Thought it was about time for a post about slings. Maybe because I have an urge to say I love my sling!! :) I have a Calin Bleu (www.calinbleu.com) which is a wrap sling, like a Moby or Kari-me. Mine is in snuggly micro fleece so very warm and cosy for this time of year. It only cost me £15 used but in new condition. I wear it in the house when my baby is wanting to be held, or needs to get some sleep but is fighting it (but dont have too many clothes on her). Recently she has had a nasty cold & cough & needed to stay warm & get lots of sleep. I also wanted her upright & close to me so it was ideal. I can get on with housework, or making my lunch & I put her in it if I have a lot I really need to get done. We also use it to walk the dogs & wander to the shops. Now its cold I pull the fleece down over her feet & once she is asleep (she nearly always falls straight to sleep!) I pull the fabric on my shoulder over her head and she completely disappears into me, all warm & cosy but because she has her cheek to my chest her face point sideways & she gets lots of air. I used to worry about her suffocating in the baby bjorn- also just read monstermummy's link (under reflux post before) and had no idea how bad such carriers are for baby's h ips. Thanks monstermummy :)

Wearing your baby feels so intimate & natural & you have your hands free! I thought it would be complicated to tie & get her into, but I use one of the ties you can do first then put her in. Takes a tiny bit of practice to do it smoothly and my baby did protest at first when I was a bit muddled but i found that with the baby bjorn too! I wear it round the house if I am popping in and out, then just pop her in and out of it, and wear it in the car so when we stop she can go straight in. Mine is charcoal grey & looks quite smart draped across your shoulders.

Downsides, of course you are carrying your baby, and whilst it gives good support you cant get away from them being a big lump so you can get tired after a while. Things you cant do of course is load it with shopping or try on clothes without taking it all off.

I would like an Ergo for more outdoors walking next. Would love to go to a sling meet to get advice from more experienced sling wearers but not seen any locally for a while. Monstermummy perhaps you can share your favourite slings :-)

I must admit I've been looking at slings a lot this week. I don't like the baby carrier type ones for the hips reasons you said above. Is the wrap sling easy to get the hang of? DOH, just reread and you've mentioned that :blush:

I was looking at that kind as well as the one piece ones that jsut slip over your head and one shoulder (but DH and I would need different sizes for that!).

As I also intend on breastfeeding for as long as i can physically manage it I think the slings will make life easier with that too? do you have experience with that?

I also really want to carry my baby a little longer (despite the weight) after the birth as my SPD is so bad at the moment that I'm just not enjoying it when i should be!!!

Hi Em:wave: When I first looked at the instructions to tie it i thought it looked really complicated & had to do it very very slowly in front of the mirror! But after 2-3 goes I didnt need the instructions & it now it doesnt seem complicated at all. As i have not had it all the long I still sometimes check in the mirror to see if it is all straight & evenly spread. I think the ones that go over your head (like ring slings??) are easier to get on but not sure there is as much flexibility or positions when baby is bigger, but i may be wrong as I am not that experienced at slings yet. Also I wonder if one of those may be easiest for when your baby is little though, as the less faff the better, and I guess you only need a cradle position to start with. Maybe someone else could comment.

Regarding breastfeeding, I have heard lots of women say you can feed in them. Sadly, as much as we tried and tried, breastfeeding didnt work out for us & at 10 weeks I stopped, just before I got my sling so didnt try it. I can see how it could work though once your baby can latch on well & would be great support so you are not holding the baby in position with your arms which gave me a really bad back in the early days (probably my bad positioning too). Now I feel like taking breastfeeding back up and giving it another try!

Hope your SPD improves :( I didnt have SPD but early on I had some sciatica and rear pelvic pain so I do feel for you. I dont know how long this takes to settle after the birth but i remember one of my friends pushed her baby round the house downstairs in a pram for a while to ease the weight on her hips & this worked really well for her. It meant baby had a nice mobile comfy place to sleep in every room where Mum could see her & she kept a changing mat etc downstairs. You could then take to wearing them as soon as you feel ready :)

Thanks for that Sam :)

I liked the look of these slings the most, but they looked too complicated for my baby brain to cope with :blush: glad you found them easy though, I feel a bit more encouraged!

My SPD is partly back of pelvis pain (sacro iliac), thats what I started with, now its all-over pelvis pain with the front hurting and loosening as much as the back :( Its not a great feeling that I have another 8 weeks (ish) to put up with. I can't walk beyond the house without crutches as it is!! Physio helps lots, without that I'd have been in a wheelchair weeks ago!

