Has anyone used a sling exclusively for the first few months?

[Satlie2019]

Hi, I am only 12 weeks pregnant, so possibly worrying a little early about this, but I was wondering if anyone has not bought a buggy for the first few months after their baby's birth and just relied on a sling? We live in a first floor flat at the moment and will probably be moving into a house in the first few months after the baby is born, as we are worried we won't manage to sell our flat and buy somewhere else in time before the baby comes. So I wondered if we could maybe get away with a sling at least initially until we move, as I don't fancy lugging a buggy upstairs and we don't have loads of space. An alternative would be to get a small lightweight buggy and keep it in our car boot, but if my husband took the car to work that would be a pain.

All my friends have bought buggies prior to their baby's birth, but I wonder if anyone has any experience of managing without one to begin with? Also, has anyone used a sling exclusively all year round? I am a bit worried the baby will get to warm in summer so close to my body and then as we move into winter too cold. I walk quite a lot, but when the baby is tiny I assume the sling will make carrying them relatively easy and I can put baby things/shopping in a rucksack. However I am concerned I am missing something, as everyone seems to have a buggy from the start.

Alternatively does anyone have any recommendations for a buggy under £400 that is compact, can be used from birth, and has adjustable handle bars? Preferably parent facing at least for a newborn, although happy to buy a carry cot ect to go with it.

Thank you so much

We barely used the rubbish pushchair we inherited until 5 ish months with DS, as he hated it. We bought a decent one at about 5 months once he tolerated going in it. DD screamed blue murder instantly in a pushchair (reflux) so we didn't use it at all until again 5 months ish.

It's definitely doable, but you need a good sling from about 3 months on or you'll kill your back, newborns are so light it's not quite as critical. I'd try and go along to a sling library pre birth if it's your plan. They have dolls you can try them with them and it can be quite stressful trying 3 to 4 different slings if your newborn doesnt cooperate and instead lies on the floor screaming at you....

Thank you everyone, that is hugely helpful and reassuring. I am due August 2nd, so likely it will be relatively hot to start with. As you say if I have a C section, SPD or I assume just backpain we might need to rethink sharpish, but my husband has pointed out that if we pick out a light, compact back-up pram in advance we can order it quickly to arrive if necessary. I will definitely get a bugy anyway from no later than 6 months, by which time hopefully we will have moved. I find older babies really heavy to hold for long.

I hadn't thought to visit a sling library, so thank you for that tip. I have googled and we have a local library. I also hadn't thought about how much of a pain eating/having coffee with a baby in a sling might be, I had just assumed they would sleep in it whilst I ate. I suppose we will have to just see how it goes and buy a pram when we need one. Thank you also for the advice about a snowsuit, we will invest in a good one!

Burritofan hope you work out what to do too, getting a buggy up a flight of stairs was not something I had ever considered before I realised we would likely still be in our flat when our baby arrived!

Thanks again

@Satlie2019 I'm due a little ahead of you (May) and have a selection of hand-me-down slings to start with, we plan to only buy the buggy if/when we have to… I'll keep you posted with how we get on! (And how soon we cave on buying the buggy )

An alternative perspective but I really really wanted to use a sling all the time, had a Caboo closer, baby just really didn't take to it. Have given up now - she's 12 weeks- and plan to try again with a more structured carrier now she can hold her head up. Went to a sling meet up to make sure we were doing it right, it was just something she hated.

Given it took us a month to get our buggy after we ordered it, and you're planning on getting one in the long run anyway, I'd say get a pushchair that's compact and if the sling works you can just have it for the odd family day out where it would be easier.

We got a bugaboo bee, our house is tiny and it folds up really small but it's also a really great buggy, it's the best thing we bought and very light. I've also heard good things about the babyzen yoyo. You may well get on fine with the sling but I totally imagined myself baby wearing all the time and the baby had other ideas. If I'd had to wait for the pram to arrive, or just rushed out and bought whatever was in stock, it would have had a really negative effect on my first month I think.

If you're 12 wks you're due in the summer and if you're in the UK you're highly unlikely to need a snowsuit any time soon.

I agree that if you're going to get a pushchair eventuallly you might as well buy it now rather than having to panic buy if you can't use a sling for whatever reason (c-section, baby hates it, etc).

You can buy most things with next day delivery on Amazon Prime but probably not pushchairs or at least not the one you want.

At the very least you should look at pushchairs and decide which one to buy.

Sometimes John Lewis have deals on pushchairs in the shop (ones that people have ordered online and returned, because the box is opened they sell at a discounted price even though the pushchair is brand new).

If you want a discount or second hand pushchair then it might take a while to find one.

Some of the compact, lightweight pushchairs (including the babyzen yo-yo but also others I've seen) have a newborn cocoon as an optional extra, so maybe you could just buy the pushchair before baby is born, then buy the cocoon if you need it (ie to use the pushchair before baby reaches 6 months).

