My husband and I have a handy way of categorising our major life decisions: pre-baby and post-baby.
Pre-baby us bought a cutesy Victorian terrace, with steep stairs and a landscaped garden. Post-baby us would definitely buy a new build with open plan kitchen/diner/shower/toilet, no stairs anywhere and a plain square of turf in the back. Basically a box with some grass outside. Probably no oven either. And a massive wine rack.
Pre-baby us spent a lot of time thinking about what pram we’d wheel our contented newborn around town in. We also researched a moses basket that would last us until baby was 6 months old. Poor pre-baby us.
Post-baby us was dealt a swift reality check when I pushed out a child who had absolutely no interest in being anywhere that didn’t involve direct and immediate access to boobs and/or general mummy warmth. Emptying the dishwasher was an impossibility, and going to the loo was out of the question. How dare you mummy?!
And so to slings… I genuinely think they are the most significant life-changing post-baby purchase you can make. The right sling that fits you and babs well will make you feel like superwoman. Like you can have it all. Or at least, have a cup of tea. A hot cup of tea. *salivates*
Pre-baby we’d bought a Baby Bjorn, but it didn’t offer the cuddly closeness that baby was after so I took myself along to a local sling library and had my eyes opened to the huge variety of slings out there.
It was then my obsession began… I now have 4 slings. Which is NOT ENOUGH. (FYI, Husband).
Anyway, domestic aside, it does makes me unusually well-versed in this slinging thing, well-versed enough to bring you my edit of The Motherload®’s Top 5 slings!
1. Tula
When we asked our Facebook MOLO crew would they recommend their sling, the Tula-owning crew were the most emphatic! This soft structured carrier comes in 2 sizes (baby / toddler) and a huge range of exciting patterns and colours. We love love love it!
2. Hop Tye
Mei Tai slings (definitely sounds like an awesome cocktail mashup, doesn’t it?) can look complicated in the face of the soft structured carrier crew, BUT once you get the hang of it, these are an absolute dream – spreading the weight evenly across your back and hips, easy to wash, and you can back carry sproggie with them! Skills.
3. Moby Wrap
A soft stretchy wrap sling suitable for teeny tiny little ones who don’t know they’ve been born yet and still think that 3am is the right time for a party. Moby is the brand leader in stretchy wraps and has a range of lovely colours.
4. Connecta Toddler
Our MOLOs love the practicality of this sling – great for quickly getting your errant older offspring up and cuddled close. Great for a quick nip to the shops. It’s Toddler Pops! (Tod-a-la pops… Top-of-the Pops? Yes? No?)
5. Lifft
A variant on the ring sling, this is the beauty I recommend most to my mum friends. It folds up as small as a t-shirt, is the quickest and easiest sling to get on and get baby into, and you can wash and wash and wash it. Perfect for sticking sproglet in whilst you cart a load of washing upstairs, or something equally as glamorous.
There are slings out there for every body shape, budget and baby age. Get yourself along to your local sling library or sling meet to find one that works for you.
Be sling-safe, follow the T.I.C.K.S. checklist here.
About Heather
Heather Davies-Mahoney is a radio producer, who can’t help producing in her spare time too. So far she has produced a marriage, a mortgage, a mini-me and a mountain of possety muslins. In her NCT group she is the instigator of Boobs & Boxsets afternoons.
Twitter: @heatherrhian
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