ok, The sling cupboard April part 1

[misdee]

no idea if anyone wants to join me

am just getting into sling with dd4.

have a napsackbaby mei tai, which i use for dd3 as well.

ring sling

and peanut shell.

all have different uses, and work well for us.

We must meet up - all a bit mad at the mo ! You busy next Friday ?

You can roll the straps up a little and secure them with a hairband to make them more manageable

hmm that's good friday. We've got friends staying and DH is taking the bloke go-karting but I think my friend and I (and our DSs - hers is 2) might go to soft play somewhere (she drives). I'll have to ask her what she thinks.

aham, you all found it.

been pottering around with dd4 in the napsackbaby mei tai today. its very nice. but has a low weight limit so cant put dd3 in it when i need to.

How heavy is DD3?

around 16kg. she is at the upper liomit for most, but think this is the last summer i'll be carrying her.

for those having problwms with groceries, etc, i suggest a rolser. google it. poorly baby in arms.

she spent all day in my didymos Jim today. i love jim.

i never liked Ergo. i found the waistband too big for me, shoulder straps always falling off. chest trap a PITA, a PITA to adjust shoulder straps after getting it on. I think i musta hated it as it hasn't made me buy another SSC since and it was my first carrier.

and dd1 loved leaning which, as i never had anyoneto reassure me, freaked me out.

I know lots of you get on well with it but i never recommend it as Ergo has been 'mean' to a lot of the WAHMs who got the business started and then tried to patent the design which is after all based on mei tais which for me is naughty on so many levels.

i always recommend other SSCs if that is what people seem more interested.

just my axe to grind. sorry

for those struggling, misdee and starlight, i think it could be a couple of things. the baby has to be high and tight as you can get them.

if you watch vids you'll see women 'bounce' the baby while tightening.

with MT straps i put on then once tighten again by loosening knot, making small adjustments before re-tightening the knot.

on the front the rule of thumb is high enough to kiss head with hardly moving your head.

I don't really do front carries with MTs though. DD2 went straight to back carries at 3 months.

yes, i second the lexi twist which brings them in v. close to your body.

I am a gobby shite when it comes to slings.

I'll join. I'll always happily bore anyone about slings.

But we do need our own topic MNHQ please.

I love MTs and SSCs and mostly front carry out of doors with a 17-month-old. The key is to keep them as high and snug as you can.

With a front carry in a MT I find it helps to cross the straps at the back, pull them to the front tightly and jump a couple of times before crossing or lexi-twisting the straps over the baby's bum, feeding them under his legs, to the back and tying.

With back carries in a MT I think it's a lot easier to get a nice high carry by Santa tossing. It does gets a lot of sharp intakes of breath when performed in public though.

I'm not that crazy about the term babywearing myself because it makes the baby sound like a fashion accessory.

Thanks for advice sling gurus.

I will go with a moby and then upgrade if I need to. In fact am going to buy now - any advice on best place to go? (Sorry am hijacking your thread a wee bit - will bugger off soon).

Will also look on you-tube for videos to help me get the hang of it.

Am really hoping that the right sling will help me be more relaxed with DC2. Was more uptight than zebedee first time round and don't trust the theory that second children are naturally more chilled out. If they have any of my genetic material they will be lunatics from day 1!

any of the online retailers commonly linked on MN are reliable ime. just choose the wrap you like the most and go for it.

this is one of my favourite videos for wrapping a newborn.

this one is for dummies.

here is the pdf version

ooooohohhhhhhhhhh

For the first time am feeling really excited about meeting DC2! That baby was gorgeous!

Right off to buy wrap, order birth pool and massage biff.

for dummies. ahem.

morning
i'm looking for a new woven wrap i think, in a neutral colour - any recommendations or people wanting to sell?

i have a trolley on wheels - it isn't as easy (imo) as a pushchair where you can just load everything, but there isn't another option ime when you are carrying your child

Franny, what length are you hoping for?

Oh yes, kindercoat. love mine too.

got compliments about how practical it is from a mummy who doesn't use slings.

Hello Slingers (ooo sounds kinky), just after some advice. Is there any particular sling that is better than others for someone with a bad back? A VERY bad back. I have spina bifida and have had to give up using a sling for DS3 but there's just so many times when it would be easier to have him in the sling rather than the pushchair.

JackBauer Did you get your rebozo in a co-op run last year?

you reminded me. I have 2 rebozos. one cotton, one wool. I am yet to test them out however.

thing is starlight, the weight of the baby should not be felt on your back. A well positioned sling allows the weight of the baby to be transferred onto the bones (as opposed to the tendons and muscles of the back) and straight down into the hips and legs. so the weight is on your leg muscles and tendons in reality.

Butterball, spinabifida is a specific disorder which differs greatly from person to person so no one can really say which sling would be best for you. more like trying out. the best thing to do is to familiarise yourself with safe carrying and good technique which is available on the web. To try out a couple different types and make the decision for yourself. I don't think anyone can advise you on which is 'best' for you just help you make an informed choice and make further decisions from there.

there are a few sellers on the net who rent and are also v. experienced with carrying babies who they could definitely help out on a 1 to one basis.

slingjax, sasaslings and naturallyhappyslings are all v. experienced baby wearing mums and rent slings, I believe.

Thanks foxytocin. I shall carry on my hunt for The One.

Foxy I bought it on ebay direct from Mexico. I actually bought 2 and sold one for the price of both

I have a bad back, well, bad shoulders and lower back aches as my posture is bad due to shoudlers, but when my back is bad I put DD2 on my back for half an hour. It forces me to stand upright properly and (believe it or not) it actually makes me feel better!

Starlight, have you tried a wrap converted to a MT? The fabric has that little bit of extra give and the straps are wider so they cup your shoudlers more like a ring sling rather than diggin like a normal MT. I have both but the converted MT is much, much comfier.

foxy i need 4.6m or over

i have the mamajacket - saved my life this cold cold winter

i have a girasol no 27 to sell. I love the colours weave and support but 4.6 is too long for me so planning to sell it. it has hardly been used - mostly when dd2 was a mite of a newborn around the house. outdoors once or twice.

don't know if it is neutral enough though.