I’m trying to put off buying a double stroller as long as possible because we already have too much baby gear, and too little storage space. For now it’ll be much easier to wear Olive when we’re out and about and just let Charlie sit in a stroller. I never got into slings too much with Charlie, but I did wear him often in a baby carrier. Olive still feels too small for a carrier, and she likes to be as warm as possible, so I’m going to keep her in a sling for now. Since babywearing has become so popular in recent years, there are hundreds of options for you to choose from! There are three main types of slings: wraps, ring slings, and pouches, and this is our roundup of the best ones out there!
Wraps – 1) Moby Wrap; 2) Storchenwiege; 3) Baby K’ tan; 4) Didymos; 5) Sleepywrap
Ring Slings 6) Maya Wrap; 7) Sakura Bloom; Pouch Slings 8) Hotsling; 9) Slinglings; 10) Peanut Shell; 11) Mamma’s Milk
While ring slings and pouch slings may look more styllish, I don’t find them practical for older babies because they hurt your back.
Slings are such a personal decision, it’s best if you can try one out before you purchase it. You may be able to find a local baby wearing class and try out various slings and learn how to wear them correctly. For reviews on pretty much every sling out there, check out The Baby Wearer.
Do you have a sling that you love?
Gear Guides part 3 of 14
1. Best Stylish High Chairs by Guides2. Sleep Sacks by Guides
3. Best Baby Slings by Guides
4. Mrs. Bee's Favorite Cleaning Products by Guides
5. Best Potties by Guides
6. Best Soft Structured Carriers by Guides
7. Best Swaddle Blankets by Guides
8. Potty Training Accessories by Guides
9. Best Teethers by Guides
10. Sleep Training Books by Guides
11. Best Baby Bathtubs by Guides
12. Learning Towers by Guides
13. Bibs for Every Occasion by Guides
14. Best Hand Creams by Guides
apricot / 260 posts
I love wearing Wombat. It’s absolutely my favorite way to take her out. Right now, we only have a Moby, which I had to watch a YouTube video so I could wear, but I’m thinking about making differnt ones for variety.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
@themcmom – i was too dumb/lazy to figure out the moby so i gave it away to a friend. i have a maya ring sling that i have yet to try out…
apricot / 260 posts
@Bee – My SIL gave it to me and I didn’t figure it out until she came for a visit. I was still trying to win her over, so I wanted to impress her with using her present. When she saw me wearing it, she said how her friends had returned theirs because it was too hard and was worried that I’d hate mine.
cherry / 153 posts
What a great guide! Wearing our babies is one of the many things that I’m looking forward to. I think we’ll probably try the sleepywrap first, as I’ve heard that it breathes well and is good for hot climates : )
pomegranate / 3008 posts
I really love my HAVA ring sling. Very comfortable padded shoulder, padding railing but not overly so, easy to adjust. It comes with a DVD too of instructions for the different ways to wear different ages of babies.
persimmon / 1255 posts
I have the moby and I used it for my LO for the first 3 months and then switched to a bjorn carrier. The moby is a pain in the butt to learn and get used to but once you do it’s pretty nice. That said, I mainly used it indoors cause all that fabric was so cumbersome.
Tip: To get the positioning of the wrap perfect every time, I cheated and marked the shoulder positions with a button and secured the ends where I would tie it with rubber bands. That way I have it already adjusted before I place baby in.
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
I loved my Moby (I use an Ergo now). They have videos on their website.. super easy to learn
apricot / 260 posts
@Red – I love your idea about the buttons and rubber bands. I wonder if I can do that for the three people who wear the Batters.
pea / 15 posts
I used the moby when baby D until about 3 months. He loved being bundled up tightly against me. It was the one sure way to get him to calm down/go to sleep! I had to watch lots of videos to learn how to put it on though!
