Tips and Tricks for Ring Slings
Infant Carrier Sizing, Safety, Breastfeeding Techniques and More
Aug 10, 2008
For the best sling experience for both you and your baby, you’ll want to make sure your sling fits and that you know how to adjust it properly for safety and comfort.
Ring Sling Sizes
Ring Slings come in various sizes and it’s important to get a sling that fits your body. If your sling is too big, you will not be able to cinch it tightly enough to keep the baby secure. You will always feel you need to keep a hand under the baby to support him.
Adjusting Your Ring Sling
Also, ring slings usually have a strip of padding along both the top and bottom edges that can be cinched independently. While you can pull on the tail to tighten the entire sling against your body, pulling on the fabric at just one of the long edges will tighten either the top padding strip (keeping baby’s head from falling away and lolling) or the bottom strip (ensuring that baby’s bottom does not slip out between the sling and your body).
It is also important to make sure the sling fabric is spread evenly over the shoulder. Letting the fabric bunch up between your shoulder and neck can cause discomfort and does not distribute the weight properly.
Ring Sling Safety
Detailed instructions on each of the carrying positions are available and should be consulted before attempting a new hold, especially if you are new to sling use. In addition to providing safety for your baby, these instructions will help you avoid the typical mistakes new users make. Too many failed attempts can be discouraging, and sling use becomes quite second nature once you and baby get the hang of it.
Breastfeeding in a Ring Sling
Nursing in a ring sling is easy, comfortable and can be quite discreet. Baby’s head can be placed either at the ring end or opposite it, so there is no need to remove the sling to switch sides. A quick loosening of the tail allows a baby in the “cradle” or “snuggle” hold to be lowered into position. The baby’s body in the sling provides quite a lot of coverage in itself, and the extra fabric on the top edge of the sling can be lifted and positioned to cover baby’s face and mom’s breast if desired. Some mothers become so adept at nursing in these types of slings that they can do it totally hands free.
Making Your Own Ring Sling
Many of the sling providers online are moms themselves who have made a business of sewing and selling their own slings. Making it yourself is an affordable way to become a ring sling owner and allows you to express your personality through the fabric you choose as well as to customize the size and padding according to your needs. For those with moderate sewing abilities, instructions for sewing and improvising both padded and unpadded ring slings with a variety of fabrics are available free of cost.
Knowing the ins and outs of your ring sling is the key to getting maximum enjoyment and use from it. To learn more about your ring sling and other types of carriers or to connect with other sling users, you can join one of the many babywearing forums online. Says experienced ring sling user Heidi Cooper* in a 2008 interview, "I nurse my son in a ring sling all day. As a single mom, having something that works for carrying and nursing him hands free is essential with having a busy toddler to care for by myself. Honestly, I couldn't get through the day without it."
*name changed by request
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