I've written about baby sling previously during my pregnancy, and since then I've owned three different brands. Talk about splurge! I've tried Sleepywear, baby breeze, and an overseas no-brand model that turned out to be quite comfy. Here's my short review on all of them.
The sleepywear is a wrap-around type of carrier that requires a little bit of effort initially (they have around 5 different ways to wrap around your body), is made from a super-stretchy fabric that is rather comfortable to be worn, both for you and your baby, especially for newborns, as the wrap ensures that the bub is very tightly bonded on your chest and this is what makes him feel very secure and happy. It is great to lull baby to sleep in this in winter time as your body heat + the tight wrap = toasty warm bub. It comes in a range of colours, washable and easy to dry.
The downside is, not all babies like to be wrapped tightly for a long time, so my little boy outgrew this after about 3 months, even though it is suitable for older babies up to 1 1/2 years. And you must remember to put your little one in the sling only when he is in an agreeable mood (i.e. after a meal, when he is sleepy), because trying to do so when he is cranky means a lot of unnecessary frustration for both you and your baby. Trust me, I've done it countless of times before...
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| Sleepy Wrap |
The baby breeze is a light, summer type sling with ring mechanism that is supposed to sit on your shoulder. It is made of a single breathable fabric with double ring to wrap the fabric around; this will create a 'pouch' in which your baby will rest, then the length is adjustable by pulling the length of the fabric through the ring. Theoretically easy, and is actually quite easy to put on, so long as you take care of the fabric not to get all bunched up around the ring. Easy to wash & dry and great for swimming too. Rather on the pricey end of the range though. This one, my baby loathed completely & utterly for no good reason :(
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| Baby Breeze |
The no-brand carrier is very cheaply priced yet this fits my purpose well enough, for short-time usage throughout the day when bub doesn't want to be put down in his own cot. This has a fixed clip-on shoulder attachment that simply clicks in place; then the strap is also adjustable. At first I thought I'd require assistance to clip it, but then I figured out a way to do it without any help. The biggest issue with fixed attachment is that it fits some people well; such as me and my mom, but my other half couldn't use it comfortably. This is perfect for newborn as well, but it doesn't free both of your hands to do other things.
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| Baby Bjorn Air |
I know I've said I'd get a baby bjorn carrier, but I was discouraged by not-so-stellar reviews from some friends, and that it is rather expensive... Tried on the baby bjorn Air version once and the material whilst nice and breathable, doesn't sit very well on the shoulders. Now that I'm looking back at it, it's been 5 months so far, and recently, bub's getting more and more active, I doubt that he'd like to but put in baby sling anymore ^_~ Well, I won't start collecting baby slings, that's for sure.. :P
