Advice slings for Dad-in-waiting

[bigmamapeach]

Hi,
I'm looking for advice/recommendations on slings for Dads... Currently expecting 1st baby in december and daddy to be is very excited. The thing he is most thrilled/anticipated about is carrying the baby skin-to-skin (he doesn't want for him or the baby to be wearing anything on top (except maybe a nappy for little one, obvs).
I'm a bit worried about this, what with a winter baby and all, and I plan for us to be out and about as much as possible enjoying the great outdoors. (All going to plan with the birth and baby of course).
Also his birthday is coming up so I thought I would get him a sling he can use to wear the baby and something that can go over to the top to keep them both protected in it.
So! any MN-ers advice on this, what carriers work well for a (small) daddy and will keep them skin to skin but the baby as warm as possible when we go outside? And is it okay to have the baby just in the sling next to daddy's chest and with a big puffa jacket over the top when they go outside? Or will baby get very cold without a babygro on?
I assume this will work for me as well so when I am carrying baby it can feed when it needs to without too much hassle.
Or is this all a bit nuts?
Because we are both new to the baby thing we really know next to nothing on all of this.
Thanks!

You are nuts! Skin to skin is lovely indoors, heating on, then wrapped up snuggled up and into the sling to go out!

Well we mostly did the skin-to-skin thing in private spaces: ie in our bedroom/lounge with a blanket covering both parties (obv. not baby's head).

Out and about is most likely to be problematic: you need to be able to adjust baby's layers as the temperature changes and you are unlikely to want to strip off yourself if you nip into a cafe for half an hour. In winter we did usually put the sling on then the coat, but the coat wasn't fastened to avoid risking overheating and DS was in a snowsuit. The coat was just to protect his hands/feet.

Also be very careful feeding in a sling: especially with a newborn you need to constantly monitor to make sure they can breathe. They certainly shouldn't be down inside a coat to do this (and again you probably wouldn't want to be opening your coat up if topless underneath).

However if you do want a sling then you need to consider types: I couldn't get on with my wrap sling (although others swear by them) but still use my Ergo with (big) 16mo DS

Don't know if I've read this wrong, but your baby would definitely need clothes on out and about in sling!

In winter I would say vest, warm babygro and some kind of snowsuit/outdoor all in one too, plus hat and gloves. Babies do keep warmer in the sling with body contact than in a buggy, but I would layer clothes so you can adjust accordingly.

In answer to your specific sling question I've found the Ergo a good carrier for closeness and good support out and about, the baby faces you snuggled in to your chest. I used from about 3 months but think you can get a newborn insert for extra support to use it earlier than that. You can also get cosy toes etc for them as well. For skin to skin and around the house a stretchy wrap like the Moby is very good, you can use it outdoors under a coat easily too, but might need something more supportive when the baby gets heavier. You should be able to feed in both of those too, with a bit of practise.

Hope this helps, and congratulations!

Okaaay.
You sound lovely and very excited about your baby .

I would not invest too heavily in to slings etc and wait until you actually meet him/her.
IMO a stretchy wrap such as as MobyWrap are best for newborns because they are totally adjustable, cosy and comfy and most babies love being in them. Get one in a 'manly' colour and your DP and you can wear it. I used to put mine on in the morning and pretty much not take it off all day - I'd just pop baby in and out as needed. No buckles, no straps and totally hands-free for me - so all good.

For a heavier child an Ergo soft structured carrier is better IMO. It allows the baby to go on the back more easily and weight is distributed across the hips which takes strain off the back.

Wrt to skin-to-skin: like above posters we've only done this inside. A tine baby can very easily be popped inside a t-shirt while sitting down ie watching telly or whatever. IME babies love their father's chest - careful, tiny hands can pull chesthair quite hard .
Skin-to-skin outside I think would be quite... weird. Unless you are in a warm country??
I also found prolonged skin-to-skin quite sweatty and generally did not love having my babies in slings because it got very hot and felt quite crowded and touched out. But that's another story.

Sorry for the long waffle... in summary, get a Moby or Sleepy Wrap (to be had cheaply from Ebay or similar) and let the rest develop.

BabyBjorns btw are often preferred by men, but are really not very good for spines/hips/boys' bits, certainly not for prolonged wearing.

Is there a SlingMeet near you? Google it. It's a great way to see/try out different types of carrier.

I second minesapint's point about feeding in the sling, and in using them generally the baby needs to be in a good position and high enough in it so you can check them easily, think the rule is you should be able to kiss the top of their head.

Super thank you for all the advice. I like the idea of having an ErgoBaby for later (have tried one) and a more stretchy wrap when little one is new. Thanks for the cautions on over/under heating - it is very hard to tell when you don't have much experience with babies (and obviously adults thermoregulate quite well).
BF has quite strong opinions on this (I suspect he is just jealous of us ladies who can breastfeed and is worried about feeling left out) but I will need to persuade him that baby's comfort comes first and little one will have to be bundled up sometimes. We will work it out!
PS does anyone else have the frustration of wanting to buy stuff now but knowing it's better to leave it till baby born?