Baby slings

[Emsyboo]

Hi
Been reading the advice on Prams etc and still confuddled but after my LO is born I have a number of weddings to go to and thought baby slings would be the best way to hold during the long paauses between until I cn get back to a pram etc.
All the slings look like they would come undone easily does anyone have any recommendations?

I love my Hug-a-Bub (given to me by my Aunt after she was finished with it). It has a few different positions you can put te baby in, can breastfeed in it (and it covers you and baby up whilst feeding), it is really comfy (no skinny straps or poorly balanced weight distribution). It might be expensive/hard to find, don't know, as it's Australian. If you youTube it you'll see a video on how it ties.

I have a Close Baby sling that's pretty good. It covers you up while breastfeeding and is suitable for a newborn. It does get quite hot if it's a warm day/room though, so bear that in mind if you get one!

look at www.slingguide.co.uk
I'd consider a ring sling or a wrap if I were you.

I like the look of the SnugBaby slings but since I haven't actually used one I wouldn't like to recommend it. I'm considering getting one when LO arrives but aren't really sure on it since I already suffer with back problems. I might mention it to my physio in a few months time.

I've got a Moby Wrap for when baby is here, but I'm still waiting for it to make an appearance, but from trying it out with a stuffed toy it seems good! Though I've got a feeling the baby might not be as co-operative as Big Ted...

My little one prefers a Mei-Tai (I made one, but you can buy them online) to either stretchy or woven wraps - not sure why. I can kinda feed in it - but that's hampered by my inconveniently enormous boobs so I generally just lift him out instead.

They're great for just taking the load off your arms while out and about, but I agree with AKMD, they can get a bit warm and sweaty. Not to mention the delightful feeling of warm sick running down your cleavage when you move a bit fast after a feed.....

Post on the Slings page too - there are a couple of really helpful people there. I have been wondering which one to get, just had a Baby Bjorn last time. But my friend has just given me a Kari-Me, so that has decided it for me. Really I do think the wrap ones look best (which the Kari-Me is), I just didn't know if I could be arsed to do all the wrapping! I also considered the Close Baby, which seems to be a compromise on the wrapping, but they are much more pricey.

I too loved my hug-a-bub with my dd, and am planning to re-use it next year with no. 2. These and Moby slings are v similar, I believe. Close baby are along the same lines but I've never tried these - personally a big fan of the stretchy ones, they distribute weight well and you can pop dcs in and out of them without having to re-tie the whole time, which is v handy in practice.

Slings page will be invaluable, but whatever you decide to go for they're all v expensive so would strongly recommend getting one from ebay or, as I did, a fellow MNer on the buy & sell thread.

I have a Hugababy too (different from Hug-a-bub, confusingly, more like a Babasling) which is also good, didn't have it when dd was tiny but imagine it would be great for sleeping babies.

By the way as to wrapping: you get the hang of it fairly quickly and once you have it's a total doddle - I could have done it with my eyes shut.

Well I have a Moby wrap which I used EVERYWHERE when DS was little. They're great in winter as they keep you both warm so you can just pop a stretchy jumper over you both when you go out. (am pg with number 2 and will be using it again)

Moby also do the Moby D which is a bit smarter looking (although a bit more expensive)
The Calin Bleu gauze wrap sling is supposed to be good in warmer weather but I've never used it. try www.bigmamaslings.com for good advice :)

woops big mama slings

see if you have a sling meet near you - apart from being a great source of advice and having loads of slings to try, you can even hire them.
I borrowed a fabulous silk brocade pouch sling to wear to Henley for the princely sum of £2...

We've had our Beco Butterfly II sling for over a year now and I can thoroughly recommend it! It's absolutley great!
It's similar to the Ergo, but with a higher back, which translates to longer use (in terms of bub's age) and is a bit more supportive IMO. It's very comfortable both for me and my DH, in back or front carries. And it comes with a newborn insert, which I have yet to try... but I'm sure with even less weight it won't be any less comfortable (and because the material is soft, a newborn would be comfy too).

www.freedomslings.co.uk/ For everyday use I swear by freedom padded ring sling. Onto my second now DS is 17 months as I wore the first one out. I found them easier when he was a few weeks old as he seemed a little lost as a newborn. He loved it and still does, they are invaluable IMO. You can find (expensive) fancier ones if you want a better looking one for the wedding.
Once you've "practised" a few times you will love them. You will feel at first very strange, I always had one hand supporting my DS. Soon changes and we were hands free pretty quick. I think helps with bonding, soothing etc aswell. My DS is a big bruiser now and he never comes loose in the sling. Go for it.