DD didn't go in a buggy or pram at all. We had a gorgeous all singing number and we ended up using our £20 moby wrap then a wrap sling. We both loved it. DD figured out how to get to her milk herself so fed as she pleased and we walked miles (usually around 25 per week).

Yep- my baby is now 5 1/2mo and I've used the pram once at a wedding but could still have gone without. I've used a combination of a wrap sling when tiny, a Soohu sling which has been an easy one for short trips, and a BabyBjorn for longer walks. I live in an old town and it has proven much easier to get out and about with a sling. Plus I like the fact they are so close to talk to and cuddle.

Since it's been colder I bought a slightly oversized shearling type coat to wear over the sling and wrap round my LO- it's like carrying around a little hot water bottle!

I used a sling exclusively for the first year.

I lived on the 3rd floor of a London block. A sling was just a logical choice. Public transport is easier, everything was easier with a sling. For big shopping trips I had an old lady wheeled shopper. Loved the sling, best thing ever.

I have a 4 mo old and he’s been in the buggy twice. I had a section but had him in the sling the day I left the hospital. I’d agree with having the buggy ready in case you suddenly need it, though. Perhaps a friend or family member could store it?

Oh, and I had a C-section which was no issue for me. Eating, I just put a napkin over my daughter’s head.

I "wore" my 2nd, 3rd and 4th in a Moby wrap - absolutely brilliant 😊

I used a stretchy and then two wovens with a backpack. The woven I use the most is the one that's just in a loop that goes over one shoulder and can just pop baby in and out on your hip. Don't even tie it daily, just chuck over the shoulder, can be used from as soon as baby will sit on your hip. Here is a tutorial for it, she also shows you can use it as a back carry but I rarely do that unless I'll be bending a lot.

We have a nice pushchair but neither of them liked it. I carried DC1 in the side sling until 19 months when I had DC2. As DC1 didn't walk until 17 months I then got a hip seat and had DC2 in a sling with DC1 on the seat. It wasn't much more effort and it's been very rare that I thought a pushchair would be useful. Once when at an outdoor fair to put purchases in, and once when we went on a long walk and DC1 walked about 2 miles and then when we turned around to go home he gave up half a mile from the car.

Yes. I used a stetchy Moby wrap with DD for the first 3 months or so. Then there was a very cold winter with heavy snow and ice, and I got a Maclarens pushchair that could lie flat for times when I was worried about slipping. I bought it online with next day delivery.

We bought an expensive buggy system and our baby hated the bassinet, either out or in the house, so that was never used, and for the first few months they only really eat and sleep, so the chances are whilst you're out and about having coffee dates the baby will be happily asleep in the sling or in your arms. I actually found it much easier to use the loo with the sling on than when out alone and no one to watch a pram for you, and when we got to classes or restaurants I felt a tiny bit smug watching people frantically try to slot the buggies into tiny spaces! The most useful buggy for us was the one that fitted the car seat to save space. Basically everyone will have different experiences and you just have to find the best solution for you and your baby!!

I carried Ds2 in an ergo baby carrier almost exclusively as ds1 was in the buggy. However, it is nice to be able to put them down now and then. We used a maclaren xt umbrella fold buggy from birth with ds1.

I have used the push chair a lot less with ds2. Both of them disliked being in the pram for any length of time. However not all babies like slings. Ds2 hated bring upright for the first months, but did agree to lying sideways in a ring sling. It did mean that all the weight was on one shoulder and I usually had to support his head with a hand too. Once they are past the newborn stage, weight distribution is important, so consider one that has a waist band. Keep your maternity coat if you get one as you can use it later to do up over a sling.

In contrast to posters above - I'm glad we waited to buy a new pushchair. I looked before DS was born, but I struggled to choose as I couldn't work out what were important features and what were a waste of money. When I looked at 5 months, it was really easy - I knew my baby and I knew how I would use it. I also bought 2nd hand, which I wouldn't have considered pre baby - but the reality had kicked in of how expensive baby stuff is and that there is always more stuff you want to get (e.g. a jumperoo). There are some very good quality ones available in good condition if you'd consider it.

Thank you, I hadn't realised that buggies might take a while to be delivered. Hmh, as I will need one anyway as the baby grows it might make sense to buy a compact one anyway and store it in a cupboard or at my, parents' until I need it. Thank you for all the advice about types of slings too. I would definitely like to start out using a sling where possible, it will be so much easier with the stairs and I like the idea of having the baby close to us. So grateful for all the advice and good luck with the sling Burritofan, fingers crossed our babies both like being in a one!

