Ring Slings: use the tail to your advantage
or ways to put it out of your way.
or ways to put it out of your way.
Consider a pocket on the tail:
Make the tail temporarily shorter:
*Bring the tail up towards you, under the the rings, and then over the body of the sling.
*Or, wrap the tail around the sling's rings.
*Or, tuck the tail into the body of the sling wherever you can cram it.
*Or, wrap the tail around the sling's rings.
*Or, tuck the tail into the body of the sling wherever you can cram it.
Use the tail as a cover-up:
*a baby is nursing and the mother doesn't want to mortify or confuse excitable people with views of exposed flesh
*peace & quiet are of the essence: a small baby is sleeping in the cradle position and you want the baby to be protected from the weather, grabby other people, mosquitos, or other distractions
*a baby or toddler in the sling needs his or head covered up (like when you're dashing from the car to the store and it starts raining.)
*peace & quiet are of the essence: a small baby is sleeping in the cradle position and you want the baby to be protected from the weather, grabby other people, mosquitos, or other distractions
*a baby or toddler in the sling needs his or head covered up (like when you're dashing from the car to the store and it starts raining.)
Often sited as the main reason to have a longish tail on your sling, if long enough, a ring sling's tail makes a marvelous barrier between your baby and the world-at-large. This is epecially useful when:
Remember that the tail of the sling is in essence a blanket. Do not drape a sling tail over a baby's head if it will hamper the child's ability to breathe and monitor your baby closely to make sure the baby is not too warm.
The sling's rings don't have to go on your front side. A friend and I tried this out the other day, experimenting, and this is what we concluded:
When you wear the rings on your back, adjusting the sling with the sling on is, of course, not so easy.
Where the rings fall on your back is very important. I was very comfortable with the rings centered mid-back. My friend preferred her's a little lower.
The tummy-to-tummy position as pictured here first was quite comfortable and secure. I think I may prefer this to the same position used with the rings in front.
The leg-straddle position was not a big hit with us with the 9-mo-old baby. It didn't feel at all secure unless you had an arm around him on the open side of the sling.
However, when carrying Lily, the solid toddler (she's 2.5 years old and weighs just under 30 lbs.), the leg straddle position was the most comfortable carry I've ever tried with a heavy child. I think the reason it felt so right is because it centers the child's weight on your torso. I asked Lily what she thought of it and she had no complaints; it was just fine by here. And believe me, at 2.5 going on 10, she'll let me know if she's not comfortable. It's obviously not appropriate for children prone to diving out of slings because of the open side, however, there's a lot of potential here for older babies who enjoy babywearing. For more thoughts on experimenting with positioning, please see the tips on the ring sling intro page.
When you wear the rings on your back, adjusting the sling with the sling on is, of course, not so easy.
Where the rings fall on your back is very important. I was very comfortable with the rings centered mid-back. My friend preferred her's a little lower.
The tummy-to-tummy position as pictured here first was quite comfortable and secure. I think I may prefer this to the same position used with the rings in front.
The leg-straddle position was not a big hit with us with the 9-mo-old baby. It didn't feel at all secure unless you had an arm around him on the open side of the sling.
However, when carrying Lily, the solid toddler (she's 2.5 years old and weighs just under 30 lbs.), the leg straddle position was the most comfortable carry I've ever tried with a heavy child. I think the reason it felt so right is because it centers the child's weight on your torso. I asked Lily what she thought of it and she had no complaints; it was just fine by here. And believe me, at 2.5 going on 10, she'll let me know if she's not comfortable. It's obviously not appropriate for children prone to diving out of slings because of the open side, however, there's a lot of potential here for older babies who enjoy babywearing. For more thoughts on experimenting with positioning, please see the tips on the ring sling intro page.
Consider wearing the rings on you back:
Use the tail to pad smaller babies in the sling (helps prevent the baby from slipping out of position:
The pocket can hold a diaper, sippy cup, cell phone, keys, toy.....if you do it right, you can leave the diaper bag in your car.
Wrap the tail around the rings to pad the rings:
Tuck the tail into the top rail of the body of the sling.....I especially like to do this with larger toddlers who take up most of your torso space....it's a great way to get the tail out of the way without taking up more room in the body of the sling.
Tuck the tail into the top rail of the sling.
Copyright 2006: Sweet Things Baby Slings, LLC.