Happy New Year to all of our customers! We are posting every day but taking a break with our families so may be slower to respond to emails Dismiss

Log in / Sign in
Login Register

Lost password ?

Please select all the ways you would like to hear from us

Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy.

0 (£0.00) 0
Shopping cart (0)
Subtotal: £0.00

Checkout

Free shipping over £25

  • Hire More Than Just Slings
    • Hire A Sling
    • The CalmFamily Free Stretchy Postal Hire Scheme
    • All About The Wrap Club
      • Firespiral Slings Try Before You Buy
      • Ali Dover Try Before You Buy
      • Sycha Slings Try Before You Buy
      • Rowan Bay Try Before You Buy
    • Membership of It’s a Sling Thing
    • Book a One To One Consultation
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Terms and Conditions of Hire
  • Buy More Than Just Slings
    • Buy A Sling
    • Try Before You Buy
    • CalmFamily Shop
    • CalmFamily Workshops
    • Book a One To One Consultation
    • Bargain Corner
    • Buy Babywearing Coats
    • Buy Accessories
    • Shipping, Returns, Payment Plans and Other Policies
  • CalmFamily Shop
    • CalmFamily Shop
    • The CalmFamily Free Stretchy Postal Hire Scheme
    • CalmFamily Workshops
    • Book a One To One Consultation
  • Sling Information
    • Help Me Choose A Sling
      • What’s the ‘Best’ Sling for a Newborn?
      • What’s the ‘Best’ Sling for a Toddler?
      • Carrying In The Cold – How Can I Keep My Baby Warm?
      • Keeping Cool When Carrying In Summer
      • Book a One To One Consultation
    • Does My Sling Fit OK?
    • All About…
      • All About Meh Dais
      • All About Buckle Carriers
      • All About Podaegis
      • All About Onbuhimos
      • All About Stretchy Wraps
      • All About Ring Slings
      • All About Woven Wraps
    • Video Resources
    • Manufacturer’s Instructions
    • Customer Reviews
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Sling Safety
    • Sling Safety
    • Stretchy Wrap Safety
    • Manufacturer’s Instructions
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • All About It’s A Sling Thing
    • Inclusivity Policy
Menu Categories
  • Hire More Than Just Slings
    • Hire A Sling
    • The CalmFamily Free Stretchy Postal Hire Scheme
    • All About The Wrap Club
      • Firespiral Slings Try Before You Buy
      • Ali Dover Try Before You Buy
      • Sycha Slings Try Before You Buy
      • Rowan Bay Try Before You Buy
    • Membership of It’s a Sling Thing
    • Book a One To One Consultation
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Terms and Conditions of Hire
  • Buy More Than Just Slings
    • Buy A Sling
    • Try Before You Buy
    • CalmFamily Shop
    • CalmFamily Workshops
    • Book a One To One Consultation
    • Bargain Corner
    • Buy Babywearing Coats
    • Buy Accessories
    • Shipping, Returns, Payment Plans and Other Policies
  • CalmFamily Shop
    • CalmFamily Shop
    • The CalmFamily Free Stretchy Postal Hire Scheme
    • CalmFamily Workshops
    • Book a One To One Consultation
  • Sling Information
    • Help Me Choose A Sling
      • What’s the ‘Best’ Sling for a Newborn?
      • What’s the ‘Best’ Sling for a Toddler?
      • Carrying In The Cold – How Can I Keep My Baby Warm?
      • Keeping Cool When Carrying In Summer
      • Book a One To One Consultation
    • Does My Sling Fit OK?
    • All About…
      • All About Meh Dais
      • All About Buckle Carriers
      • All About Podaegis
      • All About Onbuhimos
      • All About Stretchy Wraps
      • All About Ring Slings
      • All About Woven Wraps
    • Video Resources
    • Manufacturer’s Instructions
    • Customer Reviews
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Sling Safety
    • Sling Safety
    • Stretchy Wrap Safety
    • Manufacturer’s Instructions
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • All About It’s A Sling Thing
    • Inclusivity Policy
Cart (£0.00) 0
Log in / Sign in
Articles

Does My Sling Fit OK?

Many times a day we see people ask online if their sling fits OK – is their sling fitted safely and correctly. However, it’s really quite hard to tell if you’re comfortable in your carrier from a photo even if it does allow some spotting of safety issues.

There are lots of factors which go into deciding if a sling is fitted well for you and your baby, and what this blog aims to do is give you the tools to understand what to look for to check that your sling is safe, fits your baby and is comfortable for you.

