baby k sling -please help b4 i burn it

[pinkyp]

I bought a sling from ebay - its a myleen klass baby k ring sling and i cant figure out how to use it! i can get it on and put baby in but it wont tighten so baby is safe. I keep looking at videos and you tube but i cant do it my baby is half hanging out! Please help b4 i set it on fire :(

this is the one i mean

www.mothercare.com/Baby-K-Sling-Carrier/dp/B001F1S7TE?_encoding=UTF8&

Is it just a standard ring sling? It looks like one. How old is your baby, and what carry are you trying to achieve? Don't panic :)

It takes a while to get the hang of it but they are so useful that it's worth persevering. I only stopped using my ring sling a few months ago because I'm pregnant with DC2. DD was almost 2 when I stopped so they last ages.

Which site are you looking at? I think this one has some good pics and videos.

I used to practice sitting on the bed or sofa so if DD fell out (she never did) then she wouldn't fall far.

Also, might not help, but I never really got on with ring slings until DS could sit up on his own. Then I couldn't wear one on my back until he was capable of holding on by himself. I don't really get on with ring slings... I prefer wraps and SSCs.

For the uninitiated an SSC is a soft structured carrier, like a Baby Bjorn

No, SSCs aren't like the baby bjorn - the best well known one is the Ergo. I think to earn the title of SSC one has to have decent back support for parents and sitting position for babies :)

my babys 5 weeks old, was try to achieve any position tbh, he's a baby who doesnt like to be put down at all

I found DS preferred being carried in an upright position when he was that little, which might be the problem you are having. However if it's just that you don't feel it's secure enough rather than that he doesn't like it, do you want to elaborate a bit on the problems you are having and maybe we can help? E.g. which position have you tried and how did it go wrong? I think the key with a ring sling is getting the hang of tightening the different parts separately and working out which bit to pull to tighten it in different ways.

There are three different bits - the edges of the fabric (called "rails" when talking in sling terms) and the middle bit. The middle bit needs to be looser than the two rails. The back rail (the one closer to your body) needs to be quite high up, and you want to get that as tight as is comfortable before putting the baby in, leave the outside rail looser until he's in position and then tighten that one separately. You probably will have to support him with your arm a bit until he gets better head control.

I'm sorry I can't be more specific unless you can give any more details.

its the tightening i'm struggling with, on all the videos i've seen they seem to pull with ease mine just bunches up. Would ironing it so the fabric is really flat help?

i'm also not sure where to pull so the fabric furthest away tightens (to stop baby falling out. He kind of falls back at the min.

Ah okay. You need to separate it out without the baby in, maybe put something light in like a teddy, and practice tightening and loosening the different bits.

Ironing probably won't help because it needs to bunch up to fit through the ring anyway. But you do need to be aware of the different bits of fabric and how they all work. So with the teddy (or nothing) in the sling, put it on and stretch out all the material through the ring so that you can find each edge. Pull one edge of the fabric hanging down and see whether the inside or the outside "rail" of the sling part tightens, and then pull the other edge to see how it tightens the other edge. The middle bit where the baby sits shouldn't tighten at all - don't try to pull the whole tail tight, it won't work.

After you've got it with a teddy then try it with the baby - and if you can, try to pick a time when he's calm so you don't feel rushed or pressured to get it right.

HTH :)

Separate out the fabric folds I mean, not take it apart.

Good advice from Bertiebots.

Also make sure the sling isn't twisted anywhere, as that can make it a lot harder to tighten.

If it's all threaded correctly, with no twists, then pulling on the left edge of the fabric hanging down should tighten the top of the pocket. Pulling on the right edge should tighten the bottom of the pocket.

I'd recommending tighting them both, particularly the bottom edge, before putting the baby in. That way 90% of the tightening is done already.

Once baby is in, try and bring all the slack around to the front first. Then take all of the baby's weight with one arm, and start pulling the slack through the rings with the other hand. Pulling out to the front and to the side the baby is on tends to be the easiest for me.

thanks ladies! i might of unthreaded it in frustration , dh said i need to hold the rings when tightening it? i didnt think i did?
Gonna thread it all back through and follow everyones advice, see if we can figure it out today. thank you all i'll let u know how we get on :)

No, you don't need to touch the rings when tightening. Just when loosening. If you pull the bottom of the lower ring upwards, it will loosen the fabric.

Check out these links on YouTube...different sling, but the principle is exactly the same. Not sure how big/small your LO is so there is a link for a teeny tiny, and a bigger baby:

YAY! i handwashed my sling and gave it a quick iron after just to take creases out. Managed to thread it through (like a belt) and managed to get my baby in it in the upwright position and tigheten it so he felt secure and loosen it to get him out! Thank you all for your help i'm dead chuffed! Just hope i can do it again! The back looks a bit twisted but i dont care!