Made a ring sling!

I like baby carriers.  The problem is that you can't find one that is ideal for nearly every circumstance unless you buy the Ergo, which costs over $100, which I can only surmise must be made of unicorn tears and distilled puppy breath.  We have the Moby wrap, which I love because it is very comfortable to wear and seems to be very comfortable for Perrin.

It spreads the baby's weight out over your shoulders and back really well.  But because it is just a piece of fabric, it is very long.  It's not that it takes much time to put it on, it is that you don't want to be putting it on in the parking lot or other place where the ground is dirty because the material drags all over it as you put it on.  Secondly, it takes just enough maneuvering to get the baby into it, that you don't want to be getting them in and out much. 

Because of this, I wanted a quick on and off / in and out carrier that I could use if we were just walking to the mailbox, or running a quick errand from the car.  So I got a Munchkin Jellybean Sling a while back.  It is a sling with out a tail--it's more like a tube and is not adjustable.  It was my first sling experience and I bought it before I knew ring slings existed.

 

It was alright, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, unless thrift is your first priority.  It doesn't cup the shoulder well, but so the weight distribution is not comfortable.  And since Joseph is much taller than me, it can't fit both of us.

I started reading about ring slings on-line and was immediately grumbling about my uninformed purchase of the Munchkin sling.  This type of sling is useful because it is of adjustable size and fit, cups the shoulder and has a tail that can be used as a nursing cover, or to shelter baby from sun or rain.  However, the ring slings cost too much for me to justify buying one (usually between $50 and $90) since I already technically had a sling.  Soooo...I made one!  (Thank you mom for buying me my sewing machine years ago!  I love it!)  

I found a tutorial on the blog, Life More Simply, for a two sided sling.  Most ring slings seem to be made of one piece of fabric, but I liked the look of two thinner pieces of material sewn together, so that the sides are different colors.   

 

For the rings, I ordered from SlingRings.com, which was cheap, and cheaper the more you buy.  So of course I start thinking, I can make slings and sell them!!  I did accidentally buy two sets of rings, because when I purchased, I entered that I wanted two rings, not thinking that they automatically come in pairs.  Now there is an extra set of bronze rings sitting sadly on the shelf, not holding a baby or doing anything useful.  Maybe I will make a one layer summer sling out of some nice linen...yeees.  

It wasn't difficult to make this sling.  I thought all the fabric would be difficult to wrangle and sew onto the rings, but it was fine.  My sling is 32.5 inches wide.  I bought 2.5 yards of each material, so the length is just a bit less than that.  It makes for a really long tail, but I wanted Joseph to be able to get his big man shoulders into it.  

To be inclusive in our baby carrier discussion I should say we also have a Baby Bjorn from the 2nd hand store and recently got a baby backpack, the Osprey Poco model.  As for the Bjorn, it is really quick and easy to put on and to get baby situated in.  Joseph really likes it for this ease of use and because Perrin can face forward to see the world better.  For me, it isn't very comfortable on my back and shoulders.  

Our Osprey backpack is awesome.  It is nice to wear and nice for her.  It is easy to put her in and take her out, and is fit adjustable, so it fits Joseph at 6ft 3in and me at 5ft 4in.  Has numerous small pockets and one really big opening in the bottom where you can fit diaper change stuff, a blanket, food...  There is a built in sunshade and a rain fly that comes separately.  Seriously, we love this thing.

 

 (Blogger has suddenly chosen to only let me write centered????)  As for my next DIY project, I have a felt flower decoration in the works.  Felt flowers are stupid easy and fun to make, a good Perrin nap time endeavor for me.  For my decoration, I found a flat wooden bird form that I want to cover in flowers to hang in the living room so I can finally take down our red Christmas berries wreath.  That poor wall just looks so sad and serious with nothing on it...

Almost forgot, our final Perrin carrying solution...

This isn't so good outside, as she feels all the bumps and going down steps gets tricky, but it works pretty well right after the laundry has been folded.  I recommend it.