OH just woke me to inform me we wont be using our sling for bubba.............

[LankyDoodle]

Scaremongering and blanket labelling. Sling is used here to describe any kind of object used to babywear; it does not account for the various other types of sling and wrap which, IMO, are actually probably a lot comfier for the wearer than the one shown in the article, if nothing else. I'm toying with the idea of a mobi wrap at the moment and my baby certainly will not be suffocating in that!

 

[babybel]

Thanks for all your opinion ladies, I used a babybjorn with my son and was fine, when I say sling I mean to carrier things that actually look like an arm sling, like the babasling and infantino sling rider. Think if they are upright the neck to chest thing isnt really a problem, but with the other ones it could be. x

 

[LankyDoodle]

Yes, I'd favour upright over the type shown in the article.

 

[Sunflowers]

We used a wrap sling with jocelyn every single day until she was 11 months and we moved on to a mei-tai type sling. She wasn't ever curled up or scrunched up in there like she would be with a pouch/ring/bag sling so I will have no hesitiation in using it again for lowenna-bump! We loved wearing her in a sling, I was gutted when I got too pg to carry her anymore when she was 16 months (and a hefty 28lbs too so hardly light!) and hope to carry this one for at least the same length of time!

 

[Pixie81]

Personally I don't like them and think they look horrible. I also don't agree with carrying a baby around the whole time as surely it'll get clingy and won't want to put down?

 

[Gingerspice]

We plan to use a wrap sling. These are more flexible than the 'ready made' type ones which I do think can be worn incorrectly and I personally wouldn't use them. The wrap style have different positions for different ages and you only have to go on youtube to find different wrapping and tying methods for different positions for baby.
We wouldn't have them in it all the time, but they are fab for keeping hands free. Plus some friends of ours often have dad wearing the sling so really allows them bonding time with the child. They're especially good when you have a toodler etc as you can carry baby but still hold hands/do up coats/put on wellies etc.

I honestly think that article is causing more hurt than help, but as with anything, if you're uncomfortable with using something, or its not for you, then don't use one.

 

[LogansMama]

I have gotten the moby wrap. Haven't tried it yet - but can't wait to!

I used the baby bjorn with my ds for a SHORT time - but it was uncomfortable and hurt my shoulders and back. I think the way it fit me was bad - plus I started when he was a little bit heavier...

BUT...

PIXIE - The reason I never opted to "baby wear" with DS was your reasoning exactly - until I found myself with a clingy baby anyways. I could hardly put him down without him crying, so it made it very hard to get anything done! Once I started wearing him in the bjorn - I was able to do a lot more... He was happy and content, and I could do my dishes or whatnot at that same time! My point it - babies don't "get clingy" because you wear them or hold them too much! ... some are just clingy and some are not!

 

[Laughing Girl]

The Daily Mail makes my blood boil - it is a scaremongering, bigoted paper with Dickensian points of view. I would never give a thing it publishes the time of day. Ignore it.

 

[Sunflowers]

Pixie - no, the research bears out otherwise actually, and certainly jocelyn isn't clingy in the slightest!! Baby wearing makes sense to me - a baby spends the first 9 months of it's life curled up in a warm, safe environment, being rocked and soothed by the movement of the mother and comforted by the sound of her heart. When she's born though, western society expects her to feed to a routine she has no knowledge to follow, sleep to a routine likewise and spend most of her time in a Moses basket/playgym alone. It absolutely makes nonsense to me why just because an umbilical cord is cut we then expect that baby to not have the kind of contact baby wearing suggests in case they become clingy - they're not born as an independent toddler but as a small, vulnerable baby who needs nuturing and love! Not saying that people who don't babywear don't nuture or love their babies before I get jumped on but I genuinely don't get the whole spoiling a baby by picking them up or wearing them makes them clingy etc etc!

 

[Minstermind]

It's not possible to spoil a baby under a year old, in my opinion. I agree with your own assessment Sunflowers. It's a pretty short period of time and then soon enough they're off running about and playing, secure in the knowledge of safety they've experienced in their infancy. Just my opinion! I'm sure there's been threads on here devoted to such matters and they can be controversial as different people have different stories to tell about their own babies, and the philosophies towards rearing that they believe in or adopt as a result of their own experiences. I'm open-minded that all babies are different and some may not respond well to either babywearing methods or conversely, to being left down a lot....we all do be the best we can with the knowledge we have in the end, so respect and kudos to all parents for that, regardless their choices. I personally just resonate more with the babywearing philosophy as it worked quite well with my son and he wasn't clingy at all.

 

[JessiHD]

Daily Mail = scaremongering. ALWAYS.

 

[Fiestagal]

It's the bag type slings that are a problem :

https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35782340/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/

I use a Moby wrap and love it, I'd didn't think I'd use it as much when I first ordered it but it was definately a good buy. I used it lots when Christmas shopping - didn't want the hassle of a pushchair in the crowds. I now use it when out dog walking, or on the school run.

The instructions for Moby mention safety checks anyway when using the newborn positioning.

 

[LogansMama]

I had never seen the bag-type sling before - like the one in the picture! That thing does look like an accident waiting to happen!

 

[Minstermind]

That's somewhat similar to the one I WAS going to get before I read about the warnings...though mine looked a bit safer than the one pictured in the article..I was going to get a baba sling type one. Going for the Mei Tei now!