I’m not sure about you, but I could barely get my son dressed in his onesie, let alone figure out how to insert him into a baby sling.  He was far too squirmy…and colicky…and never slept.  As much as I yearned to be one of those mothers who carried their sleeping baby around with a sling, nestled in close to their chest, it looks like my son’s lack of cooperation may have been his saving grace.  



Yesterday I read that safety advocates are urging the government to put warnings on these trendy baby sling contraptions.  Apparently babies’ airways are constrained when they are snuggled into the slings, due to their positioning.



What do you think about these new safety concerns?  I have heard stories from my friends (who had far more cooperative infants than did I), about how their baby sling was a lifesaver.  They loved being able to comfort their baby, and let them nap near their chests while their hands were free and they were able to carry on with their productive selves.  (No, I’m not jealous at all…ok, maybe a little.  My kid seriously never stopped screaming.  Trust me.)  



With so many baby toys, cribs, and gadgets getting safety warnings, are you more likely to think twice about what you purchase, or does this just seem like a knee-jerk reaction to a few isolated incidents?  


Sarah Travaglio blogs at Capa Tosta.


 




Showing the Latest of 8 Comments

babyandsofia
2 yearss ago
I loved my sling, until my little man got too heavy. (Weighing in at 17 pounds at 5 months; I'm not tough enough for that kind of back pain.) I loved the sling; he would take longer naps AND I could get stuff done around the house. I used the sling mostly for naptime, because he didn't really like to just hang out in there. (Although, he LOVES to hang out in the front carrier. We have a JEEP brand baby carrier, and it Paolo's favorite place to be; especially when we are out and about running errands or taking walks.) I think there is some validity to the safety warnings, but it seems that these warnings are directed toward the extreme cases. You have to use caution with any sort of baby aparatus, even when they are strapped to your chest. I would constantly check his position to make sure that he was both comfortable and safe. And it really worked for me. I could take the dog for walks, do laundry, and work at the computer with the baby schnuggled up next to me. Sometimes these warnings, as harsh as this sounds, seem to be geared toward the lowest common denominator.
 
misscapatosta
2 yearss ago
Brook--Agreed. And yes, I'm still jealous that Paolo is a sweet and gentle baby who let you tote him around in a baby sling. Why couldn't Gianni act like that for just ONE day?? :-)
 
SilverXeno
2 yearss ago
Use a moby wrap here...carries differently than some other contraptions...Loved it, and it was careful to explain how to position the baby to prevent breathing problems. :) It's good up to like 40 pounds, I think. And you can wear it with the kid in different places. Right now, our favorite (2.5 year old, about 25 pounds) is to put her on my hip with the moby. She isn't being carried "like a baby" anymore...but I don't have to worry about my arm feeling like it's going to fall off. It was really nice on my back, too.
 
babyandsofia
2 yearss ago
Oh I love the Moby wrap, too. Paolo likes it as well, but he has to be "in the mood." I must say that I love the idea of the Moby on my hip. At five months old, it's quickly becoming my baby's favorite place to hang out. If I could strap him on, it would be great. I am going to try that out tomorrow! Grazie!
 
babyandsofia
2 yearss ago
P.S. you are too funny. That lil Gianni is adorable. He's just opinionated!
 
SilverXeno
2 yearss ago
Cool! It takes a couple tries to feel like you're wrapping it correctly...I always made my husband help at first, so that I knew it was in the right place (he would very precisely make sure the fabric was spread out and wrapped or tucked in the right places!). It sort of let me make sure it would feel right when I did it alone. My second (the moby baby!) was much more clingy than the first...so I think she is ALWAYS "in the mood", lol. I know if I had tried Moby with my first...I'd have gotten a couple of decent uses out of it...but the second one has really been the one to make this my best, most favorite purchase. I almost wanna have another, so I can do all the little baby folds, lol...ALMOST. ;)
 
mamaemma
2 yearss ago
My baby didn't like the Maya wrap for a few months. She likes to look out. Now that she has more head control I can put her in a wrap where her head faces my chest. I like the good old fashioned Baby Bjorn. An all natural friend of mine said that's bad for their pelvis. I say, Grain of Salt. She's happy, I can take her for walks and go shopping. Someone is always going to tell you that what you are doing is unsafe because it doesn't fit their opinion. By the way women have been 'slinging' their babies in non-western countries for millenia. I think it's fine.
 
SilverXeno
2 yearss ago
I have also heard about the "bad for the hips" thing...when I first got the Moby, my mom was like, "Hey! I saw women doing that in Korea 25 years ago..." Lol...they'd probably been doing it for a LONG time before, too. :) Although I did ask my mom why she didn't pay more attention so WE could be making $40 & $50 a pop for a long ass SHEET! ;)