There are lots of techniques for checking whether your sling is suitable – T.I.C.K.S is widely known about. This blog will aim to give you the tools to understand the different steps needed.

Contents

  • 3 Steps to a Comfortable Sling Fit
  • Safety First
      • Breathing
      • Secure in the Carrier
      • Safety Checked!
  • Baby’s Development and Comfort in a Sling
      • Knee to Knee – and no further
      • Tilted Pelvis
      • Smooth on the Spine
      • Hands Up!
      • Height of the Carrier
  • Sling Fit For Comfort

3 Steps to a Comfortable Sling Fit

If you’re using any sling or carrier there are 3 areas that you can check to see if your sling is fitted well.

  1. Safety
  2. Child’s development and comfort
  3. Your comfort

Safety First

The first and most important factor to consider with any sling use is safety. For a sling to be safe it must meet two main criteria

  1. Your baby can breathe
  2. Your baby is secure and cannot fall

Breathing

Your baby needs to be supported in the carrier so that they can breathe, so their airway will remain open. You need to ensure that their head and spine are supported so their chin is off the hard part of their chest (check you can get a finger under their chin!) and so that they cannot slump down into the carrier. Your carrier will need to feel snug to hold your baby in this position and not slacken as you walk.

Newborn baby in a green Boba Stretchy Wrap with open airways and a visible face
A newborn baby in a green stretchy wrap with open airways

So that you can continue to monitor your baby’s breathing and to avoid any suffocation risks you need to keep your baby’s face uncovered and loose fabric away from them. Covering your baby’s face can also restrict their flow of oxygen and adds additional risk.

Secure in the Carrier

Your baby needs to feel secure in the carrier and be safe from falling out. You need to feel able to take your hands away, confident your little one is securely held.

Again, this means your sling needs to be snug, buckles need to be tightened, knots tight but also means you need to be aware of wear and tear on your sling!

Safety Checked!

Any sling or carrier which meets these criteria is safe to use as long as there are no other medical issues. Whilst other aspects of fitting might make a sling more comfortable or longer lasting for some people, the most important aspect is always safety and ANY Carrying is good carrying.

Baby’s Development and Comfort in a Sling

Whatever age and stage your baby is at, in an ideal world your sling will support their body in an appropriate way. The ages I give here are averages, each child will have their own timeline for reaching milestones and you can get personalised advice for individual circumstances from us or your local sling consultant.

There are 5 areas we check to see if a sling is appropriate for your child’s developmental stage and if it is providing optimal comfort.

Knee to Knee – and no further

In babies who are not yet walking the sling will ideally support from knee to knee. This helps support the physiologically normal position of your baby. This position supports the natural curve of the spine, which in turn supports their head resting on you and maintaining an open airway.

Child fitted knee to knee in a Boba 4GS
Knee to knee in a Boba 4GS

You do need to ensure that it does not extend past their knees and that your baby can always bend their knee freely, as overextension can cause serious damage to developing joints. It is better for the sling to be too narrow over too wide. Your baby can widen their hips to a comfortable position, but they will not have the strength to narrow them against the pressure of a sling or carrier.

Once your baby is walking knee to knee can be less important unless you or your baby are uncomfortable. Often for comfort we would suggest that the sling supported at least 2/3 of the thigh.

Tilted Pelvis

The tilted pelvis also supports the physiologically normal position for your baby, and supports a position which is optimal for hip development. Tilting the pelvis looks like angling your baby’s crotch towards you so that their knees come up and their bottom drops down. This position is often referred to as the ‘M’ position where your baby’s knees are above their bottom. This helps maintain the natural curve of the spine, which in turn supports their head resting on your and maintaining an open airway.

In a sling this makes sure that your babies weight is supported on their bottom rather than their thighs or legs, which is often more comfortable for your baby.

In very young babies knees will be close together and very high compared to their bottom. As your baby grows their hips will open, knees will move apart and drop lower, creating a flatter shape.

Smooth on the Spine

Your sling needs to be smooth along your baby’s spine – no knots or bumps or lumps! There are lots of sensitive pressure points along your baby’s back which can trigger back arching, fussing and crying. It will also make it harder for you to maintain the curved spine position, which can make it harder to avoid slumping in the carrier. Some of these pressure points are especially sensitive in reflux babies.

If your sling has a pocket over your baby be aware of what you put in it!

Hands Up!

Many babies like to chew their hands! They also use their hands to explore the world – touching themselves, you and whatever else they can reach! For this reason most babies are more comfortable when their hands are up near their face and many become distressed when their hands are down and trapped.

