[middlemamma]

Hello Ladies. My name is Jennie (middlemamma). Basically new to MDC. Have posted a couple times. I have one ds who will be 4 in January. I am due with dd Feb 14. Will be home birthing for the 2nd time with a midwife.

With Caleb (ds) I never used a sling or wrap. I really would like to try one now since this baby will be coming to work with me each day. I like the wrap idea, I have only seen them on other moms in the mall or what not. I will be nursing as well. I like the Moby Wrap i saw online.

What are your words of advice and thoughts on this issue? What should I buy? Never having done this before I really could use some ideas that come from experience. I don't know one single mom who has ever used one IRL. So I can't ask them.

Thanks in advance for your help!
middlemamma

 

[AngelBee]

I'm a big fan of pouches!

Check out www.kangarookorner.com or www.hotslings.com

 

[middlemamma]

Why pouches? Advantages vs other slings and wraps? More input please!

( remember Johnny 5 and that movie? Was that molly ringwald?) How would you nurse with a pouch? Pretend you are posting to a TOTAL moron.

THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING.....if you could give me more information as to why you like your personal preferance that would be GREAT!!!!

Jennie
middlemamma

 

[AngelBee]

I think using the pouch is easy. Wraps are too complicated for me. I think I would drop them! I tried a sling before and it wasn't comfortable for me. Especially disliked the ring. Made adjusting into a comfy position difficult for me.

I am still working on the nursing thing. But my son love the pouch............thinks he is still in the womb! And I can easily carry my dd around with the pouch also.

I am newer too all of this but looking up info on these two sites has helped a ton! They have a ton of pictures, even with mom nursing demo pics.

Hope this helps. If you find more info on nursing while wearing baby, please post it here. I has been kinda difficult for us, but he is only 6 weeks old!

 

[heveasoul]

:

I bought the kangaroo pouch, too, but this is my first, so I haven't tested it out yet!

Interested in reading what our experienced mamas have to say. Also check out the babywearing threads - lots of info...

Btw, welcome!! Please check out the weekly thread - it's where we hang out on a daily basis. Join in!! We are a fun, supportive group. PM Joy, (wtchyhlr), and she will add you to the list on the first post.

 

[lilgreen]

I LOVE my Maya Wrap. When Ds was born I had a sling like a cheap version of the Over the Shoulder Baby Holder and couldn't figure out how to put ds in it when he was really little.

Once I got the Maya Wrap, though, it came with a short instructional video and after just a few practice tries it became automatic and effortless. I wish I had the video earlier so I could have used it when ds was little. I think it's available on their website http://www.mayawrap.com so you can watch it even if you don't get a Maya wrap sling specifically.

Here is the link to our family's website: http://www3.telus.net/87peverilavenue/ If you click on any of our Europe 2004 trip links (city name or country name) then click FFW to go through the albums, you'll see how handy the sling was even for 2.5 yr-old ds!

Although I've never used a pouch, I know I like how I can adjust the sling to so many different carrying positions.

Good luck!

lilgreen

 

[mainemom]

I haven't used a sling yet, either. I found several local resources though, who are more than willing to help me out! I asked my mw and she had a client who makes/sells slings and who will demonstrate for my IRL. I also asked the coordinator of the local La Leche group, and several of the moms there are willing to demonstrate babywearing as well as cloth diapering. Good luck!

 

[Mama2Chloe]

I couldn't live without my sling. I started using it when dd was about a month old. It has been my freedom!!!! I bought a Mayawrap and then started making and selling my own, because I wanted to have a ton of them to match my outfits and I couldn't afford more than one Mayawrap. BTW - I sell mine for $25 plus $5 shipping. One of the best instructional videos I have seen is on the www.mayawrap.com web site. Go to news & info and then video and it will show you step by step all the positions with newborns, breastfeeding, toddlers, etc. I love that with an unpadded sling there is a tail which allows for discrete breastfeeding. When dd was 3 months old, I was in an elevator next to a gentleman who said, "She sleeps like an angel" She was activly breastfeeding!!! I just said "yes, she does" and just smiled. I also love how you can get such a custom fit with the slings due to being able to adjust it.

Hope that helps with your decision. Take care!

