Sling Recommendation

OVER THE SHOULDER BABY HOLDER!!!!!

Loved, loved, loved this sling. Used it not only out & about, but also in the house, as my son was colicky, and needed to be soothed by snuggling. So easy on & off, and comfy for both mom & baby.

I was able to carry him close to me, with him being in a natural, swaddled position (hate seeing babies with their little legs so splayed apart in front carriers), and when he fell asleep, I could simply loosen the sling,lay him on the bed, and pull the sling over my head... then could re-swaddle him and lay him in his crib.

When he just wanted to be held, I could even switch it so he was on my back, so I could make dinner.

I was able to carry him on my hip when he was bigger, til he turned 2 1/2, with this sling.

I actually have a few, as I purchased to give as baby gifts, so let me know if you want one! I can show you how to use it, and give it to you at my cost.

LURVE my mayawrap! love that they send a video to help you learn the million of things you can do with it. love that i could still easily carry my five year old if needed. love all the times it doubled as a light blankie, a place to rest baby on the ground, or an extra shade for the car window.

i also have a mom made kozy carier, which is awesome. it's a mei tei style carrier which i loved for toddler back carries. definitely check out thebabywearer.com and kangarookorner.com for help in choosing!

Hi J.,

There's a shop in Media called Birthmark. They can help with questions like this and have products in the shop. I would call first to make sure they are open. ###-###-####
http://www.familybirthmark.com/

Good Luck,
J.

I recommend the Ergo. It is worth every penny and much more comfortable than the Baby Bjorn. You can also use it up to 40 lbs. I have a 30 lb 13 month old and it is still very comfortable!

Personally, I love the unpadded ring slings. They are hard to find in stores around me, so I started to make and sell them if you are interested. The ones that I make a similar to the Maya Wraps. They just slip over your shoulder and tighten with the rings. Simple, easy and comfortable.

I got my ring sling from mayawrap.com. It comes with a dvd to show you how to use it - pretty important when you get a length of material with two rings on one end! :) I have two girls, 3 and 4, and bought it when I had their younger brother, now nearly a year. It kept my hands free for the girls, and the baby napped in it like there's no tomorrow. He still loves it (but won't nap in it anymore, he's too busy checking out the view from up higher!) I love it, and would buy it again in a heartbeat. The ones from mayawrap.com are a bit different than some of the others you'll find, they are sewn differently at the shoulder instead of just gathered, and they have a pocket.

You should consider getting a harness for your 2 year-old when you're going for walks. I got one that looks like a monkey back-pack from Walmart for $9.99. My little girl at that age thought it was cool to wear it. And I didn't have to fight with her to sit in a stroller or hold my hand.

I love my Lucky sling because it is BEAUTIFUL and so simple to use:
http://www.lucky-baby.com/

Charissa at Hugabugbabywearing.com makes ring slings, Mei Tais, and Onbuhimos. She is local (Pgh), reasonably priced and if you choose, you can pick your own fabric. Check out her site. I've bought several off of her for myself and for baby shower gifts.

Hi J.,
I bought a slingy from Sprout Pouch and it is great. It is one continuous loop of fabric that holds a child up to, I think, 30lbs. I use it for my 9 month old son all the time. It is very easy to use, has great patterns and wasn't that expensive - 49.00. I also liked it over the other slings b/c there wasn't any fabric hanging from it. the webstie is www.sproutpouch.com. Let me know if you have any other questions about it.

C.
www.CaitiMacCreations.com

Hi J., I too have been doing research on this topic since I will have a 2 1/2 year old and a newborn this summer. It seems that everyone has a different recommendation. I think it might be a pretty personal preference so I bought a bunch off of ebay (maya sling, hotsling, luckybaby, and new native) to try out (I couldn't find any local stores that sold them). I paid between $18 and $25 per sling and they're all new. It took a little time, but I think it's worth it to have options and I saved SO much money since most of them are $50 and up when I went to the websites. Just wanted to pass that along. Good luck!

Over the Shoulder Baby Holder worked great for me! It can be used for all kinds of ages and positions, and is smooth to put on and slip baby in. Plus, when you purchase one you support a mom. I guess you'd have to do a search for a local dealer.

The Ergo Carrior rocks! You can wear the baby/toddler in the front, back, and sideways. It is perfect for when they start to get heavy. My daughter loves it. She hates the stroller...but loves the carrier.

There are a ton of great slings out there. I highly recommend checking out thebabywearer.com, it's a good place to see what's out there and get reviews from people - AND they've also got a For Sale Or Trade section which is a great place to get used slings at reasonable prices.

I started out with a Moby Wrap (stretchy) when DD was little. We used it from about 3 weeks to about 5 months. I still use it on occasion but I find myself retieing it if I have to take her in and out because of the give in the material. I love having her in the wrap, it's a secure hold and she's seated, not dangling from her crotch, so I'm not worried about hip/back development issues because of it. And I know she's comfortable because she usually goes to sleep and likes to be worn for hours while we're out and about.

We upgraded to a mei tie around 5 months from www.keepyourbabyclose.com. I'm really happy with it. It's an asian style baby carrier that I can use until she's about 35 lbs. There are a variety of ways to wear this sling also. We've only done a front carry so far, but once she's sitting up well on her own, I know we'll do a lot of back carry's also. It's super easy to put on. The carrier itself is a square of material with 4 straps, one at each corner. Mine also has a head/neck rest for the baby. I just tie the waist straps around my waist, fold the carrier up to make a pocket, pop in the little one, secure the shoulder straps and we're off. It sounds more complicated than it is - I promise.

