Sherry Davey
We babysat our 4 month old god son, Andrew, on Sunday. It's only been a few years since Lily required constant carrying but wow have baby slings come a long way! Now Lily was an enormous baby. She weighed 9.5 pounds at birth (born naturally by the way - hey drugs are natural - 17 stitches later thank you very much) and was 13 pounds by the end of her first month. I remember one of my aunts gave me a sling at my baby shower. She kept saying, "I first saw this in Guatemala, all the women down there use them." To which I replied, "Great, I'll remember that when I'm picking coffee beans in Brooklyn."
I always thought they looked a bit dodgy. The one my aunt gave me didn't look particularly strong enough to hold my little butter ball. It was like a sheet with a clip on it and the whole 'one clip' thing didn't thrill me safety wise. And quite honestly, our ΓΌber baby was so heavy I couldn't imagine the positioning of her weight being beneficial to my back. I also wasn't thrilled with the fact that slings looked like a lot of work. One minute it's a sheet with a clip the next it's a bandanna. I was never good at making beds I still can't get my corners to look like sails so how could I possibly handle the sheet thing every day. I'm sure there are millions of women who use them and the benefits they get from them are innumerable. Good, good for them. As we say in Brooklyn, "I'm just saying."
So when baby Andrew's mum gave me her baby sling to use because she loves it I was unimpressed. Until, I really checked it out. They come with pockets now!! Maybe they did 5 years ago but I'm not wasting time googling that history. She uses the Jelly Bean Cargo Sling. It has pockets for your blackberry, cell phone, diapers, wipes, keys, etc. All it needs is a place to keep your wine cool and your set to go but I don't think that's what the built-in internal bottle holder is for. The Jelly Bean sling is idiot proof too meaning it was easy for me. No assembly required, it's not a sheet it's kind of like a bag - like an exo-amniotic sack minus all that water. I'm joking people. I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of irate mums telling me how much they love their slings.
Just in case you do like the sheet/clip sling here's a site where you can puchase one to match your outfit: http://www.modmum.com/ Because it's never too early to accessorize your baby. Fashionista mums required.
The best thing about a baby sling to me is that they're closer to you so much closer than a stroller and all you have to do is drop your head to get a quick fix of that marvelous 'baby head smell'. Uuuugggh, that's the best drug out there.
Safety wise, slings have come a long way. So if you are considering using one here are a few warnings:
Do not bend over while your baby is in the sling, as baby could fall out. Squat instead.......DUH!
Do not leave the sling wrapped around an unattended baby.....one more DUH.
Fabric is not flame resistant. Do not wear the sling near open flames, including stoves....maybe they don't contain wine sacks for a reason. I could just see the headline: Drunk Mommy cooked dinner and baby.
Slings are not approved safety seats. Do not wear your baby in a moving vehicle......OMG. I guess some idiot did this in the past so it has to be said. Please tell me we've evolved as a species and are no longer doing this.
Do you use a sling for your baby? If so, tell us why, if not tell us as well........
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