Baby slings

[LaydeeCee]

Hi, I have two children and live in an upstairs flat, I really struggle getting the pram and my children up and down the stairs. My youngest is 7 months and I wondered if it was too late to try a sling/carrier to make life easier. I have a few questions if anyone could give me any advice. Would it be possible to just ditch the pram and use a sling instead? Is there a limit as to how much they can spend in it in a day? Which slings would you recommend? I have no idea what to look for if anyone can help me that would be great.
Thanks.

No no no. Never too late. My 9 month old lives in the sling and I never used/use a pram or pushchair. I have a 5yo who I take to school on the bus every day and having ds in the sling makes things so much easier. He spends hours a day in it.

I use an ergo baby carrier most of the time but also have a couple of wrap slings. I'm getting a mei tai to try too.

Have you any local sling meets where you could go and try a few for size?

hmm, I used my wrap sling a lot when DS was tiny for long walks and things but he was getting a bit heavy by 7m. With DD I used a baby bjorn carrier more (one of the more structured ones with straps). It was useful for short hops like taking DS into pre-school as it is much quicker to put on than the wrap but she grew out of it by 10m. How old is your other child? Do you drive to and from the flat? If so, you could leave the buggy in the car (ours lives there). OR, would it be possible to take the children upstairs, dump baby in cot and then go get the buggy? Personally I have found that carrying baby in sling, wrestling with toddler and trying to carry shopping too much. As with all buggy related things it depends so much on your personal circumstances but on the whole I would say keep the buggy but if you can lay your hands on a sling cheaply you might get a few months use out of it.

I haven't been able to find any sling meets near me unfortunately.
My other child is 3, there are times when I have to carry her up the stairs if she is playing up. This is the scenario, I have quite narrow steep stairs and no hallway at the bottom, so I have to carry my 3 year old and my 7 month old (which is hard if they are playing up) then I have to get through a safety gate at the top and I also have a big bouncy Labrador puppy to try and get past. I then have to carry my supposedly lightweight pram up. It is a nightmare at times. I don't normally have shopping to carry as I get it delivered. I don't have a car either, I wish I did though it would be a lot easier.

I just wasn't sure how if it was alright to carry them for hours, I think I might try one.

Sorry if this is a silly question but what do you do if it rains?

I've got a Connecta baby carrier which I love and use most days with my 6.5 mo. It has a built in hood/sunshade which clips over her head in the rain.

She's very happy in it and often falls asleep in it. Get one!!!

If it rains I put an umbrella over us both. I carry my 9 month old almost all of the time in an Ergo. She's 91st centile & it's perfectly comfortable.

I carry my 14 month old DS all the time - still have pram for when I'm feeling lazy or if I'm doing a lot of shopping. I use a rose & rebellion which is excellent, and can carry him on my front or back.

Rain is loads easier to manage with baby in sling, just put your brolly up!

I've got an Ergo Baby carrier, which I used from 5 months with DS. He's now 14 months, and today I used the puschair for the first time since.... I can't remember when!

If it's raining (and it often is here) I use the weather cover with it. This comes with a little bag which it folds into and attaches to the waist belt, so I can always have it on standby (which is very helpful here!).

DS spends a fair amount of time in it, he's very comfortable and likes being able to chat & wave to anyone & everyone! Now he's starting to walk, it's no problem to pop him down for a bit.

I once saw a picture of a woman hiking with two Ergos on: tiddler on the front and older toddler on the back! Which would give you one hand free for shopping, and the other for dog-control! (although you might need to begin a career in body building!)

I love my Ergo. There are other similar carriers, have a google, but beware the fakes.

Thanks for all the help I'm definitely going to get one now I will have a look at your recommendations and see what catches my eye.

Hopefully I will get on well with it!

Mei-Tai are the easiest thing to use. I carry DD on my back now.
I used to use a BabyBjorn for DC1 and 2 but have now found out that there are really not recommended as not ergonomic (baby dangles by the crotch instead of sitting).

I have a Hop-Tye and is the best thing ever! www.hoppediz.de/en/tragehilfen/hop-tye

Advice on spotting <a class="break-all" href="//thehappyhoopywooljunkwww.amazon.co.uk/Ergo-baby-waterproof-weather-protection/dp/B00601W89O/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby&ie=UTF8&qid=1338835766&sr=1-1ie.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/how-to-spot-fake-ergo-baby-carrier.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">fake Ergos, should you want it.

