The Sling Lady

Kangaroo Korner recently put out a lovely little set of pictures and rules to remember for demonstrating safe holding positions for your baby in a pouch or ring sling.  I wanted to pass them on.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have ANY questions about proper use of your baby carrier!  The SlingLady is always happy to evaluate pictures or even “meet” with you via Skype to make sure you are confident about your baby’s safety in your pouch, ring sling or any other carrier.

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!

Last week I posted about the Serena and Lily sling worn by Jennifer Meyer McGuire being a “bag sling.”  Since in the baby carrier community “bag sling” is virtually the same as a four letter word, I wanted to post a little more information about bag slings, to back myself up (since I typically support use of all baby carriers) and to get the word out there.

Bag slings are a broad term for carriers that act more like a bag for baby than a carrier that holds the baby snugly against the wearer’s body.  Whereas pouches and ring slings are shallow – or can be made shallow – bag slings have deep pouches with little or no adjustability.  They have no way to wear baby in the proper position for their safety and yours.  I should note that while the S&L sling is not technically a bag sling since it doesn’t have a flat bottom or elasticized sides.  However, it functions much like one in that it has a large, deep pouch with improper support for baby.

Here’s an illustration of a generic bag sling.  This type of bag sling is the most dangerous for your child.  But any carrier which does not allow for proper positioning of your child increases the risks.

The article below is  written by M’lis Stelzer, former RN, now a babywearing educator and mom to 2, about her research into bag slings.

Potential Dangers of Bag Slings

With the majority of fabric carriers it takes only a few minor adjustments to get baby safely and comfortably positioned (see the article “Correct Positioning”) however, it appears that ‘bag slings’ have several significant design flaws that could place an infant at risk of respiratory distress or oxygen deprivation.

First, bag slings are roughly triangle shaped; flat bottom and two sides that slant upwards toward the elastic top. This “triangle” means that the pouch fabric is always angled very close to the sides of baby’s face. If baby rotates even slightly he ends up with his nose within a ¼” of the side, or even pressed against the side of the pouch. Once baby has his head pressed against the side of the carrier and/or against the parent’s body there is a risk of him becoming oxygen deprived or even suffocating.

Second, it is difficult for the parent to closely monitor their infant unless the top of the sling is pulled open. Bag slings are generally deep, plus they sag when baby is placed in it, further increasing the depth of the carrier.  The gathered top, and the fact that the sling hangs so low, obstructs the parent’s view of baby. If a newborn were to have difficulty breathing, and/or rotate until his nose and mouth was pressed against the side of the carrier, the parent may not be aware of the baby’s respiratory distress for some time. Compounding this problem is the difficulty of feeling the baby’s distress through the thick fabric of the sling.

Third, although there are bag slings designed with large mesh panels placed near the infant’s head, others are not. There is a possibility that, with only a very small opening at the top of a non-mesh sling, an infant may not receive an adequate amount of fresh air. There is the concern that carbon dioxide levels could rise the longer the infant remains in the sling.

For more information on the dangers of re-breathing see this article:

“About Carbon Dioxide Poisoning and SIDS”

Fourth, the design of a bag sling causes baby to curl chin to chest, larger babies more so because their heads are positioned further up in the carrier.  This position kinks baby’s airway causing the baby to work harder to breathe.

Additional chin to chest photos on these manufacturer websites:

Infantino

Munchkin

JJ Cole

For more information on the importance of maintaining an infant’s head and neck in an aligned position see the articles:

“Baby car seat ‘cot death’ concerns”

“Simple Car Seat Insert to Prevent Upper Airway Narrowing”

PEDIATRICS Vol. 112  No. 4 October 2003, pp. 907-913

Compare bag slings with a shallow fabric pouch (below left)  or adjustable open-tailed sling (below right) or mei tai or wrap. In these types of carriers an infant is easily monitored. Also, a newborn’s head is effectively sandwiched between the sides of these carriers, preventing the infant from easily rotating his head into the sides of the carrier.

For more information, including the specific results of M’lis’s research, see her blog post here.

For the record, M’lis says she has made repeated attempts to contact manufacturers of these carriers, as well as the CPSC, with few results.  You can read about her efforts here (must be a member of thebabywearer.com -well worth the few minutes it takes to register for free).

Wow, Jennifer Meyer (wife to Tobey McGuire and mama to Ruby Sweetheart) looks so happy carrying her 6-week-old son in this ring sling!   The sling itself is very pretty and looks just right for summer.  It also looks great with her comfy-looking outfit.

Many new parents wearing their newborns in a ring sling may choose to wear the rings on the back as she is doing in this picture.  That limits the adjustability of the sling (and adjustability is one of the main benefits to a ring sling, imo) but it does keep the baby’s head from knocking against the slings.

Helpful hint to Jennifer: this carrier will be much more comfortable and secure-feeling if she tightens it way up, so that baby is nestled on her chest rather than down around her tummy.  Then she won’t have to hold onto the baby the way she is doing in the picture.  If she’s not able to tighten the baby carrier so that baby is “close enough to kiss” then she needs to size down!

Who doesn’t love to check out what celebrity parents are doing?  Whether to gawk, criticize or just get up-to-date on the latest trends, many of us love to check out what the current it-girls, boys, men and women are doing.  And has many recent articles have noted, celebrities are definitely getting into babywearing!