Love, Tricia

 

[geomama]

Have you been to a La Leche League (the breastfeeding group) meeting yet? Are there meetings in your area? If you're not sure you can go to www.lalecheleague.org to find a local group. I have met several mothers at our local La Leche meetings who use slings, so when my baby comes in February I plan to ask them for help with my sling if I need it. I didn't know any other mothers who used slings or pouches until I went to the breastfeeding meeting. It's great to have that resource of experienced mamas nearby!

 

[Maprilynne]

Check out mamatoto.org I got tons of ideas for my wrap there. It also shows you how to make a wrap inexpensively so you can decide what you like before you invest a lot of money in it.
Aprilynne

 

[AngelBee]

The back wraps look so scary! How do you make sure you don't drop baby?

 

[middlemamma]

Sadly enough the closest LLL meetings are 85+ miles from my house. So I have not been to one. I bet you could get a lot of good help from those women.

Maybe I should just make the drive one time and see. But man gas is so $$$$....

:

 

[kater07]

I am a huge fan of ring slings b/c they allow you to adjust baby as close to you as needed. I AM trying out a Kangaroo Korner Adjustable Fleece Pouch this time. It's a gift and I can't wait to try it out with the wee one.

I love my ring sling, and I HATED the Over the Shoulder Baby Holder b/c there was WAY too much padding for me and DS. I couldnt' get him tight enough in it. DH had a better time with it, but I sold it for my unpadded sling.

HTH

I'd also love to try something that is just a length of material that you tie.

 

[mehndi mama]

I've made bunches of slings for myself, and I used to make them to sell, too (now I know why they're so expensive!

) I found that I do prefer the padded ring-type sling, with a "loose tail" like a Maya Wrap has. The loose tail makes it easier for me to adjust the sides independantly - so I can cinch up the side supporting the baby's neck/back tighter than the side supporting his or her bottom. I like the padding mainly because I had such a hard time finding the side edges of the sling otherwise - I think the padding is more of a safety-in-use feature than a comfort feature! If you make your own sling, you can choose to do a very light, narrow padding on the sides, rather than a fat, puffy padding like the OTSBH.

When my babies are newborn, they don't seem to care for the laying-down cradle hold type position that you see in all the pictures of newborns in slings. I felt awkward, and they would wiggle and squawk. So what I did was get them with their little legs tucked under them in the sling, and I'd cinch it up tight so that they were strapped upright to my chest, with their head right between my breasts. Then, if they needed to nurse, I just had to tilt them over one way or the other & get 'em latched on. and when they were done nursing, it was right back up to the middle of my chest. They seemed to settle better in this position, and I didn't feel like I was going to accidentally knock their head into doorframes all the time, either.

 

[Marcela]

I'm not sure about the rules about posting... I am a distributor for a sling company that is locally (Austin, TX) run. They are beautiful, great slings and there is a great website that includes video on how to wear your baby and much more. Being a doula and having done much post partum work, I have used them with many babies. I'm excited to wear my own baby in them. Please contact me off line and I can lead you to the site. I don't want to step over any boudaries!
Marcela in Austin
expecting #1 mid Feb

 

[eminer]

If I had to choose one, for a newborn, I'd start with a rebozo. (In actual fact I have that plus a wrap, and will definitely use both. ) One nice thing about learning to use a rebozo is that you can improvise using practically anything. You can make your own for a few bucks. One time when we had somehow gotten out without ours, dh's parents loaned us a tablecloth to carry dd home in, and it was no problem. The advantage of buying a real rebozo is the weaving: it's thin and therefore easy to tie, and a good balance between "give" and supportiveness. In the latter respect, I like the Guatemalan-weave-type stuff even better -- e.g. Didymos, Girasol, Ellaroo -- but I can't stand tying anything thick, and the Ellaroo (only one thin enough for me) doesn't come short. With a small baby (who is going to need breast access a lot) it's important to me to have at least one carrying cloth without a bunch of extra fabric. Obviously this is all just personal preference!

I like carrying cloths you tie because I feel like I have near-endless control over how it turns out. (I also abandoned the piano as a young kid and later took up the guitar: had to be able to touch the strings myself!) As I practiced with the rebozo, I realized that it was becoming more comfortable as I got more confident tying *around* the baby, holding her in position. When I was tying first and then plopping her in, she never seemed to end up quite how I wanted her.

