Slings???

[Mom2three]

What is your favorite way to pack baby? Preferred sling? Why? I am looking to buy one as a gift for an expecting friend...and also for future reference. I had some sling that was given to me as a gift that I used...but it did not seem very stable. I ended up using the baby bjorn most of the time. Any other reccommendations?

[UlrikeDG]

I have:
Several Maya Ring Slings (Unpadded)
A Maya Pouch
A Baby Trekker (http://www.babytrekker.com/)
A Didymos (http://www.peppermint.com/didymos.html)
A Moby Wrap (http://www.mobywrap.com/)
A Sakura Bloom Ring Sling (http://sakurabloom.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=11)

My favorite by far is my regular Maya Wrap ring sling. It's versatile, compact, and comfortable. The learning curve isn't too steep; plus, the price is reasonable. If I could only have on sling, this would be it.

I like my Maya Pouch for the diaper bag. It's even smaller than the ring sling, but less versatile.

I like the Moby. It's very comfy. It takes some time to learn to tie, and the length can be intimidating. I also don't find it nearly as easy to nurse in. Still, the price is good, and I like it a lot for house & yard work, and I use it almost every day to put Kira to sleep (pop her in the Moby, bounce on the fit-ball (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_ball), and she's out like a light).

I'll probably try a Mei Tai when Kira starts walking. They're so pretty!

Not really thrilled with the Baby Trekker, and my Didy looks nice, but the learning curve is very steep, and the price is insanely high (I got mine cheap on German eBay when I lived in Germany, or I wouldn't have it).

[Nisha]

I love my hotsling! You will need to measure for one though...

I also used a moby wrap which worked pretty good but took time to get it on and off. The Moby worked well for working around the house, walking and that sort of thing since it distributes the baby's weight evenly.
For ease of use though, I prefer the hotsling - it fits in my diaper bag so I can have it with me wherever I go and can slip it on or off any time I need.

[orangemnms]

We used a Moby for those newborn days, a Maya ring sling from about 6-12 months, and an Ergo after that. We still have the Ergo, DD2 rides in it all the time, and DD1 occasionally asks to ride too. (Whoops, sorry kids, I didnt know we would spent 5 hours at IKEA :whistle: )

[BW1426]

For a newbie babywearer for a newborn I am all about the pouch sling. I LOVED my hotslings (which Nisha now has :p) They're cute and easy to use and super compact. The only issue is that only someone with similar sizing to her could use it, but in most cases that isn't a huge issue.

[adamsmommy]

Loved the New Native Carrier when Megan was a newborn. I also have a Bjorn, Baby Hawk, ring sling, and a New Native Carrier.

Basically NNC or ring sling for newborn

Baby Hawk or Bjorn for older child.

[An Aurora]

Newborns, stretchy wrap like the Moby or a SPOC wrap.

Older kiddos, a woven wrap or a carrier like the Ergo or Beco.

[unityco]

I had a Heart2Heart padded ring sling, a Baby Trekker and an Ergo.

I :love: my ring sling the most. It was easy to slip DS in and out, and was relatively compact. The Ergo balanced his weight much better, and was way better for long carries, but I found it a real pain to use. I couldn't do it alone, unless there was a couch or bed nearby.

I just bought my sister a sling made by a local company. I hope she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed mine!

[Kristin]

I would recomend the Baby K'Tan, it's great for new borns to preeschoolers with tons of positions and good colors.:thumbsup:

[seamonkeys]

I'm not sure I would buy one for somebody without them trying it out. Maybe it's just me, but I think that slings/carriers are something you have to try for yourself. In my case I was glad I waited till after DS1 was born to check them out because it turned out he (and DS2 too!) HATED being in a cradle hold unless nursing! They never would have tolerated a sling! Now would my shoulders! :p

[UlrikeDG]

I don't use the cradle hold in the sling except for nursing, even with a newborn.

[Brilliantmama]

I don't use the cradle hold in the sling except for nursing, even with a newborn.

yah, we always did/do the tummy to tummy style hold in slings, even when nursing.

[seamonkeys]

I don't use the cradle hold in the sling except for nursing, even with a newborn.

Ahhh! Well when I see people with a classic sling, the baby is laying down, so that's what I was thinking. My boys only liked to be held straight up and down. Of course everybody wants to cradle tiny babies, and my boys would scream when they did! :p

Either way, I still advise trying before buying. Though I know everybody can't do that. Thankfully we have a local store that has just about every type of sling/carrier/wrap that you can think of to try on. :thumbsup:

[Melanie]

It's such a personal preference. I'd hate to spend the money on something that won't be used. Do you have any high end baby stores that sell several kinds? You could get her a gift certificate and make a cute card with different sling pictures on it.

[Loves2sing]

For myself I have only tried a Moby wrap, and I LOVED it. It was my cousin's. So I made one for my son. (SO EASY!) I am going to be making a hot sling style wrap as well not only one for me, but one for my sister as well. It is a fraction of the cost, and if you have any sort of sewing skills, it is SUPER easy as well. It took me about 10 minutes to figure out the moby wrap, and that was because I bought the material to short, so I had to come up with a good way to sew 2 long pieces together.:rolleyes: I hope it works, but if it doesn't, then I'm out 15 bucks. So, oh well. I will NOT make that mistake buying material for my hotsling.

[domandpedro75]

I had a sling and couldn't figure it out so I went back to my Baby Bjorn carrier and made my life much easier. Stable clips, stable harness vest, couple clicks and done.

[Mom2three]

I had a sling and couldn't figure it out so I went back to my Baby Bjorn carrier and made my life much easier. Stable clips, stable harness vest, couple clicks and done.

This is exactly why I ended up using the bjorn instead...but I didn't have any good options for slings. In considering buying one as a gift...we don't have anything around. So, I was going to order online...or have her look through and help choose. And then purchase return insurance in case it doesn't work. Also...in the hope that if we ever have another DC I will be more versed and can make a better decision on a sling...especially since it seems easier to wrangle an older DC using a sling for an infant rather than a stroller.

Thanks for all of the responses...and if I take a trip to a bigger area anytime soon I will try to find a place to look into all of them.

[Chex]

Newborns, stretchy wrap like the Moby or a SPOC wrap.

Older kiddos, a woven wrap or a carrier like the Ergo or Beco.

I totally agree with this! The Moby (or other similar stretchy wrap (other than the Ultimate Baby Wrap...too stretchy)) is the most comfortable, secure way to carry an infant, IMO. And as far as the learning curve, it's really not that hard. And as far as getting it on and off, I just left mine on all day long, literally. Pop baby in, pop baby out. So great!

And for after they hit about 20 lbs, I started NEEDING them on my back....so the Beco it was.

[Kyras_Mama]

Even though a lot of people love them I could never do any of the the slings as they just killed my back, even when dd was a measly 8 1/2 lbs! I've got to have the weight spread to both shoulders and then I'm great. I loved my meitais (I have a baby hawk and a sahm one off ebay) because they were just so easy to use and not as intimidating as the wraps when I was just starting out. Even as a newborn she did well in them, I just froggie legged her instead of having her legs out until she was about 4 1/2 months old (she's sort of a peanut). We have an ergo too and DH loves that but I prefer either my mei tais or a woven wrap (the stretch wraps like the moby's just never seemed as supportive for me.) Could you try to find a babywearing class or group in your area and take her to a meeting? That would be a great place for her to try them out and see what kind works for her.