Baby Carrier or Sling? Or both?

[SH2021]

Hi all

19 weeks pregnant and starting to write my list of things to buy.

What are everyone's thoughts on baby carriers vs slings? Or both?

I looove this one carrier which is rather pricey but not sure whether to treat myself or not! It's leopard print which means I'd probably have to get a different option for my husband to use. I was therefore thinking of getting a plain sling for him to use and also for me to use around the house. Is this a bit excessive?

Thoughts welcome

I wouldn't be buying a carrier based purely on print when you don't even know if it will suit you or feel good for carrying yet.

IME, a soft sling is ideal for a newborn and small baby, and structured carriers are better for when the baby is older, say 4m+. There are carriers that work from birth and some people prefer this as they can be a bit easier to use - you just tighten buckles rather than having to wrap or tie.

I wouldn't buy anything yet, there's too much you don't know. Try renting a soft sling when the baby is born - there's an online library itsaslingthing.co.uk . The Close Caboo is a good starting point with a newborn as it's very soft, but has some buckles so it's easier to learn to use than a wrap. Or you could book a consultation with a sling consultant later in your pregnancy. They can try a variety of slings and carriers on you with weighted dolls so you can see what you, and potentially your DH, like to use. If you just buy a carrier new sight unseen you may waste a lot of money. (Example: lots of people love the Ergo but I'm petite and the straps didn't shorten enough for me.)

There is also a lively secondhand market for quality slings and carriers once you know what you like and they can be resold for close to what you bought them for if you take care of them.

I think it's useful to have both - slings are great for little babies and comfy for round the house, carriers give a bit more support for when baby gets heavier for longer walks etc. The sling we've got was £20 from amazon and I've used it pretty much every day since DS was a few weeks old (now 9 months!) I wouldn't necessarily rush to buy an expensive carrier now as you may not use it until the are a few months old and you might change your mind on what you're looking for, or baby may prefer pram etc.

Thanks @Lemoncurtain @Respectabitch

Don't worry I'm not going to buy now, I just like making lists haha.

Yeah obviously I will want to test drive and not basing purely on looks, I have also heard some really great reviews from trusted friends. Think I will probs start off with a soft sling and invest when baby is a bit bigger :)

We had a carrier for DD1. Used it a handful of times.

I’m using a sling for DD2 and I’ve used it more than we used the carrier and DD isn’t 3 months old yet. She feels so comfy and cosy in it.

It takes literally a minute or two to put the sling on. The carrier was a pain for me because I couldn’t reach around to do it up. We also had to fiddle with the buckles all the time to swap between DH and I.

I wouldn't buy a sling based on the pattern it most likely wont be the best option when baby actually arrives.

I'd also urge caution that no matter how much you want to use a sling some babies absolutely do not like them. Just the same as some babies don't like pushchairs, bouncy chairs or going in the car. I'd definitely try borrowing one first before buying to make sure baby actually likes being in a sling.

Have a look at slings and things site there are loads of amazing carriers in all designs.
I used an ergo and loved it

Another point: a soft sling or wrap is a lot more easily washable than a structured carrier when your newborn pukes or projectile poos on it. Just sayin'.

I've carried two little velcro babies and if I were to have another I'd get another Caboo for the first 3 months. My babies lived in there, on either me or DH.

I had a soft Caboo sling which was great when my baby was tiny. She settled so well in it and I was able to carry on doing things like normal e.g re-fencing the pony paddock after the bastard Shetland broke out!
Then we moved on to an Ergobaby 360 as I just couldn't get a good fit with the Caboo as she got bigger and because we were in lockdown, I wasn't able to go to the sling library to get help. You can get the 360 with a newborn insert so that can be used from birth (providing the baby is the right minimum weight).
The Ergo's are expensive but worth it. If you aren't fussed about second hand, I got mine off Facebook marketplace for £40.

Great thanks all. Will do some more research on the sling option for now

I used an izmi wrap for dc3 for the first three months then I bought an assortment of woven wraps as prefer them to structured carriers. We literally climbed mountains with her in the izmi and have done some huge hikes with her in a woven.

Dd is nearing two now and I still prefer a woven wrap over a pushchair.

Once you master a wrap it's like riding a bike and not as complicated as they first look.

What area are you in (roughly) there's lots of great carrying consultants out there and hopefully someone may be able to point you in the right direction if your near one of us

@realunicorn I am in north Wales but close to the boarder near Chester. I didn't even know there were places you could get this kind of help/advice from haha

I used a close caboo for the first few months. Then I had a 1:1 consult with a local consultant who runs sling library. We went through the pros and cons, tried a load out and my son firmly settled on a ring sling. I would recommend googling to see if you have a sling library near you and contact them. Our local one has still been doing video consults etc during covid.

@SH2021 I'm nowhere near you but yes there's babywearing consultants. I think I paid around £30 for a 1-1 ( SE area) baby was 2 days old and we had a play with lots of options and discussed what I wanted and what I was wanting out of babywearing etc. She had dozens of options but I knew very much what I didn't want so that helped cut my options

The lady I used also did sling meets in the local area where people could also go for advice and support for a donation if they could afford it, I used these sessions if I wanted to try new fancy knots or just a cuppa with people and babies and to get out the house!

She worked under the umberella of wear my baby , I'm sure after the first consultation I got a code for money off their website. It might be worth googling to say if there's a consultant local to you.

I've never used a sling library although I knew we had local ones - I just had a good relationship with the consultant and found her helpful and friendly so stuck with her