My plan is also to have a pram downstairs as daytime sleeping arrangements :) some people think I'm daft... I quite like the idea :)

Where do you get these slings from?

I've used those slings that you just slip over your head, I bought them off ebay (brand new) ones a roobaby sling and the other is called a freedom sling (i think), they are easily the best thing I've ever used with my baby, I wish I'd had them for the other 2! I used one of those horrid sat up efforts, and only used it a couple of times as I hated it so much!
In regards to needing different sizes, I'd definetely look at the ring sling as its the same thing, just adjustable so can fit different sizes.
And yes they've helped with breastfeeding too, i'm still feeding at almost 11 months. When she was little she'd just lay in the sling, now shes older i just open it out and drape it over us for privacy.
The amount of comments I've had about the slings is unbelievable (99% favourable!)

Thank you so much for opening this thread, Sam!!!!!!

I am no expert on this I have to admit but I love wearing monsterbaby and he loves it too, especially when we go to places where it is busy. No pram/ pushchair/ buggy to get through crowds, into lifts etc. We do have a pram and have used it though as well. Especially for sleeping during the day.

I still carry monsterbaby now with 14 months (and he is not a lightweight :D) in my beautiful mei tai carrier. I have a tettitett, but will get a Kozy next week, I hope. But then I also like a napsack, as you can see the choices are endless...
A mei tai is a piece of cloth and on all four corners you have a strap. Two go around your waist and to around your shoulder, cross over your back and then under baby's bum or over baby's back.

Slings: Well, they are a totally different story. I only found out about ringslings very recently, they are supposed to be really good and not as difficult as wraps (but at the end of the day it is all about practice, like putting on clothes or changing nappies). I have a dydimos, but have to admit that I am far too impatient to use it. So it is all nicely stashed away in the wardrobe waiting for the next baby, with which I intend to use it.

For newborns slings and wraps are the best as there quite a few ways you can tie the wrap and baby is properly supported. They are better than the mei tai as they support the head better and also the back, a baby should be well supported by the material so that it cannot slouch and knees should be higher than the bum to support the hips properly. Some people however do use mei tais from an early age, but I think that from about 6 months it would be safest to use it.

It is difficult to say which one is best for you, but there are places where you can hire a sling/ carrier before you buy. E.g. slingjax (http://slingjax.com/) or sasaslings (http://www.sasaslings.co.uk/) or slinginghappy (http://www.slinginghappy.co.uk/index_files/Page951.html) or homegrownbaby (http://www.homegrownbaby.co.uk/page21.htm).

Also, there is a yahoo group for babywearing and they do meet in Sheffield (have not managed to go to one yet though as I only found out about it when I was back at work and they meet during the day). Here it is: yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/whiterosebabywearers/)
And here is another site: slingmeet (http://www.slingmeet.co.uk/forums/index.php)

And here are two more sites where you can get loads of info and get really tempted by all the lovely wraps, slings and mei tais :)

rumplebums (http://www.rumplebums.co.uk/forum/index.php) and
thebabywearer (http://www.thebabywearer.com/)

gosh, this is long now and I hope anyone can be bothered to read this :)

Oh, by the way, you will be able to carry your lo for a long time, especially if you build up your muscles slowly by wearing him/ her loads.
But even dh can carry monsterbaby for a long time, you just have to make sure that your baby is very close to you and the weight is properly distributed over shoulders, back and hips.
When the carrier is too loose, then I get backache, but when it is done up properly, all is well.

One last thing, there are loads of videos apparently on youtube, that show you how it is done, if not pm me and I can give you a site where you can find some video instructions (althoug I think the babywearer has some as well).

Em, hope you are not suffering too much and it will get better really quickly after your lo has been born!

monstermummy, out of the slings you have tried, which do you think are better for carrying older babies and avoiding backache? The ones I mentioned are starting to hurt now, as little one is nearly 11m and just over 16lb but I really want to carry on babywearing, especially as I have a wheelchair to push at the same time! It would have to be idiotproof as well lol!

Hi honeyb,

I think the problem with the freedom sling and the roo baby is that you only have them over one shoulder (if I remember rightly and googled correctly).

I would advise you to get something that you can distribute over both shoulders evenly.
Also, maybe a carrier that you can use on your back, especially when pushing a wheelchair (although maybe not as good in the winter as you would have to carry lo over your coat).

