Anyone LOVE a RING SLING?

I loved my ring sling, but you can't use them once the baby gets bigger. It was a Maya Wrap. www.mayawrap.com

Mei Tai carriers are great! They are fabric, but you can wear the baby into an older age. Maya Wrap has some of those, too.

P.S.
Haha, Emily :)
I actually meant, that I couldn't wear my son in a ring sling, as he got bigger!! I know lots of people who can, I just wasn't one of them ;)

I have to respectfully disagree w/ Bug (love you, Bug!). My ring sling is the only thing that I can successfully carry my bigger babes in (age 1 and beyond).
And I have tried and bought a number of different slings/carriers.

Yes, you can make your own. I know there are patterns online.

I liked my Moby style wrap but IT was only useful during the 1st few months. Once baby got past 15lbs. it was no longer comfortable. And he didn't like it either. :(

My ring sling was the very first baby carrier I ever bought and I always go back to it. It is pretty easy to use, like anything you just have to get it on right.

I got mine at Kangaroo Korner, but I just googled it and I guess they closed their business. :( That sucks.

I have loved my Maya Wrap ring slings through two babies and I'm getting ready to love them through a third! They really are my favorite babywearing tool- easy to pop them in and out of, versatile for several different carries, and modest for nursing in.

Here's the pattern for their slings- not that hard!
http://www.mayawrap.com/n_sewsling.php

I love my ring slings. So much that I have four! I have different colors and materials like the solarveil one for summer-its lightweight and perfect for a dip in the pool as it drys very fast.
I bought mine from a local mom who made them but you can easily make your own there are alot of patterns online. I never made my own ring sling but I cut some fabric for my own wrap years ago.

I loved mine! I bought one though, I'm not mechanically gifted to actually make stuff myself! lol I have a Maya Wrap.

I'm a teeny bit biased, but I sure do love my THING-A-MA-SLINGs! Built-in pockets, built-in comfort-enhancing shoulder-tucks, variety of fabrics, ability to have them custom-made, SUPER comfy, cute, eco-friendly....
Love!

I loved the Mei Tai the best, the shape with the tapered bottom, not the square one - could wear him from birth (even as a 4lb premie) to 35lbs, no adjustments when my husband wore him, never pain or soreness even when wearing him 24/7. Moby was my second fave - it tended to stretch after about an hour and I was constantly re-tightening. I used to think I wasn't an Ergo fan, but I tried one of my friend's and I definitely want to try one if another comes our way.

The ring slings didn't work for us at aIll, tons of pain and shoulder issues, my son wriggled and didn't enjoy it. I lent it to a friend of mine who said it worked for her for about 2mos, but then she went to a Mei Tai. A friend of mine made all of those items and sold them on Etsy, but then the new law in 2008 complicated things so she moved on to other things. You could EASILY make one! I would definitely have 2 or 3 diff ones and see which ones actually work for you and the baby at the time. Good luck!

I have a peanut shell that I loved. Used it until DD was 20 months when she decided she wanted to walk around on her own. I'll use it again when #2 comes in a few months.

I used a ring sling with my daughter, but only until she was about 6 months. She was so big and so heavy, a one-shoulder carry just didn't work for us for much longer than that (though I also know mamas who strongly prefer ring slings and could happily carrier their kiddos in a ring sling until they were 2 or 3 --- different strokes, right?). Also - we tried just about every different kind of baby carrier there is, but we wound up living in our Ergo from the time she was born, until -- well, now. I can still wear her in it when I need to (she's about 4.5). And we love it. Wraps have a learning curve, but they can be really great, too (though I prefer the sturdier woven style to the stretchy jersey style, although it's easier to tie the jersey wraps than the woven wraps sometimes).

I have a girlfriend who made a single-layer silk ring sling that I borrowed for a long time, and it was safe and supportive, and I loved it. It was light-weight, easy to pack, easy to adjust, and I felt regal with that gorgeous silk. It was really special. (I'm not much of a sewer, so I never tried to make my own.)

Important to note, though, babies have preferences, too. My daughter HATED the pouch we tried, and she wasn't crazy about wrapping (she wanted those little legs to be able to move more freely). She was generally content in the ring sling, though, since we could get her into loads of different positions easily) - and she always cozied down in any kind of soft structured asian inspired carrier -- mei tais, onbuhimos, the Ergo and many carriers like it.

LOVED wearing my son!

Over the Shoulder Baby Holder ~ I actually became a sales rep for them b/c soooo many moms would come up to me when I was out 'n about, to ask about it! I still have a few in stock if you'd like to try one on with your baby!

Used it til my son was about 2 1/2 years old, to carry on my hip or back comfortably.

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LOVED, LOVED, LOVED my ring sling! Once you figure out how your baby likes to be held you just tighten the sling around them and VOILA- you can free at least one hand! I even used it for back carries when my son was older.

I hated it! Never felt like I could get it tight enough. I loved my slingling until my little guy was about 18 months after that mostly used my ergo he is 4 and I can still comfortably carry him on my back in it when I walk the dogs.

You already bought one, didn't you? ;)

My girl friend just had a baby and hates hers. She wishes she hadn't spent the money on it; resold it for 1/2 price, and even warned the buyer of why she was getting rid of it.

I hope someone has a better answer ;)

ETA: HAHA @ RACHCICLE!! That's me right now :)

I loved mine, and used it till DS was about 2 years old or so. My sis made it for me, so I know that it is possible to be done. I'm pretty sure that you can get patterns online. I 'can' still use it with my DS with him sitting on my hip, but he rarely will allow it anymore. He wants to be walking around.

I'm late to this party but I love my ring sling so much that I had to add my comment. I also liked the moby wrap, but it is harder to get in and out of, so if I was going somewhere that I knew the baby was going to be in and out, I used the ring sling - parties with friends where the baby was passed around a bit, the grocery store (or anywhere that I was driving so I didn't have to try to put a wrap on in the parking lot). Mine is made of a mesh material, so it's also great in the pool, which is very helpful because then I have a hand free to help my 4 year old when he needs me.

I bought mine on ebay for $15!