Have you ever offered advice to a stranger on slinging?

[*solsticemama*]

I'm just wondering. I've often seen moms slinging their babes with the rings way too low or else with the rings on their back or some other uncomfortable looking combination. I have the impulse to go up to them and first off congratulate them for slinging their babe and then suggesting that they might want to move the rings etc into a more comfortable position. But I hold back since I'm not sure how it would be taken YK? Have y'all ever done this and what was the response from the mama?

[Messy Nessie]

naking

i am a brand new sling wearing mom and i know i would LOVE if someone offered me help while out! in fact i paid an lc to help me when dd was 2 mos old and it took until today for me to feel good about it. if someone had offered help in a "real" life situation it probabl would have "stuck" better.

go for it!

[sohj]

Oh, yeah. I do it all the time. But, it is usually wearers of Baby Bjorns who have it all wrong. I see them hunched forward, looking like they're in pain and it just HURTS!

So I butt in.

Haven't had any negative responses.

[Tupelo Honey]

Sure! I think most moms will be happy for the help. And you can always offer them a chance to act like they know what they're doing and just like it that way, then really they will take your advice when you're not looking,lol.

[Kristine233]

Originally Posted by Tupelo Honey

Sure! I think most moms will be happy for the help. And you can always offer them a chance to act like they know what they're doing and just like it that way, then really they will take your advice when you're not looking,lol.

LOL, I like that approach. If I saw RL slingers i would defiantely offer help, heck I'd be so thrilled to see another RL sligner I'd probabyl maul them and annoy the heck out of them. :-)

[Tupelo Honey]

Lol. One day Alison (mom2twinslus1) was in the grocery store in line by a mom with a sling up on her neck. So she goes "So, do you find that you like it like that, at your neck? I tend to like it more spread over my shoulder like this." SO the woman says "Oh, yeah, I love my sling, it's so comfy...blah blah blah." So as Alison was leaving she saw the woman pulling it down from her neck and looking relieved.

People come in here all the time with their slings jacked up all crazy. Given where we are, I feel comfortable saying "can I just show you a quick thing about your sling?" And they're always so glad and much more comfortable once we've adjusted.

[kris1225]

I saw a lady at the mall wearing her NN waaay too low and I felt weird approaching her so I didn't say anything. I am a wimp.

However, when DD was a younger baby (I can't say 'tiny' as she was only tiny for the first month of her life), I wore my MW with the rings on my back intentionally because I had the hardest time getting her in it without her head getting bonked on the rings. I didn't know about pouches then. So myabe I would have appreciated the help, but I am not sure...

[tarahsolazy]

SolsticeMama, can you come to Oregon and teach me to use a ring sling properly? I'd LOVE it if someone helped me. I can't even use the darned thing in public, and try only occasionally at home, its so awkward. I have one made by Rev Jan, so its a nice design, but DS's head always bonks the rings, or he's too squished, etc. I can work a pouch and a Moby just fine, though, luckily!

[Bekka]

Funny story:

for "almost" strangers: my mom's cousin's daughter (my 2nd cousin) who I barely knew was at our family reunion last year. She had a little baby and was there with a sling and looked a bit uncomfortable. My mom's cousin comes over to me and says, you've got to know about these sling things, right? And so I was able to totally help her out. It was interesting, though ... I was almost 7 mos. pregnant, and so I wasn't able to really show on me, which is easier for me. Also, her sling had these huge rails, and I'm just not a rails kind of person. Plus, I never succeeded at slinging dd until she was past 6 mos., so actually I hadn't ever done a tiny baby. So I had to make adjustments here and there. It might have been a NoJo or an OTSBH. I can't make those work right to save my life. I've designed my own sling with no rails and a low-profile pleated shoulder. Works great!

[annelizabeth]

You see other people wearing slings??
I feel like I should be at the fair and people pay to see the amazing woman who wears her baby.

[MelMel]

sure, I have helped when needed (usually at LLL meetings when I used to go) but more often than not, I have seen a mom who needs a sling, period. I have been known to whip an extra out and give a sling and a quick lesson to a few moms struggling coming off the bus or dragging a tired, screaming toddler down the street....I just hoped they figured it out and kept using it!

(I bet I seem like one of those people who hand out bibles and pamphlets everywhere I go...but I dont really FORCE it on them, and they really COULD use one...if they just tried.....oh jeez, I AM one of those people.... )

[tea olive]

i do it all the time and then there's a mamma i know who's perfectly fine with her newbornboy standing real low. the main thing i like to do is fan out the back. as for the people with the snuglis, i have given up hope for them. and no, i don't see millions of slings but when i do i sure do pay attention.

[Mrs Dimples]

I did help a stranger with her Maya in an ice cream parlor one time...she was trying to get her baby situated and she saw me slinging my babe and we kind of met eyes and I asked her if she wanted a hand. She was very grateful. I get so excited when I see other slingin mamas I can hardly contain myself!

[KoalaMama]

I think if you start with the "hey, isn't babywearing great?" approach, it can easily lead into offering helpful tips. So I wouldn't run up to someone and just start to try and fix them, but I would totally do what Alison did at the grocery store. And any time I see a parent with a sling I make eye contact at a minimum, and if they smile at me I pounce!

[AllyRae]

I never see slingin' mamas, so I can't help, but I would be ecstatic if a slingin' mama saw me and offered to help!

[phathui5]

The reason that I'm still wearing my babies is that some woman in the mall offered to show me how to adjust my sling when ds #1 was a baby. I had an OTSBH and he was way down low near my waist and it was just awkward. She tightened it up for me and it was great from then on. I ended up later moving on to a Maya Wrap, which I love. But if it weren't for her, I might have given up.

[pamelamama]

I am all about bossing around other mamas, even strangers.

[CarrieMF]

You see other people wearing slings??
I feel like I should be at the fair and people pay to see the amazing woman who wears her baby.

Ditto, but I am starting to have people ask me about mine.

I had an ad in Wed's paper for a babywearing class I'm having tomorrow. A lady phoned me last night excited because she said she didn't know there were people who could show someone else how to use them. She has a sling but can't figure it out(due anyday with #5).

Contact a breastfeeding group near you, the leader may know someone who could help.

[JohnnysGirl]

Originally Posted by annelizabeth

You see other people wearing slings??
I feel like I should be at the fair and people pay to see the amazing woman who wears her baby.

DITTO! People are always commenting on my 'interesting' or 'new' contraption!

[abigailvr]

I often have the urge to go up and offer unsolicited advice, but I can't usually work up the nerve. I tried to start a conversation with a woman wearing her baby in a Bjorn down by her hips, but she wasn't interested.