wrap sling, will I use it?

[cluborange]

Hi, my DD is 13 weeks old. I bumped into a lady from my ante natal group recently who was using a wrap sling to carry her DS, and I am wondering whether I might find one useful, as I have been looking for a carrier for hiking/camping trips with DH.

We had originally planned on getting a structured carrier/rucksack type thing, but the multiple uses of the sling looks good. Can anyone help with these questions?

1. Can I breastfeed in the sling? I am particularly thinking of if I have a second baby, I could breastfeed in this sling while entertaining DD, and would probably use it to carry the newborn a lot if I am out with DD as well (hoping to have a small age gap, so DD will probably not be ready to walk everywhere, and I would like to avoid getting a double pram).
2. will I be able to use the sling as DD gets older? Some of the rucksack carriers can be used for many years, we would want to get good use out of a sling as well
3. what make would be good for us? where can we look for more info? we were thinking of spending a fair bit on a good carrier, so are not too concerned about cost(within reason!)
4. we do not do 'attachment parenting', DD is fairly independent and very happy to sit in her chair, sleep in her cot etc, so we do not really need the sling for round the house. As such, is it worth getting a sling? will we use it enough to justify the cost? Or would we be better off with a rucksack carrier?

Thank you for all your help.

i found a ringsling useful, i know u can feed in them. i can still carry my 2.5 year old in it.

it is worth the money if u have more kids even more so. its a compartively small amount of money when u use it for more than one child.
ie i have 2 spent 50quid on the sling, so thats only 25 pounds each, and will be using is for my third. so that like 17 pounds each.
when u look at it over a timescale thing its only a tenner a year if u use it for five years.
not much really.
plus they are washed ALOT easier than the solid type of frame.

I had a hugabub and I loved it. I didn't do attatchment parenting but it was very handy for days out and dog walks as we didn't have to take a pram and ds 1 could go on esculators. We went on the underground, taxis and all was fab. He would sleep in it and if he wasn't so chuffing big I'd still be using it. (We last used it at Warwick Castle when ds was 10 months. I used it round the house to get jobs done and sometimes when ds 2 was grizzly as a nap in it close to mummy always calmed him down.
I have since bought a canvas one but it's not the same.
I am prgt with no 3 and will use it again from them puting ds 2 in the pushchair. I am hoping it will save me from buying a double buggy but we'll have to see.

Can recommend a Beco Butterfly.
I took ages to decide, as I used a wrap sling with both my DCs when they were tiny but found it a bit hot and took a while to tie, and then a Baby Bjorn but was not good for my back. We also have a rucksack-style one but it's big and cumbersome and doesn't allow the child to be carried close enough to you to make it comfy - the further out from you they sit, the heavier they seem.

The Beco does front and back carries, carries newborns to 45lb toddlers, folds up small to carry with you and very importantly comes in some lovely colours and patterns (including DH-friendly plain ones - we have the brown). Oh, and is v adjustable if both of you will be using it.

Am trying to decide whether to go for number 3 and frankly the chance to use the newborn bit of my Beco could be a deciding factor .

PS Sarah at Natural Connection.com is lovely and let me buy two sling styles and try them out then return the one I didn't like.

Sorry for the hijack but have just brought a babasling..any one got experience of these? Or similar..
Am interested in attachment parenting as actually stand a chance this time round, not being in a relationship with a jealous or violent man who doesn't like the amount of time i spend with baby lol

Slings are so cheap if bought second hand (UKBabywearingSwap on Yahoo is a good group) that you are best separating it into two things - a sling to bf in if you have another baby (stretchy wrap or ring sling), and something for walking in with DD - for which a MeiTai (BabyHawk) or Structured Soft Carrier (like the Beco or Ergo).

I still carry my 2.7 year old in a MeiTai, and they are super practical as your lo is cuddled, warm, secure, and as they get older you can roll them up to carry around easily.

Second hand, you can get a ring sling (which your DD would be fine in now for round the shops etc) for about 20 quid, and a BabyHawk for 35. A good rucksac carrier like the LittleLife is over 100, and not nearly as versatile (we do have one, but it is rarely used)

I used a calin bleau (?) wrap sling for both of mine from birth to about 2 and found it hugely usefull.

It can be wrapped in loads of differnt ways and is good for bf.

There's a yahoo sling group that's full of helpful people and advice, worth a look imo.

thank you for all the ideas! There's so much out there and so many opinions on what is good, I hardly know where to start.

cmotdibbler, can I resell on that yahoo group if I get something and don't get on with it?

I recently bought s ring sling online and found I couldn't get on with it at all - the lopsided weight distribution got very uncomfortable very quickly. DD is very big, and obviously it would only get more uncomfortable.

Yes, you can sell on there - which is the beauty as I've bought things, decided they weren't for me and sold them on again for much the same as I bought them for