Suggest a good baby sling please

Dietsquirt

Hi folks,

Need some advice, baby on the way in November.

We were looking at these -> http://www.wallaboo.com/baby-carriers/baby-carrier-cross-3.html

Has anyone used one before? My worry would be that the safety is only velcro and not clips.

Please let me know if you have had a good (or bad) experience with other brands.

Thanks

Suucee

No experience with this sling but there are LOADS to chose from. Theres a baby wearing thrrad here but facebook has a grrat baby wearing page. Thetrs a national sling library where you can hire to see what suits . Also loads of sling meets around the country where you could go to see a few of the ones that are available. Definietly check out "babywearing ireland sling addicts support and advice" facebook page.

fro9etb8j5qsl2

+1 to going to a slingmeet. I was CONVINCED I would get great use from a sling and that there was no point in going to a slingmeet because I knew which one I wanted etc. Splashed out nearly €100 on a jpmbb that I ended up using only a handful of times. I reckon if I had gone to a meet I would have either realised that babywearing wasn't for me or else I would have found a sling that suited me better

lmullen

Definitely get to a sling meet if you can. I love my ergobaby and my ringsling. Have also rented a Kibi which I loved so I'm getting one for my birthday!

Moonbeam

I love my Ergo and Ring sling too but was using a baba sling up until baby #4 as I knew nothing about all the different slings.

orchidsrpretty

Stretchys are really good for newborns, much easier than a woven wrap. So many to choose from depending on design you like. Moby, vsl, jpmb etc. close caboo are very good too as they are kind of one step from wrapping if you don't feel confident enough to try it.
You could also go for a soft structured carrier and use a insert for the first couple of months - ergo, Tula, etc. some mei teis are suitable from birth.

Then there are ring slings which are great and quick to use for quick up and downs etc, but take a little more practice.

I wouldn't go splashing out on a expensive carrier until you know you like a particular one. Strechys are good that way as can be bought second hand for as little as 10-20€.

Make sure you are aware of the TICKS guidelines at all times. Enjoy your baby wearing.

Moonbeam

I have a Papoozle stretchy wrap and it is great but my ring sling is my favourite .

Rosy Posy

I love woven wraps. There is a slight learning curve but they are so versatile and so much more comfortable than a structured carrier. IMO stretchies are poor value as you can only really use them for the first few months and they tend to stretch out of shape making so you don't get great wear out of them for multiple babies, or resale value. Conversion mei teis are good too and very easy to use.

John Mason

i had a moby wrap which i love but unfortunately its not working for us anymore.

there is a sling meet in Castleknock next week, am going to try out a few but i think i am leaning towards an connecta

uli84

I love my manduca, it's great as it grows with a baby

stick girl

I bought a Baby K'tan and my little one loves it. Really comfy on me too and so easy to use. Really great sling. Mom gave me a Beco gemini but she hates it. think it's just too wide through the crotch if baby is facing outward and facing in she was to rigidly pressed into me.

Dietsquirt

Hi Guys,

Thanks a lot for all of your insights, some great advice here!

January

stick girl wrote: »

I bought a Baby K'tan and my little one loves it. Really comfy on me too and so easy to use. Really great sling. Mom gave me a Beco gemini but she hates it. think it's just too wide through the crotch if baby is facing outward and facing in she was to rigidly pressed into me.

Baby is not supposed to face outwards in a sling...

Whispered

Can you go to baby wearing classes or something before baby is born? It's something I might want to do, but don't know yet and I don't want to spend money on a piece of kit that I could end up not using.

Jerrica

Whispered wrote: »

Can you go to baby wearing classes or something before baby is born? It's something I might want to do, but don't know yet and I don't want to spend money on a piece of kit that I could end up not using.

Babywearing Ireland organise sling meets very frequently, if you do a search for it on Facebook you'll get details there. You can go along and meet lots of other mums and the occasional dad who babywears and ask their opinion and try some on. Lovely bunch of folk

Alternatively you could go to one of the sling distributors (Snuggle bugs in Naas, Knee to Knee in Dun Laoghaire, Koala cubs in... nor sure where they are actually!) and try some on. I did a sling consult in Snuggle bugs and it was fantastic, got loads of good advice and was able to try on four or five different models.

