Babywearers please step this way, I need some advice and tips.

[TrinityRhino]

Ok I have a freedom ring sling(very kindly lent to me by Jilly)

I have watched some lovely links and videos(very kindly linked by babieseverywhere)

but I still feel a little nervous

The lady in the link I saw had her babies head to the side without the rings, is this the norm or is it personal choice??

Also the baby(it was a doll) looked a little like she was lying with her head lower than her body, hpw do you sort that??

Is it ok for me to try and do the vertical hold with a 3 week old. I have watched the video and they did with the outer rail up over the babies head to support it, is that ok?

You can see I'm a worrier and on my third child before learning of these wonderful things.

Any tips, links, experiences would thoroughly appreciated, TIA

Pretty Please

Oh I wish I had some advice as you are setting up such a nice buffet, but I have never even HEARD of the ring sling thing. Just wanted to post a reply. Perhaps if you throw in something sweet you might tempt them in? Profiteroles? Hope someone helps you soon.

I did a vertical hold with DS2 when he was 3wo (took him across town and back to visit Marsy actually!) but that was in a wrap sling. Principle is the same though - they're vertical - so if you feel confident her head's supported, do it.

Thank you, btw - lovely spread

Tasty buffet. Thanks.

I have a ring sling, but only just got it for my dd2 who's 18 months. But I would assume the baby's head would go at the ring end, and a three week old baby would lie down in it.

Hope you and Gecko get on well with it! If I have a third, I'll be coming to you for advice

I used mine with head to the side with no ring

I did not think it was personal choice, I would have said if you wanted it the other way round then put it on the other shoulder?

I don't know why the baby's head was lower but that sounds wrong! Move Erin further up towards your other (non ring) armpit, so she is lying slightly at an angle, not flat? Can you practise with a dolly a bit first? That's what I did.

I don't know about the vertical hold but I know it is better for the baby to be lying down while they are tiny. Their spines are not designed to carry the weight of them being upright for long periods. I know some babies prefer this position though so you may have to use your own judgement.

I am just trying to picture what I did in my head so apologies if I have got it wrong!

Thanks guys

(p.s if you phone Huggababy and say you have recently bought one of their slings (make sure your sling is very similar to theirs before trying this!) they will talk you through any problems you have. They were fably helpful to me when I first got mine)

I'll have a profiterole please.

I've just googled ring slings for some pictures, and can see how the baby's head would go on the no ring side. Couldn't picture it before.

By a ring sling, do you mean a huggababy?

I don't think that them being upright is quite the same when in a foetal position in a sling that's not a dangly-on-the-crotch-strap-without-proper-support type though - DS2 was like a baby kangaroo in a pouch in the wrap.

BabyDragon's head was always on the side with no ring. But that's because she was in a Coorie which doesn't have any at all. She sed to lie in it like a hammock and also kind of sit up right in it all bunded up. Head support wasn't an issue..

Hi,

I carried my DD in the vertical hold usually called 'Tummy to Tummy' from being tiny.SHe would never lie down without screaming her head off.

I always made sure to have one hand free to hold her head to ensure support, which is far for ideal but worked for us.

A better bet would be a mei tai. They can be tied with the babies head being supported and unsupported...see poor pictures of my mei tai tieing.

Here is my small daughter in a ring sling (one photo is very bad baby positioning
Ring Sling

Here is my slightly older daughter in a mei tai
Mei Tai

Where abouts in the country are you ?

thatnks babies, I'm near Dumfries

babies everywhere, do you use the meitai on your back?

TR I have a freedom sling (ashamed to say that I've not used it yet as dd at 5.5months is still ok in the baby bjorn (don't tell, I know true babywearers hate the BB))

anyway the lady who makes/sells them gave me her details which I could post if you like?

I personally always wear my ringsling on the same shoulder- it is just personal preference. I have however used it cradle hold in both directions (to feed from both right and left boobs).

I in fact prefer to hold a sleeping baby (under 6 months anyway) in a cradle hod with the head away from the rings. Awake and dozy we do tummy to tumm- and a 3 weeks old would be fine- you might need to provide some head support when leaning forward (I always find the flop a bit even using the top rail for support). Some babies never really like cradle carry at all- refulx colic etc.

I find the videos on this site here a great help-
www.zolowear.com

As for head being lower it sounds to me very much like you need to tightenon of the rails of the ring sling more. IF head towards rings then it is the inside rail (furthest out towards your shoulder on the rings)...if head is away from the rings then it is the outside rail (closest edge to your next on the rings). I would find it easy to do that before I put the baby in. If baby is in the sling then don't forget to take the baby's weight off the fabric before you adjust.

I am sure you might find a babywearer near you if you look in the 'near you' forums on thebabywearer.com

If you need anymore explanation or I am not being clear lmk

HTH

tassis, if you didn't mind thatr would be great

redtent, very helpful and thanks for the link

Hunker, I think you're right. I was just transferring what I knew about the BabyBjorn type slings to the upright position in a ring sling, but it is different, isn't it?

I didn't start using a sling till ds was 6 m o (by which time he was really able to complain A LOT about not being next to me most of the time) so I have never used that hold myself. It looks so cute when they are snuggled up like that.

This is BabyDragon in the cradle hold in her Coorie. I think the bit where the rings would be in a ringsling are on her head side. As you can see, she's all bundled up and the outer edge is round her head. When she was tummy to tummy her head was also supported by the outer edge. being a Feb baby, overheating wasn't an issue.

When she got more alert and had great head control for looking round, I switched it so the "ring side" was over the other shoulder and she sat in it almost like a hipseat with her legs hanging out the bottom. I've also had her sitting facing out but have never really got the knack of folding her legs in properly.

babies everywhere, do you use the meitai on your back?
Yes, though I prefer to use my wrap for back carries.

Do you all (with ring slings - the one I lent Trinity is a freedom sling) find that the baby kind of ends up 'bent' around your body in that laid down position? DS never seemed to like it.