The Sling Lady

I can’t tell you how excited I am that we have new Ball Baby Mei Tais in stock!  For those who don’t know, Ball Baby mei tais are some of the most comfortable and versatile baby carriers on the market.  While the Kozy Carrier is my first love in mei tais, for front carries with a little one, I find myself reaching for a Ball Baby.  The wide straps on this mei tai cup my shoulders so that the weight is really distributed across the tops of my shoulders, and the straps never dig into body.

The Ball Baby Mei Tai makes a great hip carrier as well – much more comfortable than a mei tai or buckle carrier with narrower straps, since again, the wide strap cups the shoulder.  With carriers like the Kozy mei tai and the ERGO baby carrier, both of which can do a hip carry, I find myself wondering where to rest the shoulder strap – with the Ball Baby, this problem is solved.

Ball Baby, previously owned by Kimber Tower (now a babywearing advocate) was recently bought by Taylor Made slings.  TaylorMade tapered the ends of the straps on the Ball Baby (to make for easier knot tying and untying) but otherwise kept the same fabulously comfortable carrier.

The new Ball Baby Mei Tais are available in three color combinations, all reverse to the solid strap color giving you two looks in one.  We also have a few prints left in some of Kimber’s best-selling funky patterns – Somerset and Tootsie Roll.

Wondering how the Ball Baby compares to the Kozy mei tai?  Check out our “Compare Mei Tai Baby Carriers” page in our Learn section!

We’ve featured Gossip Girl’s Kelly Rutherford wearing her baby in a Sea Green ERGO before, but this picture was just too cute not to post!  Plus, it just says everything we love about using a baby carrier!

The new patterns of Hotslings Adjustable Pouches have started to roll in! We just received an infusion of designer prints, including Black Ecru, Sweet Pea, Kyoto (above), Eye Candy and Ingrid.

Anyone remember the excitement in the babywearing world when Sarah Palin was photographed signing documents while wearing baby Trig in a sling?  That was the Ingrid Hotsling!  Whether you love or hate her, I think it’s pretty cool when an influential woman makes statement like that!  Check her out:

and here:

You just don’t see a lot of other political moms taking their kids to work like that!

Stretchy wraps are such a great choice for the first 6 months, yet I’ve seen very few celebs find the wrapping love.  So I was pleased to see Tisha Campbell Martin wearing a stretchy wrap very similar to the Moby Wrap in natural and coconut organic.

Better yet, Tisha is wrapping baby Ezekiel (four months old) almost perfectly.  She’s got him snugly against her chest, and close enough to kiss the top of his head.  She’s also got the wrap pulled smoothly down her shoulders, making this wrap comfortable for a long time.  The only tip I’d give her is to pull Ezekiel’s knees up into a more seated position and to pull the fabric under his knees.  This would both better for his body and more comfortable for him.

Mayim Bialik (yep, that girl from Blossom) is all grown up and has two children of her own.  Apparently she is dedicated to attachment parenting and babywearing, so she’s been photographed many times wearing her babies in ring slings and even nursing in an ERGO!  She recently told Celebrity Baby Blog that her favorite baby product is a Maya Wrap:  “If I had to have one thing on a desert island, it would be my Maya Wrap ring sling. I can use it with my 32-pound three-year-old and my newborn and my husband can use it too (and he’s 6′ tall and I’m not). It’s the most versatile thing. I take it everywhere I go.”

She certainly looks happy!  I love Maya Wraps, but I think that both Mayim and her baby Fred would be more comfortable if Mayim followed these tips:

1.  Pull that fabric away from her neck and over the ball of her shoulder.  This would distribute Fred’s weight over her  back instead of pulling on her neck and shoulders.

2. Pull Freds knees up so that his knees are higher than his bum.  This seats him more securely into the carrier and is also more comfortable for him.

Here’s what the  “after” should look like!

I think I might be drooling.  This here is some seriously hawt daddy babywearing action.