Whispered

Jerrica wrote: »

Babywearing Ireland organise sling meets very frequently, if you do a search for it on Facebook you'll get details there. You can go along and meet lots of other mums and the occasional dad who babywears and ask their opinion and try some on. Lovely bunch of folk

Alternatively you could go to one of the sling distributors (Snuggle bugs in Naas, Knee to Knee in Dun Laoghaire, Koala cubs in... nor sure where they are actually!) and try some on. I did a sling consult in Snuggle bugs and it was fantastic, got loads of good advice and was able to try on four or five different models.

Thanks a million!!

Just had a look there, I'm close to Naas and I'm a bit taken aback that they charge you for the consult. Surely if you're buying your sling from them the consult should be part of the service - or am I missing something?

Jerrica

Showing you how each sling works takes time, our consult was a good two and a bit hours and we went through so much stuff - trying them on, learning how to wrap etc. When you're new to babywearing there's a lot of information to learn, obviously you can do it all solo by asking questions and going to meets, but I saw as a bit like paying for a personal shopper, I just wanted the one-to-one service. You can also go down on Saturdays when they have open mornings and you can get help for free, but if there's lots of people there you might not get a huge amount of time with the girls.

Whispered

Thanks for your help

Jerrica

No bother, I highly recommend babywearing - having your little one so close to your chest and being able to kiss their head is just gorgeous, and it gives you so much freedom. I went shopping and met friends for coffee with my two week old last Sunday, it was fantastic, she slept like a bear

January

When are you due Whispered? The 'Wear A Hug' Fair is on in Maynooth in September, you could go along to that, all the major sling sellers (I think Snugglebugs owners are actually organising it) should be there and there'll be lots of demos and stuff on the day.

Jerrica

Oh that's right, it's on the same weekend as my first wedding anniversary. Is it awful of me that I'm considering moving a planned couple of days away to attend the fair ??

Whispered

January wrote: »

When are you due Whispered? The 'Wear A Hug' Fair is on in Maynooth in September, you could go along to that, all the major sling sellers (I think Snugglebugs owners are actually organising it) should be there and there'll be lots of demos and stuff on the day.

Oh I'm not due until December. The Wear a Hug Fair sounds great. Thanks, I'll check it out.

grudgehugger

Have used an Ergo for about 3 years now with our first son (will probably get its final outing with him next weekend... almost grown out of it now) and it's been fab - only one we've tried but very happy with it.

happywithlife

Considering getting a sling and checked out baby wearing fb page but quickly got overwhelmed by some very technical language
So hope someone here can give a basic crash course 😀
I've a 2month old and just want something for round the house to free me up - have 2other little ones as well.
I'm not a bit ...oh how can I put this? I've no spacial awareness at all. And hopeless at reading patterns etc so I'd be wary of trying to put together a sling like the ring sling. I mean I'm really really hopeless. Even with utube videos I'd be fearful of doing it wrong and dropping baba :-(
So how so I go about this?

Moonbeam

The ring sling is super easy to use!! I only got one recently for #4 and it is brilliant.

I am going to move this post ot the baby wearing thread.

happywithlife

Didn't realise there was one -d'oh ! Thanks moonbeam😃

John Mason

i had a moby wrap which i loved but we outgrew it and are now using a moby go which is brilliant, so comfy.

i went to sling meet a few weeks ago but really didnt find any of them as good as this.

Suucee

Ring slings are pretty easy to use and tgreading it is really so simple. My main problem with it is its one shouldered and i find it uncomfortable for anything more tgan a half hour.

There are loads of options . Buckle carriers (ssc/ soft structure carriers) . Very quick on and adjustable. Only a few suitable from 2 months but you may need an infant insert

Mei tai has a panel but has straps that you tie on. .

Then theres stretchy wrap. This you can tie on you body and just pop baba in and out. I found it easy too but very warm (twas during the good weather) also i couldnt imagine getfing much use out of it when baby got big so i sold it on.

Then theres woven wraps. I only recently got one and i do enjoy it .

So you best bet really is a sling meet if there is one near you (you can check on the fb page).

You can hire from the national library too but the librarian is on maternity leave until end of sept.

The wear a hug fair is on in maynooth on sept 28th if you are near there would be a good place head as there will be loads of different types.

Slings arent cheap but they really hold their value so well. Some can be gotten pre loved too.
Once you decide which type you want then theres even loads of different brands which are different too. Especially the buckle carriers . So many different brands suit different people.

happywithlife

Thanks Suucee - yeah have checked out the nearest meet to me so will try and make the next one. Doubt I'd make the fair in maynooth (
Thanks for the replies