Looking for the Best Babysling

Hi Melissa-- I love, LOVE, my Ergo baby carrier. I tried all kinds of other slings, Moby, etc, spent at least $300 on all of them. When I finally discovered the Ergo carrier, my son was already 8 months old, so I don't have first hand experience with using it with a really little baby. They do have an infant insert to use when they are newborn. All I can say is that I loved it from the minute I put it on, so comfy, and we still love it. My son was kind of fussy when he was little but he loved being in this carrier. And still loves it, and he's 15 months old now. Get one! You won't be sorry.

Used Nojo w/both of my kids.

With #1 and the first few months with #2 I used the Over the Shoulder Baby Holder http://www.babyholder.com/ Loved it but never really liked all the padding. Few months after #2 was born I got a Taylor Made ring sling http://www.taylormadeslings.com/ My friend was selling them at the time so I thought I'd try one. Loved it to bits!! I then bought a Maya Wrap at my local resale shop http://www.mayawrap.com/. When #3 was born I used the Maya Wrap & the Taylor Made until I found a hole in the material (it was well loved!). I just bought 2 mama hand made ring slings off of etsy http://www.etsy.com
I go between those and the Maya Wrap depending on which is in the wash and which is where I am. I keep them in the house and car so I always have one handy, never know which one is going to be where LOL I love ring slings! There light enough to not be too bad on hot days and you can put a jacket over one when it's cold. I nurse all the time in it- shopping, standing in line at Disneyland and on the rides, visiting at parties...you name it I've done it LOL
I've used the ring slings well into toddlerhood, well past the "recommended" weights with no problems.

I love 360bebe.com. She has great slings. I have several and used them with both of my kids. I even used them when they were 2 sometimes. It is one lady who makes them and they are great! She has really cool fabrics and is willing to make them out of any fabric you choose.

I have four kids -- all of them have been slung (is that grammatically correct?) :) -- even the twins! I lived by the Over The Shoulder Baby Holder, but it does have a bunch of extra fabric by the shoulder. My new fave is the Balboa Baby Sling. I know you can get them at www.onehotmamam.com -- because I own the store! We can barely keep 'em in stock. Not a lot of extra fabric, and there's a cool cell phone pocket to boot!

I love my Moby but it is lots of fabric! I get hot easily too but I find it very comfy. I don't like it for newborns, but the Ergo carrier is awesome! Good for being in the yard or out, its a front or back carrier and way way more comfy than a bjorn. I have a ring sling but never really got the hang of it.

We used a ring sling when our daughter was a baby ( I did nurse her in this on occasion) and a mei tai starting at around 6 mos.

I loved the Maya Wrap until my little guy was about 14 pounds. Then I started to ache a little bit. I was about to switch to my Bjorn (which my first lived in) when a friend let me try her Ergo. I wish I had it from the start. It is AWESOME. I can carry my 21lb baby all day and be totally comfortable. I literally walked around San Francisco for 7 hours a few weeks ago and I was fine. Be sure to get the infant insert and watch the video that comes with it.

My 2 suggestions now are Baby K'tan for when baby is tiny and Ergo for when baby gets bigger (around 5+ months).

I prefer the K'tan for when baby is tiny cause it seems cozy and soft for such a little one who just wants to snuggle with Mama. It is like 2 stretchy pouch slings, with a little loop to hold them together. So you get the 2-shouldered carry that you don't get with other pouches or ring-slings. You can do any sling carry AND any wrap carry (without having to wrap all that fabric around yourself). The pink one is on sale for October (breast cancer awareness month). www.babyktan.com

The Ergo is just awesome for older babies. The weight of the baby is distributed on both your shoulders plus both your hips. It is very comfy for you and baby. The baby sits in it, not dangling. You can get the infant insert for the Ergo and then use it from newborn up, and I know moms who like this (and prefer it to any slings), however, it just seemed bulky for me, and not as cozy for that tiny baby as the K'tan or a sling. If you like to hike, etc, an Ergo will be great for you to take baby along.

Good luck!

I loved the Maya Wrap! It wasn't too hot and the little one stayed secure while I chased #1 around on the playground. There was an added bonus when he was little that lots of people didn't know he was even in there! Good luck!

The Ergo. Nothing else compares to it, and you will be able to use it until your baby turns 2 at least, so you will get your money's worth. You can wear a child on the front or the back of your body and it's really easy to get a child in and out of it.

The trouble with ring slings and such is that all of the weight of the baby gets distributed to one side of your body. They are extremely fatiguing and painful, especially as the baby grows. This isn't such a big deal at first, but babies grow fast. The newborn stage is only 3 months.

I loved the Peanut Shell. http://www.thepeanutshell.com/

The material was way more comfortable that the Hotsling I had. My SIL loved the peanut shell slings too.

I'm going to suggest a baby carrier, not a sling. It's called Ergobaby. You can use it from infant stage to ... I don't know how old. I believe their Web site is http://ergobaby.com. To use it during the infant stage, pick up the infant insert. You can breast feed with baby in it and with the privacy cover, no one will be the wiser. It's made of fabric but it's not too hot. You can carry baby on your front, back and side with it. It has wonderful lumbar support and makes it easy to carry baby for hours without killing your shoulders.

It's truly the best carrier I've used and I carry my 10 month old (21 lbs) in it for hours while she sleeps. She's very comfortable in it though she does get hot with the privacy cover over her if it's a hot day. The strap system is extremely easy to use and takes just seconds to adjust from one person to the next. A sleeping baby doesn't get disturbed much when you're moving her out and into the crib.

Check it out, it's worth your time!

aloha,
S.

I used a couple that you may love. The new native as great around the house - my baby was very fussy, so she spent most of her naptimes in it. Light weight and easy to use. Also, easy to transfer to a crib or bassinet while they're sleeping.

For out and about (or even just active at home) I loved the ergo. (still do and my girl is 19 months old!) Get the infant insert and your baby can sleep happily for hours waking to feed in complete privacy. We would hike for 2-3 hours, she would sleep away and then wake to feed as I kept hiking then drift back again! And, once she hit 10-11 months, we switched her to the back and we still do those hikes (at 30 pounds).

Have fun! My slings helped me do so much and keep my baby close to me.