[Charles Baudelaire]

Hey, I was wondering...I once had a Maya Wrap and hated the burlapy, coarse fabric and so did my baby. The Mamababy sling they're making now, with the interlock fabric, seems like it would be a lot better.

Opinons? How did it work for a newborn??? Did they sink to the bottom and get lost??

 

[accountclosed6]

I've got a Mayawrap RS and a MamaBaby RS--they are really totally different. The Maya is what I consider to be my workhorse RS. It did soften up quite a bit with washes and use- it will probably never be *fluffy*, but it definitely gets better than fresh out of the package.

The MamaBaby is really designed to be used as a set of 2- it is more pouch-like or wannabe wrap than a RS, even though it has rings. Using 2 at once is the best way to use it. I find the Maya to be MUCH easier to adjust- the MamaBaby seems to get very stuffed around the rings- it almost seems like too much material for the rings. I think I must have one of the very first batches of MamaBaby because mine has plastic rings, and their website says they have aluminum rings now. Honestly, I don't love my MamaBaby, although I use it for demos to compare the difference between a stretchy and nonstretchy RS.

If I had to pick between the 2 as ring slings, I would definitely choose the Mayawrap RS- I think the MamaBaby is trying to have the benefits of a wrap, but in my opinion it is more work to put on 2 ring slings than to just use a wrap (but wraps are my very favorite, so I'm biased!).

I haven't used the MamaBaby with a newborn, but I would imagine that it would be very useable since it is so stretchy. HTH!

 

[jenrose]

It was actually designed for use with newborns, and works best in high, snug carries. Personally, I'm wrap challenged... or rather, wrap annoyed. My apple-shaped body means that most wraps end up around my knees when I take the baby out, and I'm not patient with re-wrapping. So with the MB system I would put them on and then pop baby in and out all day long. I can do that now with a stretchy wrap, but still find that it gets in the way more *for me*. YMMV.

There are some "switcharoos" that you can do with the MB system that I never have managed with a wrap, that are more typical of ring slings... quick switches from front to back, for example, easy drops for nursing, that kind of thing. I do believe the new rings make them more adjustable--they're slightly larger and aluminum. But mostly I found that I could just grab tail and yank to get them adjusted--the stretch meant less fuss, so having it tighter in the rings didn't matter.

That said... with my current baby I rarely use the MB system. She is a low-tone back archer, and the combination sent me scrambling for mei tais for more security and resistantance to arching. The MB system works better with babies who like to snuggle, tend to prefer the upright position and for mamas who change positions a lot. My foster son was in prototypes *all the time* from birth, usually either tummy-to-tummy on my chest or high on my shoulder.

As a single sling, it's better for people who have "texture issues" with homespun type fabrics. The interlock is super soft, the shoulder has no pressure points but spreads a lot. Not my first choice for ginormous 10 month olds, but near the top of the list for newborns and small babies, and works quite well for older hip sitters who do some of the work for you and don't just hang like a sack of wet grain.

The MB was *not* designed specifically for cradle holds, but can be used that way. Mostly the system was designed for my philosophy of wearing, that is, that the carrier should adapt to you, not the other way around. I can mimic most in-arms holds with a pair of MamaBaby slings.

That said, I can do a lot of the same tricks with an old, nonadjustable Maya Pouch and a maya ring slings with a shoulder redo to the mamababy style (and purple aluminum slingrings...

)

For me, the Maya is more a going out of the house sort of carrier, while the mamababy is definitely like the t-shirt of my carrier wardrobe.

 

[Charles Baudelaire]

Does anyone know of a ring sling *like* the Maya, but with softer material (non-stretchy)??

 

[cassiemommy]

I don't have an answer to your 2nd question, but the MB is awesome with a NB. I was intimidated by wraps at first, but after I got used to the MB and popping the baby in and out of it, wraps were that much easier to learn.

 

[clovergirl]

now see, i love my mamababy as a single sling. and i have 3 friends who do too. it was my workhorse carrier from 4mo until i stopped wearing DD#2 a few months back. i loved that the shoulder didn't cause any hot spots (like the original maya did to me) and how the stretch didn't make me feel claustrophobic when wearing it (which again, the maya wrap did, it just always felt tight and constricting).
i never did get the hang of using it two at a time. i much prefered wrapping if i wanted to have DD in those types of holds. i also never really had an issue with adjusting it... though mine was really well loved.

 

[accountclosed6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charles Baudelaire Does anyone know of a ring sling *like* the Maya, but with softer material (non-stretchy)??

One option is to get a Didy wrap ringslingified- something like an indio or NINO Didy makes a super soft and cushy ring sling, and from the mamas I've heard from who have one, it is their most favorite and most comfortable ring sling. There are a few mamas who slingify wraps, the one I hear about most often is Jan at Sleeping Baby Productions www.sleepingbaby.net I really like her shoulder design for the rings- it looks very comfy.

You could really take any wrap you like the material of and have it slingified. Many people will share the cost of a large wrap and have it split into 2 ring slings. That might be an option for you if cost is a factor.

I've been wanting to get one of my wraps slingified, but I can't decide which one I'm willing to part with as a wrap!

 

[jenrose]

If you like the MamaBaby shoulder, sling me mommy is the same concept. Jamie also does a lot of slingifications, I believe, and a lot of maya redos.