Thursday 3 May 2012

Babasling Review

As much as I love my pushchairs, I also love a good sling.  I have lots of friends living so close that it doesn't seem worth loading up a pushchair, when I can pop the baby in a sling and be out.  With the great British weather that we have, I find it a lot easier to hold an umbrella with Dylan in a sling than push the buggy one handed, and protect myself from the rain with the other.


The Babasling is one of the simplest baby slings to use.  I adjusted it to the right settings for me on the first use, and now I only have to pop it over my shoulder and it is ready to go.  No fiddling around tying it up while it drags on the floor, and no fiddly clips to do up. It also folds down really small and comes with a matching bag to pop it into, perfect to fit in a larger handbag or under the buggy for those occasions when the baby will only be happy being carried.



babasling, dolphin grey, babywearing, sling



Unfortunately, Dylan is a rather heavy baby and tipping the scales at well over 22lb I find it rather heavy on the one shoulder to bear all his weight.  For short journeys it is bearable but any longer than 10 minutes and I do really feel the strain.  I don't think that this is a particular issue with this sling, as in a previous model we have tried I lasted only ten minutes when he was just 3 months old.  I think it is more to do with a heavy baby and a weak mother.  In fact, I have yet to find a comfy sling to carry my 9 month old in, and I am rather in awe of those that baby wear much older children.


dolphin grey, babasling, babywearing, review, sling


I think that this sling would be perfect for a newborn, as the baby can lie in the cuddled position up close to the mother, which is the ultimate in comfort for them.  The sling instructions also show how you can breastfeed whilst baby wearing, and this would have been a godsend when Dylan was younger.  Being able to breastfeed discreetly in public was something I learnt through trial and error, but being able to do it on the move would have been fantastic.  Friends have reported comfortably feeding a newborn through a wedding in the babasling without anyone even noticing!


The babasling comes in a range of gorgeous colours, so you can pick one that suits what you often wear, or get a few so that you always have one to match your outfit.  There are also three fab new prints for funky mums too.  I chose the dolphin grey as I thought it would look nice with most things, but I love the scarlet red for those feeling braver.


Babywearing is the most natural way to parent as it gives your child the closeness and stimulation that they need.  Carried babies are generally more contented and studies have shown that carried babies cry less both in the daytimes and evenings.  Some cultures carry their babies exclusively until the children are able to walk themselves, however British culture has moved towards the sometimes more practical world of prams and pushchairs.


The sling comes with a manual explaining several different carrying positions, some of which are suitable for babies from 2kg and some which can work up until 3 years old.  Personally I think that the sling looks perfect for younger babies, especially if you have older children to run around after and if/when I have another I can't wait to test it out.  I did find that Dylan at 10kg was too heavy for my poor shoulder however although using it for short periods, i.e to pop to the shop or to hang the washing out was quite practical.  If you want an easy to use sling for a newborn, this comes highly recommended, but with older children it can be a little heavy.


You can check out the full range of colours and patterns on the Babasling website.




Disclaimer:  I was sent the Babasling for the purpose of this review, but all views and opinions are my own.

2 comments:

  1. I totally agree that it's not comfy for longer than 10 minute distances with a 10kg baby/toddler. I was given one and tried it when Andrew was a newborn - it was OK, but I didn't feel very comfy with it then either - not the weight of course, but jsut couldn't seem to get it feeling 'right' despite several attempts and various strap tightenings/loosenings. He was a very long and thin baby and it didn't seem to cope well with his movements, he kept kicking his legs out and it looked like he wasn't compfy either, so I gave up using it until I tried again when he ws older. That's when weight became the issue. I'm not planning on using it with our second and will try another type.

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  2. I loved the babasling with Oscar as a newborn, and in fact kept using it until he was 6 months and was just too heavy. I still use it sometimes, as you say for quick jobs like hanging out the washing when it's just too much of a faff to tie the wrap on. Oscar (13 months now) still goes out for long walks in the babasling with his daddy, though, but it's too much for me.

    I really, really loved it when he was tiny though!

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