If you have any questions, I'd love to try and help you with them. Being able to wear her is the only thing that's helped me survive these first 6 months.

S.

I've used pretty much most of the carriers out there and I love my Moby wrap the best. Its a long piece of fabric that you wrap and tie. its not a sling where its on one side. Those would make my arm go to sleep. LOL! This wrap goes over both shoulders and if you want to take it someplace it just folds up into the diaper bag.

I really like my Kangaroo Korner adjustable pouch. They are sized, but are still adjustable. You don't have to deal with clips or straps each time you use it; you just slip it on an off. It rolls up and fits in a diaper bag easily. I also have a maya wrap sling which I like, but is a little more work. I have a Mei Tei which is really pretty, but also more work to get on and off and I find myself adjusting it a lot while she's in it to be sure we're both comfortable and that she's in good and tight. I would highly reccomend the Kangaroo Korner. I have heard that other similar pouches are good, too, but that they fit snug and to buy a size larger than you think you need based on the measurements and suggested sizing. Also, the Peanut Shell and Hotslings aren't adjustable. Good luck!

Hi J.,
I don't know what I would do without my sling!! I have a NoJo Sling and it's simple and easy to use. I did have a snugli with my first two but it just didn't work as well as the sling. I'm not sure where to send you to get one but I think my mom got mine at babies R us but I don't remember seeing them the last time I was there. Good luck.
J.

Have you looked into the Peanut Shell? I purchased it with my third child and loved it. I make large, heavy babies and have a hard time carrying them in the Baby Bjorn. The Peanut Shell is a sling which converts into a variety of positions. At the beginning I used it as a sling in the house and out and about. When the baby was older, I put the baby in the hip carrier position to get everyone into preschool. The "sling" is one piece of fabric. No buckles or snap to adjust and it really does work. They are stylish and have seasonal fabrics. www.peanutshell.com. Good Luck!

I have a jeep. My son loves to be in it and go for a walk. It's comfortable, and my husband can wear it too.

Check out the mopy wraps on line. My cousin sold them for a while and my two were already too old for me to use them, but I would have loved to have one. My youngest was a hold me 24/7 kid and I would have really benefited. anyway, we had a baby bjorn and I hated it, it wasn't comfortable and wasn't easy to do yourself. The moby wraps are one piece of cotton fabric that can be wrapped in many different ways depending on how you want to hold your little one. Its easy to do yourself and comes with picture instructions on how to do all the holds. They come in many different colors and styles, some more than others (the basic wrap is great, that is the one I saw and did actually use myself but with my cousins son) and completely machine washable. Really can't get any better than that! There may even be a rep in your area that can come over and show you personally how to do the wraps! Godd luck and highly suggest a moby! J.

Check out babywearer.com for reviews on everything babywearing. Personally, I prefered carriers that use 2 shoulders (they are easier on the back) and seem more secure to me. I didn't like the bjorn either. I used the Moby Wrap when my daughter was under a year and recently moved onto the Patapum Toddler and mostly wear her on my back. We also have a solarviel sling from Kiddie Cradles that we use in the summer at the beach/pool.

Hi, J.! I'm sure with your two young girls you have your hands full all the time & it would be a lifesaver to have both of your hands free while still holding onto your youngest!
I actually make slings myself. I have a company called THING-A-MA-SLING. I carry stock but also specialize in custom orders. Without going on all day, I'll try to sum up quickly why I feel that my slings are unique (and a LOT better than what you typically see in stores). First of all, I design them so that the baby's weight gets distributed over a large portion of your shoulder & back--the more muscles working at the same time means less discomfort & strain. They hold up to about 35 lbs, so you may even be able to use it with your oldest; they're all machine washable & dryable AND they have 3 over-sized built in pockets. The pockets are a lifesaver for me when I'm going for a walk or going to a store & don't want to lug around the diaper bag.--I can put a diaper & travel wipes, keys, cell, wallet & a little toy in them & I'm good to go!
Just a warning about some of the other slings on the market too---the ones with rings that have notches have a reputation for breaking. The rings that I use are weight tested to hold 2500 lbs!!!
If you would like to, I invite you to check out my website: www.ThingaMaSling.com . Some of my stock is listed on www.shop.thingamasling.com but much of it isn't. If you live in the Easton area, I'd even be happy to meet you one day to show you some of them & let you try some on.
Please give me a call if you have any questions or shoot me an email!
Take care!!!
A.

Hi J.,

I have a Maya wrap that I purchased from handsfreebaby.com and I love it. This was after I tried the HotSlings pouch that I purchased at Target. The HotSlings looked great but my son was like a squished little peanut in there. I found it difficult to get him comfortable. A ring sling offers much more flexibility. My husband uses the Jeep carrier found at Babies R Us. He loves it.

You can also search etsy.com for slings made by work-from-home moms. Everything at etsy.com is handcrafted. Best of luck!

I have always used an Over the Shoulder Baby Holder from newborn up,http://www.slingbaby.com/, however, now when my third was 12 months, I discovered how great the ergo baby carrrier is. http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/ It can be used on your front or back, from about four months till like three years or something like that. It holds your posture upright. I love it and it is so comfortable. There are a couple places in Media that carries them, just look under the retailers part of the website, or you can just order online. Happy slinging!

My son is 10 and was the same way. When he was about 5 we figured it was time to do something. First, don't make a big deal about with her. Second, Try Thumb. Available at drug stores. It is a liquid you put on children's fingers that doesn't taste good. (I think it has a little bit of cayenne pepper in it) We only had to use it a couple of times.