The FREE instructional DVD that comes with every sling explains in wonderful detail how to use your sling. Furthermore, every sling also comes with a one-page written instruction guide, handy for quick reference. This page describes just a few key points for successful slinging that I have learned. Watching your DVD is worth your time and will make the following tips much easier to understand.
As with any new skill, wearing your child in a sling takes a little practice. "Babywearing" is like riding a bicycle - at first it may seem awkward but it quickly becomes second nature with a little practice. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. Many mothers have found help from other slinging Moms at their local La Leche League (LLL) meetings.
(Note: Only the Original Maya Wrap sling has a "shoulder cap", the Lightly Padded does not, it is built in.)
General Tips:
* Never twisted: A twist in the sling can make baby-wearing unnecessarily uncomfortable, particularly with a heavier child. Always make sure your sling isn't twisted. If you find that your sling is threaded with a twist, either untwist at the rings or re-thread without the twist.
*Untwist before putting your sling on: Hold the shoulder cap edge of your sling and do a quick shake before putting your sling on. This ensures that your sling isn't twisted when you put it on.
*Check for twist before putting your child in: This step is especially key when you're a beginner. After you put your sling on, follow the bottom edge (or the edge farthest away from your neck) of your sling starting at the rings, around your shoulder, and then down your back to ensure there aren't any twists in your sling.
* Wear the shoulder cap: This prevents your sling from sliding up your shoulder onto your neck or that very small muscle just below your neck. This also helps distribute your child's weight more evenly across your back for greater comfort.
*Loosen only as much as necessary: When you remove your child from your sling, pull up on the top ring and loosen only as much as is necessary to remove your child - I usually only loosen my sling about 2 inches. That way when you put your child back in your sling, you won't have to adjust your sling as much. This is VERY helpful and can't be stressed enough!
*Tighten by pulling on the entire tail: When you put your child into your sling, tighten the sling first by pulling on the entire tail. If further adjustments are needed, pull on one side of the tail or the other as needed.
*Neck hurts when slinging? Make sure your sling is properly threaded and use your shoulder cap (see Threading Tips). Also, wear your baby as high as possible to reduce overall back strain.
*Rings travel down too low when tightening? Your baby's weight is what locks the fabric in the rings. When tightening your sling, support your baby's weight with one hand (to "unlock" the fabric from the rings) and pull down on the tail with the other hand. If you don't loosen too much, you shouldn't have too much to tighten so your rings shouldn't travel (see Loosen only as much as necessary above for more detail). Another trick is to gather up the slack fabric and bring it to the rings before tightening. This way the loose fabric in front is now pulled through the rings and the rings stay put because the fabric on your back is tight. After following the above tips, figure out how much your rings travel and then start with the rings that much higher up so they end up where you want them.
*Too much tail hanging down?:
- Wrap the tail around your back and tuck the tail in on the other side of your body. This gets the tail out of the way and provides a little extra lower back support.
- Alternatively, you can tuck the end of the tail into the rings and pull it through just a little making a nice flounce. An advantage to tucking the tail in the rings is that it can also pad the rings if your baby has a tendency to lean against them. Some mothers find it helpful to tuck the tail up underneath their baby and/or around.
- The tail makes a nice wipe for wet swings or slides, wet hands in a public rest room (especially if your children are scared of the hand dryers), holding handles in public places, and even wiping runny noses in desperation when nothing else is available.
- To put over your child's head when it's sunny or rainy.
- Use it for a tickle toy.
- Use a pacifier strap to attach toys to the end of the tail.
- To put over your baby for discrete breastfeeding.
Other helpful tips:
* Once your baby is securely in your sling, start moving! Baby's love movement because it is like the movement in utero that was so soothing.
* Some babies like a firm, rhythmic "bump" on the back or bottom. This can be really soothing to a lot of babies, especially if they're gassy. When I say "bump", I mean a firm bump, not a gentle pat. I don't mean too hard, of course, but a very firm bump is very soothing.
* Some babies just do not like the fabric on their head. Some mothers find it helpful to take the fabric off the head and support the head with their hand. As your baby quickly gains more head control, this won't be an issue.
* If your newborn doesn't like the vertical position with the fabric over their head, try turning your newborn a quarter turn so that your newborn faces the rings and position the fabric half way up (see the "kanga side" position above). This position lets your baby look at you and see the world around them.
Threading Tips:
* Shoulder cap: Before you thread your sling, pull the shoulder cap over so that you can use the shoulder cap when wearing your sling. The shoulder cap is that piece of fabric that is near the rings on the right side of the sling (not the side with the tag).
Some people like to thread there sling on a table or simply out in front of themselves. Another way to thread is to put the sling on your body as follows:
1. Put the rings on your right shoulder as if you were using the sling. One edge will be by your neck, the other folded over as the shoulder cap (see below for more detail on the shoulder cap).
2. Pull the sling cloth behind you and let if fall on the ground.
3. Follow the fabric edges, keeping the neck one higher than the shoulder one.
4. When you get to the end of the fabric, gather the fabric being careful not to twist it.
5. Then thread the gathered fabric through the rings.
After your sling is on, you can always check in a mirror for twists and make sure the pocket is facing out, away from your body.
