Calling All Baby Wearers!!

[dannii87]

Hello Mums!!

The idea of wearing baby by a sling has never appealed to me, in fact, I always thought it was pretty uncomfortable. But recently I've been wondering whether to get one, and I saw a mum with a new baby today in Asda sporting a lovely sling! Baby was all cosy snuggled up to her and she had both her hands free...

Now, it's more appealing than ever! I really want one. I just think it's so lovely to have your baby so close to you, you have your hands free, there's no big buggy to have to try and pack away etc etc, the list goes on!

Just wondered what your thoughts on them are and where can I buy a good one?

TBH, I'm not overly keen on the big rucksack looking ones

Oh, and if you have any pics of your baby wearing one, that'd be great! So I can see how they sit/lay/curl and how comfortable it looks etc.

Thanks!! xxx

 

[LisaJ1986]

Have a look in here.

http://pregnancyforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=80673

I've only had the one so i can't recommend as such, but i love it! It's the freedom sling. I'm gonna make my own Mei Tai soon.

 

[daftscotslass]

I have a baby Bjorn carrier and a ring sling. The baby Bjorn is fine (some say they're bad for baby's back) but my back has been dreadful since Becky was born and the heavier she gets the more useless it's becoming. I would *love* a Mei Tei (Maria on here sells them http://www.simplymeitai.co.uk/) but I simply (excuse the pun) can't afford one right now.

I bought a ring sling from muppetmummy on here and though I've only had it 36 hours we've had a lot of fun with it and it is WAY more comfy for me. It's originally from http://www.freedomslings.co.uk.

She *loves* the kangaroo carry because she can see out - having her view obscured by me just isn't good enough!

I had a pouch sling (Babasling) but hated it. No matter how we used it Becky cried and it was very inflexible/not able to be adjusted so I ended up selling it.

Kind of makes me wonder why I have a pram and buggy sitting in my hall

 

[dannii87]

Thanks Lisa!! I've had a browse and they're so lovely!

Daftscotslass: Your sling is beautiful! Such a lovely design.

I'm going to have a look at that site now xx

 

[LisaJ1986]

Ring Slings from Freedom are brand new on ebay, and slightly cheaper.
I have the brown one.

 

[Babylicious]

I've got a wrap sling from lotties botties, it's really soft, easy to put on and very comfy! Harry loves it.

 

[BabyMagic]

Buying a sling may end up being the best thing ever for you and LO. Our LO was quite unsettled in the early weeks (means cried quite a lot as new borns often do), and the only way to calm her was to put her in a sling. Breastfeeding is also easy whilst the baby in the sling. We have a kari me, which is great as it is made of soft material and has a cuddly position for a new born:

and other positions for when they are older (here facing the world)

It takes a while to get the sling on, but that never bothered me....

 

[Gem & Leland]

ive got a moby wrap and im getting better with it , its great tho cos u can wear right up to 30lb ! and all different ways too , still new to it tho , i started out with a baby bjorn but deffo cant wear him in that know altho hubby could .

 

[Bexie]

Hi Danni

I'd really reccommend a baby carrier. When my little one was first born I'd always take the sling out with me, plus the buggy, she'd start off in the buggy and then put her in carrier once she started getting unsettled.

To be honest when they are small they are so mych happier being close to you, I guess it's haring your heartbeat (which they could hear in the womb) plus your body warmth.

We had the baby bjorn carrier. It was really easy to put on and take off, although by the time she was 6 months she was starting to get too heavy for it, by then she was happy to sit in her buggy. You can also have them facing in (when they are really small) and once they can support their head themselves they can face out.

My friends have got some of the wrap around type carriers and they have said to start with they can be quite difficult to put on. I've got no experience myself, just going by what they say.

 

[Urchin]

I have a pouch sling and love it, so good for popping to the shops and the school run etc.

Riley really loves being in it too, I really recommend them.
Mine was a gift from a member here, Emilia, she's in south africa though!

 

[abcd1234]

I've got a baba sling, she's all snuggly in it atm and i can carry her in all different possitions when she gets older. It's also great for breast feeding on the go if thats what you end up doing, i simply walk around everywhere feeding her now and no-one knows.

Heres the website for them, it shows all the differnt positions etc
http://www.babaslings.co.uk/gallery.htm

Heres a not very good pic of her in it

It cost me £40 and i would definately say it was worth it, it's SO easy to use!! I can carry her myself and it's easy for Dave to use too. The only issue i have is that i bought a blue one thinking it was a lovely colour, would match everything, and could be used for future babies, and EVERYONE seems to assume shes a boy!!! Even if shes dressed all in pinkthey see blue and ignore the pink!

 

[daftscotslass]

While the Babasling wasn't for me, it's good to know that you can get them in many branches of TK Maxx (they were in one I was in yesterday) for £19.99.

