Recommend me a sling!

[MortifiedAdams]

I have a bjorn, which dh picked out to use for dd.He used it all of once, and then I used ot a handful of times. I found it cumbersome and hot and never thoufmght dd was comfy looking in it.

I am now pg with nunber two and dd will be 2.3 when this one arrives. The buggy we have is a birth to 4+ one so I fully intend to keep it and not succumb to a double. Therefore I think a really good sling will come in handy.

I tried a one at a friends that was like a loooooong cloth that tied multiple times and ended woth a tie under babys bum and I didnt feel right with that one (no idea of the name sorry). What do you have and what are the pluses/negatives?

I now use a wrap one and get on with it really well but it took me several other slings to gain enough confidence to use it. It's now my main sling as dd is bigger and I can wear her so many different ways, the ting took some time to master and find a style I was happy with. I wasn't comfortable with the supposedly standard front tie but found a different version thanks to you tube which felt right. So it might be worth looking into this a little more. You may find it would be useful to carry dd as well as baby. It might not be right for you in which case fine, but I said that to begin with but now can quickly carry dd in a range of ways, front, hip and back.
We used a caboo close for about 6 months, which is a good sling. It goes on over your head like a t shirt and baby just slips in, you spread out the cross of fabric over them, tighten and tie behind your back. Was fantastic for getting dd in and out single handed even when she was being really wiggly. Only stopped using it when dd hit 22 lbs as I found it wasn't great at distributing the weight as she got bigger. But is was well worth the use we got out of it. Baby can be held in a cradle position too but dd never got on with this.
We also use a pouch sling, this is a ring of material which you fold in half and wear across yourself like a sash, baby can be cradled or carried tummy to tummy, then when a little bigger facing out, on the hip and if you're comfortable with it on your back. Mine's a liberty pouch. It's very compact, takes up about as much space as a folded muslin square so great for the changing bag. It's comfortable to wear as long as it's positioned correctly. A friend of mine used it to carry her reasonably sized 4 year old on a day out so something like this could be used for dd too if you needed to.
I hated slings with plastic clips and never through they were comfortable for parent or baby, hated having to use them at work, wasn't sure I'd want a sling when dd came along but my slings have had more use than the buggy.
You may have to try a few, all mine were cheap ebay purchases and the wrap, the same style as the one you tried is the only one I brought new. Ones I haven't got on with I've resold after experimenting, a ring sling and a babba sling. If your saving by not buying a double could you give yourself an experimentation budget? You may find you need to give yourself time to get used to a sling and take time to just wear it at home before venturing out.
Have you thought about trying a buggy board for dd too?

We've got an ergo and its brilliant, really easy to use by yourself. Dd is 15 months and we use it all the time. Also have a stokke but we never use it as its too bulky and hassly with loads of clips.

Another here with a stokke that will soon be on eBay! Too fiddly and dd hates it. I would find a sling meet near you and try a few. The wrap sling you tried is worth another go - they are tricky at first, but after some practice you get much better and personally I think you can't beat a stretchy wrap for a newborn. I'd go for a moby in winter or hana baby in summer - both work the same way but the hana is lighter material. Dd is always in the hana at the mo and much prefers it to the pram. When they're too big to carry on the front a lot of people like the ergo or a mei tai. I will be trying those at a sling meet to see what suits haven't told DH this yet

For the best value for money you could get a birth to toddlerhood sling like the Ergo, Connecta or (my favourite) the Manduca. All of these can be easily used for newborns or toddlers.

However I love a snuggly stretchy wrap for the first 6 months. If you don't want to wrap/tie then I agree with the suggestion for the Close.

Best of all visit a sling meet or use a try before you buy site like petitpoppet.co.uk

I used a moby when he was tiny, now a boba 3G

Thank you to all - I am.workibg my way through youtube demos to see them.in the 'flesh'. The Caboo Close looks amazing! Snuggly and safe and I think the rings and cross back.make it look a bit.more secure

Ebay is also a good idea for somewhere to start!!

What weight does the Caboo do until?

For little baby a moby or mai tai.. then from 5 months Ergo - it's the best, you wont regret it.

By moby or mai tai I just mean soft carrier, like caboo too.

