Babywearing 101

Kevin & Brookie-Lee’s Adventures in Babywearing

We didn’t start baby wearing until our first child, was a toddler. We only had one child to look after and so we held him in our arms a lot. Once he was toddling we tried a pouch sling, a wrap, and a type of ring sling. We both preferred the wrap because of it’s comfort and versatility. The pouch was too confining and the type of ring sling that we had was cumbersome, heavily padded, and hard to adjust.

When our second son was born we tried the pouch sling again but I still didn’t like it even with my newborn baby. So I used the wrap for his infant stage. We got a mei tai for our older son and although it is more convenient to put on, it is not as comfortable and I tend to grab my wrap before my mei tai. Then when our second son turned about a year I decided that I was going to try a ring sling and find out why all my friends loved it so much. I went on a business trip and took our little one with me since he was still nursing. And the only carrier I took with me was the ring sling. I wore him for three days straight at that conference, I learned how to nurse, change positions, and function with it. And now I LOVE it! I did have to switch shoulders after the second day, but keep in mind I had a one year old in the sling for about 10 hours a day. When our second son was almost two I would still reach for the ring sling to wear him.

Brookie-Lee and newborn Tylea at the zoo 2009

With our daughter the ring sling was part of my daily attire. I no longer grabbed for my wraps unless we were going hiking or to the zoo. My ring sling was convenient to take on or off, to position baby, to transfer baby to a resting area, etc. It was great to nurse in and she was super content in there. It is really a great carrier. Once they get older, heavier, and wiggly I turn again to my wraps and SSC though.

Kevin on the other hand won’t touch my girly ring sling. He’s comfortable and confident in his stretchy wrap and won’t trade it for anything. There are times when I am planning on wearing our toddler for a longer period of time and I know that my ring sling won’t be as comfortable. So I use a sturdier wrap and love it as well.

I have really enjoyed the easy and convenience of the soft structured carrier with our daughter Tylea. It was slightly cooler than other options but with ours I could easily and quickly get my daughter on my back without help. It’s not as comfortable as a wrap but it’s not too far off. I find I grab for it as often as I grab for the wrap now. It just depends on the occasion.

Ring Slings