Sling rec for someone who might not know anything about baby wearing...

[LynnS6]

This is a somewhat odd request.

I've got a student who is going to be bringing her newborn (born 9/9/09) to my college class for Fall Quarter. She wrote and told me this in advance, and mentioned that she would sit near the back/door so she could leave easily and have someplace to park her stroller.

I have a strong suspicion that she won't be using a sling (though I could be wrong). I want to encourage her to use a sling so that she can have her hands free and nurse discretely if she needs to. She said specifically that she wants/needs to bring the infant to class because she's breastfeeding.

If she doesn't know thing 1 about slings, what should I recommend? Any good websites to send her to? Keep in mind that she's a student parent, so funds are likely to be tight.

Thanks!

[tinyblackdot]

Taylor Made has great slings and so does Sleeping Baby Productions, she has a page here of slings for under $25! I think that unpadded Ring Slings are the easiest to get for people that are going to be getting them as a gift or are not able to try them on. Pouches can be a bit tricky to get a good fit, and some people might just give up because its too big or too small. You might check FSOT here or on a BW site and you could get one for even cheaper!

[Juvysen]

I loved my slingling. And I had had a ring sling before that, but I definitely prefer the slingling for the newborn period. I used it with my toddlers, too, but my kids started standing really early (my 3 month old would straighten out his legs and try and stand) so the slingling wasn't ideal during the phase between when he started doing that and when I could put him in a hip-carry. Not sure if that'd be the case for most babies, though.

[mysticmomma]

I would suggest a lightly padded ring sling.

[baturay]

A ring sling

[Sheryl1678]

I am a big fan of a fitted pouch sling. They don't require any adjusting, just pop baby in/out. Tiny learning curve. I second the Slingling like the other poster.

[JuniperMama]

I noticed your location said PNW, if she's in the Seattle area, Birth & Beyond has ring slings for about $35 in a variety of cool fabrics. That would probably be a good place to start.

[Carrruth]

Personally, I didn't have a good experience with a pouch back in the days when I didn't know anything about babywearing or anyone who did it. Turns out it was way too big, but at the time I had gotten the size that the measurements said were right for me, and I just thought that was how it was supposed to be. So I just gave up on it because both my baby and I hated it. So I know a LOT of people like pouches, but I think it's a crap shoot if they are going to be able to use one correctly without help and guidance.

For that reason, I think RS are better because they are so adjustable. You could also direct her to The Babywearer, since there is TONS of information there.

[HarperRose]

Another vote for ring sling. I prefer them for tiny infants. My 2nd choice would be an Ergo.

[Quirky]

Well, I'm going to dissent. I don't think a pouch or a ring sling is the easiest carrier to learn to use -- I always tell my clients that they're deceptively simple, in that there's more of a learning curve than most people think.

For fitted pouches, sizing is crucial, and it can be hard to nurse in a pouch depending on the size of the baby and size of the mother's breasts. For some people it works great, for others, not so much.

A ring sling is easier because it's adjustable, but I still find that people need a lot of practice before they become proficient. Once you get the hang of it, it's not hard, but there is a lot to learn in terms of baby's position, ring position, getting the edges tightened, etc. Also, it's not as easy to nurse on both breasts without moving baby around. Finally, it's not as hands-free and symmetrical, so it's harder to do things like take notes/work on the computer.

My vote would be for a mei tai. Better ability to be hands-free, easy to nurse discreetly (and from both breasts) without a huge amount of repositioning, and can be worn front or back, so more versatile as baby gets older than a ring sling or pouch. Although it's not as culturally familiar to many in the US, I find once people try it on it's very intuitive, as long as they understand where baby is supposed to be positioned. If she has access to a decent sewing machine and can sew, a mei tai is a totally doable DIY project if she has a good pattern to follow.

My second vote would be for a stretchy wrap. Again, hands-free, symmetrical, so easier to do things that require two hands. Also, she can make one herself quite inexpensively (or a gauze wrap, which I don't like quite as much, but you can make them from readily available fabric for very little money).

www.mamatoto.org and the DIY forums at www.thebabywearer.com are great sources for info on making carriers.

[Jillian79]

I agree with Quirky. We were awful with pouches and ring slings until my first was close to a year. I could much more easily nurse in a wrap or a MT.

I think it's fantastic that you're trying to help her be able to bring her baby in, and wonderful that she is so committed to breastfeeding her baby.

[Juvysen]

My friend coined the term "sling-rage" after having some particularly difficult tries to get her first baby into a sling. I think she had like 5 different slings. She ended up using the bjorn for a while and then finally figured out how to use the slings for a hip carry. With her second she got the sling thing down, no problem.

I just love that term - sling-rage... seems apt for a lot of people's experiences early on...

[baturay]

Ah, but the difference is that this new mama will have the OP to help her use it. I was on my own when I learned to use my ring sling, but hands on help and support makes a HUGE difference.

[Comtessa]

I really loved the Moby for when my LO was newborn - I was surprised by how easy it was to use, after I put it on once or twice, and she was super comfy in it. It also provided a good amount of fabric for draping over baby's face while she was nursing (though I never got the hang of actually nursing in the thing, we only tried it a couple of times and it wasn't great).

I recently read somewhere about a company that provides slings free-of-charge or low-cost for teen moms. Of course, now I can't remember what it is.

ETA: I bought a gently-used Moby online for under $40, so in terms of cost, this is a pretty good deal. And all the instructions for the Moby (including how-to videos) are online, too.

[confustication]

I commend you for trying to make your class accessible to a breastfeeding mama. I love my ring-sling, but it was about $75 and has an extra long tail so discreet nursing is pretty simple. I would absolutely suggest one for anyone in that sort of situation. Maybe I'm the odd one out, but nursing in a mei tai doesn't work for me, and while at the office a couple days ago I tried to master nursing my 2 week old in the moby, also an epic failure. I can manage the ring sling without a hitch though...

[tinyblackdot]

Originally Posted by confustication

I commend you for trying to make your class accessible to a breastfeeding mama. I love my ring-sling, but it was about $75 and has an extra long tail so discreet nursing is pretty simple. I would absolutely suggest one for anyone in that sort of situation. Maybe I'm the odd one out, but nursing in a mei tai doesn't work for me, and while at the office a couple days ago I tried to master nursing my 2 week old in the moby, also an epic failure. I can manage the ring sling without a hitch though...

I agree! There is no way i could have nursed in a MT. No way at all! The only carrier i ever felt comfortable nursing in was a RS, and really that is what got me BWing to begin with. If she where to just be ordering it off of a website, i would totally say to go with a wrap of some kind, but if there are 2 of you, and you can work together to get her comfortable with her RS it shouldn't be a big deal. It did take me quite a while to get the RS down, but even when it took me 20 minutes to get her and myself comfortable it was well worth the effort to have a peaceful sleeping/nursing baby descreatly hidden.

[LynnS6]

Thanks for the recs. I think that the easiest thing for me to do is to direct her to the websites. I'm not really in a position to help her with it because I'm one of those people that never really figured the ring sling out! Ds hated being worn (he has sensory issues), and so I gave up pretty easily.

[*MamaJen*]

I just really think it's awesome that you're supporting her in breastfeeding and babywearing.
I personally think pouches are the easiest by far. You could suggest she look on Craigslist for a Hotsling or something. You can find them for as little as $10 used.