rings slings vs wraps

[girlspn]

I really like the idea of wraps because of how weight is supported evenly over the shoulders and back. I've got a Moby, and my baby sleeps very comfortably in it, even though she cries every time I load and unload her. I also find it too hot, even in a thin cotton onesie, baby heats up. I have also tried a linen woven wrap, and while it's not as hot as the Moby, it's still hot. I also find all the fabric cumbersome and not very convenient when out and about. 

So now I'm considering ring slings. I was wary at first because of the weight over one shoulder issue, but it seems like it'd be easier to use...

Where I live there are no babywearing groups or ways to try out carriers for comparison...

What do you think?

[alyadri]

I was wary of a ring sling too since I'm mainly a wrap kinda girl.  I have a Maya ring sling. I absolutely love the fabric because it's lightweight and not hot at all but, while I find it really easy to use, it does hurt my shoulder.  I've tried pulling the fabric down over my shoulder so it's not pulling on my neck.  It does help but, I'm not able to wear ds in the sling as long as I'm able to wear him in a wrap. 

I think if you're wanting something you can pop on to go into a store for 20-30 min, go for it.  I will not wear my sling for more than an hour at a time though. 

[GoGoGirl]

I agree, I think it depends on how you'll be using it.  I have ring slings and use them, but only for really short errands.  If I wear one for more than 30 minutes, my back and neck hurt.  We are a carless family, so I usually babywear on errands, for hours and hours at a time.  In a situation like that, I absolutely need a carrier that distributes DD's weight evenly.

Mobys really are hot, much hotter than most woven wraps.  They're also longer than a standard sized woven wrap.  I found that wrapping stopped feeling cumbersome as I got more practice with it...like it's still the same amount of fabric, but I don't feel overwhelmed by it, even when wrapping in public.  Something else to consider is that with a woven wrap, you can do back carries, which feel so much cooler than front carries.  You can also get medium length or "shorty" woven wraps...you would be able to do 2 shouldered carries with them, but it's less fabric to deal with, and cooler than longer wraps.

[kimbersdawnly]

You can do a very nice back carry in a ring sling which I find I can wear for hours quite happily.  When mine were small I could wear them in the front equally long (which is big for me as I have trouble with front carries in general - I'm excessively top heavy).  Only the hip carry wears me out because the weight's all on one side.  

The thing about ring slings is that they vary in quality and comfort HUGELY, so unlike a wrap which is all about the fabric and length and fairly easy to choose, the number of different premutations of the ring sling can be daunting, and it is quite possible to buy a terrible one.  

I know all about not having any resources available.  I've only lived in small island communities since having my children, so I've always been especially dependent on the wisdom of those here on the boards and on my own resourcefulness.  I think that's partly why I'm always so happy when I actually get to help someone else!  Anyway I do have spare slings, so if it comes down to needing first hand experience I would be happy to lend you one of my old ones, assuming you're in a part of the world that won't cost me an arm and a leg to ship it to of course. :-) I'm basically in the US.

[matty02]

I used a rig sling with my first two babies and was really excited to get a moby with this baby. I love that the moby distributes weight evenly on my shoulders but I found some of the problems you mentioned. I ended up getting a maya ring sling to wear for quick trips or if I will be taking baby in and out a lot. I also haven't figured out how to nurse in a moby wrap but I can in a sling. For longer walks I use the moby wrap. 

[anne-girl]

I'd second the recommendation of a shorty wrap. You can use it like a ring sling by adding rings, or you can tie it like a ring sling; you can also do two-shouldered carries.

You might also think about a mei-tai carrier with wrap shoulders. Those are hard to come by, but not hard to make if you're handy. Jan Andrea's site has some directions for one. That would give you the coolness of a carrier with less fabric layers, but the distribution of weight of a wrap.

[kstaelens]

We started out with a pouch, moved to a wrap, then a mei tai and now a soft structured carrier.  I never really got into ring slings because of the weight being on one shoulder.  I really liked having the weight evenly distributed on both shoulders.  My kids are leg straighteners so the wrap eventually stopped working for us and they could wrangle themselves out of any way I wrapped them!!!

Mei tais are so versatile and you can wear them on the front, hip or back!  Ball Baby was a mei tai that had very wide straps.  The business was sold but you could probably find one used on thebabywearer.com.  The business was bought by Taylor Made Slings and they still make mei tais...

http://www.taylormadeslings.com/tms/html/catalog.php?p_id=82

Of course I have my own business making mei tais so I am a little biased!  :)

Kate