While I love to see Daddies in any kind of baby carrier, I’m especially thrilled about a man who’s secure enough to wear a baby without a bunch of buckles.  Not that Twilight’s Cam Gigandet has anything to be insecure about!

What many dads don’t know (but Cam clearly does) is that babies sleep a lot in slings!   Here,  Everleigh Ray snoozes while Dad Cam and mom Dominique Geisendorff get some shopping done.   A pouch like Cam is wearing is every so much cuddlier than the ubiquitous Baby Bjorn, or even the ERGO carrier.

While I’d love to see Cam wear his pouch a tiny bit snugger (it’s more comfy for both of you if baby’s head is resting on your chest, whereas Everleigh seems to be a bit lower), extra points are given for effort and style!

Get this look for your own hawt daddy with a Hotslings pouch or a Kangaroo Korner pouch in fleece or stretch.

I wonder if Gossip Girl’s Kelly Rutherford and Matthew Settle talk baby carriers on the set?  Cause they’ve both been spotted wearing their little cuties in ERGO baby carriers.  Here is Kelly and daughter Helena Grace in the Sea Green Organic version.   I must say, it looks great on her.

I love that Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani are such dedicated babywearers!  They clearly love being close to their children, while still looking excellent.  This rockin’ couple definitely love black, I don’t think we’ve seen them babywearing in any other color!  Here’s Gavin slinging baby Zuma Nesta Rock in a black pouch.   Pouches are great for babies but also a boon for parents wanting a quick hip carrier.

Gavin’s got Zuma in a great position, snug on his hip.  But that the pouch fabric has got to be digging into his neck something fierce!  This can cause discomfort in short order.  I’d love to see Gavin grab the fabric and give it a good tug over his shoulder.  Spreading the fabric out over the ball of one’s shoulder distributes the weight much better over the back and prevents a pouch from riding up your neck.

Gavin, if you’re reading this (hee hee), here’s a picture of what the shoulder should look like:

Courtney Thorne-Smith loves to wear her son, Jake, and is constantly photographed wearing all sorts of baby carriers – which I love to see. I just found this old picture of her and Jake when he was just a wee one and… ouch! This cannot be comfortable. Although one of the nice thing about Bjorns is that they are easy to use, clearly, mistakes can still be made.

I choose this picture because it perfectly illustrates a lot of what I teach in my classes about using baby carrier properly so that it is both safe and comfortable for you and your baby. The first lesson is to always wear your child snugly on your chest, so that you can easily kiss the top of his head. The way that Jake is positioned here, his weight is pulling on Courtney’s shoulders and neck and is bound to cause strain within a fairly short period of time. Pulling the carrier much more snugly will result in a more comfortable position for mom, AND baby won’t be dangling quite so much, which is probably nicer for him, too.

Courtney is a quick study, though, because she sooned learned proper use of her Bjorn carriers (see pic at right), and, better yet, moved on to the much more comfortable ERGO baby carrier.

Okay, I’m not sure whether I’m rolling my eyes, or envious.  I think it might be a little bit of both.  Of course I thought I was going to be a hot mama, too, rocking my 4 inch heels and Baby Bjorn around Manhattan and looking glamorous and maternal at the same time.   Instead, I had to face the facts that I could never stay upright in 4 inch heels even before I had my children, and when I had my son, I found out that the Baby Bjorn isn’t all that comfortable, either, and that there are so many better carriers out there.

Nonetheless, SJP looks undeniably chic and the Bjorn she’s wearing looks pretty cool, too.  Although I think the Avery Beco would be prettier, and much more comfortable!    But more power to her for wearing one of her twins – many moms of twins give up on baby carriers altogether since it can feel a little overwhelming to wear two.   Wearing one and strolling the other is a nice compromise (although as the SlingLady I must take a moment to point out that a carrier like the Moby Wrap is a great option for wearing two).  This is a great example of a celebrity adapting babywearing to meet her lifestyle choices, and that, in the end, is what it’s all about.