Babywearing fans love to point that celebrities don’t always wear their baby slings correctly.  This is sometimes true and sometimes not, but it’s always fun to discuss.  In light of recent my recent posts about correct positioning of kids in carriers and because the SlingLady is always eager to educate people on how to correctly use their carriers, I’m debuting a new column.   From time to time, we’ll be checking out celebrities wearing their babies.  The SlingLady will offer kudos, comments and suggestions (if needed)  for making the carrier even more comfortable/safe for the wearer and the child.

First up: Gwen Stefani, who has been often photographed wearing her kids Kingston (when he was a baby) and Zuma.   This picture is of Gwen and baby Zuma on March 28, 2009 at the

Coldwater Canyon Park in Beverly Hills on Sunday

First of all, I always love the look of a simple black ring sling.  They are so elegant and can be dressed up or down.  In this instance, Gwen looks casually chic with her jeans, sweats, sling and  sunglasses.

Overall, Gwen has Zuma well positioned in this sling.  Zuma is held close to Gwen’s body, in a natural holding position.  The sling appears to provide with good support, and (as far as can be seen with Gwen’s arm in the way), her legs appear to be higher than her bum, which is desired.

The only advice I’d give Gwen is that her baby sling is likely to be more comfortable for her is to pull the ring sling down to cup her shoulder.  A baby sling riding up the neck like that gets uncomfortable fast as the baby’s weight drags the sling down.

All in all, though, good job Gwen!

BTW, I’m not sure what sling Gwen is wearing, but it looks an awful lot like this Maya Wrap ring sling.

Dear SlingLady,

Back when I had my son,  Maya Wraps only had one size.  Sadly, I lost that sling so now that I’m expected my second baby, I’m looking for another Maya.  The sizing instructions indicate I’m a medium, but I’m tall (5′9) and wondering whether I should get a Large instead.  Why are there even sizes – aren’t ring slings totally adjustable?

- Maya Lover

Dear M.L.

Everything seems more complicated these days, doesn’t it?  You are correct that ring slings are adjustable and that Mayas are completely adjustable (since the rails are unpadded).  The only difference between the sizing is a few extra inches of material.  So what you want to consider is how much length you like in the tail of your sling.  Some people love a long, flowy tail, which is both pretty and useful for covering up baby from the sun and when nursing, etc.  Other people prefer a shorter tail, and may even wrap the tail around the rings to get it out of the way.  Since you are taller, you’d probably want to choose between the Medium (if you like an average-short tail) and the Large (if you’d like a longer tail).

I love this picture from Maya Wrap, since it demonstrates the different sizes on the same model:

Cheers,

The SlingLady

Dear Sling Lady,

 I got Maya Wrap from you when DD was born, which worked great for us when she was smaller.  Now she is 8 monthsold, almost 25 lbs,and I get neck and shoulder pain when I wear her for more than an hour.  Will the Scootababy provide more support for me?  What are the downsides?

- Marie, Seattle WA

Dear Marie,

Both the Maya Wrap ring sling and the Scootababy make excellent hip carriers.  Both are easy to use, and most people find them comfortable up to 30 or 35 lbs or so.  Before looking into a new carrier, review the instructions for using your Maya Wrap, which you can download here. 

 That being said, 25 lbs is definitely starting to get heavy!  The Scootababy, while also a one-shouldered carrier, is a bit easier to use than the ring sling, and takes less adjusting to get a good fit.   Also, the waist belt transfers some of the baby’s weight to your hips, and the fleece shoulder is supportive but also has a lot of give to it, which may put less stress on your shoulder than a non-stretchy ring sling. 

Bottom line: if you’re unable to get comfy in your Maya, the Scootababy is worth a try.  I also like the Scootababy because my kids’ shoes don’t get tangled in the material, like they sometimes did when I was putting them in a ring sling (before they were standing and I still had to load them through the top of the RS). 

 Keep in mind, though, that both the Scootababy and ring slings are one-shouldered carriers.  So while the Scootababy is great for quick trips and lots of up-and-down, you’ll soon want a two-shouldered carrier also.  Buckle carriers like the Pikkolo and ERGO are a must-have for longer carries with heavy kids!

Warmly,

The Sling Lady

Dear Sling Lady,

I love my Hotslings pouch, but I’ve noticed as my son gets older (and chunkier, lol) that he gets red marks under his knees when he’s in a hip carry.  What am I doing wrong? - Alicia

Dear Alicia,

A certain amount of redness under your child’s knees from the hip carry is normal.  If it doesn’t seem to bother him, you may not need to do anything about it!

 That being said, there are a few tips that can help to reduce the incidence of this happening.   The red marks come from pressure being put on the underside of your son’s knees by the rail (or edge) of your pouch.   In order to minimize this pressure, first be sure that your child is sitting IN the pouch and that his knees are higher than his bum.   This will take help to distribute his weight into the rest of the pouch and away from the rail under his knees. 

Second, take any extra fabric and pull it up behind his back.  It seems more natural to bunch the fabric up under the knees, but this can actually cause pressure points which in turn lead to the red marks you are concerned about. 

I hope this helps, and let me know how it goes! 

Warmly,

The Sling Lady

P.S. These tips work for ring slings, like the Maya Wrap, too!