Spread the tail: After you thread your sling, take a moment to make sure your tail is spread so that one side of the tail is on one side and the other side is at the other side. This helps you easily make adjustments to one side of the sling or the other for a perfect fit.Vertical: Most babies prefer to be vertical instead of reclined (except when nursing), particularly babies with reflux. The key to this position is to have the bottom of the sling all the way to your baby's knees to prevent slipping out of the bottom. Also remember to put the top of the sling over or 1/2 way up your baby's head for head support. Some find it easier to turn the baby a quarter turn so that your baby side is next to your body. This lets your baby look up at you while still supporting your baby's head.
To nurse your baby in this position, position your baby at either breast. Make sure your baby isn't "dragging" down the breast. If that happens, position your baby higher.
Reclined Newborn Carry:
This is the other position for babies who do not have head control. Notice how the baby in the picture below is not buried down in the fabric despite the baby's small size? To achieve this effect, make the "pocket" less shallow. You can place your baby's head on either the rings side or the other side. Some find it helpful to position on the side that you will need to breastfeed from next for convenience.
One benefit of the Maya sling for such small infants is that you can not only adjust it to the tightness you want but also where you want. For instance, if the pouch is too deep and she gets "lost" in there, simply pull the middle of the tail to make the pouch portions more shallow. This will bring her up higher in the "pocket". Then tighten the inner and outer rails to make her secure.
To nurse you baby with this position, you may need to lower the inner rail (the fabric against your body), so that your baby can access your breast.
As with all position, try to wear your baby as high up as possible to reduce back strain.
Newborn "Kanga-Side"Position:
If your newborn is a few weeks old and would like to see out, but does not have head control for the Kangaroo position, try the "Kanga Side" position. This position is like the Kangaroo carry but your baby is placed sideways so that the fabric can support your baby's head by the fabric by the rings.
If your newborn doesn't like to have his legs tucked up, you can vary this position and have the legs hanging out.
Regarding having your child's legs tucked up, just because this position would be terribly uncomfortable for most adults, that is not the case for most babies. Babies are used to being in a super cozy environment (the womb), so being tucked in a sling next to your warm body is familiar and comforting. This is exactly why swaddling in the early weeks is so popular.
For the above two position where you make a "pocket" with the fabric, some "babywearers" prefer to only loosen the outer rail. Then they just tighten the outer rail after putting their baby back in the sling.
I prefer to loosen the minimal amount needed to get my baby out of the sling. Then when I put my baby back in the sling, I can pull on the entire tail to easily get the same "fit" around my baby as before. All the fine tuning adjusting only needs to be done once, and then you can simply loosen and tighten the entire tail.
Kangaroo Carry:
This position works best with younger babies that have head control. However, most mothers find that as soon as your baby has full head control, the hip carry is a more comfortable option.
To achieve this position, pull one side of your sling up against your chest to create a deep, secure pocket. Cross your baby's legs (Indian style) and place your baby in sitting up and facing outward. Support your baby's weight by putting your hand under your baby, then tighten the sling until your baby is secure.
Some mothers find it helpful to position the baby's head between their breasts to keep their baby from slipping to one side or the other. Also, make sure the front rail (the fabric in front of your baby) is fairly snug. Some mothers find that bringing their baby's bottom forward a tiny bit encourages the baby to "recline" back against them to prevent slipping as well.
Nursing in the sling:
Since I wear my rings on the right, I find it easiest to nurse on my left side with my child in the reclined position (with my child's feet hanging out). As for switching sides, another sling user recommended loosening the sling and then pull my baby over into the football hold on the right hand side.....takes a lot of practice and adjustment but it works. For the cradle hold, lower the inner rail below breast level.
One mother says to nurse, loosen the sling, undo your bra and adjust your shirt. (Nursing shirts might make it easier to nurse in the sling. However, most mothers don't generally wear them, but instead find that shirts that are slightly clingy but not too tight work well as do baggy shirts.)
Swing your child's legs from around my waist to the non-ring side. Then lean your child back in the cradle-hold nursing position, similar to how you would hold your child without the sling.
Hold the sling in place with the slack at the rings as you support your child's weight. Tighten the sling by pulling on the entire tail and then fine tune by pulling on one side of the tail or the other.
Alternatively, some mothers can nurse their child while the child is sitting on the mother's hip.
With taller babies, use the reclined nursing position as seen in this picture, but have the legs hanging out. Make sure the sling is up to the back of your baby's knees to keep your baby secure.
When nursing on the ring side, keep your child's body parallel to the ground as much as possible. This helps keep your child's head from being squeezed by the fabric.
I have recently become aware of two babies who quit breathing while nursing with a nipple shield in a sling. The mothers discovered the problem quickly and both babies are fine. According to the nipple shield manufacturer, support the breast with one hand while using the nipple shield. Therefore, you should never nurse your baby hands-free or in the sling when using a nipple shield and you should always be aware of air flow.