Even though you don't have enough length to do most of the back carries that work well with small babies, there is a cool early back carry you can do with a regular-length rebozo: http://faustosgallery.com/rebozos/sandra/index.html

Re: the Moby Wrap, my concern about it (never having used it, mind you!) is that it might be too stretchy as baby got older, causing him or her to sag and strain your back/shoulders. I made my first wrap out of a T-shirt-fabric sheet, and that was a HUGE problem. I also prefer a thin wrap, because I get overwhelmed by too bulky a thing to lug or drape around, when there is already so much length -- so e.g. the Ellaroo or a gauze wrap or an extra-long rebozo. But if you don't mind the extra fabric and learning the ties, the wrap is the most versatile and would be the only babywearing device you needed.

 

[eminer]

Oops -- I feel really dumb now. Somehow I thought I was in the general pregnancy forum. I am not due in February, though at this point I wish I were (heck, January would be even better!). Just ignore me, February mamas.

 

[Tanibani]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kater07 I am a huge fan of ring slings b/c they allow you to adjust baby as close to you as needed.

I have 2 ring slings I

adore - Over the Shoulder Baby Holder (very padded, some say too bulky) and unpadded Maya Wrap sling.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kater07 I love my ring sling, and I HATED the Over the Shoulder Baby Holder b/c there was WAY too much padding for me and DS. I couldnt' get him tight enough in it. DH had a better time with it, but I sold it for my unpadded sling.

Yeah,

some people really hate the padding. Me, I love

it and my baby is super cozy in it.

So that's my recommendation to you. Both can be used from newborn to 35lbs. (almost 3 years!) and I nursed my son (18 months!) in both slings easily.

Though it's do-able, I never got the hang of the Maya Wrap with a newborn (I'm not alone) but I'll definitely use it now.

If you are into "babywearing", I think having more than 1 type of carrier is essential.

With my first baby, I had the OTSBH (but no video

whatever you get, if there is a video, you really need it!) but I kept putting my baby way deep inside (I didn't know how to use it) and my baby turned shades of red in anger. He hated

: it! I went to a local LLL meeting begging for sling help. Once they showed me

I loved it! Though that whole drama could have been avoided if the seller just lent me the damn video.

:

There are some moms at my son's preschool - I had them try on the OTSBH. One bought it when her babe was 6 months old and loves it (she has 6 kids, and never had a sling before!) SHe had a Bjorn and that gets old really quick. Two other moms really liked how it felt when they tried it on. They will probably buy one.

When I give the OTSBH as a gift, I make sure to include the instructional video. I gave one to a friend and her DH was weaing his newborn in it 3 days old, totally comfy.

Wish that was me the first time!

I go back and forth with my MW and OTSBH. Some days I want ZERO padding (Maya Wrap) and some days I want lots of padding (OTSBH).

I also just bought a Kozy Carrier. This particular Mei Tai - Chinese Asian Baby Carrier, i.e., ABC is particularly popular right now (there are other WAHMs who make them) and there is a 3 month waiting list. I ordered 2.

I'm hoping to wear my DD on my back, but she hates it! I'll keep trying.

I also bought a gauze wrap 2 months ago, but haven't made the time to really use it.

And now I don't even want the gauze (she's not a newborn anymore and I don't want it to "fall apart.")

I'm hosting a "Babywearing Party" Monday (friends bring over their various types of carriers) to try on. One has a German wrap and I'm eager to try that.

Middlemama, call OTSBH
http://www.babyholder.com/
give them your zip code and others in your immediate area to see if there are distributors near you. Then call them and ask if you could get sling help.

Maya Wrap
http://www.mayawrap.com/
also has a distributor list online you could check out (call and ask them if they could help you.)

 

[baianamomma]

I am on my 3rd baby and used pouches and slings with the first two. I have back problems and my chiropractor recommended that I not use them because they were compressing my shoulder. Plus I didnt like that I couldnt use half of one arm. I like that slings are quick though and still use it for a quick pick up. My sister-in-law sent me a moby for my 3rd baby. It has been a dream. The weight is distributed on your hips back and shoulders instead and your arms and hands are totally free. It is so versatile too. I started buying them for all my friends and family that were pregnant but was spending a fortune on shipping. So now I just sell them. You can go to their website to find a local store or rep. www.mobywrap.com
Amy
[email protected]

 

[baianamomma]

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