ring sling with overlapping pleat shoulder

Today's message: I will be closing the store starting on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 25, since I won't be sewing or shipping over the US Thanksgiving weekend (25th-29th) as we will be visiting with family. Please plan accordingly and order earlier, or be prepared to wait a few days to order, if you will need a sling around those times. (Closing the store basically means I will be marking all the fabrics as "out of stock" -- they won't actually be out of stock, but I don't wish to take orders duing that time because I hate having a backlog. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.)

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Contents: Precautions and warnings Threading the sling Putting the sling on Positions: Cradle hold and Nursing in the cradle hold "Football" hold for nursing Tummy-to-tummy hold and Nursing in the t2t hold Kangaroo/front-facing Back carry Hip carry Other usage suggestions Troubleshooting Folding your sling for storage/travel

Back carry:

Please note: These positions take a little more caution than the front-carries. Please have another adult nearby to assist you when you are first practicing these positions, especially with small infants! These directions are written as though you were alone, but it is a good idea to have someone helping you at first anyway.

If you have another adult nearby, you can start with the sling rings in front (in their normal position) and just have your partner put the baby in the sling.

The following can be helpful when you are alone (given the caveats above).

Back carry for bigger babies and toddlers:

Start with the rings in the back as above, and put the baby or toddler in the hip carry.
Make sure the fabric is above a baby's shoulders, and at least up to a toddler's armpits. Keeping one hand on the child, lift up on him slightly while pulling the rings forward, transferring her to your back.
You can keep her either on you hip behind your arm, or higher up on your back, as though you were carrying her piggy-back. Either way, make sure the fabric is high on her back the whole time (check frequently in a mirror or with a friend), especially if she is prone to arching her back.
I like to tuck the tail into the sling behind me, to hide what the sling does to my breast when Sophie's on my back!

Next: Hip carry