 

[beanie]

I have wraps, mei tais and pouches and love them.I did have a mainstream baby carier but hated it, so discovered others and never looked back. Cally has only been in her buggy once and that was because I had fallen down the stairs and was bruied and MIL hadn't pushed her. Cally loves being in a sling, she can see everything and I can snuggle and chat away to her. The only downside is that she can grab now so I have to watch she isn't shoplifting.

The different types of slings are great for different reasons. If I am going for a long walk or will be carrying Cally for any length of time I use a wrap, if I am popping into a shop etc I usually grab my pouch. I love a mei tai for walking around town.

 

[Urchin]

I agree with beanie... Minxy lent me her mai tai and it feels so secure, great for a big trip around town.

 

[dannii87]

Oooh I'm browsing ebay now for all the different types you've all talked about!

I really love the look of the mei tei and pouch.. I love the idea of carrying LOs, they always look so cosy and calm.

Another question has just popped into my head! Is it easy for LOs to BF while they're in them? I think I might be a shy breastfeeder so I'm wondering if it will be a good idea as well so that she can feed while I'm out and about?

Thanks ladies!!

xx

 

[clarey]

We have a ring sling and a beautiful Mai Tei, just wanted to add that for the first couple of months she HATED the MT, she just wasnt really big enough to feel secure in it, dont know what others have found but you might wanna bear that in mind if you only buy one....The ring sling was easy and more comfy while she was little but now I mainly use the MT.

 

[abcd1234]

yeah mines easy to feed in, i just pop a muslin over the top of my boob and no-one can see, the sling will cover you if you put lo deep in it but Tally likes to seewhen not feeding so i use the muslin

 

[kalia]

Oooh I'm browsing ebay now for all the different types you've all talked about!

I really love the look of the mei tei and pouch.. I love the idea of carrying LOs, they always look so cosy and calm.

You can occasionally get good bargains on ebay but mostly its bjorns and tomy. Lots of people here have said about how after a few months they can no longer carry their baby in one so it may not be the best investment.

Similar to the bjorn I have a pikkolo carrier and 3 connectas - one in cord, one in cotton and one in solarweave. We've been using them since birth and we will still be able to use them when she's 2. Sling Diva have the pikkolo reduced too!

I'm now really into wrapping. I have a Moby but we've only used it a couple of times as it's made of fairly thick material so it hasn't been much good for summer. Although it can be used for a long time,by the time she's 20lbs it won't be very comfy for me because of the stretch. I got a Gypsy Mama Bali Breeze Stretch and it is les sweaty but I don't like the colour I bought and by te time it arrived I was used to using a woven wrap and find that far more supportive with my 13lb daughter. I have a calin bleu in aubergine that I use every day. I also have a short wrap, a Bara Barn but I can only use it to do a ruck and I prefer her on my front so we use it as a blanket at the moment

Its my birthday on Friday and from OH, friends and me I will be getting lots of woven wraps! A Didymos Bears dyed eggplant, a Storkenwiege Leo in natural and a Girasol Earthy Rainbow. I'm also awaiting a Bebina wrap I bought from ebay.

I recommend thebabywearer.com for finding out about carriers - it is a great forum and everyone is lovely! For buying used, try the fore sale or trade bit on rumplebums forum or the yahoo group UKbabywearingSWAP.

Remember, if you buy a good carrier new it will only lose about £10 - £20 in value after you've used it. 2nd hand you'll only end up paying for the postage if you sell it for what you paid.

 

[Squiglet]

I have one ring sling, 1 bjorn carrier (which is my DH's), 2 mai teis and 2 wraps... I love all my carriers... but there is definitely a mood thing going on with them, as well as weather... which is why I have so many. I am currently favouring my wraps, as I've injured my back again and I'm having trouble carrying lil miss if she isn't supported in a carrier. If you have back problems it actually helps in a way as the baby is more correctly supported rather than when you try and carry them in your arms, leaning back etc. . Thats why they are my life line. Wraps are amazingly cheap to make, they are just 5 metres of a slightly stretchy material... hemmed or just run a zig zag stitch along the edges and there is your wrap. The internet has loads of sources on how to wear it...

Mai teis are relatively simple too, but are slightly more complex than a wrap to make. And Lisa is cheap... I mean her wraps are.. hehehehe...

 

[maria1976]

Mai teis are relatively simple too, but are slightly more complex than a wrap to make

They can be i suppose, but depends how you make them, I have seen some of the patterns on the net and they only use 2 layers of material so are a doddle to put together. it's when you start using a few layers with different fabrics thats when it gets tricky, if you were in the same room as me while im making some of my mei tais, sometimes the air is blue especially when triple stitching the machine jams and dont even talk to me about the different tensions involved
That saying when I made a wrap, sewing on a stretchy fabric is a lot to be desired!!