Bella Slings

There are so many options when it comes to wearing your baby and it can get a little confusing and overwhelming.  Here are some of my experiences with babywearing and the different carriers we have encountered!

Native Sling 

    Native slings, or pouch slings, are the easy, basic slings.  It is a continuous ring of fabric that you wear over your shoulder.  Your baby is tucked into the pouch that the fabric makes.  You can wear your baby in front of you, on your hip, in a cradle carry, on your back. 

Native slings are sized according to your body and can be used from newborn until you can't carry your baby around anymore.  I love my native slings because they are so small and easy to throw into the diaper bag.  When our daughter was smaller the native was great because I could tuck her into the sling and she would sleep and most of the people around me wouldn't even realize I was carrying a sleeping baby around.  If you are nursing, native slings are also great with helping you position your baby to nurse, and work great as a cover-up.

Pros:  They are quick and easy to slide into and slip your baby into.  They are great for quick runs into the grocery store and long walks on the beach.  Babies (especially new babies) love the close, tight feeling that the sling gives them.

Cons:  Because they are a specific size, if someone else wants to wear the sling and they aren't the same basic body size as you, it won't fit them correctly.   As your baby grows, you may need a different size as well.  The weight is all on one shoulder, so if you are carrying your baby for a long time you might need to switch shoulders or carries if your shoulder begins to hurt.

Ring Sling 

Ring slings are very similar to native slings.  They can be used from newborn until you can't carry your baby anymore.  The great thing about ring slings is that they are adjustable.  As your baby grows, or if anyone else would like to use the sling it is easy to make the transition.  They can also be used for cradle carry, hip carry, back carry, etc. 

I didn't get a ring sling until my baby was old enough to hold her head up and be carried in the hip-carry, so I don't have personal experience with newborns and ring slings. 

I used my ring sling when we would fly and it was wonderful because it was easy to slide her into and out of the sling in the tight quarters on the plane.  

Pros:  The adjustable rings make sharing your sling easy.  As your baby grows, you won't need to worry about them outgrowing the sling.

Cons:  Some people don't like having to fiddle with the rings whenever they put the sling on.  It has more fabric so it is bulkier to carry in your diaper bag, and the rings make a terrible clanging sound in the drier (lol).  The weight is all on one shoulder, so if you are carrying your baby for a long time you might need to switch shoulders or carries if your shoulder begins to hurt.

Wrap

A wrap is a single length of fabric that you wrap around your body in different ways to carry your baby.  Most carries have the weight evenly distributed over both of your shoulders, so this is a great sling for long distances.  This is a great answer for people with back problems, because it better supports the weight of your baby. 

You can wrap your baby from newborn until you can't carry them around anymore.  You can wrap your baby facing in, facing out, on your hip, and on your back.  When my daughter was younger and lighter I would wrap her and we would go for long walks.  She would generally fall asleep with her head nestled on my chest as I walked off those post-partum blues.    

Pros: The wrap is so wonderful for new babies.  It gives fabulous head, neck, and back support for the baby, as well as great back support for the wearer.  The wrap can be used to carry your baby in front of you, on your back, or on your hip, so you will always be able to find a comfortable way to wear your baby for each activity.

Cons:  The wrap requires a bit more prep time than any of the other slings.  You have to wrap the 6 yards of fabric around you properly so that you can put the baby in the sling and this does take a couple minutes (or longer as you are first learning).  Once you get it down it goes quickly, but the wrap is more complicated to learn than the ring or native sling.  It is also much bulkier to carry around with you.

Mai Tai

     A Mai Tai serves a similar purpose as a wrap, but doesn't require learning how to wrap the fabric.  Mai Tais allow you to evenly distribute the weight across both shoulders as you carry your baby, so they are awesome for the longer trips.  I made myself a Mai Tai when my daughter was about 8 months, so I don't have any direct experience with newborns and Mai Tais.      

Backpack

      Backpacks are great as your baby gets older (and heavier).  The straps are very much like a backpack that you would carry to school.  The one that we have has a metal frame to it that stands up on it's own so that you can put your baby in it and then slide it onto your back.  We recently got a backpack and used it at a parade.  We were able to put our daughter in and she got a birds eye view of the parade.  She eventually fell asleep and we were able to switch her back and forth between myself and my husband without waking her up.  They are awesome for long trips with lots of walking.

Front Carriers

     My experience with store-bought front carriers is very limited.  We were given one at my baby shower and I tried to put our daughter in it 3 times.  Each time she screamed bloody murder, so I put it away.  Not long after I gave up on the front carrier I got a wrap and she immediately loved it.  They look like they serve the same purpose to me, but it made a world of difference to her for some reason.

Padded Slings 

     I bought a padded sling online before I bought a native sling.  Lets just say it didn't work for us.  It looked like a great idea when I got it, but I guess our daughter was too small because she just sank into it and got lost.  She did not appreciate the experience, and I tried it a couple more times before giving up. 

Rebozo (Mexican baby carrier)

Podaegi (Korean baby wearing)

Onbuhimo (Japanese baby carrier)

Selendang (Indonesian baby

carrier)

Kikoy (African baby carrier) 

Pareos