Very excited to have our March guest blog ready for you! (if you’ve missed them, check out January and February!) I’m very excited about this one myself, as I was a big babywearer and spent several years volunteering extensively for Babywearers WA in the olden days!
Introducing Alyce of Cloth and Carry, also a volunteer, mother of 4, dachshund lover, medical sonographer, babywearing retailer/educator/model, and general baby addict. You can find her on Facebook, and Instagram. Alyce is a super fun mum who just looks like a teenager but actually isn’t, lol. We had a wonderful session (full shoot at the end!) and I made a ring sling reel early on that went a teensy bit viral, which is amazing.
I’m stoked to say I’ve blogged for her also, 5 tips for better phone photography of the kiddos! Check it out on her website to learn how to level up your everyday snaps.
Here we go, if you’re unfamiliar with ring slings, get an education from the best right here… and please check out this important message for safe babywearing.
Hi, I’m Alyce and I love ring slings. I love teaching people to use them, I love borrowing other people’s babies to wear in my ring slings, I love troubleshooting the fit of my client’s ring slings and I love mixing and matching the colours of the rings to see what looks best with individual wraps! Did you know that Cat also loves ring slings, and despite her children being well past their babywearing days she still has a ring sling to continue to share the love with her friends and family?! If you would like help learning how to do this, I have videos on Facebook, and Instagram and I offer consultations both in my Beeliar home showroom and online (worldwide!) to help people make the most of their ring sling journey, which you can book online here.
So what are the six best things about ring slings?
1. Ring slings are uber portable.
Ring slings are lightweight and compact so they don’t take up much space or significantly increase the weight in your nappy bag or pram. This makes ring slings one of the best baby carriers for travelling and everyday outings.
2. Ring slings are all-weather friendly!
Firstly, they’re one of the coolest baby carriers you can use. Why? There is only a single layer of fabric over baby and wearer, with no padding or straps to hold the heat. Ring slings don’t need to be packed away in the winter though, because they are easy to fit underneath layers of removable warm clothing (including cardigans and jackets) and the excess material in the tail of the sling can be used as a windbreak or sun cover for baby’s little legs. Oh, and remember, if it is raining you’ll never get any fabric on the floor whilst fitting the carrier.
3. Ultimate newborn to preschooler carrier.
If you need one single carrier to suit a newborn AND a toddler (AND a preschooler!), then a woven ring sling is the way to go. A ring sling offers the flexibility to cope with almost any small person’s cuddle needs, or desire to stop walking in the middle of an outing. It is super easy to adjust the sizing of a ring sling to fit any baby or young child, from premature newborns right through to preschoolers.
4. Poppability
Cat’s favourite thing about ring slings is their “poppability” – they’re quick to pop your mobile toddler up and down as they please, and easy to wear as an accessory (think scarf!) when they are feeling the need for independence. You can even use a ring sling as a carry-assist item, or more commonly referred to as a “hip seat”, by positioning your older toddler on top of the hammock with the fabric slinging from knee to knee and possibly a little bit of their bottom covered, but using your arm to provide the remainder of the support to their upper back without the bulk or excessive padding of many of the hip seats on the market.
5. Flexibility in positioning
Wear a preemie baby high and centred on your chest or offset onto one side of the chest, wear a toddler on your front or hip, easy to hip carry a toddler whilst pregnant or sightseeing, and can even be used by competent ring sling users for back carrying older, compliant toddlers.
6. Breastfeeding friendly
If you are breastfeeding, the ring sling is one of the easiest carriers to breastfeed in! Simply loosen the sling a little, reposition baby down and offset onto the side you wish to feed on, latch and then retighten the sling to provide support. It is worthwhile noting that breastfeeding in any baby carrier is never a handsfree activity, and baby should be constantly supported and monitored to avoid asphyxiation, and as soon as they are finished actively feeding baby must be returned to a firm and evenly tightened position where they are close enough to kiss.
I also forgot to mention the versatility of ring slings. They can be used for twin carrying (two ring slings worn at the same time, so both baby’s can be fitted and removed independently, or individual babies can be worn by two separate carers), tandem carrying (pop a newborn in a ring sling on your front with a toddler on your back in a woven wrap, half buckle or soft structured carrier), and they can even be worn with the rings on your back if you don’t like them near your collarbones!
Plus, don’t they just look incredible in a photo shoot!? Thanks to Cat for capturing the incredible photos throughout this blog, and for inviting me to contribute to her website in return. If you’ve been planning a photo shoot and hoping to get some amazing babywearing photos included, Cat is definitely the photographer of choice.
Don’t forget to reach out if there is anything I can do to help you learn to love your ring sling, and happy babywearing.
Wow, such a great introduction to ring slings! Hope you enjoyed that! Remember to check out the carriers and cloth nappies Alyce loves and book education with her at Cloth and Carry and see my guest blog post 5 tips for better phone photos of the kids!
Here is the rest of Alyce’s adorable family gallery at my sunset splash spot in Maylands. Love, love, love.
Look forward to capturing your family story soon xxx
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