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Home > Ring Slings

Ring Slings

A ring sling is a fully adjustable, one-shoulder carrier used to carry baby on the front or on the hip. It consists of a length of cloth with a set of sturdy metal rings sewn on to one end. The "tail," or free end of the fabric, is threaded through the rings. The wearer places the sling over her head with the rings on one shoulder, and baby goes into the pouch formed by the fabric. The wearer pulls on the edges of the tail to tighten or loosen the individual "rails," or top and bottom edges of the fabric. The tail can be worn loose and flowing or wrapped around the rings for a sleeker look. The fabric cups the wearer's shoulder and helps distribute baby's weight across the back. Ring slings come in fabrics ranging from practical cotton to sturdy linen and luxurious silk.

Ring slings are an excellent choice for newborns because of the infinite adjustability, enabling the parent to get a comfortable, secure fit while positioning baby safely and appropriately. Although many parents think they should put baby in a semi-reclined or cradle position in the sling, in my experience, most babies prefer an upright, tummy-to-tummy position with their legs froggied inside the fabric pouch, which helps avoid any chin-to-chest malpositioning. Because the ring sling is so simple to adjust, it's easy to re-position baby into a semi-reclined or cradle position for nursing. In fact, the ring sling is a great carrier for discreet nursing as the tail can be used as a built-in nursing cover. Once baby is done nursing, it's just a simple move to get her back up into the tummy-to-tummy carry. As baby gets bigger, she'll transition to a front facing in carry on the wearer's chest with legs out and rear end securely cradled in the hammock formed by the ring sling's fabric. When she's got good head control, she can be worn facing out with legs crossed Buddha-style inside the sling. Finally, when she's big enough for a hip carry, the ring sling does an excellent job at taking her weight off your arm and transferring it across your shoulder and back.

Ring slings work really well for parents of different sizes who want to share a carrier. The tail may be longer on one parent and shorter on the other, but both can wear the same size. Ring slings are also one of the most "poppable" styles of baby carriers -- it's quick to pop baby in and out as needed. A ring sling is fairly compact and will fold up nicely into a diaper bag. Although it may be harder to use comfortably for long periods of time asbaby gets big and heavy, a ring sling will still be a good carrier to have on hand for when tired little legs give out and your toddler needs a snuggle and a hug before wanting down again.

QuirkyBaby offers two of the best and most popular brands of ring sling: Maya Wrap and Sakura Bloom. The Maya Wrap has light padding in the shoulder and a set of pleats for excellent fit, and is made from cotton. Sakura Bloom ring slings have a wide, gathered shoulder style and come in single or double layers of linen or double layers of silk, both of which are surprisingly practical as well as elegant.

Sub-Categories

Maya Wrap
Lightly padded and pleated shoulder, 100% woven cotton

Sakura Bloom
Widely gathered shoulder in linen or silk