With so many slings on the market it is really hard to make a choice. People often choose the wrong sling which turns them off to wearing their baby. Don't fall into this trap. Wearing your baby will build an intense bond that I cannot begin to describe. If one does not feel comfortable try another. There are so many to choose from and you are bound to find one that works. Hopefully this review will help you make an informed choice.

Over the Shoulder Baby Holder http://www.babyholder.com/ small- 58 fabric choices, regular 71, Large 51 $39.00 addition charge for video
SlingEzee http://parentingconcepts.com/ 10 fabric choices $40.00 come with instructional video or 32 page booklet “The Art of Mothering”
Heart to Heart http://heart2heart.ca 30 fabric choices $50.00 (CAN $65.95- $70.95) instructional video $5.00
NoJo or Dr. Sears Original Baby sling $29.95 black only (NoJo) 39.95 denim only (Dr. Sears)

In this group of slings there is batting on the rails (top and bottom) of the sling. Now at first glace these slings seem to be the same but there are slight differences in how they are made. Bill Devin of Over the Shoulder Baby Holder was a wealth of information on the history of these slings. Apparently this sling was invented by Rayner Garner in 1981. Dr. Sears bought the licensing rights to the Baby Sling from Rayner in 1987. Then Dr. Sears sold licensing rights to both Parenting Concepts and later to NoJo in 1988.

One example is the SlingEzee by Parenting Concepts. In this sling the batting ends prior to the shoulder pad which makes the sling more comfortable to wear because it lessens the bulk of fabric on your neck. With this sling they also have a slightly larger shoulder pad which is nice for carrying a larger child. The down side to this sling is limited fabric selection and limited size adjustment since the batting extends closer to the tail then other slings in this category. Therefore proper sizing is a must.

In 1987 Over the Shoulder Baby Holder went into production. If it is color selection you want these are the folks for you. The only difference between OTSBH and SlingEzee (in my opinion) is previously mentioned above. It really is a tough call to make a choice between these two slings. If you want the personal touch I would suggest going with OTSBA.

The NoJo and Dr. Sears sling were my biggest disappointment. It is amazing what small differences made in the manufacturing affect the final product’s comfort. My first purchase was a NoJo sling and I used it twice after the birth of my first son because it was so uncomfortable. When looking for a sling with my newborn I would have immediately passed over the SlingEzee and Over the Shoulder Baby Holder thinking they were all the same. I assure you this is not the case. Sad to say I can not think of any positive statements for the NoJo and Dr. Sears sling and would suggest the company rethink their product.

The Heart to Heart sling was a nice surprise. This sling is made in Canada and they have redesigned the “padded sling”. With this sling there is no extra fabric around the “shoulder pad” to rest on your neck. The batting doesn’t extend too far down allowing for a lot of adjustment for sizing. There is also a large selection of fabrics to choose from. The only potential problem I see is after washing (which I have not done yet). The rails on this sling are sewn in only one direction. There is no stitching sewed down or paneled on the rails to hold the batting in place as seen in the SlingEzee and Over the Shoulder Baby Holder. **Note from Bev Hoefs – designer and owner: The rail batting is surged in before the rails are stiched down, so you will find that there is no movement of the side rail even after repeated washings.**


Non-Padded Slings:

Rockin Baby Sling http://www.rockinbabysling.com/ pricing varies on material. Range of $50.00 to $86.95
Maya Wrap http://mayawrap.com/ 25 fabric choices $44.95 - $$49.95

The Rockin Baby Sling is my one of my personal favorites. Lisa McDaniel & Natasha Walsh are brilliant designers and their marketing is extremely creative. I have never seen a product created with so much love and care right down to the way it is packaged. The fabric is vibrant and youthful making an older mother like myself feel hip. The fabric has a nice and strong feeling compared to the Maya Wrap. This sling is well worth the price!

The Maya Wrap was a bit of a disappointment. The fabric used seems really weak. After only one use I noticed there was a small tear in the fabric. Now this could be due to weak fabric or some sort of accident created by the former user. I really cannot give a proper review as the sling I tested was a “gently used” sling sent directly from the company. It could have been a simple oversight or a tell tale sign this slings are not made to last.

Wrap around:

Moby Wrap http://mobywrap.com/ 100% cotton $29.95 7 fabric choices
The Ultimate Baby Wrap http://theultimatebabywrap.com/home.html $39.99 3 fabric choices

The Moby Wrap is the one I use the most for distance carrying. The down fall to this sling is putting it on and taking it off is a little cumbersome. The positives out way negative. First moms with neck, shoulder or back pain but want to wear their baby this is the product for you. I can wear either of my children (1- 10 months old and the other close to 3 years old). It is a nice cotton fabric and is available in 7 colors. The price of this wrap is nice too. Others can range in the $70.00-$200.00 range and I cannot really see what kind of difference could cause such a drastic price difference.

The Ultimate Baby wrap is pretty neat as it has lycra in it so it gives a little bounce. While this bounce is fun for my autistic son it didn’t hold my baby as securely and tightly as the Moby Wrap. The other difference is this wrap has 2 rings to secure the ends of the wrap where otheres you simply tie. The rings add no additional benefits to the wrap arounds.

In a category all their own:

New Native Baby http://newnativebaby.com/ $40.00
Ellaroo- lightly padded sling http://peppermint.com/ $40.00

The New Native Baby comes with great instructions plus their site includes streaming video (which you will probably not need). Instructions include easy to follow directions if you need to make the sling smaller as you loose the pregnancy weight. It is great to take to the grocery store and is the only sling my son would sleep in. It is so compact that I take it with me everywhere because I keep it in my purse even when I intend on using another sling that day. This is defiantly a great buy and the best part no adjusting needed. Just slip it on and go. Update: At first I did not like the toddler carry position as I thought you used the sling folded. I realized that was incorrect and now feel secure using it the right way. Kudos to New Native for making such a great product!

The Ellaroo lightly padded sling is a neat sling. The design is well thought out and ideal for the people who don’t like the bulkiness of padded slings but don’t like the non padded slings. This company also makes a wrap around which I was unable to test. This wrap around is $70.00 and I really cannot see (from pictures alone) if it is worth the $40.00 difference between the Moby Wrap and the Ellaroo.

**A personal note: Thank you to all who participated in this testing. As for my review of Dr. Sears this was a review of his product not of the man. His work in attachment parenting is beyond reproach.

© Racquel Morris