Infant Baby Slings - San Mateo, CA

What model of the Baby Bjorn do you have? My Baby Bjorn has the back lumbar support (it's like a t-shaped thing that runs along the tail bone area.) It helps a lot. I'm a bit short (5'2") so it doesn't place totally all the way down my lumbar, and that is a bummer. However, my taller friends who have this same model say it's very comfortable on their back. Her baby is 20 pounds. This model costs about $150 or more depending on where you get it.

Hi D.,
The Moby Wrap is great. My Hot Sling is o.k. but doesn't feel supportive enough (ordered by their size chart) so I constantly have a hand on baby. The Baby Bjorn also hurt my back and pressure on my shoulders. I have neither problem with Moby.
The Moby Wrap is basically a long piece of fabric, the Moby D has a reinforced panel of silk or another fabric that doesn't give. It can be wrapped in many different ways to carry baby in different positions and carries babies from preemie to toddler (toddlers go on your back like in a back pack). It looks a little tricky at first to put it on but once you do it it really becomes easy. The fabric spreads out accross your back so it spreads out the weight, I can carry my baby a long time without hurting. I've carried her in it since she was a few weeks old and now at 9 months she still loves it, I carry her in front facing out and also with the hip carry. My husband also carries her in the Moby. The Moby Wrap is about $39 and the Moby D about $59. Check out their website www.mobywrap.com - K.

HI D.,

The moby wrap is the best! I agree that at first it seems a bit daunting (it's a 12 ft. piece of fabric that you wrap around you), but after a few times, you memorize the wrap and it's a piece of cake! My husband has a really bad back and he can wear my son around without issue! There are a few different "holds" which is great (forward hold, an inward hold, a hip hold, a back hold). Certainly is one useful piece of fabric. They just came out with an organic cotton one - yippie!

Good luck!
T.

ERGO all the way. I have every sling because my son grew soo fast! He only fit bjorn for the first 2 months, and then we tried everything (short of a hiking pack). I like the moby wrap because he can face forward on his Dad, and baby likes to look out. Only thing is it can be a hassle to wrap around when in a hurry or in get dirty on ends.
I love the ergo because it is two clicks and they are in. My son loves being in it, and his big body fits. If your baby is smaller (or shall I say normal) you can nurse her in it too.
so I vote for the Ergo with the runner up of the Moby.
Good Luck!

the ERGO was a life saver for me when the bjorn was also hurting my back. i wish i had never used the bjorn and had the ergo right away. they have an infant insert to. you can wear them on the front and once your child is big enough you can put them on your back which is by far the most comfortable...i LOVE the ergo. i found a used one on craigslist. they run about $90 new and i got mine for $50. i see them on there all the time. good luck!

http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/

My son just turned 1 & my daughter is almost 3, so 9 months ago I was in your same situation. I used a sling called the "over the shoulder baby older". I really liked it because it has a deep pocket & I would use it as a kangaroo pouch (baby sitting indian style facing forward). Comfortable & very cute! Once he got a little bigger I started using the ergo, which I love! Very comfortable & the baby can ride in front or on back. It is kinda expensive, but well worth the money especially if you use it every day!

Can't rave enough about the Ergo Baby Carrier...check out their website: www.ergocarrier.com. It's a front pack/side pack/back pack all in one. I carried my daughter until she was 2 on my back with no back problems whatsoever.

moby wraps i have one and love it i used it for my first child and will for the next i also had 2 other things one looked like you where caring a bag the other was your more commen frunt backpack stile here is the www link to check out the moby wrap i think it is the best you only have one thing to put on and can carey them many ways like in frunt on your side on your back nursing ex
http://www.lastellablu.com/shop.php?useraction=main&c...

I have far more slings than I should if you ask my husband. There are so many types out there that it can be hard to know which one is best.
My favorites are the hotsling & peanut shell for quick trips, for naptimes I love my mai tai & hug-a-bub (similar to the moby wrap), and the Ergo is great for longer trips and can be used for front and back carries. The Bjorn is a bad sling in general both for mom and the baby - as you can tell by most of the posts it is uncomfortable on the adult and it can cause hip and spine problems for the child due to the way the legs simply hang and such.
I don't know where you are located (I'm in San Jose), but there is a group that I am part of that is dedicated to babywearing and you can go to the monthly meetings to learn about different styles and even try some on to see if they work for you and your baby, they also have a Yahoo group so you can ask any questions you may have about slings in between meetings. They have a group that meets in the South Bay (Sunnyvale) and another that meets in the East Bay (Berkeley). Here is the link to the main page and you can request to join it to be able to send and read messages - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BayAreaBabywearers/
If I had to pick a favorite overall, it would be a wrap. They do have a bit of a learning curve but also have a ton more versatility than many of the others (they can also cost a bit more too, I'm trying to justify $175 to get the wrap I really want now). My son is also 21 months and I have worn him since he was about 2 months old, he loves it!

I love my Hot Sling, and they hold baby all the way up to 35 pounds. Even better, they are NOT one size fits all. They have 7 different sizes. (just a friendly tip - avoid the solid black, as every little speck of lint shows up on it.) Check on ebay. You can find new ones there (still in the box).

a) pilates. You can get a DVD from Target, and I like that windsor pilates series. Lots of floor work. VERY good for back and belly strengthening.

b) I have so many slings, I can't begin to tell you. I tried a mei tai, a custom made native sling, a mayan metal loop sling, even the full wrap kind made with jersey (I seriously do not recommend that one since it stretches like mad while you are wearing it.)

What do I like most? a very basic native sling, it's sized medium (I am a 12/14). The other one I had custom made was ridiculously big. I wish I had known to just go try one on first or knew how to sew so I could have remedied the first situation, but the second native sling was actually much better quality than the first.
here is a pic of it in use on a 1+ mile hike: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1416/1198490841_95ffecfbd7...
note how the sling is adjusted for a toddler to distribute weight over the shoulder. It's actually folded into a sort of hip seat for my daughter.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1215/1199332342_eb4544a224...
not the best view of the sling itself, but the subtle fold in front is the key to comfortable toddler wearing.

I don't have any pics of this sling in action as an infant or using it to breastfeed or shop, but I was able to do all of these. You can adjust the sling in a lot of ways. The looser it is, the more you can move that sucker around to the back, or on the hip. If the kid's bottom is in the "pocket", and the sling is adjusted to your own comfort zone (practice with the kid in the sling), you will have near full mobility.

The only thing I didn't like on that hike was the fact that my left hip took a beating with the weight carried mainly on that side. She got tired early on and it just wiped me out to carry her the rest of the way. It would be worse now, she gained a couple of pounds since last August. We recently got a kelty for hiking seriously, but the sling is still awesome for dog park, neighborhood walks, farmer's market, and even a quick blanket for the car.

If you are in Sacramento, you can stop by MoonFaeries, the MSN store, where SAHM's make the slings and you can try them on and someone with knowledge about the fit can help you figure it all out. That's where I bought mine 2+ years ago, and it's the best carrier I've owned.

I also just checked out the link for the ergo carrier, and that looks rad for light hiking and shopping too. I now covet that. 92 bucks seems steep though since that sling I bought in Sacramento was only about $20 and supported a local mom.