Height of the Carrier

Your carrier needs to support the top of your baby’s back at a height according to their age and stage of development. This support helps maintain an open airway and keeps your baby secure in the carrier. This is the lowest that we suggest the sling supports to ensure a low fall risk. The height of the carrier needs to be no higher than the bottom of your baby’s ears. A sling supporting the natural position of your baby won’t need support behind baby’s head.

In a newborn baby or baby with no head control the sling or carrier needs to support to the nape of the neck.

For babies with strong head control, on average from around 4 months, the sling needs to support up to the top of their shoulders.

Once your child is walking then the sling needs to support to the armpits.

Three images showing how high a carrier needs to be. A newborn in a Boba X, an older baby in a woven wrap and a toddler in a Beco Toddler
The carriers come to different heights for different ages

If your sling is safe and also meets all the criteria to fit for your baby’s age and developmental stage then the sling is fitting well!

Sling Fit For Comfort

As with so many things in parenting, your comfort comes last when checking a sling! There are lots and lots of things which will contribute to your comfort, and all slings will fit people slightly differently. It would be impossible to list everything that can be tweaked!

However some common examples are

  • Keep straps away from your neck to avoid the carrier pulling and digging in. Move them to the flat bony part of your shoulder
  • Spread and smooth the sling across your back to avoid anything digging in
  • Make sure buckles and knots are on comfortable places on your body, both when you’re standing and when you’re sitting if you’re moving positions

The perfect sling for carrying your baby is safe, appropriate for your baby’s age and stage and comfortable for you both to use! If you’d like some help finding the right sling for you and your baby, or help fitting a sling you already have why not get in touch?

Tags: Safety
Share Post
10 Reasons Why You Could Carry...
Choosing A Babywearing Coat

About author

About Author

Emily Taylor

Other posts by Emily Taylor

Related posts

sling library hire rent try before you buy baby sling carrier it's a forward facing thing emily taylor we made me pao papoose
Articles
Read more

It’s A Forward Facing Thing

May 28, 2018 / 3073 / 0
... Continue reading

All About The Physiological Position

September 28, 2014 / 896 / 0
Continue reading

Babywearing International’s ABCs

September 28, 2014 / 714 / 0
Continue reading

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Support It’s A Sling Thing

If you’d like to support us further why not buy us a coffee?

The Sling Thing

Subscribe to our regular email on all things parenting and slings and save 10% on your order

* indicates required

What can we contact you about?

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.

Blog Categories

  • 12 Days of Tip-Mas
  • About Renting
  • Articles
  • Birth
  • Book of the Month
  • Customer Reviews
  • Getting Started
  • How To
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Your Carrying Story

Tags Cloud

Adaptable Adjustable benefits birth birth preparation breastfeeding buckle carrier Buckle carriers caboo calmfamily carrying christmas cold weather customer dads Ergobaby family fathers forward facing Getting Started hot weather mental health newborn new year parenting perinatal mental health pnd postnatal depression pregnancy rape review Safety sex slings Spotlight stretchy wrap tip toddler travel travelling tula Twin Carrier twins Twin Sling using

Contact Us

Email: care@itsaslingthing.co.uk

Phone: 01133206545

USEFUL LINKS

  • Hire FAQs
  • Terms and Conditions of Hire
  • Shipping and Returns
  • Manufacturer's Instructions
  • Safety

Latest Posts

An introspective look at 2020 and 2021

December 29, 2020 0

Christmas Posting 2020

December 4, 2020 0

2020 Gift Guide from CalmFamily

November 30, 2020 0

Product categories

  • Deposits
  • Half-Buckle Carriers
  • Subscriptions
  • Meh Dai
  • CalmFamily Shop
    • Calming
    • Playing
      • Story Sacks
    • Washing
    • Sleeping
    • Eating
    • Carrying
      • CalmFamily Free Stretchy Hire
    • CalmFamily Bargain Corner
    • CalmFamily Consultants Shop
      • Leaflets
  • Stretchy Wraps
  • Buckle Carriers
  • Bag
  • Clothing
  • Doll Carriers
  • Toy
  • Book
© Created by  8theme - Power Elite ThemeForest Author.

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

It's A Sling Thing
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

Facebook Pixel

This website uses the Facebook Pixel to collect anonymous data about your visit. We may then use this data to create targeted adverts on Facebook and their different platforms. At no point are we able to view any of your personal data collected by the Facebook Pixel.
You may remove targeting in your Facebook Account.

Facebook’s Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy are available for you to review

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

Cookie Policy

You can review our Cookie Policy on our Policies page