Now we’re using the Beco Gemini and we love it now that he’s more curious… he really likes facing out! I also like that I could have used it with him when he was a newborn (and had him facing in).
cherry / 114 posts
I used the moby a handful of times, but there was just way too much fabric. I felt like it was always dirty cause it had to lay on the ground while I was putting it on. I use an Ergo now, though, and love it.
cherry / 190 posts
I haaaaaate my Moby
Charlie is not a fan either. It’s just so HOT! And living on the gulf coast, where it’s just now getting down to the 70’s during the day, it’s been unbearable. I’ll wear Charlie for 10 minutes and both of us are sweaty and irritated. I’ll revisit it in December when she has enough head control to face front and the weather is more cooperative. It’s just that the fabric on the Moby is so thick already, and then you fold it in half, it just becomes a nightmare. We have a Baby Bjorn that she puts up with well enough, but she still isn’t a huge fan. Which sucks, because it would be so nice to have two hands to get more things done!
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I used to lay the moby out on the back of our sectional to put it on. I’d have to strip my son to his onesie and I would wear just a bra, and then wrap him up. I’d put one of my husband’s button down shirts on over that, just so my back was covered.
I bought a hotsling and never used it, we use an Ergo when going out. I wish I had bought a Beco though, to use forward facing out.
cherry / 128 posts
My favorite carrier for newborns is a woven wrap (like #2 and #4) vs. a stretchy wrap (like the Moby) because it’s easy to use, you can pop in and pop out your baby, and soo comfortable for both wearer and baby. I used the Portable Baby Wrap, which is a much lighter weight fabric than the German Storchenwiege and Didymos – perfect for my humid climate.
@Killer B – I’d totally pick up The Portable Baby Wrap instead of the Moby at http://www.theportablebaby.com/wrap.html. It’s on sale now and it’s so easy and lightweight – great for warm, humid climates!
I tried the ring sling, but with a bad back, I’d be in serious pain within 15 minutes of wearing them. I need to have weight evenly distributed across my body. Otherwise, it was pretty convenient although a little fussy to get a newborn in and just right.
With an older baby, I have the Pikkolo by Catbird Baby and the 2G Boba. I like that the Pikkolo is very versatile – you can do forward facing in or out, on the side (not that I would because of my back), and on your back. The Boba is super comfortable forward facing in or on your back, and the new 3G version seems even more awesome. With the Pikkolo or the Boba 3G you can even use them from the newborn stage. Both the Pikkolo and Boba have a higher back than the Ergo so that it’s more comfortable for the wearer.
I love soft-structured carriers (SSCs) because they are so easy to use, and it’s great if my toddler is feeling vulnerable/fussy and needs extra cuddles while I’m doing stuff, and it’s my must-have travel item.
kiwi / 718 posts
I have the moby – I got it off craigslist for 20 bucks, so I figured it was worth a try! I really need to get online & start trying to figure out how it works before baby v gets here, though. it seems like you have to be really familiar with it to love it
cherry / 170 posts
I loved our Moby and used it with our son until he was at least 7 months old. Then we switched to the Storchenweige which I used with him every day until he was 11 months (and he was a big kid…96th in height and 89th in weight all the way through…after that, we switched to a Bamberoo…a
Custom made soft carrier like the Lillebaby but with a higher back for more support.
cherry / 133 posts
We have the moby but I am not good at using it. My husband uses it more than I do and our baby loves it in there! I think I’m more into the ssc than the wraps. We have the ergo and I just got the beco butterfly. This is a good website comparing the different ssc
http://www.theportablebaby.com/carrierfeatures.html
olive / 70 posts
I have the Moby, but I’m a petite person and found there was way too much fabric. I ended up not using it as much with my first baby. I’m thinking of giving it another go the second time around.
The other thing I didn’t like about the Moby wrap is how it is really inconvenient to get it together if you got out. Do other people have this problem?
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
I have the moby and really like it. I actually found it pretty easy to figure out, I just followed the instructional booklet and watched a few youtube videos and got it fine on my first try, I put my son in it when he was 1 week old and 7 lbs and it was great. He is 4 weeks now and this thing is a lifesaver. He takes his best naps in it and we go on lots of walks together. It is the perfect season for it, I can’t imagine myself wearing it a lot in the summer though. I also have a Beco Gemini which I love. I used it on a boy I nanny’ed last year; all summer we took walks in it. So I know I’ll love it with my son too.
@mommykim: Yes, it is a pain, I discovered that the first time I went grocery shopping. It was freezing outside and there was definitely no way to put it on in the car, and I was afraid of it dragging on the ground outside. I have now learned to just put the moby on before I leave the house, then I just take him out of his carseat and put him in right away and it works great.