hello everyone!

i have a 4 week old and he seems very attached to me lol as i also have a toddler, i've been co-sleeping so that i dont get tired, need lots of energy during the day, and to be honest i wonder if this is why i'm now having this problem.

In a strange way i dont mind as this will be my last baby :-( so its nice to have him so close.....

anyway.....everytime i put stevie down he cries, he'll happily fall asleep on me but will wake within minutes!! as i have to split my time between him, my dd and the house, i have to leave him to cry, and i worry that he will start to feel insecure and unloved, (i dont leave him for hours, 1/2 hour tops!!) but i feel awful leaving him, i never let dd cry like that :-(

so i'm considering getting a sling, i dont want one of those that look like a back pack, but go on the front i'd really like a sling that he canbe really comfy in. I wont be breast feeding in it, would like to (he eats very often!!) but my boobs are large and i'd worry about smothering him!

does anybody have any reccomendations for slings....i cant spend a fortune.

thanks for getting this far

sarah x

 

Hiya

Welcome to the board.

How much is 'a fortune'?

I'd recommend a wrap. One of the cheapest is going to be a stretchy wrap, like the Moby.

If he is already quite heavy though you may prefer to go straight to a woven wrap.

They start at around £45 new. Cheaper ones are Ellaroo, Girasol & Nati. Then there are Storchenwiege, Hoppediz, and Didymos. Didymos are very expensive retailing at £95 new, *but* it is possible and fairly easy to find them 2nd hand much cheaper (most 2nd hand Didy's cost around £65 inc p&p for a size 6/4.6m).

http://www.bigmamaslings.co.uk/zen-cart/wraparound-slings-stretchy-wraparound-slings-c-10_49_87.html

http://www.bigmamaslings.co.uk/zen-cart/wraparound-slings-woven-wraparound-slings-c-10_49_88.html

http://slingjax.co.uk/

[Despite what the manufacturers claim] Stretchy wraps will be fine until your baby is around 18lbs but after that will probably not offer enough support to be comfy. A  woven wrap will last from newborn to toddlerhood (you could even carry your DD in a woven wrap, I still carry my almost 3yr old in mine). It will cost less in the long run to buy one good woven wrap rather than a cheaper woven or a stretchy.

You could however get a cheap(relatively speaking) stretchy now, then buy a good woven wrap later, maybe after Christmas. Do what you think is best :)

If you do decide to get a stretchy wrap, the cheaper the better IMO, the microfleece one would be good as it is winter.

However, you can get cheap woven wraps, and although the most expensive doesn't necessarily mean the best, I'd avoid the very cheap ones.

The gauze wrap is good for in very hot weather but otherwise I (and most people) prefer more support. The Clin Bleu Simple sling should be fine for a smaller baby, but with a heavier baby it is unlikely to be comfy. Also, they are both thin wraps and the thinner it is the less supportive it tends to be, thin wraps also can bite in and cause pressure points. A GSW (German Style Woven - which are Nati, Didymos, Storchenwiege and Girasol to name a few) is more 'forgiving', so much better for starting out with imo.

You can do a search for 'Natural Mamas' or for 'UK Babywearing Swap' (yahoo group) and find slings for sale on there (used so cheaper than new).

Just to confuse you even more (lol!) you could go for a Mei Tai. However, I think at 4 weeks old your DS would be better in a wrap (most MTs are suitable from 3 months), but, if a wrap doesn't appeal, you could get a cheap stretchy now, then see how you go and could always move onto a MT in a few months.

Last of all, have a look on www.slingmeet.co.uk and see if there are any near you. It's good to have a play with other slings :)

HTH

Sam

x

Sarah,

I am very new to this too so am only basing what I say on what I've read as opposed to experienced however my reason for carrying my newborn is the same as yours (I have a 2yr 8mnth toddler).

I narrowed my choice to a wrap as it appears to be the most secure for constant carrying - you can bend down and load the washing machine, rush your toddler to the loo if potty training like me :), generally rush about in the normal way that you do with a toddler without one hand on your baby to stop them falling out of their carrier; a wrap seems to mean total hands free carrying.

So once narrowed down to a wrap I then started to look at what type and have opted for a stretchy wrap; the main reason being that from what I can gather you can pre tie them to your body and then put your baby in whereas with a woven wrap you need to hold the baby to your body and then tie the wrap around you and them.  A stretchy wrap is also I believe a little easier with a newborn and as my primary reason for carrying is to get through the first few months, after which time I intend to also introduce a pram, it seemed like the cheapest and most sensible option.

The make I have gone for is a Sleepy Wrap - it arrived in the post yesterday and I managed to tie it perfectly the first time so am very happy with my choice!

Tinsel

Hello!

THanks everyone for your advice! I've decided on a wrap too!, i liked the way it held baby as close to me as possible, the carriers just seem to hold a baby not give him the closeness that i know my baby will want.

I've ordered a moby wrap....i was going to buy another wrap calen bleu?? but it was dearer, so i thought i'll get a cheaper one of ebay first...use it for a few months to make sure we both like it, then upgrade for my birthday!!!

I cant wait to get it now, no more leaving him to cry as he'll be with me. So rather than rushing about to get housework down i can take my time again.

last night proved how much i needed one, dd was sick and i couldny just grab her or simply turn her round to be sicjk on floor as i was holfing stevie, so i had o get up put him down somewhere safe then gol back to dd, who by now had been sick on sofa! so if i'd had awrap, he would have been in it and it would have been a lot easier!!!

hopefully todayit will arrive!!

sarah x