Three years ago, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I was very lucky. My sister-in-law was a Marketing Director at Crown Crafts. Why does that make me lucky? Because Crown Crafts is a textile company that makes a lot of your favorite brands – including NoJo, Baby Guess, anything with Winnie the Pooh on it, etc… I chose the pattern I liked, and then she outfitted my daughter's bedroom. When the big box arrived full of blankets, sheets, valances, pillows, (oh, and LOTS of bibs!) tucked away in a corner was a box I wasn't expecting. It was a
Nojo Original Baby Sling.
Now at the time, I was not really "up" on all the current baby carrier styles, but knew that I would need one. I don't like strollers for a variety of reasons, and really didn't see myself using one very often (I do have one for when absolutely needed – my 3yo has been in it maybe 5 times, my 19 month old never has). I had a couple of friends that had slings that were telling me that was the way to go, and my midwife also recommended a sling. Walking through stores, the only sling I ever saw was the Nojo sling, so I just assumed that was the only one around and that was the one I would get. So, it was a nice surprise to get one as a gift.
Since then I have learned a lot about slings and carrying babies, and now know that a sling is really the best way to go.
Why should you use a sling? 1) Babies that are held in slings close to their mother (or other caregiver) are generally happier. They get to feel their mother's heartbeat, and the gentle non-stop movement of the everyday world – wearing your baby is a simple easy way to give your baby touch, warmth and movement.
2) A baby that is happy is generally more alert (or sleeping very peacefully). Babies that are more alert are taking in more about the world around them – so baby wearing is better for their neurological development.
3) On this same vein, wearing a baby in a sling can truly help comfort a colicky baby – and also ease digestive problems.
4) Wearing your baby promotes bonding between the adult and child.
5) While you are wearing your baby – you have your hands free to do other stuff – it is extremely liberating!
6) If you are nursing, it is very easy to nurse very discreetly in public in a sling. Here's a story about that – When Hannah was about 3 weeks old, we had her baby naming ceremony in our temple. About half way through the service (it was a regular Saturday morning service) she started getting fussy and hungry. I took her out into a quiet room to nurse her. A few minutes later, my husband came out looking for me saying "it's time, we need to get her in there!" She was still hungry though –and was not happy about being interrupted. So, keeping her in the sling, and still nursing her, I walked up to the front of the sanctuary and the rabbi blessed her. I was up there for about 10 minutes and not a single person in the sanctuary had any clue what I was doing. A year later, when I was at temple with her, one of the other congregants came over to play with her and said she remembered her baby naming and how quiet and good she was through it. I just laughed and told her that she was nursing! I have also walked through the mall nursing a baby in a sling - while shopping – and not had a single person even look twice at me. In my mind, nursing under a blanket, where you and the baby can't make eye contact, is like holding out a big red sign "I am nursing". Nursing in a sling is completely discreet. If you just go about your business, no one will ever know.
7) Safety – when you are out in public, wearing a baby is a lot safer than pushing the baby in a stroller. For a variety of reasons – the main one is that the baby is attached to you! No one is going to be able to walk off with your baby without killing you first. No one is accidentally going to mistake your stroller for his or hers, and accidentally walk off with your baby. You are never going to have your back to your baby as you would if they were in a stroller. The other thing is that I noticed that when people are out with babies in strollers, total strangers think that they have free reign to touch your baby. Most don't mean any harm, but they do carry germs. No one ever tried to touch a baby that I was wearing, most of the time when they were newborn especially, they couldn't even really see them. I just always felt a lot safer wearing them in public places.
Why a sling, and not another baby carrier then? Well a sling has a couple of advantages over other carriers:
1) A sling is more comfortable for the adult - With most other carriers the weight of the baby is mostly carried in your shoulders, causing strain on your neck and back. In a sling the weight is carried evenly across your shoulder, back and hip making the sling very easy to use. I still occasionally carry my 3 year old in a sling (she is 27 lbs), I have never got any sort of back or muscle strain from it.
2) A sling is more comfortable for the baby – In an upright carrier, the baby's spine takes the brunt of the baby's weight – specifically the base of the spine. This can make circulation difficult. Other carriers also hold their legs apart in an awkward position at a time when their hips are still forming. A sling is more like a hammock that the baby can lay comfortably in – or sit up in a variety of position. Especially for a newborn, the ability to lie next to mom curled up next to Mom's heartbeat is as close as they can get to being back in the womb.
So, what is so special about the Nojo Original Baby Sling? Well, the main thing that differentiates this one from others is that it is widely available to the mass market. You can go into almost any baby store and find this sling at a reasonable cost (if you spend more than $30, you are getting ripped off). It is the only one that I have ever seen in stores. So when I got it, I didn't even realize that there really were others available.
The other thing that makes this sling different than others is that it has been endorsed by Dr. William Sears. Dr. Sears wrote "The Baby Book: Everything you need to know from Birth to Age 2" as well as about 20 other books on different parenting issues. Dr. Sears devotes a whole chapter in the "Baby Book" on wearing a sling and it's benefits. He also gives instructions on how to best use the sling. Although people have been using slings all over the world for centuries, I think Dr. Sears is actually considered the "father" of babywearing in modern day America. So, having his name on it is a really big deal to a lot of people. Included with the sling is a brochure that Dr. Sears wrote on baby wearing and on how to use the sling.
