Sling Daddy

I got my first issue of Mothering Magazine yesterday and it contained a detailed article on babywearing. The cover pictured a father wearing a sling so Curt decided to try it out. We need to perfect the adjustments, but it looks good on him and Ian really does love the Kangaroo Carry.

I really needed the babywearing article. Slings do seem a bit precarious at first and if you don't have them adjusted correctly, you can feel strain. I wish I would have had this article before I had Ian so I could have done a better job choosing a sling. My ring sling is cotton, but I wish it had a little bit of stretch like the article suggests. I am getting better with my sling each time I wear it. We are going on a 4 day, 3 night Nile Cruise (leaving Friday) and won't be able to take the stroller to the sites, so I am going to bring the Baby Bjorn Carrier Air , my Ella Roo Sling and the tube sling that I made. Between the two of us and those three products, hopefully, we'll be able to manage.

Getting into the "Sling" of Things

I successfully made a baby sling today (the blue one in the second picture). After owning my sewing machine for 2 or 3 years--I don't even remember when I bought it--I finally took it out of the box and tried to use it. Thanks to the accompanying instructional video, I discovered what all those knobs and buttons were for, got it threaded and executed stitches. My stitches weren't quite straight, but I completed the project.

Babywearing has saved my arms and shoulders from total destruction, though they still ache from all the lifting. I have a ring sling (top picture), but wanted to try a pocket sling since there are fewer adjustments. Stacie Steadman posted instructions on how to make a simple pocket sling. I used Stacie's method since I am just starting out, but instructions for a more complex, contoured sling can be found on Sweet Things Baby Slings. You can order on made by them if you don't want the personal challenge of doing it yourself. I thought about ordering a Maya Wrap Adjustable Pocket Sling before I made this one. The Maya Wrap website also has instructions for a ring sling, pouch sling and even a "no sew" version.