Troubleshooting Tips for Ring Slings

I found this awesome website with tips on troubleshooting problems with ring slings and it has pictures! Hope it helps!

http://zolowear.com/WearingTroubleshooting.aspx

Semi-FFO

This link shows how to put baby in a semi-forward facing out position using a ring sling, such as the Maya. Very helpful, since a picture is worth a thousand words!

http://www.thebabywearer.com/articles/HowToO/SRNewborn.htm

Baby Carrier - Hot Sling & Ring Sling

I have been dabbling in making some simple baby carriers. I can sew, decently, so these are all pretty easy patterns to follow.

Here is one that is similar to a Hot Sling:
http://www.ida.net/users/stace/sling.html

This is a discussion board that I thought had some helpful information for a beginner:
http://www.mothering.com/community/t/528506/can-i-make-my-own-hotsling

And here is a link for a ring sling pattern:
http://www.mayawrap.com/n_sewsling.php
The background doesn't go with the text font very well, so its a little difficult to read, but good instructions.

Here is where I purchased my rings for the ring sling:
http://www.slingrings.com/index.php
These rings are very affordable and quality rings - metal or acrylic

To give you an idea on cost, I paid $9 for my rings (but I accidentally bought two sets, so it would have been just under $5... only order ONE from slingrings.com - their wording is a tad confusing) and I had the fabric on hand. You need about 2 yards of fabric for the ring sling. It only requires being able to sew a straight line so its pretty easy. I usually find my cotton fabric at Joann's or Hobby Lobby and use a coupon to get it for about $2-5/yard.

The hot sling-type, I also had extra fabric on hand so it didn't cost me anything. I would guess you would need about a half a yard, one yard, max. So, that would still be pretty inexpensive. Its pretty much just sewing a straight line - pretty easy, even for a novice like me.

I'll try to add pictures later, once baby is awake and can model for me. ;)

The Big Latch-On Experience

There was a pretty good turn-out. I'm guessing about 50 people came to support the Big Latch-On event in support of breastfeeding awareness. It was hosted by the North DFW Baby Wearers group, so there were lots of babies in carriers.



It was fun to get together and support something I feel so strongly about. Channel 5 news showed up ( a little late, but hey, at least they were reporting on the event!) and the mall "authorities" refused to let us organize in a public area, so the event was held downstairs in a sort of bunker-type room... Oh well. We tried, right? Maybe next time it'll actually take place in a public area to bring more awareness. :)

Great Slings

I thought I'd just share some great slings if you're looking for a good one for wearing your little one. My favorites are the Maya Wrap, Sleeping Baby Productions and Comfy Joey. Sleeping Baby Productions has the most affordable options, just FYI.

Sleeping Baby Productions: http://www.sleepingbaby.net/basics.php

Maya Wrap: https://www.mayawrap.com/oasiscrm/shopping.asp?Directive=ItemList&Parent=Baby&Category=RS

Comfy Joey: http://www.comfyjoey.com/catalog.php?category=40

A friend of mine has a Maya wrap and it is GREAT to use in a hip carry. LOVED IT!

Wraps/Slings are also really good to use with newborns. The Sleeping Baby Productions link has a link to some great information at the top of their page, on wearing baby safely. I recommend taking a look at it.

Happy shopping & babywearing!

RENT a baby carrier to see if you like it :o)

There are SO many options out there for baby carriers. Some are better than others. Then there are many great choices, but it just comes down to personal preference... Are you tall? thin? have an older baby? more than one child? need versatility? need something easy and quick to use?

There is no "magic" baby carrier that works for everyone, all the time, in my humble opinion. But there are some carriers that work better for some and in certain situations. You may find that as baby grows, your preference changes.

If budget is important (I know for me, it is!) then there are some great tools to help with carrier purchases to keep cost lower.

1) See if you can borrow from a friend that has a carrier you like. Maybe they will even sell it to you for a lower price, since its used, or you could kinda "rent" from them for a small amount of money.

2) Look on Craigslist or other on-line sites for used carriers. Most carriers are washable and hold up well after lots of use so even if its been used for one or two babies, it likely still has lots of life left in it. You can usually save more than 50% this way.

3) Try renting a carrier before you commit to buying. That way you know you like it (or don't like it) before you are out the money. Good carriers usually cost between $50-150 (some a little more, some a little less) so it helps to be SURE you like it. GRANOLA BABIES is a great website that allows you to rent a carrier for $10 (the cost of shipping) with a deposit. Once you return the carrier, after trying it out, the deposit becomes an in store credit you can use towards any carrier. HEAVENLY HOLDS is another website that lets you rent before you commit.

4) For simple carriers, you can find templates on-line to make your own! If you are pretty good at sewing, you can make a wrap or sling type carrier, usually for less than $25.

5) Check out on-line stores like Zulily or Babyhalfoff to find great discounted deals on lots of baby stuff. Sales change daily and are limited. Many times there will be deep discounts on versions that are being discontinued. This may mean major or minor changes to the product... just depends.


It can be overwhelming trying to find the right thing at the right price. Try to be patient and ask lots of questions.

I've also found that great support websites help where you can talk to other Moms who have tried the carrier you're interested in and can answer questions. TheBabyWearer.com is a great resource as is Diaperswappers.com with a forum devoted just to baby wearing.

Good luck! I hope this helps!

Baby Wearing - GREAT INFO!!!

I just found this awesome website by a really neat lady named Kristi and it has TONS of great info on baby wearing.

She shares tips, tricks, and safety info. She also tells you which carriers are great and which ones should be avoided (like the plague!) and she gives good reviews. I seriously can't say enough great things about this website. Go check it out for yourself!

http://betterbabywearing.blogspot.com/2010/03/babyweaing-overload.html

I also learned quite a bit about wearing baby safely. Not all carriers are designed well and may be harmful to baby's spine. I had no idea...

Here is some more info on that: http://www.sleepywrap.com/2008/11/ha...t-in-carriers/

And here is more on baby wearing safety for baby: http://www.continuum-concept.org/rea...nalStress.html

From the blog post (at the top) I learned that the Infantino and Bjorn brands have a narrow seat that puts baby in an unsafe position and is not good for their little developing spine. I obviously didn't know that and used an infantino when Colin was just a newbie...

(I think he was about 3 weeks in this picture)

I also have the Moby Wrap, which is a safe wrap style carrier that is great for use with tiny newborns, from 8 to 35 lbs

(This is Colin at 5 weeks in the Moby - He loved it and would usually fall asleep in it! He still loves it, even now!)

(This is Colin in the Moby, under my coat, at 3.5 months)

Oh, and be careful about buying baby carriers that are "homemade" or from ETSY shops/Ebay. I'm not trying to say anything bad about ETSY - I love it and have found lots of great things there - you just have to be careful about buying something that will be holding your baby... it needs to be made REALLY well and there are safety designs that not all makers follow. Just FYI.

Good luck and happy baby wearing!!!