Detail, Details, we want Details! Well then, the sling is available in 2 patterns:
Blue Jean Plaid – Sling is darker blue with a darker colored blue/red plaid around the padding (shown above)
Chambray Plaid –sling is lighter blue with a lighter blue/white plaid around the padding.
The sling is all cotton and machine washable. Baby spits up – just throw it in the washing machine. I have had mine for 3 years and it still looks almost new.
Because you can carry your child in a variety of positions, the sling will grow with your child. It can be used from birth until around 30 lbs. As, I said before, my older daughter still likes to be carried in a sling.
The sling itself is just a long piece of cigar shaped fabric with a roll of padding up the sides. At one end of the cigar are two plastic rings. The rings have grooves in them, ostensibly to protect from slippage. Also at this end there is some padding at the top of the cigar. When babies are young, you can position this padding under their head to give it some more support. As the baby gets older, you can move the padding onto your shoulder to give your shoulder some more support.
At the other end of the cigar is a "tail" which is a piece of unpadded fabric that you slip through the rings to make the "hammock". A nice feature in the Nojo Original Baby Sling is that at the end of the tail there is a plastic bar, which prevents the tail from sliding through the rings.
The sling comes in only one size, and is meant to fit everyone. Since you are able to adjust the amount of fabric that you put through the rings, theoretically this is correct. (See below for info on why it isn't true in reality)
How do you use the sling? There are a variety of positions that you can carry your baby in using the sling. The sling is actually very easy to use. You just put the sling on over one shoulder, and then pick up the baby and put him/her in. No buckles or snaps to do or anything else. However, it does take some practice, and many people have complained they have never been able to get comfortable wearing it. If you have a friend that has used a sling, practice with her. Or ask a midwife, or a La Leche League leader… Once you have gotten used to it though, it is very easy to use.
There are 5 main positions:
The cradle hold (birth to age 6 months) - this inclines the head to give them optimum head support, while still letting the baby see out. There is also a variation on this hold that can be used for older babies.
Kangaroo Hold (ages 3-6 months) – baby sits in a tailor sitting position forward facing with his back against your chest.
Snuggle Hold (birth to 6 months) - baby is leaning against you, his head resting on your chest, and tummy against your tummy
Hip Straddle (ages 4 months and up) – wear baby on either of your hips with his legs straddling your body.
Back position (ages 6 month and up) – wear baby on your back facing forward. I liked this position for when I was doing something that I needed some more freedom in front of me (i.e. brushing my teeth). It was also great to use when I was cooking and was able to still hold my daughter without her being in any danger.
The sling comes with full instructions from Dr. Sears on how to do all these positions. They are also available in "The Baby Book" as well as on his website at www.askdrsears.com.
Are there any downsides to the sling? First let me say, that I do not have any cons with wearing a sling in general. I believe that all babies should be carried as much as possible in a sling – either that or be on the floor in tummy time. (My children have never had jumpers, walkers, exersaucers none of that stuff… as babies they are either being fed, held, or having tummy time - they all crawled at around 3.5-4 months and walked at 10 months)
My older daughter was really the only one that used this sling, and she was always very comfortable in it. However, I had some issues with it:
1) It was too big for me. I am 5'2" so on the petite side, but not horribly so. Although Nojo claims it is adjustable for any size person, in reality it can't get smaller than the tail. After the tail, the padding starts along both edges, and that will not go through the rings. So it was always on the big side for me.
2) Although the rings had the no-grip grooves, the sling slipped quite a bit. I think that was part of it being too big. It would start out up around my chest, but within a half hour was down to my hips. This made it uncomfortable for me, and could also be a nuisance.
3) The padding was a bit hot in summer time, and was kind of bulky.
4) My husband never really got comfortable using this sling. Neither of us really know why, but he just couldn't do it comfortably, which meant that I was always the one carrying the baby (secretly – I think THAT's the reason he couldn't get comfortable. LOL)
5) This was not an issue for me at first – until I had a second baby 17 months after the first. You cannot wear 2 padded slings at the same time. You can wear 2 unpadded slings – people with twins do it all the time. So, this particular sling would not be a good for someone expecting twins, or having a second child soon after the first.
For these reasons, when I got pregnant again, I decided that I wanted a new sling. There really are a LOT of choices out there. I did a lot of research and chose a Maya Wrap and love it. There is a wonderful site that talks about the different types of slings available and which kinds work best for different people. It also has reviews of most different brands of slings. You can find it at: http://www.jenrose.com/sling/newsling.htm and I would highly recommend checking it out first as it has lots of useful information. The site also has directions on how to make your own sling.
But my Nojo still gets quite a bit of use. My husband can use the Maya Wrap without a problem, so he can carry one child in the Maya Wrap, while I carry the other in the Nojo.
Final Thoughts… The Nojo is not a bad sling. It is widely available, and is inexpensive (compared to other slings and baby carriers). However, it may not be the best sling for you. Before you buy a sling, do your research. You may be using the sling for a couple of years. You want to make sure that you are happy with your choice.
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Other links of interest:
Dr. Sear's website on babywearing: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/T051100.asp
Sling descriptions and comparisons
http://www.jenrose.com/sling/newsling.htm
My review of the Maya Wrap Sling:
http://www.epinions.com/content_36501884548 My review of "The Baby Book" by Dr. Sears:
http://www.epinions.com/book-review-64C8-884AE13-38F1D789-prod6 
