I love my NoJo!

This is my third "NoJo" baby. She went in the sling in the second week of life and goes everywhere with me. My first daughter was a stroller baby. With my second daughter, I couldn't figure out the sling and my husband became the "chief" carrier. With number three daughter, I decided it was my turn to do the carrying and after much patience, managed to find a position that both of us liked. With number four, she was colicky and we have been permanently attached at the hip for two and a half months now.

Without the sling, I would be useless in taking care of my family, completing chores, getting anything done at all. Both of my hands are completely free now when I wear the sling to do what I need to do (ie: push the shopping cart, hold my toddler's hand, cook dinner, run the vacuum, dry and style my hair, wash dishes, the list goes on and on).

We go shopping together and the ladies at the checkout all comment, "how comfortable she looks! And asleep, again..." It's great for bonding with your baby, creating a security zone that cannot be beaten. My daughter's favorite position is on her side in the sling, curled around my upper tummy when she is sleepy. She is also very content to be cross-legged and facing forward when awake, now that she can hold her head up. My experience is if I act with confidence in the use of my sling, she is content and comfortable. The earlier you start using the sling, the better you BOTH become in the use of it.

I have tried several of the front carriers but they put too much strain on the shoulders and upper back. With the NoJo, it distributes the weight from shoulder to hip, across the back, and allows for better posture with less strain. If I remember the statistics that came with the sling (it has been a while now), it can hold up to a 30 pound child.

I like having the assurance of the double ring and the toggle at the bottom of the tail, to ensure the NoJo doesn't slip through and fall off. They have tripled the fabric over and double stitched the tail for added durability. It also provides a nice something to "teethe" on as they get older while they sling with you.

The color choices I had were not the fault of NoJo, but that of the stores available to me (we live in Guam and choices are hard to come by). If you buy online, you have a few more choices. Not as many as some of the other brands of slings though. NoJo is made of cotton and washes well. The more you wash it, the softer it gets (ours is very soft now as it has been washed and dried alot). We have a darker fabric for our NoJo and it hides the permanent stains that do happen better than the lighter fabrics would.

As for height and weight affecting the wearing of your sling, I am not overly tall (5'5) slightly overweight, and I have quite a bit of room for adjustment on the sling. My husband is a quite a bit taller than I am (5'11) and has the tail pretty much let out to the limit for comfort purposes. He prefers to wear her lower than I do though, more in the hip area for him, which may account for the tail being really short. I like to wear her higher, closer to my chest which gives me more room to adjust the sling.

I believe in the benefits (bonding, security, breastfeeding on the go discreetly) of my NoJo so much that I have purchased two more as baby shower gifts and then took the time to show them how to use it. The book that comes with the sling is helpful, but it is still a book, and "hands on instructions" is always a better teacher anyway. They also agree that the sling has become indispensable to them. I ended up purchasing them online at various baby stores due to the limited stock here on island. I know that Ebay carries several auctions at any given time, and you can get a slightly used but in good condition sling for about half the price of a new one.

If you can, I would encourage you to borrow before you buy. Make sure this is something that you would enjoy using, otherwise it can be an expensive investment if you aren't going to use it. Find someone help you try it on, play with it and find a good comfortable position for you and baby (make sure your baby is in a good mood while you do this though :). If you then decide the sling is for you, go ahead and buy.

Good luck and happy slinging!