A helpful review of the Pippalily Sling, a popular pocket-style sling baby carrier, based on comfort, ergonomics, style, care, and price point.

Having two hands free to get things done is a luxury that many new moms just don't have. That is, unless they've invested in an infant carrier which will allow them to cuddle with baby as they look after other children or complete tasks in and around the home. With so many baby carriers available, it's hard to know which one will suit your lifestyle, budget and baby. Here's a review of a popular brand of baby sling based on one new mom's experience.

Pippalily Baby Sling

The Pippalily brand pocket-style fabric sling was designed by Victoria Turner, a Canadian mother who loved the liberating practicality of the sling-style carrier, but desired something a bit more fashionable than the other plain-looking slings on the market when she had her first child.

Styles

Available in small, medium, and large sizes (based on your t-shirt size) and useful for carrying newborn infants through toddlers, the Pippalily comes in a wide range of fabrics and patterns, including satin brocades and cotton prints, making it a fantastic choice for fashion-conscious moms.

Care and Cleaning

This gorgeous satiny dragon fly brocade sling seems almost too luxurious to use with a burping, spitting-up, pooping-up-the-back new baby, but the cotton lining increases its practicality score, and Turner insists that you can simply throw it in the wash and hang it up to dry when it gets soiled – as it inevitably does! Snares and caught threads are remedied by clipping the errant thread, but picks on the fabric are a little harder to fix.

Comfort and Ergonomics

This style of sling is reasonably comfortable when used to tote a small newborn, but as the child gets larger (even when you're careful to smooth out any areas where the fabric may be bunched) due to the asymmetrical style of wearing the sling over only one shoulder, pressure points can develop leading to a real pain in the shoulder, neck, and back.

Tiny newborn babies may seem to disappear within the fabric pocket of the sling, so make sure to position the extra fabric away from the baby's face. Early on, this sling is incredibly useful when dining out: you can use both hands and get close to the table, without worrying about dropping food on baby's head!

By the time a baby is big enough to fill the sling (by about six weeks), some moms may find that their children no longer wanted to be stuffed into the fabric fold, as it becomes difficult to position their arms and legs comfortably inside the sling. To avoid an uncomfortably crammed baby the Pippalily instructions suggest pulling out the baby's head and shoulder (when they have more neck control) in the peek-a-boo style.

This sling is most useful when you're able to walk leisurely or stay-put and bear some of the baby's weight on your seated legs. The pressure points it creates make it less practical for use when walking around, especially with larger infants and toddlers. Wrap baby carriers or Bjorn style infant carriers do a better job of equally distributing baby's weight.

Performance Rating

• Comfort 3/5
• Ergonomics/Support 2/5
• Style 5/5
• Care 4/5
• Price $75.00 (3/5)
• Overall Ranking: 3.4/5

An Explanation of the Rating Scale

Product was rated by the author during daily use on her child between birth and six months of age, and also with occasional use on her 18 month old nephew. Criteria for the score are: comfort, ergonomics/support, style, care, and price, on a scale of one to five.

Comfort

1= Very uncomfortable, requires constant adjusting

5= You don't even know you're wearing it

Ergonomics/Support

1=Causes strain and pressure on back/shoulders/neck with use

5=Fully supports child and wearer's back/shoulders/neck with equal distribution of weight

Style

1=Not fashionable at all

5=Ideal for a fashion-conscious yummy mummy on the go!

Care

1=Needs dry cleaning or other special care and picks or pulls irreparably

5=Can be washed in with regular laundry and looks like new even after daily wear

Price

1=Equal to or more than $125

2=Less than $125

3=Less than $100

4=Less than $75

5=Less than $50