Instructions to wear my sling!!

Threading Your Sling by Joanna Sutcliffe Lie sling "right side" down and gather the tail in your hand, ensuring that there are no twists in the length of the sling. Thread the gathered tail through both rings, again ensuring that there are no twists in the length of the sling. Thread the tail back through one of the rings - like doing up a buckle. Again, ensure that there are no twists in the length of the sling. Your sling should end up looking like a large loop of fabric, with the tail hanging from the rings.  Cradle Carry by Joanna Sutcliffe This is great for a newborn baby. It provides good support throughout the baby's body all the way to the head. Baby can be enclosed in the sling for a secure feeling or peek out at the world. Older babies can't really be put in this carry because there's just too much of them! William is 22lbs at 6 months and it's starting to get a little difficult to fit him in! First, put the sling on. Then arrange the two sides of the fabric so that it forms a pouch. In this picture the edge of the fabric being held close to me is called the "inner rail" and the edge being held away is the "outer rail". This will help with understanding the instructions below. Make sure that the pouch is roughly the size you see in the picture - or about the size of your baby. It's good to get some of the adjustments done before the baby is put in the sling. If the pouch is too big, pull on the tail of the sling. If it is too small, lift the rings away from each other and pull on the body of the sling to loosen it. Hold the baby high on your "slingless" shoulder. Guide his feet into the pouch, as far away from the rings as possible (I find this helps with adjustment). There should be approximately the same amount of fabric on either side of the baby. If it is uneven at all, there should be more on the "outside" Here is William in the pouch. I haven't adjusted or tightened the sling yet, so I'm holding his weight in my arms with the sling draped around him. The point in the sling just by my elbow is his feet. He's kind of curled around my body. Now you need to start tightening the sling. Identify the edge of the tail which corresponds to the "inner rail". Holding the weight of the baby in one arm and holding him in the position you want to end up, pull this fabric. This will take up any of the slack in the part of the sling next to your body. The sling is starting to look more snug and is taking some of William's weight. Now the "outer rail" needs adjusting. This is the part of the sling that will hold your baby to you and prevent him from falling out. Pull and arrange it into roughly the right place. Identify the edge of the tail that corresponds to the "outer rail" of the sling and pull on it to take up some of the slack. Use your other hand to support some of the baby's weight - it's almost impossible to adjust the sling if there's a chunky baby leaning on the part you want to adjust! Here you can see William is nice and snug in the sling and no longer needs my arms to support his weight. To protect the baby's head from bumping into the rings, or for a more streamlined look, wrap the tail a couple of times around the rings. Other notes: It is possible to nurse in this position but the "inner rail" needs to be a bit "baggier" so it can be pulled out of the way. To do this, support the baby's weight with your arm, lift the rings away from each other and pull on the "inner rail" to loosen it. If your baby is very small, or the sling very wide, the pouch may seem too deep for your baby. If this is the case, supports the baby's weight with one arm and pull on the middle of the tail with the other hand Some babies like to be enclosed in the sling. William hates this unless he's really sleepy as he likes to see what's going on. It's easy to move the fabric around to accommodate whatever your baby needs - a view of the world or protection from over stimulation. Joanna Sutcliffe  Thanks! Special thanks to Diane at www.Mothers-Helper.ca for generously donating this gorgeous purple sling.  Back Carry with a Ring Sling Safety Use the same diligence you would use with any back carry. In addition, use a mirror to check baby's position and to be sure that the cloth covers baby from his knees to his shoulders. Tighten the cloth so that there is no gap between baby's chest and your back. Make sure that the rings are higher than your breast and lower than your shoulder. Don't let the rings cut into your shoulder or your breast. Make sure that the cloth is spread out as it goes over your shoulder, and spread out well on your back, too.  Report a Problem Broken link? Missing image? Misspelled word? Inadequate instructions? Please email maintenance@wearyourbaby.org. I cannot respond to every email, but I do appreciate your help. I will email you back if I can.  Thanks, Tracy Dower  You are a Master Babywearer : In China, it is said that "A master is anyone who knows more than you do." So, you are all master babywearers compared with most of the moms in the world. You do NOT need to know everything there is to know about babywearing -- if you know even ONE carry with even ONE type of carrier, you are in possession of knowledge other moms desperately want -- even if they do not yet know they want it. ;-D Therefore, you should all feel confident enough to teach others! So, pick a public place, pick a day of the week, and start sharing your skills with other families! Then, list yourself here.

Copyright 2006 The Mamatoto Project