Best Baby Sling?

[bkreitzel]

I am looking for your opinion on the best baby sling for a Disney trip (and everyday use)

We will be at WDW next April with our children...6, 4 and 2 1/2 months old. I have never used a baby sling, but am considering one. We do have Bjorn, but I am only 5' tall and somehow I remember it being hard to see over the kid's head!!! I am thinking maybe a sling is the answer, but which one?

Also, my husband is the FARTHEST thing form petite at 6'7" ... so, can we find one we could BOTH use or is that impossible?

Looking forward to your voices of experience, thanks!!

 

[jrmo]

Get or make a ring sling. They're highly adjustable and hold up to 35 pounds, so you might even be able to use it with your middle child. Good luck.

 

[MommyBryn]

IMO it just depends on the baby and the baby's age. Pouches and wraps are my favorite for tiny babies. Pouches are also great for hip carries with older babies (as are ring slings). Mei tai style carriers are a favorite for lots of people but I never really found mine as comfortable as my other slings/carriers. It sounds like your baby will be bigger by the time you go- I really like my Ergo for carrying my toddler...she feels pretty much weightless for long periods of time. It's very adjustable and comfortable. A Beco is a comparable option but I'd go with an Ergo for older children.

You can make DIY ring slings (on the Maya Wrap website there's instructions), wraps (google "no sew wrap"), and mei tai carriers.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh, there are so many answers.

First off, get rid of the Bjorn. Almost anything is better than that option. Bad for baby's hips, bad for your spine.

For an itsy baby, pouch slings or ring slings are nice. When tiny they can lie down in them, when they get a big more control and you've started carrying them with their legs around you they can sit up on your hip in the sling. I had a hotsling and two mammasmilk slings.

I never had one when DS was itsy, we got it when he was already 2 years old, but I looooove the Ergo. It doesn't do pretty things for a waistline with it's buckles, but if you get it adjusted right even a 2.5 year old on your back is weightless!

I also used the MobyWrap and various big swathes of fabric to wrap him to me, even to Labor Day weekend festivals, but I doubt I would wear him in those for Disney, just b/c you have to take baby off so often for various rides. It took me quite awhile to master keeping baby on me (front carry, facing ME) while using the bathroom, and Disney is no place to be fumbling with that!

I used a mesh-bodied mei tai for our first, one-day, trip to Disneyland, and that was great (front carry, facing ME) but the straps were UNpadded and hurt the area that's sort of arm/armpit/shoulder. Also I didn't like undoing him every time I needed to take him out; I felt the need to take the whole thing off, b/c I didn't want a lump of rolled up fabric at my waist.


Overall, I'd probably go with the Ergo or Beco as a long-term babywearing item, b/c it's padded and relatively simple, doesn't drape you in enormous amounts of fabric, and you can have a front carry facing you, or a back carry later on. Versatile.

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

Would there be a sling-meet near to you that you could attend to try some out? check at the babywearer website (the web address is that simple) there might be one in your area.

Personally I am a mei-tai faithful, i carry my 30lb+ 17month old in one daily, we've only bought a stroller due to our trip to disney (we're british- not sure how well we'll take august florida heat with wearing fulltime too) My DH is a very large fellow (54" chest) and he can carry even my 4year old (and occasionally the 5 year old) in the toddlerhawk mei-tai on his back.

 

[tanyaandallie]

I agree, soooo many choices. it's impossible to say what is the best. If you are going during the summer, I would consider a solarveil ring slling (if you can find one) or a ring sling made of a nice lightweight cotton. I loved the rings sling for a 2 mos old. But, I imagine a mei tai would work great as well!

 

[Minniemouse07]

I agree about going w/ a Beco or an Ergo. We used a Beco w/ our 30lb 2yo in December and dh or I were able to carry him for up to 3hrs at a time! We probably could have carried him longer...it is just at 2yo he only tolerated carriers when he is sleeping!

We borrowed our Beco for the trip. I generally use a mei tai w/ him now (I used a ring sling, pouch and fabric wrap at various times when he was smaller) but I thought the buckles on the Beco would be easier to deal with "on the run" in WDW and I was right.

Good Luck!

 

[tanyaandallie]

I have a Beco and I LOVE it. But, it would not be my first choice for a 2 mos old. A ring sling is so awesome with a young baby b/c it's so adjustable. But, you need to get a ring sling in advance and do lots of practicing b/c there is a learning curve. The mei tai does not have much of a learning curve. Pretty easy to use. A pouch would also work well with a 2.5 mos old and there is not as big of a learning curve. The pouch is not as adjustable as the ring sling, though, so I still prefer a ring sling.

 

[bkreitzel]

thanks for all the advice! now my head is just spinning - i have not heard of any of these things. we live in a small town in wisconsin, so my guess is that there are not a lot of options for trying on. I will make some trips out the web and start checking these things out!

 

[cogero]

I love my ring slings best.

I have a mei-tei (which I haven't really tried) and a couple of pouches a peanut shell and hot sling and I have a moby wrap that is good in the winter but for the summer and spring it is all about my ellaroo I just love the fabric and weight. My little guy is 6 month and this is his favorite too.

 

[kohlby]

I love ring slings. Mine is a homemade Maya Wrap. I'm only 5'1" and my husband is 6'5". I was quite heavy when I gave birth (183lbs) and quite skinny before my child hit 35 lbs. (96lbs) So, I had to adjust it a lot. I had tried a padded ring sling but found it didn't adjust enough - even when I was well within the weight limits. I wondered if my short torso had something to do with that.

 

[Zeebs]

I am quite interested in this as well, Seth will be 10 months and currently at 6.5 months is very heavy. I am not a sling person, I did try one and it just hurt after a wee while, I realise this could be that it wasn't on properly etc but it put me off. I like the look of the hip ones does anyone have any experience with these.

We plan on bringing the stroller but I would like a nice easy one to put Seth into and get him out of for the rides, as I don't fancy holding onto him for any longer than about 5 mins.

Thanks Kirsten

 

[aries_mama]

I love both my mei tai (babyhawk.com) and my ergo. I loved my ring sling when ds was tiny, but he is such a chunk now that one-shouldered carriers hurt my back after a while. Honestly, anything is better than the bjorn though! Babywearing rocks

 

[Ariel8676]

OK first i would suggest anyone interested in different carriers to check out..
http://thebabywearer.com/ . I loved my ring slings and pouches for the newborn age up until about 4 months http://www.goo-ga.com// and ring sling.. http://sleepingbaby.net/ Jan is awesome to work with. Then i moved on to Mei Tei's and SSC's (soft structured carriers) there is the Beco and the Ergo and my favorite SSC is the http://hyenacart.com/blookangaroo/ they are so comfy and so pretty and she now makes 3 different sizes. My favorite Mei Tei was our babyhawk http://www.babyhawk.com/.
You can find a lot of great carriers on thebabywearer's FSOT forum (for sale or trade) most are gently used and you can get for a great price..if you don't like something sell it and try something else. Good Luck!