Hip Carry:
A key way to reduce back strain is to make sure the top rail is tightened enough across your child's back to keep him/her close to your body. Also, wear your baby on your hip so that your hip supports some of your child's weight.
Using the shoulder cap helps better distribute the weight across your back. Using the shoulder allows you to comfortably carry your child due to proper sling positioning and weight distribution.
A common complaint with this position, is the child's legs getting red marks from the bottom rail of the sling. It seems to happen more with babies that have chubbier legs (which I personally think are cute). From all the information we are able to get on this, it is a red mark much like you would get when you wear something with elastic such as socks, pants, or wristbands. It does not hurt but leaves a mark. If the child's legs are not discolored and they are not fussing, then they are more than likely fine.
To help alleviate this markings on the thighs, make sure the fabric is not bunched up under their legs, make the fabric smooth, and bring the fabric up to their knees so it is not digging into the fleshy part of the thigh.
Note: With a very small baby, the hip carry will probably be too much "spread" for your baby's hips. Instead, see above for the vertical carry or the "kanga side" carry.
Sleeping Toddler:
One of my favorite Maya sling features is how it promotes sleep or a quiet, active state of alertness! Nothing calms a child better than being held and your Maya sling gives this close contact with your child and you have both hands free.
If your child falls asleep in the sling, make sure to support their head. The picture below shows a child that has fallen asleep with the fabric supporting the child's head. If your child is in the "hip carry" position and falls asleep, put both of your child's legs in front of you (rather than straddling your body) and slide your child down and adjust the sling as needed. That will allow you to pull the fabric up like in this picture to support your child's head.
Removing a sleeping baby:
Since the Maya sling is not padded, it's really convenient and easy to lie your baby down while still in the sling, loosen the tension by pulling on the top ring, and then slip yourself out of the sling.
The BIG BENEFIT is you don't have to wake your baby!!
Back Carry:
There are two ways to do the back carry. The easiest way is to first place your child in the hip carry with the rings just behind your shoulder. Then lean forward and swing your child to your back. By starting with the rings behind your shoulder in the hip carry, hopefully the rings end up in a comfortable spot in the back carry. If not, figure out where it's best to start the rings so they end up where you want them.
Also, remember that having the rings digging into a lactating breast could cause problems such as a painful plugged duct. Some mothers find it helpful to tuck the tail under the rings for extra cushioning. Alternatively, make sure your rings end up on your side with the back carry and spread the fabric across your chest for better weight distribution.
Another way to do the back carry is using two slings. Follow the same steps above with one sling. Then step into your second sling on the floor ready to be worn over your opposite shoulder, pull it up over my
waist and secure it over your shoulder. Cinch both slings comfortably. Using two slings is extra secure and distributes your child's weight on both shoulders.
Remember, you need to cinch your child close to your body for the back carry. Do not do the back carry unless your are quite skilled at slinging. When first learning, check your child's position using a mirror to ensure that your child will not fall out of the sling.
Twin carry:
When twins are small, it's easiest to carry them both in one sling. There are several other ways to do this, but in my opinion this is the best option. To achieve this carry, this Mom adjusted her sling and then leaned over a table to place both babies in the sling at the same time. The DVD does an excellent job of demonstrating this.
Washing your sling:
I recommend washing it separately in cold water. Washing will not hurt the fabric, rings or zippers. Line drying is recommended to prevent any shrinkage. The sling will shrink about 3 inches in length and the pouch about 1.5 inches in length. If you want it shorter, this would be fine. If you use your dryer to dry your sling, tie a sock, or something similar, around the rings to prevent them from doing any damage to the drum of your dryer. Also, some say fabric softener makes the fabric slip through the rings.
Remember, the heat of the dryer fades fabrics and may fade your sling colors as well.
Other Uses for your Sling:
*As a blanket for your child.
*As a shawl for yourself.
*As a picnic blanket.
*To line a bucket swing at the park for a better fit.
*As a wrap around your child in a shopping cart with the tail over the cart rail so her mouth and hands didn't touch the rail.
*As a pillow on long car trips.
*As a changing mat.
*As a sun shield.
*As a make shift dog leash.
*As a burping cloth.
*To clean up spills when you don't have paper towels or napkins handy.
*To secure my one year old to a restaurant chair when all the high chairs were being used (spread it across his chest and wove it through the bars on the back of the chair.
*Use the tail as a laundry basket to carry the laundry. Works great and easier than trying to tote a basket on the free hip. (Works best with a long tail.)
Do you child's legs get cold hanging out of the sling?
Some people find that their child's pants always ride way up in the hip carry or other positions where their child's legs hang out from the sling, leaving a good three inches of skin exposed. Here are several ways to protect your child's legs from the cold:
* Tug your child's pant legs down, one at a time.
* Tuck your sling tail up around your child's legs.
* Tuck a warm blanket, such as polar fleece, up around your child's legs if you will be outside for an extended period of time.
* Put a pair of adult-size thick socks over your child's shoes and legs, tucking them under the edges of your sling, especially if you will be outside for an extended period of time.
