Baby carrying advice for a complete novice please...

Jen & Her Men

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Hiya, Im wanting to carry this baby in some sort of sling contraption as I figure it will be easier to look after 2 if my hands are free.

What sort of sling do you think is best for me baring in mind I have a 1 year old son. I do want to BF if this makes a difference and I also have huge bazoomas!! :lol: Dunno if that comes into the equation or not but felt it worth mentioning!!!

Any advice on what sort of sling thing i should go for and any top tips would be gratefully received!
:hug:
 
I really like the baby bjorn sling. Its so easy to use. I also have a 'hippy' sling, which is just fabric, I really like how it looks but is more time consuming to use, and I find baby slips down a bit. The baby bjorn is more sturdy I personally find. However, everyone likes different ones depending on them! If you were closer you could have tried mine out before you buy! x
 
I don't think a bjorn would be the best thing for you as you would only be able to use it for around 6 months with the new one before it would hurt you to carry him. They are also possibly bad for baby's spine as he would be dangling from his crotch - in a carrier a baby should be sat as in a seat with their knees higher than their hips which is how they naturally sit when you cuddle them. If you buy a better designed carrier you will easily be able to carry both your boys for years. It would be worth having a look at the babywearing sticky viewtopic.php?f=36&t=98827 for ideas and advice. What is perfect for one person is not necessarily perfect for another - partly because we are all different shapes and sizes and partly because we have different ideas of what makes a carrier best.

I have an awful lot of slings :oops:

Our most used one is a connecta as that is OH's carrier, he doesn't like having to tie things, he prefers buckles. I bought it when she was 6 weeks old so it is definately suitable from birth to toddler. We have a solarweave one for summer and it folds down so small! Our friends all bought the Tomy or Bjorn or other types that Mothercare had in stock and by 6 or 7 months couldn't use them any more as they pull on your back and are sore for you to use. Even though I have a dodgy pelvis I could use the connecta to very comfortably carry our nephew who is 20 months and very tall.

My favourite is a mei tai made by Ocah. The one I have is called a hybrid. As I said, I have a dodgy pelvis so I really feel when I am carrying if a carrier is not supportive enough and I can't carry my daughter in my arms for more than a couple of minutes. I can carry her in this for hours! I think it may have been a bit big for her as a baby, she may have been drowned in it (though perfectly safe). We got it when she was 5 months old. She does have a waiting list though.

I barely used stretchy wraps because I bought a Moby and it is really thick. DD was born in May so by the time it was cool enough to use the Moby I had bought woven wraps and preferred the support. I leant slings to a friend and she had a stretchy wrap that she loved when her daughter was new but when she tried one of my woven ones when her DD was 3 months old she found that far more supportive. Woven wraps are so snuggly and great for learning on but like the bjorn they aren't supportive enough for your full comfort after 6 months.

Woven wraps have a learning curve but I just practised while baby was asleep. If you have a mirror you can practise in front of it's fine. I use woven wraps when I am going to be taking DD in and out of the carrier a lot as I find that easier with a wrap. They are very versatile and I love them! The Ocah is the only carrier I have tried that is more comfortable than a wrap. I haven't tried all the brands of mei tai out there though.

Buying 2nd hand would make the initial outlay smaller and then you can sell the sling on later. 99 out of 100 of the slings on ebay are not supportive enough and that is why there are so many there. I have bought and sold second hand on babywearing websites and these are also good places for more sling advice. For example, if you choose to get a woven wrap you will find there are an awful lot to choose from!

The first thing to decide is whether you would prefer a carrier with buckles or not. The advantage of wraps and mei tais is that because you tie them you can get them to fit the 2 of you perfectly. Buckle carriers don't have as much adjustablilty but many people don't want to tie. Also if you put on a wrap outside in winter it is very hard to keep the ends clean. Have a think and then ask any more questions you think of. Perhaps you should have a look on a babywearing site for more detailed information about lots of different carriers.
 
nutcase109 said:
I also have a 'hippy' sling, which is just fabric, I really like how it looks but is more time consuming to use, and I find baby slips down a bit.
I can't find 'hippy' as a make (other than the hipseat) so I don't know if you have a woven or stretchy wrap. If it is stretchy it is possible that it is slipping down because babay is too heavy. If it is woven it will be that you are not wrapping tightly enough. When wrapping you need to make sure you tighten at each stage - so if you are tying a front cross carry you would put it over baby (on your front) cross at the back and take the ends over each shoulder. You would then pull it tight, making sure to tighten both rails (edges of the fabric) before crossing the ends over baby. You would keep them tight as you pass them under baby's bum and maybe tighten again before taking the ends behind you. You would them tighten one last time, perhaps bouncing a little as you do so to make sure baby is in right. Does this win an award for the most the word tighten has been written in a post :lol: You shouldn't be stopping the circulation but it should be as tight as a bandage around the 2 of you.
 
I would like to nominate Kalia for Sling Guru!!! Wow you know your stuff!!

Thanks hun I appreciate you taking the time to post :hug: :hug: I will have a look around at buckled ones and tie ones and see what I think.

The second hand idea is a good one too so i will look in the sell section here. :D
 
I have a baba sling, it's great for feeding her (not sure if she'd fit in it for feeding now though havn't tried for a while) but 'ive heard a few people on here say they dont get along with them, they're one strap so can hurt your shoulder after a while if you dont switch.

I still find it's good now, i can carry her on my hip of my front with it but OH wont let me carry her on my back as he doesnt think she's safe enough.

I really want a wrap one so i can put her on my back without getting moaned at but i'm yet to find one i like enough to buy.
 

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