Honestly, I'd say at least 95% of babies lurrrrrve the sling and find it a magic sleep inducer. It's also great if you happen to have a baby with reflux or colic since it holds them upright and gives them a gentle-pressure tummy massage from their movement. There are babies who don't like the sling, but significantly fewer than those who don't like the buggy. I would also echo a poster above's really good points about knowing what kind of buggy you want and being able to buy it secondhand later. I bought a brand new Baby Jogger with car seat adapters before the birth of my first, I used the adaptors precisely never (because sling!) and ended up selling the BJ at a significant loss to buy a Babyzen Yoyo. I've put many miles on my Yoyo now (baby #2 is 11mo) but I still find the sling (I use a Tula once babies are out of the newborn phase) totally invaluable for public transport, rough ground, tourist attractions, cranky ill or teething babies...

I mostly used one but quite quickly they do your back in! I didn't want to buy a double pushchair suitable for a newborn as they are so heavy (I bought a partially reclining umbrella one instead) so carried dd2 mostly for the first 10 weeks as dd1 is close in age and autistic so would run off. By 10 weeks I couldn't cope and bought aforementioned buggy and propped up head with a car seat cushion.

Yep, used slings with DD2 exclusively till 4m, even though i have a (super expensive) pram, for the following reasons:
1- feel safer when baby is close to me and Dont have to keep checking her breathing.
2- temperature regulation easier and dont have to keep checking and adjusting layers (of course i check but it is easier and more instinctive)
3- easier in the rain or sun or any weather. summer sun hits the baby’s eyes so its hard to protect the eyes. Even a sunshade lets the sun in. In autumn it rains so you have the faff of a rain cover, which still makes the back of the pram wet and you have to put it somewhere when you are home. And you cant carry an umbrella and push the pram.l at the same time. In winter you cant be out for too long with a pram because it gets too cold. And you have to wear gloves and buy a handmuff and a thick footmuff for the pram age, and afterwards a warm footmuff for the toddler age. Lots of extra costs.
4- DD1 refused the pram, screaming for hours, until she could sit up. There are some babies who just dont like prams and need to be held.
5- baby DD2 had hip dysplasia and firm wrapping was needed (used a jersey sling , and the manduca)
6- baby DD2 was spitting alot after feeds so lying down was clearly painful for her (40mins after each feed) , burps came slowly. Holding her up meant there were no problems ans no crying. Maybe thats why they say sling babies cry less.
6- now at 6m we often use the sling - it is practical, dont have to leave your buggy outdoors, and it is a faff to take the buggy down first and then put the baby in it, even though it is just a few steps.
7- it is so comforying for DD to hear my voice, be held, she sleeps better during the day and thus also at night.
Even though DD2 quite likes her buggy now, we still often use the sling because it is practical. Could totally manage without one for the first six months, possibly also longer. Using a sling, whether a buckle or a wrap gets easy with about 2 weeks’ practice, and gives you super strong muscles and is fab excercise. Your muscles will hurt a bit for the first week, but it is important to stary early as your muscles grow to carry your baby’s weight.
Make sure your sling holds your baby facing you, with the spine curved naturally, and legs in an M-shape.

Also a few more -
8- would never go on public transport with a pram, certainly not in London, certainly not the tube. Platforms too narrow. Have seen too many dailyfail videos of mothers forgetting the brakes 🙈 Waiting about for lifts or someone to help you on the steps is very frustrating and i need to be swift and continue my london habit of weaving in and out.
9- out and about with DD1 - need to be able to move, fast, and cannot do this lugging a pram about, as you cannot go eveywhere with a pram on narrow pavements and have to leave the pram unattended at the playground.
10- weight loss amazing if you skip the extra chocolate
11- crossing the road between parked cars is difficult if not dangerous with a pram.

I did with DS1, because we lived in a 2nd and 3rd floor maisonette flat with a lot of narrow steps and no hallway to keep a pram in at the bottom. Worked brilliantly for me. I started with one of those cheap stretchy wraps off ebay and then moved onto a more structured Mei Tai style one later. This also meant that when we finally moved and bought a buggy, it was a Maclaren one that didn't need loads of newborn extras, take up half the house and cost the earth for a few weeks of use.

I tried to do the same with DS2 but he was most adamant he did jot like slings one bit! Strange baby. So all your cunning and best laid plans may fall apart anyway - such is life as a parent I've found

quite quickly they do your back in

Not my experience at all FWIW, and I regularly carried until 2.5 years. People carry up to Reception age. Stretchy wraps and Baby Bjorns (which are OK as starter carriers, but there are so much better ones) tend to outgrow their usefulness by 4 months or so, but a good carrier easily goes way beyond that. If you are struggling with back/shoulders, going to the sling library would be an idea because they'll be able to try a different sling and check you have the straps adjusted right. Most soft structured carriers distribute the weight to your hips not your shoulders and back, like a good backpack.