Oopa Baby Silk Pattern Sling

HOW TO
There are a variety of different sling positions you can practice with your baby. The following pictures demonstrate three popular positions: the Hip Carry, the Cradle Carry, and the Kangaroo Carry. (The baby featured in these photographs is seven months old). Before you place baby in your Oopa Baby sling for the first time, you may want to practice with a doll, to get used to the feeling of the sling on your body. You can also practice with your baby on top of a bed or other soft surface, or try your sling on in front of a mirror, so that you feel confident and can see exactly what you are doing!

HIP CARRY
There are a variety of different sling positions you can practice with your baby. The following pictures demonstrate three popular positions: the Hip Carry, the Cradle Carry, and the Kangaroo Carry. (The baby featured in these photographs is seven months old). Before you place baby in your Oopa Baby sling for the first time, you may want to practice with a doll, to get used to the feeling of the sling on your body. You can also practice with your baby on top of a bed or other soft surface, or try your sling on in front of a mirror, so that you feel confident and can see exactly what you are doing!

STEP 1 Hold your Oopa Baby sling out in front of you, and confirm that it is properly threaded and prepared. Tail should be hanging down in front, and material inside the rings should be spread out flat. All material should lie smooth and flat, avoiding any twisting or bunching. The material should be threaded through the rings as you would thread a ring belt, under both rings, then “over again way” in the middle, covering only one ring. The key to adjusting unpadded ring slings is to spread the fabric evenly inside the rings. When the fabric folds over on itself, it can be difficult to adjust.

STEP 2 Place the sling over your head as if it were a sash. Rings should rest on your opposite shoulder of preference - lefties rest rings on right shoulder, righties on their left shoulder. (The woman in this picture is left-handed). Pull any slack fabric around your back, making the sling material as smooth as possible to ensure that your baby’s weight is properly distributed.

STEP 3 Before putting baby into your sling, adjust the main body of the sling so that it feels comfortable. Create a “wall” of fabric against your body; to ensure there is not way that baby can slip out, make a pouch or bucket out of the fabric in front of you, into which you will place your baby. Keep rings at the level at which you would place a corsage on your shoulder.

OOPA BABY TIP: We find that the tighter your baby is to your body, the better his weight distribution will be across your back and the less strain you will feel in general.

STEP 4 Place baby in the “burp position” over the opposite shoulder from where the sling rings are resting, and place his legs through the pouch of fabric you have made in your sling. Wrap fabric tightly around his bottom (fabric should go from baby’s neck to baby’s knees).

STEP 5 Adjust baby on your hip, ensuring there is plenty of fabric under his bottom and riding up his legs. The higher his legs are on your waist, the better “fit” you will have. Try and seat baby as “deep” as you can in the sling pouch, pulling any excess fabric up around his shoulders and arms (if he’ll let you!)

STEP 6 Once you and baby are comfortable in the sling, pull the slack out of the top and bottom rails, securing the sling to hold baby in. Tighten the outside/top rail by pulling sideways, not down. By pulling sideways, the edge of the fabric will stay more isolated in the sling rings, making it easier to adjust.

STEP 7 Finally, make sure the fabric is spread evenly and lays flat across your back. Oopa Baby slings have a pleated shoulder, helping to easily distribute your baby’s weight across your back and shoulder and providing maxium adjustability.

OOPA BABY TIP: You can easily remove your Oopa Baby sling without waking baby (unlike more cumbersome backpacks) by simply lying baby down and “backing out” of the sling, while at the same time slipping it over your head. It is best to then unthread the sling or remove it entirely from underneath your baby, to prevent any possible choking or strangulation hazards.

KANGAROO CARRY
To face baby out so that he can see the world, prepare sling in the same way you would for the Hip Carry, createing a pouch, with a wall of fabric against your body (see steps 1-3 of the Hip Carry). Hold baby against you, facing out, and cross his legs in front (“Indian style”). Place baby into the pouch you have created in front of you.

 

CRADLE CARRY
This position is ideal for newborns as well as any time baby nurses. Your Oopa Baby sling tail provides discreet coverage while nursing in public, as well as peace and quiet for your sleeping baby.

Place baby in sling while sitting down, with baby resting on your lap. Baby should be lying down, in nursing position.

