Sling thing

One of the new things I have with Baby Three that did not have with the first two kids is a sling. It’s a ring sling – simply a length of cotton sewn on to two steel rings.

It was a gift from my sister, who swears by them. She’s used them with all her four kids.

I used it sometimes when Baby Three was smaller, but not as much as I use it now. When she was tiny, my arms didn’t get as tired holding her, and she just didn’t seem as comfortable.

Now that she’s a sturdy 7-month-old, I can use the sling to hold her on my hip, hands free. Depending on how I adjust the fabric, her hands can be free to reach out and grab things, or tucked in next to me. Her head bobs along just in front of my shoulder.

And I use it all the time. I use it at the skating rink when Frank has hockey practice. I use it to walk to get Caroline at her performing arts program and to walk the dog. I used it while waiting to renew my driver’s license.

I use the sling in a lot of situations where I might otherwise have used a stroller. It doesn’t completely replace a stroller; some walks get long and she gets heavy, and she’s uncomfortable in it when I sit down.

But for lots of things, it’s a lot simpler to more or less tie her to me and get on with my life.

What’s funny is the reactions I get. Store clerks talk to her, maybe because her head is up higher than most babies’. Two young mothers in line at the Secretary of State’s office asked if it really worked. People driving when I’m walking have done double-takes. I’ve heard them say, “That’s a baby in there!”

Baby Three just goes along for the ride. I tend to get a lot of compliments on how well-behaved she is. That’s a little silly; she’s an even-tempered baby (at least, as babies go) and she likes being close to me. Her contentment does not signal super self-control, just a lack of things to complain about.

So thanks to my sister for the sling – the colors she picked coordinate well with just about everything in my wardrobe – and teaching me how to use it.

Thanks to Baby Three for enjoying it. And yes, that is a baby in there.