Conference moira::parenting

I used a sling with Elise, who was colicky.  She wanted to
be held and rocked *all* the time, and she was pretty
happy in the sling.  She could see me, she was enclosed
and cosy.

My second, Sarah, hated the thing.  When she wanted to
sleep, she wanted to be put to bed.  If she wasn't
sleeping, she wanted to be able to look around.  She
was much happier on the floor, whether I was there
or not.

So, my opinion is that it depends on the type of baby
you get.

Also, I had the Snugli Legacy.  I don't know who they
design this for, but I'm 5'8" and Elise would hang
just below my waist, right where I would normally
be holding whatever I was working on (dishes, etc).
I felt the sling was too big, and I had it adjusted
as small as possible.  I don't know how a 5'2" person
could walk around without kicking the baby using this
sling.

I'd be happy to lend it, but I gave all my baby stuff
as Sarah outgrew it.

Pat

    Pat,
    
    Your kidding, SNUGLI actually made something big?  I bought a new escort
    this year, and wound up giving it to my neice (4'11") as there was no
    way I could adjust this for me, let alone Frank (6'0")  
    
    Fortunately for me, the person I gave my older (1984) SNUGLI to still
    had it, so we have a front pack built for not-short people. The front
    pack works great for us as Atlehi is a cuddle baby, and doesn't like to
    be left on the floor or anywhere else when you are trying to get work
    done.  I haven't tried a sling, but the person who watches her one day
    a week fudged one out of an old sheet, and carries her around in that.
    
    Meg 

I *think* it was the Snugli Legacy that I bought and returned to the
Right Start folks.  I found it more complicated than a regular snugli
and never could get it adjusted so that it didn't hang just above my
knees. (I'm 5 5").  There were two pieces, a shawl-like thing with a
ring adjustment and a padded board which attached with velcro.

I used the snugli only when I had to. Our Casey is one sweaty baby,
even in the winter he's a little furnace.  


Rochelle

We used a sling for a long time with Justin (now 12 mos).  He liked it a lot,
and it enabled Shellie to breastfeed while walking.

     Carol

	I received the Snugli as a gift and it came in handy a few times when
	I was going into furniture store and other quick errands that the 
	stroller would be hard to manuver in but I needed my hands free.
	I found it just fit me 5"5' and I'm not over weight.  When I was
	using it, it was summer time, so we both got pretty hot in it.  But
	it was okay for airconditioned stores.  I never used it around the
	house because Kristen was happy on her blanket on the floor or in
	the swing.  

	I really recommend getting a baby gym.  Kristen loved
	laying on her back playing with this.  I found the one made by
	Fisher Price the least expensive and it had a mirror on one of the
	hanging things - she really loved that.

    
    re .5 
    
    	Ah, breastfeeding while walking, or answering the phone, or eating
    dinner, or while reading the mail, or.....
    
    	The skills one learns when one becomes a mother. ;-)
    
    
			Wendy

    Or fishing.  However you can get some interesting sun burns that way.
    
    Meg

    The most I could do was talk on the phone or have something to
    eat. Had to sit down and wrestle the baby into position - and my
    little chubby was too heavy to drag around while performing that 
    task.
    As for the snuggli; I enjoyed using it (I had a hand-me-down from
    a friend) until Charlotte was about 14 pounds (which didn't take
    too long!) It was great for shopping when I didn't feel comfortable
    putting her in a stroller yet. It was useful only a few times when
    I was at home to calm her down from her colic. I do remember doing 
    the household expenses on the computer while she was asleep in the 
    snuggli. That was a little strange for me.....8-).
    
    Monica

	Has anyone found a Snugli (or other brand) that holds the
	babies head close to the chest ?  I borrowed a Snugli from
	my sister, and found that many times I felt compelled to hold
	behind Emily's head because the Snugli allowed her to fall away
	from me.  Other than that, I loved using it, especially for
	grocery shopping.  After Emily hit 13 pounds, I switched her
	to a back pack, which was even better than the Snugli.

	Karen

    karen,
    
    the front packs I have have adjustmants to pull the baby's head in
    closer to you.  Very handy when backpacking with an infant, and we take
    our kids into the woods with us whenever possible.  some of the
    adjustments on some of the front packs arent obvious, so if it is
    someone elses pack and the book isn't available, I would suggest asking
    them and tinkering around with the pack some.  
    
