OT - Babywearing/slings - Advice?

[adventure_woman]

My 2nd DD is due in 5 weeks. I am thinking that I may like to try wearing a sling with her...but I have no idea what kind/etc. I would like to be able to nurse her in it, carry her when she's an infant and possibly when she is older on my hip after she can sit up.

Any advice on what kind? Can I do all those things with the same type of sling? I'd prefer not to spend a fortune - can you buy them used on e-bay? Any other input?

Thanks!

 

[GoofyMomInOhio]

Be careful ~ there have been recent recalls of baby slings and warnings about using them with young infants. I loved the ease of using one but would definitely do alot of research before buying one. Good luck!

 

[mominwestlake]

No advice but at least 1 brand has been recalled lately due to suffocation.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

The Infantino slings were recalled so stay away from them.

I've tried many carriers, slings, mei tais, etc. and loved the maya wrap the most. It felt the most secure to me of all that I tried and it is very versatile once you get used to tying/wrapping. I got mine brand new on eBay for $12.00 shipped and it's since been passed onto my SIL who uses it all the time.

You can do a google search on maya wrap to get an idea of how it works and decide if it will work for you.

 

[FarmDisney]

I'll second the Maya wrap sling. I loved mine! Used it for my last three kids - got it for a steal on ebay and even got the video.

 

[momandkidslovedisney]

I have a hotsling and LOVE it. I can still carry my almost 3 year old on my hip with it. I also have a maya wrap and really enjoyed using that with my children when they were babies.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[Charitycase20]

Before buying anything, head over to **www.thebabywearer.com** and take a look around there. They have a FSOT board too, thats where I got bought my first carrier!

 

[bumbershoot]

Well...nursing a baby while wearing them isn't a given. I was only able to do it twice; first time was in my apartment while shirtless. Second time was after he was 1, front-carrying him in the MobyWrap, and I totally flashed some trucker b/c he was up high enough to see how much 'chest' I had exposed. And that's IT. Our anatomy just didn't work in the right way so that wearing and nursing was doable.

But it seems to be the Ergo would be the longest-wearing carrier that could give you the option to do those things. Though i also couldn't figure out how to do a hip carry with my Ergo. However, I only got it when DS was approaching 2, and by then the back carry was the best for that tall kid, so we didn't practice much, either.




The recalls...I have always shied away from the more "mainstream" brands making slings (though Hotsling has *become* mainstream since I bought one), so I would not have bought an Infantino...but I'm kind of bothered that the *sling* is being blamed for the deaths... If a carseat is not put at the right angle and a baby's head falls forward, etc etc, the carseat isn't blamed, ya know? It's the way it was being used. It makes me...just feel weird, that the sling is being blamed, and not, perhaps, the way it was being used...




Anyway, biggest/best piece of advice I ever heard about wearing the baby: Get everyone ready to go outside, get your shoes on, hats on, everyone fed and watered and milked-up (my half brothers' word for when their baby sister (halfsis for me to be specific) would nurse and it almost seemed like she plumped up and her skin glowed and she'd fall asleep, "milked up") and diaper changed...then pop on the sling/carrier, put baby IN the carrier, get it all secure, and get OUTSIDE! Then walk. Briskly! Nothing makes a baby crankier than just standing around a room when they are getting used to a sling/carrier. They like movement!

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

I'll 3rd the Maya Wrap. Mei Tai's are also great. I'm waiting for mine now.

 

[delmar411]

I preferred Mei Tai's over slings but that's more personal comfort and versatility over safety.

The slings you can find at major chains are not ones that I'd personally feel are overly safe or good for your back/shoulders.

I'll 2nd heading over to thebabywearer to find tons of reviews and rec's on solidly made, safe baby wearing items.

 

[Disney Khi]

I have a Moby wrap, a padded ring sling, and a Baby Hawk mei tai. My favorite carrier for being out of the house is the BH. The snuggliest one is the wrap and I wore DD in it for all of her naps when she was a newborn. The sling is fastest to put on and you can put it on without putting the baby down, but I don't think it is the most comfortable for long periods of wearing. If I had to do it again, I would buy an unpadded sling so it would adjust more. I was able to nurse DD when she was a few months old in the sling, but I always kept an arm under her for support. I nursed her in the BH but had to take her halfway out to get it to work. It is only when she was eight months old that I finally figured out how to nurse her in the BH just by loosening the straps a bit and then nurse her while walking around. It just takes a bit of experimenting.

