Slings

So all you baby wearing mamas, do you have a favorite sling? Can you tell me about it? I am torn between the Moby and the Hotslings....

What do you think?

 

Never tried the Hotsling but I love the Moby wrap! We don't use it so much anymore but it was a godsend in those early months when the babies were really fussy. Being in the Moby instantly calmed them down.

 

I have a hotsling, and I LOVE it. I used it with my first and he loved it. My twins love it too.

 

I used a wraparound almost exclusively for the first months, more fiddling than a sling to put on, but my babies preferred it as it adjusted completely to their bodies and to mine and held them very securely. I used it for fussing evenings (the calmer one in the wraparound and the fussier one in my arms), for getting some household chores done and for walks (DH carried and still carries the other one in a Manduca). I love the wraparound
- because there are so many ways of tying it and carrying the babies (cradle for the newborns, in front, on the back, on the hips for the older ones),
- because you can even carry two in it - I never tried though before they both had good head control, but I still take them both for a pre-nap winding down walk that way most days,
- because it is also a great nursing cover when I am out and about, or a blanket for an impromptu nap or stop in the park,
- because it is easy to fold and take with me in the diaper bag and
- because it is easy to wash.
I only started using an unpadded ring sling later and for shorter carrying times. The babies loved it once they were older and still do at nearly 14 months, but felt insecure in the sling until at least 8 or 9 months.

 

Just FYI, Hotslings has gone out of business, so they may be harder to get now.

 

I just loooove wearing my kiddos -- it's such a wonderful thing. Keeps them close and happy, lets you get stuff gone. Good decision to try it out!

I love my Moby, but I find it's mostly useful for the first few months. It's very stretchy, so as they get bigger, they sag and it's less comfortable.

A sling (like hotslings, or there are tons of others) is great because you can transition to the hip carry position easier. (You can technically do this with a Moby, but I've only known one person who was successful and liked it.) I have two fitted slings from www.slinglings.com and they are priceless. I can't tell you how many people have come up to me at the store and asked where I got it, because it was so easy to pop my son in and out on errands. Of course he was only a singleton, but still...

I suggest joining www.thebabywearer.com. They have a great FSOT (For Sale or Trade) forum where you can find used carriers, then you can get both.