 

Fabric closest to baby’s head can be pulled up for more coverage, or back to let a cool breeze in. Baby can be placed in either direction, depending on what you both find most comfortable.

OOPA BABY TIP: It helps to overcompensate in ring placement - leaving rings high on your shoulder for the initial adjustment - as you tighten the sling with your baby in it, rings will inch down towards your chest, which may not be as comfortable. When baby is in the adjusted sling, he should sit at or above your waist.

In closing, please remember that Oopa Baby slings are built to withstand normal use. Nevertheless, always check your sling for wear or damage to the fabric, particularly near the rings, before you use it. If for any reason you question whether or not you should use the sling, don’t risk it!

ABOUT BABYWEARING
Through touch and smell, a baby bonds to his parents, beginning the foundation of the parent-child relationship. Holding, talking, singing, rocking, cuddling and other nurturing interactions all help to strengthen this bond.

When you “wear” your baby – holding her close through the use of a baby sling or other carrier – you create opportunities to practice these bonding activities. Your sensitivity to her needs and understanding of her language increases because you are in constant and close contact.

Slings help to calm and soothe. Babywearing simulates a womb-like environment, reducing baby’s stress level and helping to make him less colicky and fussy.

Wearing your baby promotes her physical development. When you sling baby, she becomes attuned to the rhythm of your breathing, the sound of your heartbeat, and the movement of your body. This stimulation helps baby to regulate her own physical responses, while exercising her vestibular system, which controls balance. Slings are extremely beneficial for premature babies who gain weight faster and are healthier the more they are touched and held. Ludington-Hoe SM, Swinth JY. (1996). Developmental aspects of kangaroo care. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 25, 691-703.

Rest those tired arms. Using a baby carrier helps to evenly distribute your baby’s weight across your back and shoulders, leaving your hands free – to catch up on the phone with an old friend, shop at your favorite store, pick up around the house, or to prepare a salad for dinner!
 

Stop struggling with that stroller! Why wrestle a stroller in and out of your trunk or up and down the subway stairs when you can just pop baby in a carrier and go?

Carried babies are more alert. Babies in-arms are mostly in a quiet alert state of consciousness, best enabling them to learn and absorb new information. Babywearing also helps to integrate baby into the daily life of family and community; providing a tremendous educational advantage. Babies that are worn experience the world around with Mom or Dad, learning critical social and communication skills first-hand and observing their surroundings from a safe vantage point.www.askdrsears.com, section entitled, The Benefits of Babywearing

Nurse on the go. Imagine nursing your child at the grocery store checkout with no one being the wiser! Breastfeeding in a carrier can be discreet and easy with just a little practice.

Babies worn in slings are happier. Studies deomonstrate that the more babies are held, the less they cry and fuss. ...supplemental carrying modifies “normal” crying by reducing the duration and altering the typical pattern of crying and fussing in the first 3 months of life. The relative lack of carrying in our society may predispose to crying and colic in normal infants. Pediatrics 1986;77:641-648; crying, carrying, colic,- mother-infant interaction.

Baby-wearing is good exercise. It’s hard to find time to exercise when you are a new mother, but if you carry your baby around with you during the day or go for a brisk walk while wearing him, you can combine quality time with calorie-burning! A long walk in the sling is also an excellent way to put a child to sleep.

Carried babies are safer. Protect your baby from the unwanted touches of strangers or from germs during cold and flu season, by sharing your personal space with her. With your baby in a sling, you always know where she is – you don’t have to “keep an eye on her” in a busy airport or a crowded shopping mall, because she’s attached to you!

Toddlers appreciate the security of the sling. Many people associate slings with infants, but they are very useful for toddlers as well (Oopa Baby slings accommodate children up to 35 pounds). The world can be a scary place for toddlers, and when they can retreat to the security of the sling when they need to, they often feel more confident. Toddlers are also prone to becoming over-stimulated, and a ride in the sling helps to soothe and comfort them before (or after!) a melt-down occurs.

Slings are a bonding tool for fathers, grandparents and other caregivers. Slings are a useful tool for everyone in baby's life. Fathers and other caregivers lack the automatic “headstart to bonding” mothers enjoy through pregnancy, but that doesn't mean they can't make up for this once baby is born. Cuddling up close in a sling is a wonderful way to get to know the baby in your life, and for that baby to get to know you.