I love that new sling smell...

I got my new pouch sling in the mail today. Thanks to Niki from Coastal Sling Baby Carriers. She did an incredible job making my sling for me. It's such a great thing. You give her your measurements, pick out a couple of really cool fabrics, chat it up with her through email and she whips you up a real quality sling custom made to fit your body. and for much cheaper than if you bought one of those designer pouches. I know what I'm talking about here. I owned one of the designer pouches. This one is much much better. Plus, who doesn't love to support a fellow mom industry.

I'm a bit of a baby carrier junky. Call it my not-so-secret-weapon in the "How do manage 3 preschoolers and a new baby" arsenal. My kids call it my "pocket." "Are you going to put Ladybug in your pocket?" they'll ask. So, I'll give you my low-down. First, I tried the classic Baby Bjorn. I have shoulder and lower back issues. Let's just say that I didn't make it past 3mos and the baby looks so uncomfortable before than. And some claim this to be a bad position for newborn hip and spine development. I'm not a Baby Bjorn fan. It hurt my shoulders and my low back after wearing it for a short time.
My husband, on the other hand thought it was fine.




Second, with the twins I tried the Maximom twin carrier. Double the problem of the Baby Bjorn and lots of complicating straps to boot. Don't get me wrong, I used it. When you have two twins screaming and you're trying to comfort them, you'll try anything. I found slinging the twins to be much more comfortable for them and me.

I have used the Dr. Sears Nojo sling. And used it here with Ladybug until my new pouch showed up. It is functional, but I find the padding to be excessive and bulky. The padded railing makes it difficult to adjust effectively.

























Finally my all-time favorite and most comfortable carrier ever. The Ellaroo Wrap. (That's two day old Ladybug on the left and eight week old Porkchop on the right. Any family resemblance?) I bought mine from Vesta (who just redid her site and it is looking awesome!) At first, I balked at the price. But, I knew they paid fair price for the fabric from Guatemala and my husband was doing frequent humanitarian work down there at the time. In the end, it proved worth every penny. I wore Porkchop in that wrap nearly all day, everyday for a year. And could still carry him around the zoo all day at 30 lbs without any problem at all. No lie. It is lightweight and so incredibly versatile. Sure, there is a definite learning curve in the beginning. I used stuffed animals to practice my tying techniques before strapping him on.

"So, if the wrap is my favorite, why the new pouch?" you say. Well, the pouch is great for quick jaunts into the grocery store or to settle her down for a little bit at home. It's much easier to pop her in and out. I do start to get shoulder strain from the pouch after awhile, so for long periods I go with the wrap. I also prefer the wrap when doing most activites other than just walking around. The slings can swing when you bend down or do alot of housework or other things. The wrap literally wraps the baby to your body. It is much more secure. But it is alot easier to breastfeed in the sling. In my world, I think you should have both.