using a sling in the house

[claireL1991]

Does anybody do this?

My 5 week old little girl is very clingy to me. She will happily sleep on my chest and have cuddles all day (which I love too) but the minute I put her down she's awake again and cries until I pick her up.
I can't bear to hear her cry for very long and don't really want to leave her to cry it out.
The problem I'm having is that I don't get any house work or jobs done because I'm having to hold her all the time so I was thinking of getting a sling to put her in during the day so that she's still with me but so that I can get jobs done at the same time.
Does anybody else do this or am I making a rod for my own back?

TIA x

It's fine! I did - DS is now 3.5 and not the slightest bit clingy. As my grandmother used to say "you can't spoil them with love" - it's just plain practical! It's also how working women of the past survived!

5 weeks old baby isn't clingy. Its a baby.

Brill :) thank you

My DS was basically attached to me for the first 6/9 months I think, he's now 20 months and very confident, runs straight off in play groups etc. No rod for your own back, you can't spoil a baby

I used to "wear" my baby all the time. Once she started walking she was DONE with the sling. I was a bit sad, actually. :) Slings are amazing.

I used a sling around the home when my one was that age, freed me up no end! She now isn't a huge fan (8 months) but when she was small the sling was a life saver and meant I could do so much more around the home.
Congrats and enjoy

I could have written dartmoors post word for word. Do whatever works!

I tried it, but, he was so comfortable and natural in there that I would forget, and I nearly tipped him out bending down to get something out of the dishwasher, blasted us both with hot air opening the oven, and found myself pushing the fridge door shut with him once - like I did with my hip or the bump when pregnant (!) so I stopped. Luckily he was happy to sit in the kitchen doorway and watch me from about 5 months (before then, I just did very little )

I tried a back carry with DS2 when we had to move out of a rented house when he was a baby and I had a lot of hoovering/carpet cleaning to do, but he spent the whole time trying to climb out to peer over my shoulder by entwining his hands in my hair - so that was a no-goer too.

Your mileage may vary - it's certainly not a rod for your back though (says the co-sleeper, very rare buggy user, who's 5 and 2 year olds are happyily tucked up in their own beds asleep with no issues getting them there)

Thank you everyone, I've ordered one and it's coming on Saturday

I'm looking forward to it actually, I'm bored out of my brains watching This Morning and Loose Women every day!!

Yes! Always had daughter in a sling, then when she turned 10 months I started wearing her on my back which is so much easier for housework. She's 20 months now and I still carry her in mine when out and about as we both hate the pram.

Letting a 5 week old cry it out isn't an option, btw! Enjoy the sling.

Yy do it, your life will be soooo much easier. I wish I had known this with my first. My second and third babies were both sling babies. When I had my third there is no way I would have been able to manage the others' bath times, getting ready for school, making their tea etc. strangely I found it less practical out and about, because of all the stuff I had to carry for the other kids (drinks, changes of clothes, potty ffs) so I did use a pram for outdoors but in the house it was completely indispensable. Good luck

:) I'm really pleased I posted this thread!
Can't wait to get my life back and be a bit more active in the day. I feel so guilty when my OH comes home from work to see that the house is a mess and I haven't done anything.

I'd never let her cry it out. This is why I spend my time cuddling her.

Back carries are better in wraps I think as you can get the baby up higher so they can look over your shoulders! I'm shit at wrapping though

If you do a Facebook/Google search you should be able to find a local group which you can hire slings/wraps from and they can advise on different carries and positioning of your baby, costs roughly £30ish for a consultation I think which can help when starting out. I used the Close Caboo when DS was little and then moved on to a buckle carrier/wraps and loved it. Enjoy!

I do, I did with dd and I do with ds- ten months- now. I have a ring sling and a beco, both great. It can take a bit of practice but when you are used to it life gets so much easier.

Yy to the sling, but don't feel you should be rushing around doing loads of housework! I call it a win if i get some laundry on or have a shower.

Forgive me claire but you did say in your OP you "don't really want to leave her to cry it out" which sounds as though there might be someone advising you to IRL or as though you think it's something that other people may do. It's definitely not recommended until the baby is at least 6 months and then only for sleep training.
Agree with other poster that at this stage I would worry too much about housework either! But I know some things do need doing so I hope it works for you. I'd say avoid things like emptying the dishwasher etc. Better jobs are vacuuming, hanging out washing (put the sling on after the clothes have been removed from the washer) and general tidying up - nothing that involves leaning over! X

DD was like this. I had what I called the Magic Sling of Sleep.

She didn't need it forever and did learn to nap on her own before she got too heavy to carry round!

DD was never a clingy baby, but she did live in the sling, both in and out of the house (never bothered with a pram).

She's 3.3yo now and still goes in the back carry on long walks and when my back can cope with the strain

Yes to a good stretchy sling at this point being a lifesaver! I used it more so I had 2 hands to have a cup of tea than household jobs!

I had a stretchy which was good but only lasted 3 months and my baby was 4th-9th percentile!

I bought a SSC (connecta - but Bobas, ergos, lennie lambs, and I believe one by Baby Bjorn now exists via John Lewis) which I found easy to use (no knotting etc) both inside and outside, and still use now she's a toddler for going out when I do not want to use the buggy.
Most are good from 7lb to 2 years! They retail £60-£100 but last 2 years as I said.

Back carries are better in wraps I think as you can get the baby up higher so they can look over your shoulders! I'm shit at wrapping though

Pretty sure you aren't advised to back carry until older than 4 months. That's been a theme in all the sling meets I've attended (I volunteered at a mum and baby group so was at several over my maternity).

I did this all the time till ds was about 4 or 5 months. Otherwise I would never have got anything done! He literally wouldn't let me put him down. He's now an independent 10.5 month old.

Back carries are not advised until baby can sit up independently (most places say 6 months). I personally only started back carrying my son at 9 months, it takes a bit of practice getting them in your back. There are loads of good videos on YouTube and there are several different techniques you can try to see which one you find easiest. Practice over the bed just in case!

I think I read that back carries aren't advised with a stretchy sling anyway, because they can push against you into the stretchy material and loosen it, or potentially fall out. This is with older ones.

I used a moby wrap til about 6 months, then got a Connecta carrier which we still use now at 17mo. I even managed to feed DD in the moby wrap, great for cluster feeding.
Totally invaluable.
Have fun! (Just because you can do lots of housework using a sling, doesn't mean you should. It's a full time job having a baby!)