Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Shopping

From everyday essentials to big purchases, swap tips and recommendations. For the best deals without the hassle, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

Fabric slings vs baby bjorn - which is best?

57 replies

TheBlonde · 16/01/2007 20:49

I used a borrowed baby bjorn for DS and it was okay.
I'm thinking of buying one for new baby but intrigued by all these other sling things

Are they just bits of cloth?
If they are good how come nowhere on the high st seems to sell them?

OP posts:
Original poster
TheBlonde · 17/01/2007 09:48

Twickers - I'm in London, it's no trouble sourcing a BB but I'm wondering where I can check out other slings

I don't think I'm after a ring sling more a wraparound number like Hugabub / didymos / ellaroo - can anyone tell me about them?
(I've read the mn reviews)

The didymos is 70 quid!

OP posts:
belgo · 17/01/2007 09:51

everyone I know who has a didymis really likes them - but it will take you practice to really get the hang of using it. I would buy one, but have enough slings.

You can sell it on ebay once you've finished with it, so it won't cost you so much in the long run.

SoupDragon · 17/01/2007 09:53

Coorie or Kimmer pouch sling all the way! Yes, they are just a piece of cloth but that's what makes them so damn brilliant!

Put it on like a sash, pop the baby in and you're off. No straps, no tying, no rings to slip, no faff. I carried BabyDragon in one when she was a newborn and I'm still carrying her in it now she's 11 months old. It folds up small, it doubles as a blanket, something to sit on, you can wriggle out of it and put your baby down without waking them.... I could wax lyrical about it for ages

We had a classic style carrier like the BBjorn and it comes nowhere close to the comfort, versatility and eas of use of the Coorie and Kimmer.

SoupDragon · 17/01/2007 09:54

(and you can make a Coorie yorself in about 10 minutes with a sewing machine and a cheap fleece throw)

Piffle · 17/01/2007 10:15

I might get both

katierocket · 17/01/2007 10:40

mamama - love the look of the fleece pouch - did you order it via this US site or did you find a UK stockist?

expatinscotland · 17/01/2007 10:41

I had the Coorie for DD2 and she LOVED it!

She was a December baby and is still quite a clingy baby.

katierocket · 17/01/2007 10:45

Presuably you can't buy the Coorie while pregnant to ensure you get the right size? Are they really suitable for newborns?

expatinscotland · 17/01/2007 10:47

They're fab for newborns, katie.

I kept mine in one!

kittypants · 17/01/2007 10:49

i have an ergo which is a frameless carrier and is my favorite and lasts until there 2 or more(and you can get pad to make it suitable for tiny babies).and i have a roobaby pouch sling which i still use but used mostly when ds was 0-about 7 months in cradle position,although i still use it as hip seat now(but mostly use ergo),very comfy and easy to use.

Flamesparrow1001010120120510 · 17/01/2007 10:52

One day I'll make a coorie (although I never seem to see fleece throws anywhere )

Hugabub for me... Carrying DS in it this morning and he was licking my chest to make me laugh

kittypants · 17/01/2007 10:53

also cant remember where ive read but apparently baby bjorn carriers and similar arent so good for baby because of positioning.dont shot me,just remember reading this somewhere.!

kiskidee · 17/01/2007 10:55

pouch slings are excellent for newborns. if you look at the website of the link i posted below, it tells you how to measure yourself if you are pg. also, if you choose fleece as a first sling, the stretch in it makes it forgiving to error.

the fabric of the didymos (and storchenweige) is superb. it is made of an intricate weave which makes the fabric stretch in all directions eventhough it doesn't have lycra in it. that is probably a reason why they are so expensive. If you buy one the re-sale value is excellent so it is never a loss.

I wish i had invested in it sooner. (got mine on sale for £50 though

katierocket · 17/01/2007 10:56

I like the look of the Coorie but also fancy teh Kangaroo Korner one particularly as it's adjustable but I don't want to pay huge shipping costs from US. Will have a look at your link kiskidee

kiskidee · 17/01/2007 10:58

like baby bouncers, BB supposedly makes babies hang from the pelvic floors and their spine is also in an unnatural position for a baby hence why they are supposedly not good for them. there is some research out there that back up this theory but i don't have a link for any.

SoupDragon · 17/01/2007 11:05

Flame, I'm LOL at the claim that the didymos is "the original baby-sling" I suspect slings have been around rather longer than 1972

BabyDragon pretty much lived in her coorie as a newborn. Morning and afternoon school runs, when she wouldn't settle in the day... we used to call it the Magic Sling of Sleep

I think what I like most about it is its non-adjustable nature. It's so simple and there's nothing to get wrong, nothing to tie up and wonder if it'll untie... I'm a simple soul really.

katierocket · 17/01/2007 11:13

THink I'm sold on a coorie, just need to double check how to pick right size while pregnant.

SoupDragon · 17/01/2007 11:14

I'm sure I saw somewhere that being pregnant doewn't make a big difference... Have a look on Brightsparks slings

SoupDragon · 17/01/2007 11:15

you measure fron left shoulder to right hip and I think this mostly skims over your bump or something.

katierocket · 17/01/2007 11:17

ah ok, it says in their FAQs to measure across your back if pregnant. I do like how simple it is. We have a baby bjorn but I can't be doing with faffing about with it, especially initially when I'm trying to get DS out the door to walk to school.

Flamesparrow1001010120120510 · 17/01/2007 11:19

How does the coorie work for bigger babies (still got the fleece from last winter that never became a wrap...)?

Flamesparrow1001010120120510 · 17/01/2007 11:23

Just found your message Soupy - you star - That would mean I can do the wrap at the same time and he can be carried and covered

SoupDragon · 17/01/2007 11:51

BabyDragon sits in it like a kind of hip seat. Bum in pouch, legs down and either side of my body if that makes sense. Just as if she were on a Hippychick seat but with fleece round her

ProfYaffle · 17/01/2007 11:53

I'm loving the idea of a fabric sling. With dd1 we were given an ancient tomy carrier which was fab when she was tiny but by the time she was about 8 weeks I found her to heavy to carry in it. Are the fabric ones easier in this respect?

SoupDragon · 17/01/2007 11:54

Katierocket, there's a bit of a knack to getting your newborn in it - at first I found it easiest to put DD in it with her bum in the seam and then put it on like a sash. You soon get the knack though and can scoop your baby in like a pro. Wearing a nylon type coat helps though as you can slip the fleece over it and adjust the carrying position easier! Cord etc grabs the fleece and makes it tricky. It's a godsend for the school run and gets lots of admiring looks.