Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Week 10: Sling Wonders

Today I learned a lesson I wish I'd learned months ago: Slings Are Wonderful.

After reading Harvey Karp's theories on the "fourth trimester" I wanted to try out the whole baby-wearing thing. So, with the help of my friend google, we found www.slingstation.com and ordered a beginner's sling, in a very classy shade of chocolate brown. This sling is supposed to work for a bunch of different ages, as there are multiple ways to carry the baby.

It arrived two days ago. And within 5 minutes of it's arrival, I had it unwrapped and in use. (Maybe I should have washed it first...:) Daniel loved it immediately - he became very calm while in it, almost suspended in this "calm awareness" state where he just took in the world around him. After about 30 minutes in it, he got sleepy, and fell asleep in it. Deep sleep.

It took me a few tries to figure out how to get him OUT of the sling (I panicked the first time - I thought we were stuck!). But now we're naturals - and it's MUCH easier running errands, going to friend's houses, even house-cleaning. I love carrying him everywhere - but my arms were getting worn out. This is the perfect solution. No wonder the majority of cultures around the world wear their babies... we are definitely the dense ones when it comes to baby care.

And the final evidence that it's an awesome product? The first time I had him in it, I thought (for the first time since having Daniel) ... "I could do this whole baby-thing again." God save us all.

2 comments:

stacey said...

So did you decide to try a ring sling too? If you do, please let me know what you think of it compared to the other one - I'd like to get one, but I think I'd rather wait for the expert (sister!) opinion.

TulipGirl said...

I couldn't get the hang of the sling with my first. Or second. But by the time I had my fourth--wow--it was amazing! If you haven't seen it yet, here's a context to win an ergo carrier. I haven't tried it, but the moms I know swear by it!

http://www.alongfortheride.biz/SearchResults.asp?Cat=49&Click=258