Slings, wraps, and carriers - Page 5 « Back to Group Discussions

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by ~Demeter~ 

Those are similar to (identical) a cotton gauze wrap. They do not have the stretch of a moby but also aren't as supportive as a woven, for a brand new summer babe it would be perfect (though I'll kindly plug again you can make your own for MUCH cheaper by just buying 4-5 yards of cotton gauze from Joann's or somewhere similar)

I LOVE my gauze wrap, I have to say. Awesome for summer, and I can still wear 23 lb Cece in it. So it can get you pretty good mileage. I wasn't able to get gauze at as good a price as buying a wrap from this lady, though. But that was a few years ago and may not be the case still.

[Ninetales]

I would love to make my own, but I have no skills or patience for sewing.  And without access to a machine everything needs to be done by hand. 

[LorenJane]

I am the proud dad of a very happy 15 1/2 month old.  My wife and I both use the large-size hand-woven wrap from the German company Didymos (didymos.com), to which I assign a good deal of credit for our son's contentment and emotional security.  It's a single piece on non-elastic organic cotton, about 8 feet long.  The ends are finished at about 45 degrees for ease of tying.  It comes with a booklet with instructions for multiple front, back, and side carries--find the ones that work for you. It enables 100% secure hands-free travel and close contact (even skin-skin, if you like).  We have carried our son up the Onion Valley trail in the eastern Sierra Nevada, the Table Rock loop at Grafton Notch State Park in Maine (involving scrambling and hand-over-hand climbing), and were riding the bus with him at 5 days old, if that gives you any idea of the security of this wrap. The accompanying booklet also contains useful infant posture information. Wraps like this naturally favour the anatomically correct frog-leg carrying position--avoid carrying infants face-out (especially at the earliest stages):  dangling legs cause hip damage.  Used correctly, the only real discomfort to manage is sharing body-heat, but even that can be an advantage, and the emotional and psychological benefits to both child and parent heavily outweigh this, in my experience.  Especially in cold weather (Montréal winters can be severe), you know intimately if your child is at a comfortable temperature.  We have coupled it with a special tie-on jacket for infants in carriers.  The wrap can also be used as a hammock for the little one!  The best $200 (Canadian) that we ever spent.

[~Demeter~]

Ninetales... the gauze wrap is no sew.

And why... hello product spam, lol.

[FeralFox]

If you want DIY(ish) wraps, you can also take the fabric of your choice to a dry cleaner or tailor and just have the edges hemmed.  It usually costs less than $10.

[sarahdb]

Just resurrecting this old thread because I'm curious what others have decided to do for carriers? I've been looking at this for the past few days, and it's kind of overwhelming because there are so many options! Right now, I'm thinking of a ring sling and/or gauze wrap for the newborn stage (since we're in CA and it'll be hot well into October here). And then maybe deciding later if we want an Ergo or a Mei Tei for back carrying and a heavier baby? But I don't know!

[LilyTiger]

I ended up getting a Moby from my SIL and went with a Balboa baby sling (since you can do a variety of carries with it) and an Ergo (from craigslist) for later (and for use by DH).  I got overwhelmed with the options and ultimately went with the simplest and most popular ones.  The Ergo will be great for later.  I probably won't get an infant insert since I've heard they're pretty hot and I'll just use the sling instead while babe is little. 
 

[iixivboots]

Still not sure...I really want a Boba 3G because I know it will work for both DH and I size-wise and I've heard great things, but it's also a big investment for us right now.

My friend said she'd give us a used ring sling and I may have to gently remind her...