It really depends what you are looking for I would say. Do you want a soft- structured carrier like an ergo, something you have to tie similar to your sling (you could go for a dydimos then) or do you want an Asian inspired one like the mei tai?
I am not keen on the soft- structured ones as you cannot adjust them as well as the wraps or a mei tai. And they never seem to fit my body well either.

As I said monsterbaby is 14 months old and I love our mei tai. But even here there are huge differences: I have a babyhawk, which is gathering dust as I get terrible backache when using it but a lot of people love theirs, but then I have my tettitett :love:, which I love and can carry ds for hours on end. The same with the napsack (which I hired). A napsack is a mix out of a mei tai and a wrap as it has quite big straps and distribute weight really well.

I found that the closer I can wear monsterbaby to my body the better his weight was distributed. He is still able to see all though and can decide whether he wants his hands in or out.

I really would advice you to hire one or two different carriers and then go from there.

Btw, my dream: hire and sell baby carriers (goes and dreams away...)

Hope that helped a bit :)

you should go for your dream! Maybe ask at one of the childrens sure start centres, you could advise and sell to preggy women and mums, I loved using a sling as it meant I didnt have the hassle of dragging a pram everywhere, plus she was extrememly clingy (still is!) so carrying was often my only respite!
In regards to my favourite type I do love the asian inspired ones, I think they look so comfy! But I'm a bit worried about actually getting her in there without tying myself in a knot pmpl. I have one of the rucksack carrier things but find it very long, I'm not that tall and feel I;ll end up toppling over or knocking someone out with it!

I had a hug a bub used it only once. It was probably okay, but as I'm a large lady on top, the hub a bub just didn't have a lot of length left to tie it around me and I didn't feel comfortable with the smallest knot holding the baby in. I would have liked it more and probably used it more if I had felt that it would have held the baby.

Hi doodle,

did you have the normal sized hug- a- bub? There is a longer version around (although not as widely available here apparently), which probably would have fitted better.

@honeyb

Thank you for your encouragement, I am seriously thinking about it and just need to check out stuff, we'll see maybe I will get there one day...

To your Asian inspired carrier: Yes, they seem awfully long the straps, don't they? But it is not that bad with a bit of practice. Here is what I do: I take the carrier and put it like an apron in front of me, the long straps I have in the car/ between my legs or anywhere where they do not touch the floor.
I then tie the waist straps nice and tight, then I put the shoulder straps loosely over my shoulders and get monsterbaby. The next bit he loves: I cross the straps on my back and then pull them to the front and now I start jumping up and down a bit to get him closer to me and the straps tighter. I then cross them on his back and feed them back onto my back where I make a double knot. I prefer the longer straps that allow me to do this as opposed to shorter straps which I cannot tie on my back.
The first few times I would do it with another adult around to help you getting your daughter in, but after a few times you can do it yourself. Let me know how you get on :)
These rucksack things are not supporting the hips and backs very well either btw.

I love my Karri-me sling. Baby's 14 months and I'm still using it regularly. I'd started to look into slings but hadn't got very far when he arrived a couple of weeks early, so I had to rush out and buy one. I got it in Ankle Biters on Abbeydale Road and it was the only wrap around type they had at the time. I wasn't too sure how it would work out as it looked like it might be a bit of a faff, but it was no bother after the first couple of tries. Even my OH can manage it.

I suppose the one down side is that baby doesn't like the buggy very much, especially when he's tired. If we do take the buggy anywhere I have to wear the sling too, just in case he kicks off.

It is so nice to read that there are quite a few people out there using carriers.

@ Em,

I just found this on the internet about bf while babywearing, thought you might be interested in this:
BF while babywearing (http://www.naturalmothering.co.uk/bwfaq.html).

I personally did not do this (I was far too happy to be stuck on the sofa in the first six weeks :hihi: and afterwards monsterbaby did not need as many feeds anymore).

For your SPD, did you try swimming or pilates? I read that it is supposed to be really good.

@ honeyb

Did you try out your sling?

Thanks Monster, I'll have a read... :thumbsup:

I'm already sick of being stuck on the sofa, as soon as my hips start working I'm off out of here!!! (i've been on crutches now for over 2 months and still have about 6 weeks to go!)
I did swim for a while, then went down to aquanatal, now I can't swim at all as my legs refuse to do any kind of kick, i can just about do a width (arms only) of the shallow pool in Chesterfield without drowning!! I've had to stop aquanatal now as it cripples me to do anything :(
I'm doing my physio exercises and the only other thing they are suggesting now is acupunture weekly til Pumpkin arrives... bring on january... soon please!!!!