Amazon are an approved retailer - and the Ergos are about £10 cheaper now than they were in September.

Ergo rain covers are ££! I use an umbrella! DD is 5yo and today I had ds in the ergo in a front carry and dd on my back having a piggy back and I ran to the top of a multi-storey carpark carrying them both.

It's actually quite a good workout lugging about a 91st centile 9 month old. I carried dd until she was a preschooler. They don't get too heavy, they become less inclined.

I've not used a sling this time around but first was a sling baby and didn't go in a pushchair. I'm thinking of trying again. Have a calin bleu and an ergo but loved ergo with no 1 . Do ergo people use front or back carrier and what age do you move to back. Baby 2 is 6months but I've been quite ill post birth and now missing the closeness when I use a pushchair.

I had mint wrap when ds was 0-4m but got too hot, sick of fabric getting wet in puddles when I put it on & have bad back didn't find it supportive.
Ds now 13m I used ergo since 4m and love it! Great when he's clingy/sick so I can carry but do stuff. I still carry on front, he finds it easy to nap in. Would recommend!

Sorry moby wrap not mint...on phone!

I have a sling that I am still using with my two year old! My DS2 was in and out of it until over three and only sopped because I was heavily pregnant with DD.

It has a whole bunch of different positions you can put it in and a clip so there is no faffing with doing it and undoing it. It is soooooo comfy!

here

Oh and I also frequently BF in it! Very discreet!

I also love the Connecta and so does DD. We went to Australia and back with it and didn't take a pram. Highly recommended.

juicy that sling you have linked to looks like a pouch sling, which has been linked to infant suffocation. Is it that sort? I appreciate obviously that you are using it for an older child, just thinking for others who are looking for newborn options.

PeaTarty, I usually use a front carry as it means I can put on a coat over me and ds. Keeps him warm and dry. But from 6 months, when the weather is nice and he's feeling particularly curious, I've put him on my back.

I go on the bus a lot so it's just easier using a front carry, otherwise I sit down and squash him!

I have a nearly 16 month old and I don't plan to stop carrying her in the sling any time soon. Started with a stretchy wrap when she was little. Now I have an Ergo (never buy an Ergo that looks like a bargain, it's almost certainly fake), a Kinderpack (like an Ergo but a bigger size so fits my big girl better) and a few wovens.

PeaTarty, I do a mix of front/back depending on mood. Back is good if we're walking further as it's comfier for me and she's a bit long on my front these days. But front is good when I pick her up from the childminder as we get cuddles and she likes to give me kisses.

LaydeeCee, there are sling libraries opening around the place where you can go and try out different sorts of slings and borrow them for a week or two to see if you like them. This site has listings for most I think, and I believe some do rental by post so worth contacting them directly to ask. www.ukslinglibraries.co.uk/

Sorry, clickable link: www.ukslinglibraries.co.uk/

i carry DD2 everywhere and am a complete slingaholic, i used my close caboose mostly but my moby should arrive tomorrow, i also have a back carrier for DD1.
at the moment i push DD1 and wear DD2 works great.
My next purchase is a rose&rebellion now i've seen them i blame you Rockchick lol

just out of interest, how the hell do you get them into a sling on your back if you are on your own? I quite fancy this idea for DD but can't figure out how you'd do it (I have a kari-me)

Please don't back carry in a Kari-me. I know it's in the instructions, but back carrying in a stretchy wrap is not very safe. Most of the other stretchy wrap makers (e.g. Moby) have removed a back carry from their instructions. It's too easy for a baby to bounce in it and bounce themselves out.

There are lots of ways to get babies on your back for carries, depending partly on what sort of carrier you have. With my Ergo I started doing a hip scoot like this:

Now I tend to just toss her over my shoulder as I can get her a bit higher up, then bring the carrier up over her back. If you're using a woven wrap there are other ways but I'm not good with a woven.

I keep forgetting to tick the convert links box! Hip scoot with Ergo (would work for other buckles too)

My twopenn'orth...

I've got a maya wrap ring sling and I love it! Ds2 practically lived in it for the first 3 months of his life and now he's 7mo and bloody huge I still use it pretty much every day for a hip carry. DS1 even fell asleep in a hip carry in it on the way home from the beach... He's 2.7yo!