[monkeyscience]

I'm going to get a ring sling for sure, and either an Ergo or a BabyHawk for later. I also went mostly with the easiest/most popular option, because there are SO MANY options out there! I did recently go to a local babywearing meeting, which was cool. I got to look at a few different carriers, and watch a mom put her toddler on her back with a wrap. Which, honestly, reaffirmed my feelings that wraps are not for me because they're too complicated. Hopefully, I'll make it to some more meetings and get to see some more stuff. These are the two ring slings I registered for: Lite-on-the-Shoulder (cheaper) and Sakura Bloom (more expensive, but really breathable). If I end up having to buy it for myself, chances are I will buy the cheaper one. But I thought I'd throw the more expensive one on there just to see. :)

[keuriweo]

I plan on getting a wrap (Moby?) to use for the rest of the year and eventually get something else (Ergo?) for when she is bigger.  I'm assuming (hoping, really) that she likes the wrap as I really don't want to buy a lot of stuff.  I'm really bad at making decisions right now so I'm putting off a lot of what I consider "nonessential" gear until later. 

[NewMumJoy]

I love the Sakura Bloom ring slings and would love to get one although they are pricey... Every time I look at them online, I hesitate wondering "why can't I just make one myself and save the $90??"  But I really do like their fabrics and colors, I'm rationalizing that I could make the purchase also count as a nice "wardrobe splurge"..... But for now, we at least have a basic black Ergo coming to us from my SIL (but which I know we won't get to use right away).

[LittleBirdy]

I ordered an SBP french twill ring sling.  I have a Moby and an Ergo with infant insert leftover from DS1.  The Moby was just too much fabric for a summer baby so I don't plan on using it much.  I loved the Ergo though!  That being said I did put it up on Craiglist because I wanted to get a Boba 3G since it doesn't require an insert to use it for an infant.  I didn't have any takers though so it looks like I'm keeping it.
 

[Sol_y_Paz]

I only have a Moby and I am not sure it will fit my needs due to how hot it will get.  I will decide what else to get later.  It is too hard to make guesses for me, I want to see how it fits my baby before buying and keeping anything.  

[rebecca10]

I have an Ergo from my first, which I absolutely loved, and just went ahead and ordered an infant insert--I'm pretty much never too hot here in San Francisco, so I'm not so worried about that, although I am worried it will just be too cumbersome. I guess we'll see.  And I also just treated myself to the Baby K'tan (which is like a partially pre-tied Moby), which I'm super excited to try.  These are pretty much the only new baby purchases I plan on making, but finding something truly hands free that works well, is a definite priority for me, particularly now that I'll have a toddler to chase around as well.  The carriers I used with my daughter when she was an infant I was never really able to make work hands-free.

[Tizzy]

I splurged and ordered a name brand Hotsling from a daily deals website. I usually make my own, but this was such a pretty fabric and I want to try the adjustability as I usually do the specific sized sling.

[sallyrae17]

For anyone making a wrap, the fabric used to make a Moby-style wrap is on sale for 50% off at Joann Fabrics right now! I bought a funky orange color and it will make 2 wraps for about $35. I'm small, so I just bought 5 yards. Anyway, I think the sale ends on Saturday! You can get a thicker cotton-poly blend or a thinner rayon-spandex blend. The thinner fabric would be best for hot climates. :)

[sarahdb]

Is there a pattern that you follow, SallyRae? Or is it so simple that you don't even need a pattern? To me, Mobys look overpriced for what they really are--the biggest expense is just the fabric. Also, how do you know how much yardage to use? I'm pretty average at 5'5", but my DH is 6'3", and he wants to use it too. Could we both use the same one?

[sallyrae17]

sarahdb - I have a Moby already, but I'm so freaking short (5'2) that it's a bit long for me. I think they are usually 5.5-6 meters long. You'd probably want to err on the 6 meters side. Remember, that you'll get two wraps out of the amount of cloth you get. I didn't follow a pattern at all, it's honestly just a big piece of fabric. You can serge the edges (or not) or taper the ends. It's up to you. You can also sew another piece of fabric on the middle portion so you know where the middle is. So, basically, you get the fabric and cut it in half (lengthwise) and you have two wraps! It's super simple...even I can do it (I'm not exactly crafty).

[eleuthia]

i bought a beco butterfly awhile ago and more recently got a baby k'tan that is half mesh (so hopefully better for hot days) though it's a little big so i will need my sister to safely alter it for me. i also ordered an infantino sync, which is kind of a hybrid wrap and looks like it should be pretty comfortable.