you get used to it - only about as much of a faff as tying shoelaces. I used to take mine off when I took DS out unless I thought he'd be back in it again fairly soon as I didn't like feeling restricted either. I made my own wrap sling like the moby by buying a 4m length of jersey cotton and cutting it so I had one 4m long and 20" wide and one twice as wide, which I folded in half before tying so that it was thicker and more supportive. (Jersey cotton doesn't fray so no sewing involved - yay!)

Don't go for a "bag sling" like the premaxx - they are dangerous. (Article here.) If you want a pouch sling (similar, much safer design) I've heard the peanut shell is good. But I think a ring sling is best for feeding, with minimal learning needed to use! The only problem with one-shoulder slings like ring slings and pouch slings is that as the baby becomes heavier they put more strain on the back than a 2-shoulder carrier would do.

we have a kari-me which is pretty similar to a moby... the wrapping is actually pretty easy after the first couple of times- really quite quick... certainly quicker than getting a coat and shoes on a 3 year old

Are there any significant differences between a kari-me and a moby?

They look v. similar on the websites.

Oh god, I have purchased loads of different slings in my time and never really got to grips with many of them. I always envy women who wear those huge wrap slings as I could never get to grips with all that fabric.

I sometimes put DS2 astride my hip and fasten him in with a freedom sling and that's OK for a while but hurts your shoulder after a bit. I have an infantino sling that I sometimes use to put him on my back but it's not marvellous. Could never get to grips with a wilkinet - what a waste of money that was.

DP is from West Africa and all the ladies there just tie their babies on their backs with any old square of cloth - I have tried it but always feel like my DC are sliding down my bum!

Apparently the kari-me is stretchier than the moby. (Which would make it less supportive as the baby grows) The moby is often toted as the "best" stretchy wrap, I would think this is why. My friend has a kari-me and I think it has some kind of synthetic fabric added to the jersey cotton which would make it less breathable.