Advice on purchasing a sling???

Hi all,

Hubby and I only have the one car at the moment which he needs for work - as such it's highly likely that I will be catching public transport around a lot of the time.

As our pram is HUGE and I'm dreading the thought of lugging it on the bus all the time with a newborn, so I'm looking to buy a comfortable sling to use instead (or for the majority of the time anyways).

Anyone have any advice on what sling to buy for prolonged use (ie walking around the shops for hours etc etc - hee hee am I optomistic or what to imagine I'll have the time for that :cryinglaugh: ) that's not going to turn me into a hunchback?

i had a Hug a BUB for when DD was tiny and i found it great, really comfortable, great for her to sleep in when out. But i admit a little fiddly to put on. I also had an over one sholder sling, but that was too uncomfortable and made which ever side i was carrying her on ache.
I still use the HAB a bit (DD 11 months) but mainly use my ERGO. I would recommend a soft structured carrier like an Ergo. There are a few different brands around. The beauty of them is that as bub gets older you can carry them on your back. They also distribute weight over your hips as well as your shoulders so you are not carrying all the weight just on your shoulders.

JMO- i have heard people say they find the ERGO uncomfortable, not me though!

I have an ergo which is comfy to wear but I find it very fiddley to get on and off alone.
I also have a baba sling which i bought so that i could put it on easily alone, i do find after a while it hurts my sholder that it is over.

Be careful of those front pouch holders and spine compression in babies. They can also really pull on your shoulders. I didn't like the Baby Bjorn, lasted a couple of months and my back couldn't take it, got a HAB and loved it, lasted 12 months :) Easy to wash/clean, if you dont like it you can send it back and supports an Aussie business.

Thanks guys!!

Been doing some Googling on your suggestions so am feeling a bit more educated!! There's so much stuff to buy for Baby #1 and it's great to have some feedback so thank you, thank you, thank you!!

What do you want to use it for? For a newborn? For newborn til 2 or 3 or just for the first few months? Is it important to have more than one position (eg, facing out, or on back)? How important is looks? Will it just be you wearing it, or will your partner wear it too?

Keep in mind that if you like the Ergo, you'll need an infant insert for it. You won't need an insert for something like the Pikkolo, but that has its pros and cons depending on your body size I'm finding. Those two are both SSC's (soft structured carriers). There are also Mei Tais (my personal fave), Ring Slings, Pouches, Wraps (like the Hug-a-bub, and you can also get firmer ones).

If you find you're not getting enough answers/info, maybe post a link to this thread in the Babywearing section, to catch the attention of more people who already use baby carriers. :)

I've got a moby wrap (like a hug a bub, but cheaper!) and a pouch sling (a slingling), and I love both. The wrap is great for carrying for a long time, very comfy and secure, good on the back, etc. Downside is it takes a bit to put on, especially if you are outside and it will be dragging in the dirt while you tie it. The pouch is very quick and easy to put on for a shorter carry - grabbing some groceries, or whatever. It's not as supportive or easy on the back, but just lovely for short-term. I looked at hotslings, and the comfy joey pouch as well - also very nice.
Try looking at theslingdirectory online. (all one word, with the usual beginning and end. ;))

Cricket - thanks for the link - will spend some time researching!!!

just wanted to second what falguni said- if you can afford to get two- and remember, both these slings have a high re-sell value on ebay, then i would get the hab for up to approx 4 months, then the ergo. we have done exactly this and have never looked back. they're both great carriers. the hab was a life-saver when ds was a newborn, and i take the ergo everywhere now.

I have somehow ended up with 6 different types of carriers and the best one by far is the Ergo. I have two slings and I use them for quick trips but they really hurt my shoulder if worn for very long and DD hated them when she was a newborn ( now almost 5 months). I held off getting the Ergo but really wish I had got it when she was first born as it is soooooo comfortable to wear and you can use it up to 18 kg so you get good use out of it. I had two different types of front carriers and they both really hurt me across the shoulders although DD found them really comforatble ( I think) which is why I ended up getting the ergo as it was meant to be really comfy for mums - and it is :) They are on sale at the moment at Babes In Arms (website) - normally $159 plus postage but I got mine for $127 including postage.( only one colour choice though).

I love my ellaroo. i used from the time she was just a wee newborn (born 2.7kgs or 6lbs...) and at 1 year old we are still going strong. at first we wore it on the front with her tucked up like a frog facing towards me (many ppl didnt even know she was in there LOL!), then as she got head control we moved her to sitting in the front looking out, then we moved to the side, where we still are. soon we can throw her on the back.

also have the ergo, and love it. but i do like the fact that my sling tucks away into my bag. and being a ring sling my DH can also use it without mucking up strap length etc....

HTH:)

thanks everyone...it seems that the general consensus is that the ergo is the winner - will have to check this out - am thinking of waiting until bubs is actually born so that i can physically try the carrier with him/her in it, so i still have a bit of time to do my research!

Kelly you mentioned not liking Baby Bjorn because of the spinal issue with babies - they claim to be great for supporting bubs so now I'm confused and was only last night looking at the new EXPENSIVE Baby Bjorn Synergy which is over $200.

Clearly I don't want to buy this if it's bad for the baby!

Any knowledge anyone?

With regard to the Baby bjorn I think because the baby hangs from its crutch it can cause spine compression. I think there is a link to the article in the baby wearing section. I have heard of people asking different specialists their opinion and they say it's ok, personally I would prefer not to risk it. I was given one from my SIL old style and I used it a few times when shopping as it was easier to get on than my wrap and "looked better' but when bub was not quite 5kg it almost broke my shoulders. I think I put bub in the wrap wrong though as I didn't tuck bubs legs up frogs style, still had him hanging but it was a lot wider and was supportive. It was so snuggly and fabulous for a colickiy bub.

I used a wrap carrier for the first 3months and it was fabulous. I made it myself, I purchased 5m of jersey (t-shirt material) from spotlight and had enough to make 2or 3 carriers. I only made one though, should have made more as when bub is all tucked up the nappy is compressed and we had a few blowouts:o. I liked how I could put it in the bottom of the pram and if I needed it it was there and it didn't take up much room. All up it cost me about $25. I didn't want to pay lots of money to find I didn't like it or it wasn't used and really it was so simple to make. Measure and cut material. I didn't hem it, it didn't need it and I didn't bother with a pocket.

I now have a pikkolo, plain black. Personally I think they look better than the babybjorn and funkier looking than the Ergo (Ergo has more accesories though). I got the plain black but there are some really funky designs. I wish I had got the jet but I figured DH would never wear it then, although he hasn't used it yet. I am normally about a size 12, am 12-14 at the moment I find it fits well on me and I like how I have the option of many different carries. I have only used FFI (front facing in so far) but may venture to the others soon. Today my DS was leaning back a bit but it was ok, he is quite tall too. I think about 68cm, and about 8kg. I love that we can see each other close up and talk and have lots of kisses. It folds flat, is a bit bulky in the bag but still quite small compared to a BB, unless you took it apart which would be fiddly.

I bought mine from Mel at Wrigglebots and she was fantastic to deal with. She is a BB market place member too.

I went to babies galore and tried on a whole bunch. We decided on the Bubba Moe as it fit us best. We found alot of the slings and pouches strangled us lol.

I also love the 100knot sling but it was a bit $$$ so we thought we would give bubba moe a go