Lately I have been super disappointed with the slings we have. Henry loves it when I wear him around the house, but the slings I have create more hassle than good and it seriously takes about ten tries before I can get him in a position that isn't cutting off his circulation or creating breathing problems. The first few times we used it he'd make these ridiculously adorable noises which = "Oh! He's cooing! He loooves the sling so much! YAY!" Um. Turns out those "coos" are really just noises babies make when they are having a difficult time breathing. When their mom has crammed them into a crappy sling and swears that it's for the good of the baby. Good job, Mom.
I love that the sling is so handy when it comes to going out. I can grocery shop like whoa (i'm a total mom now!) and not have to worry about taking his car seat out of the car but in the parking lot as I lift H in the air a dozen times, twisting him into awkward positions and pulling him in and out in and out in and out of the crap sling I imagine people watching are probably wondering who I stole my baby from. It's rather embarrassing.
I'd really just love a sling that works. One of those slings that make those fashionable, skinny moms in all of the adds smile so huge. One that doesn't constantly remind me that getting a crappy epidural sucked, because now everything weighing over a pound hurts my lower back like crazy. The only problem is...there's waaay to many types to sort through! I really don't have the a) money. b) patience. and c) time.
Can any of you suggest some worry-free slings? I'm looking for something that:
1. G would be comfortable wearing in public
2. Is not expensive ($35 max? Is that crazy?)
3. Doesn't have a butt load of unnecessary fabric
4. Is breastfeeding compatible
5. Is easy on my back
6. Doesn't make me look like a complete idiot while trying to put baby in
7. Places baby up by my chest, rather than down by my stomach (maybe that's the problem?)
I hear wraps are great as well and would be open to any comments on those too. Maybe those would be better for breastfeeding??
I hate feeling like I'm wasting precious time. H keeps getting older and I can barely "wear him" because it's too uncomfortable for the both of us....It will be so nice to finally have something that actually works.
12 comments:
we LOVE the moby wrap. especially now while the weather is still cold. it totally places the baby way up on your chest, is SUPER cozy and our little one LOVES it. it IS a lot of fabric, but once you learn how to wrap it (i put it on at home before i go out so that i don't have to wrap it around me in the parking lot) it is really easy to get my daughter in and out. here's the post on our blog i did about our slings:
http://www.edieq.com/2009/09/ode-to-baby-slings/
hope this helps :-)
ashley
Well, I thought that my sling was crappy because it was a homemade one. I always worried that the baby would fall out! I know what you mean about adjusting him and trying to do so in the parking lot! In the end I just kept you guys in the carrier. I think that you need to practicing getting that thing buckled and unbuckled in the car!As far as your back pain, kids just naturally do that. Sorry. Hopefully it will get better. Have you thought about going to a chiropracter? hey, at least Baby H is a pain in the back, and not a pain in the neck! He's way too cute to be a pain at all, really.
Keep up the great blogin"!!!!
Thanks guys! Ashley...love your blog!
I also LOVE the moby wrap and you can find it online for the price range you were talking about- BUT, it's just a stretchy piece of fabric about 4 yards long so if you really want to save some money you can just buy a fabric you like at the craft store. There are plenty of online videos that show how to wrap it.
We use the ring sling the most, we have a Maya wrap. I remember that it was a little more expensive I think around $65? Once Henry gets a little stronger the sling will feel less awkward, I was always worried that Jude couldn't breath in there too until he got some better head control. It gets easier plus then you can do some of the better holds. (front carry & hip carry)
Now that Jude is super heavy we are looking into getting a mei tai carrier, which is a little different and more for older babies/toddlers.
(Sorry for all the talking, I really like babywearing! It's so handy)
oh yeah, and which one/what kind are you using now?
Thanks! I think I'm going to try and buy some fabric today. I'm really excited to get going on this! The sling we have now is called the New Native Organic. I can see how it would be better for some "older kid holds"...right now it's just too much for his little neck! I think it might be too big as well. It hangs down very low (like to my lower hips!) I obviously don't know too much about them but this just seems unusual to me...
hi lady! have you looked into a hotsling yet? i have 2 (a size 2 for when p was henry's size, and a size 3 starting @ about 4 months old when she got really chubby!) poppy basically lived in the hotsling when she was younger - it sat her nice and high and it's a continual loop of fabric with a cushioned side, so there's no chance of it slipping and nothing to adjust! you can also use it to hip-carry when baby is older and sits well unsupported. i found mine at babysnazz.com:
http://www.babysnazz.com/babywearing/hotslings/stretch-fitted
they have them on sale as low as $23 in cute prints, and you get a lot of wear out of it! i used my first one every day for about 4 months, washed repeatedly and there are zero signs of wear. anyways, hope this helps! good luck lady - happy babywearing!
cheers!
oh, and i also wanted to mention that i didn't find any kind of carrier to be nursing-compatible, but that's because p was a crazy thrash-monster on the boob and i had to really pin her while nursing, so having her in a sling wasn't really an option! but i would imagine you could nurse wearing the hotsling if your baby was cooperative - you can move baby easily while wearing the sling if you're in a seated position because it's all one piece of fabric. :)
Emily...I think we might actually have a hotsling, now that I think about it. Is yours black and white with flowers? I feel like I might have seen it in one of your pics and thought, Hey! We have that same sling! Could just be same pattern, different sling too. The hotsling is almost exactly like the one we have now, no padded pouch on ours though.
Was it easy to get things done wearing Poppy in that sling? I'd like to find something that you can bend over a bit in without baby flying forward, away from your chest. Let me know!
Thanks so much!
well, i did have a black and white floral nursing cover - that's probably what you saw in a photo. my hotlings are 1) pink & brown arguile and 2) brown with white polka dots. if you look through my early flickr pics you can see a lot of me wearing poppy in them! (:
i can't think of any sling styles that would 100% hold the baby to your body without it being too tight (as in, while bending forward.) there has to be a little room for baby to lay without being restricted. a moby wrap would be best for keeping baby secure to your body while being really active - but as people have already mentioned you're dealing with a good deal of fabric on that one. moby's are very comfortable and easy on the back, and most babies love them.
when henry is a little bigger, a baby bjorn or ergo would be great choices. i know it's hard to find the perfect thing for all your needs AND that's right for what stage/size your baby is at! but the nice thing is, most baby carriers have high resale value so at least you probably won't have to waste any $$ trying them out!
best of luck dear! xo.
thanks for checking out my blog ;-) i really enjoy reading yours too, and i'm glad my post helped you.
i've totally thought about just making a moby too.. it's really not that hard.
good luck!
In Africa, the moms take a piece of cloth and just wrap the baby to their back. When they are walking towards you, you know that they have a baby on their back by seeing just the two little baby feet peeking out on each side of the mom. Its pretty cute :). Also, when I was in the village this week, my mom said that the when she was pregnant and had a little boy at the same time, she would strap the baby to her back, have the baby in her womb, and carry a Jerry can of water on her head or hoe. Crazy!
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