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.