What’s the Best Sling?

So you’ve decided you want a sling or carrier for your baby. You’ve looked online and in the shops. You’ve asked on Facebook and amongst your friends and now you have 10 different recommendations… so what’s the best sling? Asking this question is a bit like asking what’s the best fruit? I say mango, but if you don’t like mango, that doesn’t help you.

At It’s A Sling Thing we get asked this question all the time, and the answer depends on many things, including personal preference!  If you were buying expensive jeans, you’d try a few on, rather than trust the jeans that fit your friend are right for you. That’s exactly what we recommend when looking for a sling or carrier for your baby. Sling libraries have popped up all over the country to help you try a range of carriers and advise you on safely fitting them to you and your child, and at It’s A Sling Thing we offer a postal library service with one of the largest ranges of carriers in the country. You can access our expert advice and hire or buy directly from the comfort of your own smartphone.

So, to narrow down your choices consider a few points

Baby’s developmental stage:

We offer carriers that work for everyone from tiny preemies to 26kg+ preschoolers, but many people find their ideal carrier changes at different stages.

What will you do whilst wearing the sling:

Keeping a reflux-y newborn upright and a camping trip with a toddler might have different ideal carriers. A stretchy wrap that snuggles and supports the whole newborn form might be a muddy mess whilst camping.

Your body type:

Some slings have lots of padding at the waist meaning they might not tighten enough on very slender people, and, very few, might have insufficient webbing for the most cuddly physiques. The wide range means there is something for everyone but not every sling will fit you comfortably.

Special considerations:

Are there medical conditions in the adult carrying the baby that might affect their posture, comfort or safety; or conditions affecting baby’s ability to support their airways, and the positions they can maintain, such as having a Pavlik harness.

Are you looking to carry two children at the same time, or to carry whilst pregnant?

These things all help us build up a picture of you and inform our recommendations. We will do our best to suggest a range of options that may suit, taking into account everything you tell us, but we won’t recommend the best sling, because the best sling for you is something only you can  really decide.

So, why not get in touch with us, or pop along to your local library? We can help you find solutions that work for you and your family from birth right up to preschool age and beyond.

Our sling hires are from 2 weeks and you can hire one, or several carriers, at a time, and if you love them, you can buy lots of them through us too.