Trouble shooting your pocket sling.

There are only a couple of things I can think of that may be a problem with your pocket sling.

- If the sling seems too tight with baby in it, you may have too small of a sling.

- If the baby doesn't seem secure against you, you may have too big of a sling.
This happened to me after the baby was born due to the fact that I was lucky enough to lose all the baby weight and then some shortly after birth. (I know - I am so lucky) there are a couple of things you can do here.
1. buy a smaller sling. (I may be able to shorten your sling by cutting and resewing that seam)
2. try a shoulder flip. This is a technique where you simply flip the fabric at the shoulder which will tighten up the fit of the sling a bit. I used it quite a bit when Coral was smaller, but now that she is a larger toddler and my weight has readjusted and the sling fits again, I don't need to use the flip quite so much. This allows the fabric to tighten up around your child, making them more secure

If you are feeling the muscles in your neck start to pull, be sure you have the fabric pulled out over the cap of your shoulder. The cap of the shoulder is meant to take that weight, your neck is not.

How to wear a pocket sling.

Pocket slings are great because they are easy to put on and wear and there aren't any knots to tie or fancy twists or anything. Just pop it on, pop in the baby, and go!

- Start with your pocket sling as you see here.

- Then, insert one arm through the loop of fabric and pull the opposite rail (see pocket sling 101) through to fold the loop in half. This forms the pocket.

- Put the sling over your head with the seam in front of you, where you want the baby to be placed.

- The baby's bottom ALWAYS goes where the seam is. This is the area that has the most room for your infant.

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There are different carries for you baby in this one holder, depending on your child's age. When they are a toddler, they can sit on your hip, with their legs dangling down around you. (Note: this is why it is important to have a sling that fits.) It looks as if the child is being carried on your hip as you would with your arms, however the weight is transferred up your back and to the opposite shoulder.

This carry is the kangaroo carry. You cross the baby's legs in front of him/her and gently set them down into the pocket, either facing out as Coral is, or you can put them in facing toward the shoulder the sling is not over. This was my baby's favorite carry for a long time. People used to comment on the fact that she was sucking on her toes. LOL Little ones like this carry because they can see around.

The newborn carry with this holder is simple as well. Check out the video links that I have on the right hand side here, to give you a great instructional demonstration.

As with all baby carriers: Always be sure to check your sling before every use for signs of wear or fraying. If you have a question, ask someone or just don't use it. Baby wearing is intended to help baby as well as the carrier and common sense should always be used when wearing your baby. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If I don't have the answer, I AM SURE I know someone who will have the answer for you!

Pocket Sling 101 - The Basics

Pocket Slings are a great tool! They provide great "popability" when running errands. You can pop the baby in and out quickly. :-) (baby wearing term) Coral has loved riding in her pocket slings since she was about a month old.

It is important that you are correctly fitted for your sling, for the safety of your baby. If the sling is too tight, there won't be adequate room for the cargo. If the sling is too loose, you take the chance of your baby falling from the pocket and being injured. Not that this is a scary or unsafe carrier, you just have to be sure that you have the right size for YOU - not your baby.

To figure out your correct size, measure from the cap of one shoulder to the opposite hip. This measurement should be the same from either the front or the back, unless you are pregnant - this tends to distort your front measurements. :-)

Pros:
- Popability
- Small & easy to pack/fold
- Versatile - many different carries from one carrier.
- Useful from newborn to toddler
- Takes weight of child off of hip (hip carry) and distributes it across the body, preventing problems with sciatica.

Cons:
- Fitted to the person (not easily interchanged between people-unless they are the same size)

- Not as secure a hold on the child when picking things up.

Terminology:

- Rails - Edges of the sling (this is common in most baby carriers)
* Inside Rail - side toward the body.
* Outside Rail - Side away from body.

- Seam - The French seam, perpendicular to the rails

- Pocket - The area between the rails when the sling is folded in half and worn

- Baby - The precious cargo carried in the sling

Some pocket slings (the ones I make) have a padded rail. This is to provide a little extra comfort for your precious cargo's thighs when they get bigger and are ready to "sit" on your hip. Toy loops are also available for you to hook the little one's favorite toys to the sling so they don't "disappear" while out and about.

I am really pleased with my pocket slings. Darling Daughter has been worn in one since she was about a month old and is still being worn in one now, on occasion and she's almost 18 months old. Most pocket slings are good up to 35 pounds, or when it becomes uncomfortable for the wearer.

Baby - Baby wearing

Well, it started this week. Darling Daughter brought me one of my mei tais and asked me to tie it on her with her cabbage patch doll. It's obviously too big.

That was the start, so I made a prototype last night to give her, her own mei tai for her babies.

It still needs some tweaking, but before long, I will be offering little mei tai's for your little one's babies! ! !

So they can be just like momma!