A stretchy wrap is best for newborns - keeps them nice and snug and supported and once you get the hang of tying it it's easy (and you can keep it tied and just pop baby in and out as you need to). Moby wrap or kari-me or similar will all do the job.

I used that type until she was about 6 wks, then got both a mei tai (a hop tye) and a Beco Gemini. The mei tai will last for as long as I want to use a sling with her as it's fully adjustable. But it can be a bit of a faff to get her in and out of as it requires some wrapping. It's great for her though - snuggly and supportive and she sleeps well in it. The Gemini is more convenient (it's got buckles so you can get her in and out easily when out and about), but she'll outgrow it at about a year, I think, and it's not quite as comfy or snuggly for her for sleeping.

Avoid the Baby Bjorn - it doesn't support the baby in the correct way and is bad for their hips as they're growing.

The Gemini should be fine well into toddlerhood, we used ours regularly til we lost it on holiday when DS was about 20 months. Beco website says it goes up to 16 kg which is easily 2.5/3ish on average.

The Ergo is fantastic! Be wary about buying one from eBay or one that is suspiciously cheap though, there are a lot of fakes.

OP I have just bought a close caboo based on a recommendation from a poster on another thread. Same age gap as you and similar background with a barely used baby bjorn from DC1 and a desire to avoid a double buggy.
I was overwhelmed by all the choice and wrapping looked hard ! This slips on over your head like a t shirt.
I am still getting the hang on putting DS in it correctly and have found it a little tricky - but once he is in it is great - and am confident I will get used to it quickly.
He is so secure and snuggly and drops off to sleep looking way happier than in a baby bjorn. It has enabled me to do a bit more round the house as hands free.
It is quite warm in this heat as loads of fabric.
I did see they have a new NCT version with mesh front which may be a little cooler.

Marking my place

Caboo's upper wieght limit is 32 lbs or 14.55 kg but I found dd was too heavy and long to wear when she hit around 23lbs, that's when I moved on to my wrap as the cross tie puts the weight across your lower back as well as shoulders.
After about a month I got it for a steal for £7.

Please can I recomend the Elaroo wrap sling.

I absolutely adored mine and could comfortably carry by DD in it from about 2 months to about 20months. I even used it recently for DD when she was poorly and just wanted a day of clinging and winging. She is 3.5 now!

It worked as a front or back or hip sling, there are loads of ties to play with - just check out some of the sling.net links - plus it looks lovely.

It does (like all wrap slings) take a bit of practice but so worth the effort. I could even feed in mine if I tied it correctly.

As she got older I switched to mainly using a hippychick, hip seat which is amazing, so much more comfortable that carrying them on your hip and gives you more freedom with you hands. I gave up using a buggy at all from about 8 months after I cracked the sling/hip seat thing. Made life a lot easier.

I used a Moby wrap when DD was little and then switched to an Ergo when she was 6 months.

So what about this? Surely I dont have to worry about a fake with a second hand item like this? Mind I've picked the name Olive for a girl so may need to look for a different colour!

I have a Close Caboo to pass on if you're interested OP. More or less unused as I much prefer my Bjorn - takes all sorts I guess .

I really like my ergo, which we used from newborn (day 5 to be exact!). I also made a moby-style stretchy wrap but only used it a handful of times as my daughter would always wriggle too much in it. She's great in the ergo, and we just today tried it out as a back carry. She did well! I find it very comfortable, as does my 6ft3 husband.

Wow Phiney how much are you looking for?

Ergo...also had a Bjorn. Ergo wins hands down. Still carrier DS in it at 16 months.

Can you just use a normal ergo as a back carrier? We've only used it on the front.

Yes, all the soft structured carriers (Ergo, Boba, Connecta, Manduca etc) can be used for back carries as well, as soon as baby has decent head control.

Another vote for Ergo - I go around all over London with DS (9.5 mo) in it. So much better than trying to take a buggy on the tube and worrying about whether or not there's going to be a step-free access...
We also have a Moby Wrap (which is a very long piece of fabric), but that's rarely used...

Bondolino is a great baby to toddler sling. A close caboo is a nice one for newborns but by six months you would need to change it. The bondolino is quick to put on, comfy and very dad friendly. An alternative if you prefer buckles is a manduca. I personally prefer tie straps to buckles as there is no need to adjust between different users