    Meg

    Karen,
    
         The front pack I borrowed from a friend had a hard "U" shaped pillow 
    that could be put behind the babies head for added support. (actually 
    used as an upside down "U")  This worked great for us since Amanda was so 
    small and didn't hold her head up for so long.
    
    lori  

    One of the Snugly latest "version" has that "U" shapes pillow,but I
    can't remember the "name". I have Snugly legasy (sp) which I got as a
    present from the people here at DEC,and it was VERY useful when Yahli
    was born. I used to carry her everyhere in it,which made life alot
    easier. We used it until she was about 7-8kg,then we switched to
    backpack (Gerry). With Shachar it also came handy smetimes,but we gave
    up using it long before he was 7kg (mind you-it was summer,hot,and
    quite uncomfy for the both of us). 
    R/ 

    My shopping excursions still haven't turned up a NoJo sling.  I went to
    most of the stores that NoJo said carries them, and then some, to no
    avail.  Most of them carry the Snugli Legacy, which doesn't feel secure
    enough for me.  I found the one by Summer (starts with a K, can't
    remember what it's called) in 2 stores.  It's roomy, adjustable, and a
    lot less expensive.  
    
    I'm leaving in less than 2 weeks on a trip to Paraguay to adopt my
    daughter.  She's now 3 months' old and weighs under 12 pounds.  I
    understand that I'll probably use a carrier all the time, as strollers
    aren't built for the conditions down there.  I'll be there for a month
    or two, so I want to be prepared.
    
    I have 2 borrowed Snuglis, which may not be the best things to use, as
    the baby is supposed to be completely covered (no legs and arms
    exposed) when outdoors.  I also have a backpack; I thought it might be
    too big for her, but from the previous replies it sounds like I should take
    it with me.  Seems like a sling and a backpack (and an umbrella
    stroller for the airport) will do the trick.
    
    Lynn
    

    
    Be aware that umbrella strollers (if they are like the ones in Europe)
    are not suitable for a child under 6 months. They give very little
    support to the back, so can only be used once the child can sit up.
    
    My daughter was 4.5 months before she could cope with a back-pack. They
    need to be able to hold their heads up before they are comfortable in a
    back-pack.
    
    I used a front snugli type carrier until my daughter was about 6
    months. It was great for going in crowded places that were not suitable
    for the big buggy. I covered her arms/legs with a thin sheet/spit cloth
    when the weather was really hot to prevent sunburn as well as covering
    her skin in factor 20 sun-cream.
    
            Celia
    

    In the UK, a sling called Wilkinet is available (but as far as I know
    by mail order from the manufacturers). It has been highly praised by
    magazine reviews, and is suitable for on the front (baby facing either
    way) on the hip (again baby facing either way) or on the back (baby
    facing same direction as carrier person). We have so far used it on the
    front with Rowan facing us when he was tiny, but now he likes to see
    where he's going (this at 4 months). He is getting a bit heavy for the
    front, so soon we'll try on the back. This sling is so versitile and
    comfortable to wear. My only criticism is that all fastenings are done
    by tying rather than buckles so it can take a little while to put on.
    The instructions reckon it is suitable for birth to 4 years, but I
    (we)'ve yet to confirm this!
    
    If anyone's interested, I'm sure I can supply the address somewhere in
    this conference.
    
    Andy

    
    Lynn - 
    
    Give me a call. I may be able to help you with the NoJo.  (tried to Mail
    you; wasn't successful.)                       
    
    Jamd

Here's one vote for the Baby Bjorne (sp.?) front-carrier.  
Before settling on this one, my wife and I bought and tried
a number of models from other makers (including Snugli), all
of which we were unhappy with for one reason or another.

With a Baby Bjorne, the child either faces toward or away 
from your body, with their arms and legs extending out 
(thus not suitable if you don't want the infant exposed).
The carrier adjusted very easily in fit when switched between
my wife and I.   When the child is facing in, you can flip 
up a neck/head support.    When facing out, the child has
full view (and access) to everything, an advantage in our 
book. 

The only downside I've found is that, at 22+ lbs, our seven
month old Sarah is really too heavy (for me) to have her in
it anymore.... too bad, she and I loved tooling around the mall
with her in it last fall.

Tom

    
    After trying a snugli (I can't remember which type), I
    got frustrated, returned it and purchased a sling which 
    was recommended by the La Leche League and I *loved* it!
    
    It took a little to get used to but I could easily
    get the baby in and out without any difficulty. Alex
    loved to fall asleep in it and I could easily get
    him from the sling to his crib without his waking up.
    The sling also lets you "wear" you baby in different
    ways: sideways, facing you, facing out, or on my hip.
    As Alex got older he wanted to face the world and see
    what was going on so he would face out.
    
    I highly recommend the sling for:
        - ease in getting the child in and out
        - comfort of the child due to various carrying positions
          (it was easy to change positions!)
        - comfort for the person carrying the child
          the sling has a padded part that goes over your shoulder 
          and distributes weight pretty well   
    
    My son is well over 25 pounds at a year old and I still
    use the sling for short jaunts to the store and such when
    I don't want to use a carriage as it's quick and easy.