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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

baby slings

21 replies

katster37 · 24/09/2009 17:40

Hi,
I am 32 weeks with my first and really interested in using a sling from early on. However, I am totally confused as to which one!! I have seen so many, and basically would just like some recommendations! Concerns are:

ease of getting the sling on (bit scared of the ones that are just a long piece of fabric)
safety *comfort to wear, especially regarding backache as I often get this anyway Can anybody help? Thanks!

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borriebear · 24/09/2009 17:53

We have a Carryme sling and, although it is onelong piece of fabric, its been amazing and really compfy/safe. We practised tying the sling before ds was born and after 2 goes we had it sorted

He is now 15 weeks old and we still use it, think we probably will untill he is 6 months, as he is now in it facing out and loving it!

I tried a sling that goes over one shoulder but it was quite painful after a long time, but it wasnt a very good one so im sure there are better ones.

moosemama · 24/09/2009 18:00

I was really worried abou5 the yards of fabric too. Didn't use a sling for ds1 and ds2, but really wanted to give it a go with dd (now 8 months).

I bought a moby (which is essentially a long piece of jersey fabric) and I love, love, love it. I have used it a lot, dd has been to my dss' school assemblies in it and slept right through the whole thing on several occasions. I use it for walking the dogs across fields and over stiles etc and have even climbed up to the top of a lighthouse (hundreds of steps) with her in it and have never once got backache.

Dd is quite small for her age, but at 16.6 lbs I am still able to carry her facing in or out in the moby and she loves it as much as I do (she gets really excited when she sees me putting it on).

My tip would be to go and have a look on youtube as there a lots of videos on there demonstrating how to put them on. I found them much easier to get my head around that just looking at the written instructions.

ChairmumMiaow · 24/09/2009 18:04

definitely a wrap sling - we had a kari-me too and used it for about 5 months. (We used it facing out a lot and wouldn't do it again as I have now read that it is not good for their hips and back).

If you're scared of the wrapping then the best thing to do is to find people nearby who are sling users (try slingmeet.co.uk) and they will let you try their slings and help you out. There are lots of options regarding slings and slingmeet types are generally extremely lovely

If you can't find anyone to demo in person then various places hire slings so you can try before you buy.

I do hire myself but am also happy to do demos for free just to help you make up your mind if you're in the midlands and can get yourself around (Bromsgrove)

moosemama · 24/09/2009 18:24

I read something recently about carrying outwards not being good for them as well. I think it was because they have less support against your body and so are sort of hanging from their hips.

I generally prefer carring her facing inwards anyway, as she always falls asleep and can rest her head properly when she is facing my chest. (I get to give her proper schnuzzles and kiss the top of her head lots that way as well.)

I also find mine useful for catching the bus into town. I do take the pushchair with me (its useful for carrying the shopping ) but have it folded so that I don't have to do battle compete for a pushchair space on the bus.

The only downside I have found is that dd and I can get too hot on warm days. I have now invested in a length of 100% cotton woven/linen type fabric off ebay which I can use in exactly the same way as a sling but is so much cooler. (An alternative would have been to buy something like a Calin Blue (sp?) lightweight sling, but I couldn't justify the cost and the linen does exactly the same job for half the price.)

ursigurke · 24/09/2009 18:35

Hi katster, without having any experience, I think long fabrics are the best option. They are extremely versatile and as far as I know best for your back as well as they spread the weight on your whole shoulder and back. (I've also read about it in independent studies)
I've bought a Hoppediz and ordered it directly in Germany. I think they have translated the whole website to english too. it should be www.hoppediz.de
Didymos seems to be very good too but more expensive (they have rather thick models too) www.didymos.de
Both are extremely ecofriendly, organic...
With my sling I got a 60page instruction (they have it in many languages) for different styles and I've already tried some. I think it will be a bit difficult in the beginning but we will get used to it (and hopefully to all the rest too )
The only problem I had was to find the right length because the first one I had ordered seemed to be too long and the second one was defintely too short, so the first one was actually the right one. So you should follow the advice on the website (which I did not). And a friend told be that the longer ones are actually better for small children (because of the wrapping style). I suppose for backproblems you would always go for a style that uses a lot of fabric to make sure that you are not carrying the weight only on one point.
In any case it is worth to check out the websites as you can find lots of interesting information as well. And I think on one you can even have a look on wrapping instructions

Chunkamatic · 24/09/2009 21:27

Another vote here for the kari me. Very versatile and actually really easy to get on once you have practised a couple of times - I found the diagram instructions clear enough to understand what I had to do.
They are very comfortable, both for me and must have been for DS as he loved being in it!

Good luck!