Just thought I better add that its really important to make sure babies dont get too hot in slings as it carries similar risks to them being to hot in bed, or in fact anywhere they nap. I have a fleecy sling and my baby does get quite warm so just wears her vest in it. Think its easy for them to get quite warm with your body heat particularly if you are walking about ;)

Thats a good point Sam... :)

Oh no, Em, hope you are getting better really quickly after the birth!

Good point, Sam, even when out, monsterbaby does not need as much clothes (nor do I for that matter) as we warm each other.

You can buy really cute baby legs as well to keep the little legs warm as they do not really benefit from the bodyheat.

I haven't read all the replies as supposed to be doing xmas shopping. Monster mummy what a fantastic idea - hiring slings out. I got a Mei Tei when Libby was about 7 months & loved it (so did she). When I watched that channel 4 thing (I think it was Bringing up Baby?) it made me really wish I had used one of those wrap around ones from birth.

I did think about it but I didn't know anyone else who had used one & although it sounds stupid I was a bit scared that I wouldn't be able to use it properly. I dithered for ages before I bought the Mei Tai & only got that as so many people on Babycentre raved about slings & gave me good advise. If there was somewhere I could have gone for advise on how to wear it & to check out a few to see which was the best I would have definitely got one earlier.

I haven't used it for a while as Libby weighs a ton & I just presumed I would find her too heavy. I might give it a go though. I found them great for walking the dog. As libby was almost on level with my face I could chat to her & point things out whereas in the pram she just use to fall asleep.

I haven't read all the replies as supposed to be doing xmas shopping. Monster mummy what a fantastic idea - hiring slings out. I got a Mei Tei when Libby was about 7 months & loved it (so did she). When I watched that channel 4 thing (I think it was Bringing up Baby?) it made me really wish I had used one of those wrap around ones from birth.

I did think about it but I didn't know anyone else who had used one & although it sounds stupid I was a bit scared that I wouldn't be able to use it properly. I dithered for ages before I bought the Mei Tai & only got that as so many people on Babycentre raved about slings & gave me good advise. If there was somewhere I could have gone for advise on how to wear it & to check out a few to see which was the best I would have definitely got one earlier.

I haven't used it for a while as Libby weighs a ton & I just presumed I would find her too heavy. I might give it a go though. I found them great for walking the dog. As libby was almost on level with my face I could chat to her & point things out whereas in the pram she just use to fall asleep.

I think this puts a lot of people off particularly with wraps which look really complicated but are not that bad once you get going with them. Def agree that you interact with them more. I found myself talking her through my supermarket shopping which I never did when she was in the trolley. Also a lot more people talk to her at checkouts for example as she is right up there.

One thing that does put me off sometimes is that I think some of my friends think is a bit whacky & possibly find it a bit odd when there is nothing wrong with using a pram :hihi:

Well, the pram can be good to put your shopping in :hihi:

Luybell,

you might find, that your mei tai now does give you some aches and pains as to when your lo was smaller and lighter. But: There are def mei tais out there that will distribute the weight much better.
If you really want to continue to use a mei tai I suggest to get in touch with one or two places which hire out slings and test them before you spend a lot of money.

Btw the more I read this thread the more I think my dream will come true one day :love:

I love this thread. When I got the Mei Tai I strangely & unexpectedly had some quite negative comments. Libby was very clingy & people thought it would make her worse (not true at all). There were also a few jokes about me turning into some sort of new age hippy (not that there is anything wrong with that either).

When I did start using it out & about people loved it & I had loads of postive comments & questions about it. Honestly Mostermommy you are onto a real winner with this.

I used the sling today after reading this yesterday. We were going somewher that I knew would be busy so awkward for the pushchair & I didn't fancy havig to carry her. It was great. I didn't have to walk round much though which was a relief. I didn't she anywhere but it was a relief on my back when I took her out.

I love the idea of attached parenting where the baby is carried around in a sling all the time. I would definitely do that from birth if I had another.

Can I recommend littlepossums.co.uk for slings? Thee's a huge range and loads of advice on there too!
x

Just remember, that your muscles are not used to it but will do once you carry your lo regularly.


I love the idea of attachment parenting as well and I am sure monsterbaby enjoyed just as much as I do and I reckon that is one of the reasons why he is so confident now. He was very clingy when he was little too.