Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Great Sling Debacle


I've been avoiding talking about all the sling stuff in the news, frankly because it annoys me. ONE TYPE of sling (the bag sling) is being recalled, and it's one that was exposed as dangerous years ago.

Babywearing is a wonderful thing. It soothes and comforts babies. It promotes bonding. It allows mom to hold her baby and still go about other things...like chasing toddlers. Like anything in life, it needs to be done with common sense.

1. Do not cover your baby's nose and mouth with fabric. There, don't you feel enlightened?
2. Do not position your baby in a position in which you would not normally hold him. (Like in a u shape across your belly)
3. Make sure you feel secure. If something feels off, adjust and reposition.

Used properly, most slings are perfectly safe. But if you don't feel comfortable using them, here's a list of alternatives:

-Wraps (ie Moby, Maya, homemade)
-Soft Structured Carriers (Ergo, Beco, Bjorn, Snuggli)
-Mei Tais (Babyhawk, homemade)

A few closing tips from SNM:

Don't put your baby face first in a sleepsack.
Don't put your baby in a Bumb0 on the top of the refrigerator.
Don't let your baby practice handstands in the excersaucer.

10 comments:

Amy said...

This is great. A little common sense goes a long way. Sadly, it seems to be lacking a lot when it comes to parenting. Heck...the world in general.

Jenn said...

Well how is she ever supposed to learn hand stands then!? Sheesh. So restrictive. ;)

Mommy of 3 said...

Very well said

Anonymous said...

I got a really good chuckle out of the Bumbo comment!

Melissa said...

LOL Jenn that was going to be my question. That and how can I teach rappelling if I don't start her out on the fridge?!

You know, someone gave me one of those bag slings for J when she was a newborn. And I gotta be honest... that was just about the most complicated thing I've ever seen in my entire life. She HATED! it. So I gave up after about 5 minutes of trying. I tried the Bjorn, and she fell asleep within 5 minutes. Then when she outgrew that, we went to a ring sling, and I wore her in that til she was almost 2. And would have gone longer but seriously 30 something wiggling pounds strapped to you is really heavy, no matter how you do it. =)

Tiffany said...

thank you for this post!! i agree some common sense esp when it comes to babywearing will go a long way. i'm sad that babywearing is getting a bad wrap because of what happened!

dbeckandlou said...

I so agree with you. Thanks so much for the extra tips at the end as well...cracked me up, but they're so appropriate when you think about the lack of sense involved in this whole issue.

Jen Gordon said...

I'm a ring slinger with my babies. Gotta make room for my ever morphing boobs! :)

Lisa said...

Lol. Thanks for the tips. Be careful about hanging the Jolly Jumper in a tree, too.

Janine said...

I love this!