BertieBotts · 24/09/2009 21:52

Wrap slings are fab. There are 2 main kinds - stretchy wraps (like the kari me and the moby as have been mentioned) and woven wraps (like the didymos or hoppediz) - you can make your own stretchy wrap by buying a length of jersey cotton and cutting it to the correct width (about 20")

Stretchy wraps are better for learning, with a newborn, because you put the wrap on and then put the baby in, whereas with woven wraps you generally have to tie them each time, while supporting the baby's weight which can be tricky. However they are more supportive for a heavier (older) baby so will last longer.

Definitely look on youtube for demos or at least a website with photos. Written instructions are too confusing!

Original poster

katster37 · 25/09/2009 13:58

Thanks everyone - some great tips. I think we might go for a Moby or Kari-Me, but also really pleased to see there is a Slingmeet really near us, so might pop along to their next meet - they seem to be every week.

Thanks again everyone!

OP posts:

Longtalljosie · 25/09/2009 14:07

I love my Close baby carrier - but I know they divide opinion somewhat...

ChairmumMiaow · 26/09/2009 19:59

I've never used a close but as far as I've seen they will do the same job as a wrap sling (so long as you use the extra middle bit) but some people find them easier to use and adjust.

Rosebud05 · 27/09/2009 21:52

I'm a big fan of the Ergo, which you can use from newborn with the infant insert.

FluffyCoo · 28/09/2009 12:12

Hi all,

My friend has a Moby which her dd loves and i shall be borrowing it for a trial when my little one arrives! Trouble is, I can't see DH wanting to wear such a thing (to be fair, it does look like you're wearing a wrap/ballet top!) although he is very keen to have some sort of sling or carrier arrangement... any ideas for ones that are maybe a bit more bloke-friendly...?!

ChairmumMiaow · 28/09/2009 20:49

fluffcoo - my DH loved wearing DS in our warp sling, so maybe he'll like it when your LO comes along.

However many men seem to prefer more traditional looking slings so perhaps something like an ergo with a newborn insert (never used) or a connecta might be more popular and would continue to be useful as they get older. (29lb+ 20mo DS is still very comfy in his connecta)

Personally I like a stretchy wrap or a ring for the first 4 months or so then something like a mei tai (a connecta is a buckled mei tai) for older, heavier babies.

FluffyCoo · 29/09/2009 09:36

Thanks Chairmum - the Connecta looks great. Website says that it's possible to BF while wearing it (I'm quite keen on that idea), do you have any thoughts on that?

ScummyMummy · 29/09/2009 09:57

I have a connecta too, Fluffycoo, and it is v nice. They are advertised as suitable from birth and my 6 week old invariably falls asleep after just a few minutes in it, something she is often very unwilling to do elsewhere! It fits both me and my partner with no problems and the fabric choices are great. I think it will last well into toddlerhood if we want to keep carrying her. I do have some reservations about how well her head is supported by the connecta at the moment but just put my hand behind her head until she calms down if she starts to flail about a bit as she is drifting off/waking up. I haven't tried to breastfeed in it and am not too sure how that would work as her head and my breasts are in completely different places but it is pretty easy to unclip and put her to the breast when she needs feeding. All in all I'm v pleased with it so far. hth.

ChairmumMiaow · 29/09/2009 10:29

ScummyMummy - you can get them with sleep hoods attached which is how we support DS when he's asleep (although TBH on my front he doesn't need it as he slumps happily on my chest) You just clip the hood up to the straps when they drift off.

I don't know about BF a little baby but we manage it by just pulling my breast up out of my top and letting him at it (but then he really doesn't need any help latching these days and will rearrange my boobs if he needs to!) If you need the baby to be lower down you can wear a normal mei tai on your hips so I suspect you could do that with this too.

ChairmumMiaow · 29/09/2009 10:32

I think a lot of the breastfeeding in slings things depends on how easy your baby is to latch on, and errm... what shape, size your boobs are.

At the risk of being indelicate, I have quite floppy boobs so found feeding in a wrap very hard as he had to be quite low down in the wrap so it was hard to get it tight enough to support. I found it fine in a ring sling though. I think I could have fed with DS in a mei tai had I had one when he was younger but might have needed to support my boobs a bit. Someone who is a bit smaller and/or perkier in the chest department would probably find the mei tai worn low on the hips very convenient.

HTH!

tostaky · 29/09/2009 10:43

Go to a slingnmeet in your area (even if still pg) and try them on, touch them, have a feel, chat with the other mums and then decide which one is best for you

www.slingmeet.co.uk/forums

nappyaddict · 29/09/2009 10:57

I would go for a mei tai or woven wrap.

ScummyMummy · 29/09/2009 13:52

Ikwym, chairmum, and am sure my mammoth bosoms don't help but I think you'd need just one small central boob at collar bone level to feed easily in a connecta without doing a lot of adjusting!

ChairmumMiaow · 29/09/2009 14:05

scummymummy - it works for us because the toddler does all the work - when he wants that milk he'll get it any way he has to (its quite a funny sight with his head nuzzled right down into the sling

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