I would recommend going to a baby store and trying some on and getting someone to show you how they work. That's what I did and it really helped. Also, I third going to thebabywearer.com. There is a lot of info and the forums are great.

Congratulations on your baby!!!!!!

 

[Disney Khi]

One more thought: if you do get a sling, get a ring sling. They are adjustable so more than one person can wear them and so they will still fit after you lose your pregnancy weight.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

How about this?

 

[CuteAndFluffy]

I LOOOVVVVEEEED my MobyWrap (don't get the fancy ones, the fabric is too slippery IMHO) and I have a MaiTai I love now that he's bigger. I always found slings a little hard on my back since the weight isn't spread out at much. I would get an Ergo if I were to have a second kid.

As others have said, the ones you can get as mass marketers aren't your best choices. There might even be a cottage shop in your area where you can try on a lot of different ones. If you have an attachment parenting group in your area (check meetup.com or just google it...), they may have suggestions of where to try some on.

Congratulations and best wishes!

 

[Kellydelly]

I used the New Native Baby sling. It has no adjustable rings or padding to mess with, it isn't dorky so a man wouldn't mind "wearing" it. You can nurse a baby in it and nobody is the wiser. You can use it to carry a toddler on your hip. Loved it !!!! I used it for three of my four children .

 

[tinkercat]

My two favorites are as follows:

Moby Wrap - I used this from birth to 6 months or so. I have a bad shoulder and it started to hurt after awhile once baby got heavier. The newborn hug wrap is so safe and secure and my DD snoozed all the time in the Moby. Best $40 I spent for those 1st 6 months!

Ergo - I got this when DD was 5 months and its now my favorite carrier. I don't have any experience with the infant insert but I'd bet that you could use the Ergo from birth on just fine with that. My Dh recently started a new job working 2nd shift. Our DD is a "velcro" baby who wants to be held pretty much all the time to stay happy and the Ergo is the only way I'm maintaining my sanity at home with 4 kids in the evenings. I pop her in the Ergo on my back and she is totally content while I do dinner, dishes, laundry, baths for the other kids, etc. I cannot rave enough about how much I love this carrier. AND, remember the bad shoulder I mentioned above? I can wear my baby for HOURS in the Ergo and the shoulder doesn't hurt a bit.

Babywearing has gotten a bit of a bad name recently because of the recalls of some crappy carriers. If you buy a good carrier and follow the instructions for safe carries, babywearing can be a wonderful, SAFE experience for both parent and child. Good luck to you!

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Don't mean the hijack the thread, but I'm wondering about slings/carriers with a newborn. I'm leaning towards a structured soft carrier (like the Ergo or BabyHawk) so that DH will use it as well, but I'm wondering how well they work for newborns. What about ringslings? Isn't the baby pretty "covered up" when it can't support it's head and is nestled in the sling? I'm worried about the suffocation risk after the Infantino recalls this week.

 

[Shleedogg]

I love my Moby wrap! I highly recommend the hug hold. Basically, baby lays on your chest, you can also breastfeed in it. It transitions to other holds as the baby gets older. I never used the cradle hold w/ DD, I could never get her in it so that her chin was off her chest. I also love the price, only $35. The only problem I have with it is that if I don't tie it tight enough it sags after awhile while DD is in it. With my next one, I'm interested in trying a woven wrap instead of a knit one.

 

[tinkercat]

Don't mean the hijack the thread, but I'm wondering about slings/carriers with a newborn. I'm leaning towards a structured soft carrier (like the Ergo or BabyHawk) so that DH will use it as well, but I'm wondering how well they work for newborns. What about ringslings? Isn't the baby pretty "covered up" when it can't support it's head and is nestled in the sling? I'm worried about the suffocation risk after the Infantino recalls this week.

In the Moby wrap, I used this hold almost exclusively with my newborn:
http://www.mobywrap.com/t-instructions-NewBorn.aspx
Because baby is pretty much upright it totally avoids the chin to chest position that can be so dangerous for suffocation.

The Ergo infant insert keeps baby upright as well, and from the pictures I;ve seen it looks like the face area is pretty open too.
http://www.ergobabycarriers.com/babycarriers/category/infant_insert/

Hope that helps!

 

[delmar411]

http://www.alongfortheride.biz/Articles.asp?ID=296

here are some instructions for newborn wearing in a mei tai. When I had my little ones there were instructions for a back carry with the infants as well but I personally don't find that to be very reassuring when I can't see them as infants. We only did back carries once they were sitting on their own.