Is my caboo really supporting baby enough feel concerned

[sedgieloo]

I used a baby bjorn last time, occasionally only. This time as I have a toddler I wanted a sling I could wear a lot about the house to get my hands free.

My five week old keeps slumping over after I have positioned him properly at first. Sometimes his head is bent right over to one side. Then next thing his body looks to one side and one leg highet than the other. Is this ok? I don't like to pull it very tight, it feels quite snug to start.

I am keen to have him lie flat as much as possible when asleep but he is going through that clingy stage. Is it ok to have th in a sling for long long periods?

I am new to this and know little. I feel I would like to see him in the bjorn comfort carrier facing in and better supported but he is not big enough just yet.

Advice appreciated.

You need to fasten it tighter, and higher than you would expect. It should be tight against you even before putting baby into it :) and you should be able to easily kiss the top of baby's head - after using a bjorn this is often the hardest part to get used to as they are lower in the bjorn style carriers.

Do you have a sling meet locally that you could go to? If not, there's some good YouTube videos you could watch but nothing is as helpful as someone showing you how to do it :)

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply this has helped already. I don't think I have it quite right yet but I see what you are getting at. Thanks!

What rockchick said - high and tight is key. Can I ask why you are keen to have him lying flat? The supported curved spine that you get in a correctly-worn good sling is a more natural position for a newborn spine than lying flat so the sling won't do any harm at all in that regard.

His head shouldn't slump sideways - make sure the fabric is pulled right up to support his neck and tie the top layer with plenty of fabric at the top for head support. Or gently put his head facing the side and put one of the cross of fabric over the back portion of is head (ensuring you don't cover his face at all). As pp said if there is a sling library or meet near you someone should be able to help in person.

Poole, thanks for the comment. I seem to recall from when I had dd that because of rapidly growing lungs and spine and to allow maximum oxygen intake that having baby in carrycot/cot is advantageous and certainly not in car seat and lying flat is basically good?!? Is there a resource on sling wearing and supine position I could look at to understand further. I is in it for hours and hours.

Also does this amount of baby wearing discourage independent sleep? Got some bad sleepers I the family so would like to wise up I it can be a problem. Thanks.

Have a search for your sling on YouTube there will be loads of demos - I always find it easier learning from a picture. If baby is correctly positioned in sling no reason she don't sleep like that.

Ok totally misapplied the supine reference, I meant curved spine thingy! Will get on YouTube again.

www.bobafamily.com/research/strollers-baby-carriers-and-infant-stress/

The above isn't perfect as doesn't have lots of links to research but worth a read for an overview I think

Pootle, I read the whole article in my 3am feed. Exactly what I was looking for. So helpful, thanks!

I always found it easiest to try the Caboo tight to me first before I put baby in.

In the instructions it has a picture of the lady with both her hands sort of pushing it away from her chest? I found it better to put the carrier on, pull it tighter - so there's much less space than what is shown on the instructions, and then put the baby in. You can always loosen it with the baby in, but it's harder to tighten it with baby in.