Mini Monkey sling?

[TeniBear]

Hi ladies I was finally able to go shopping with my mum today, and I explained to her that I'm going to be using a sling to carry Smudge around - she'd actually never heard of the idea but once I showed her a "tester" bubba moe, she was sold. I kinda had my heart set on a Baba Sling (which obviously the shop didn't have), but then we noticed one called "minimonkey" - It looks like the stock standard sling, but the name! My mum's obsessed with both minis (cars) and monkeys. It was like fate. But I know better than to just go off the brand's name, and I'm asking you all. Has anyone tried them, and are they any good? There wasn't a sample one we could try in-store.

I think they look pretty good, and their website is well set up. But being my first sling I'm not sure what I should be looking for in their sales pitch. I just know the colours are pretty

[TeniBear]

I think I'll go buy it anyway, if no-one else has tried one, I can be the BB pioneer

[suse]

Sorry if this is coming in a bit late - but I would suggest trying it first if you can (even you don't have a bub yet to try it with).

One thing with any buckle sling is that they have quite limited adjustment capabilities because they have a closed tail, this particularly impacts on petite wearers as they rarely can be tightened enough. When the sling is too loose, the baby is not sitting as close to the wearer as they should, and this causes drag, usually on the shoulders. It also means that they will sit too low in the sling, again causing discomfort for the wearer. However, in a cradle carry (where baby is lying down), this can have very serious implications if the pouch of the sling is too deep - positional asphyxia can result if baby has a curved spine with their chin against their chest, and/or very deep inside the pouch of a heavily padded sling with inadequate airflow. (ETA: although this is unlikely with an awareness of correct positioning and of your baby's breathing)

Correct positioning and monitoring of your baby is something you should do in any carrier, but is rarely an issue with ring slings or pouches as they do not have a deep enough pouch and in the case of ring slings, can be adjusted to easily accommodate correct positioning. But as the buckle slings may not always be adjusted adequately enough, extra care needs to be taken to ensure that the baby is positioned correctly.

Another thing with buckle slings is that unlike a ring sling, the rails (outer edges of the sling) cannot be independently adjusted to the body. Why is this important? When the top rail in particularly cannot be made tight enough to bring your baby's upper body close to you in an upright carry, they are able to lean easily, mostly causing discomfort for the wearer, and also meaning that you have to use one of your supposedly hands-free hands to support them.

One other thing I would specifically look out for with the mini-monkey is adequate support - the back strap is very very narrow, which will mean that all of the baby's weight is on your shoulder. A ring sling's fabric can be spread evenly across one's back, distributing the weight evenly.

[entreat]

I'll be getting one for DH. I can't see him tying the hugabub & deciding it's all too complicated. I told him this & he was stoked. I showed him the Mini Monkey & he thought it looked about his skill level.

[Indadhanu]

I don't like buckle slings for the exact reasons suse gave...
You can't tighten the rails independantly.
I have used our ring sling (Bear Hug Baby) since Jazz was a newborn, about 4kg, breastfed her in it, carried her laying, sleeping, sitting on my hip, tummy to tummy... I still carry Jazz in our ring sling, on my hip. I did it yesterday actually, and she's 14kg. Still works great, strong as ever, Jazz loves it, I love it, everyone is happy

I know I couldn't do that in a buckle sling. They SAY you can, but I did try one at a baby store a few months ago and it just didn't work.
I also hated the way it sat on my shoulder and into my neck. The ring sling goes down over my shoulder and arm, which I love as the weight is spread and I don't get any digging or neck pain. Just look at any pics (I just googled 'mini monkey sling' and every pic I see the sling is digging into the persons neck, or just about to! OUCH!).

[melbrodhi]

i was at a baby shop today and actually tried a mini monkey sling with my 6 week old DD in it. the sling part was HUGE and she was completely lost in it and HATED it, screamed until i took her out. theres alot of fabric and it wasnt that comfortable. i wouldnt recommend it for a newborn, maybe an older baby.

[TeniBear]

Okay, seriously old thread revival alert here

I HATED the Baba Sling I ended up buying for Ianto (and obviously ended up having to wait another year for Amelia to try). I've gone back, and I tried the minimonkey when they got a tester in, but it wasn't very good either. I love my Hug A Bubs, mildly like my Ergo, loooooove my ring slings, and adore my Manduca. Everyone in here was right, slings and buckles don't go well together. Padded rails are weird.


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[entreat]

Oh - update from me: I bought a Mini Monkey. Hated it. With a passion. Jack never sat right in it & would slide down into a munted little ball of a baby. I used it less than 5 times. DH hated it too.

What I DID love was, in the beginning, my HAB - they are a must for winter babies. Then my Storch - back-wearing is awesome! And loved the hip carry positions too. Then my Ergo - uncomplicated, safe, easy, sturdy, and all kinds of awesome. Those three are my trifecta for any future babies.