Ring sling tail--am I doing this right?

[starkyld]

I got a ring sling at a stoop sale a few days before my son was born. The company that made it is no longer producing slings and the instructional PDF I found online is garbled at a crucial step.

From what I understand, ring slings generally have an outer rail, an inner rail, and a tail, wherein the rails are the loops of fabric in which a baby is held. If I assemble this sling with two loops that hit me at waist level and with both of them being adjustable at the rings, the tail still stretches from my shoulder to the floor (I'm 5'6"). Am I doing something wrong? Should there be a third loop? Is there something else I'm supposed to do with all this fabric in the tail? I'd tie it up around the rings some more to keep from tripping on it, but the sheer amount of fabric left there makes me worry that I'm overlooking something somehow.

My son will be three weeks old tomorrow and I've been looking up instructions online for newborn carries in ring slings, but I'm a little wavery about trying to use this sling because it feels so loosely stretchy and I'm still nervous about positioning his head well.

[clovergirl]

hey mama. from reading your description i think you actually might have the ultimate baby wrap made by parents of invention, not the ring sling. they are two different types of carriers and you will put them on and use them differently.
check it out here- http://www.parentsofinvention.com/ubw-product.htm and definitely watch the video. does that seem more like what you have? even when wrapped properly you may have some fabric left over, and that's ok. as long as it's on snug and tied the right way, it is safe.

[KristyDi]

I agree it sounds like the Ultimate Baby Wrap. Is it long (5 or 6 yards) and stretchy jersey material? If it is, look at the instructions for the moby they're basically the same thing. I had one and I found the rings mostly useless (they always slipped and allowed the wrap to loosen) and just tied the ends in a knot. Here we are wearing it. DD is around 2 months there and that's what moby calls a "hug hold."

In a ring sling the rails are the edges of the fabric that forms the pouch where the baby is held. The tail is the part of the fabric that has passed through the rings and is pulled for tightening. A ring sling, un-threaded is usually 2-3 yards long. For ring sling instructions I like the videos by Zolowear on youtube

[starkyld]

That...makes so much more sense. You're right. I feel dumb now. But very much appreciate the correction!

[clovergirl]

don't feel dumb. the rings on that wrap are kinda out of place! i can totally see how you'd think it was a ring sling.

[KristyDi]

Don't feel dumb. You were smart enough to figure out the something wasn't right and ask for help. The rings on the UBW are weird and I can see how they'd confuse you.

[Juvysen]

I'm considering cutting the rings off mine and then just making a ring sling w/them It's pretty decent if you follow moby directions, though - the UBW instructions don't have you spread the fabric wide under baby and is less comfortable, imo...