Mommy Must Haves: Ring Sling from Anna Carrie Baby

Ring slings! Wraps! Mei tais! Back carry! Front carry! Hip carry!  Oh my!

The world of babywearing is vast and varied, but it’s not as intimidating as it seems, and, in fact, can totally make you feel like a Super Mom.

When Joshua was five weeks old, I bought a wrap and it changed my life. He was a screamer with an awful case of DontPutMeDown Disease and I was losing my mind. Joshua snoozed for three hours the first time I wrapped him up and from that point on I was a believer.

I had such a good experience wearing Joshua, I couldn’t wait to start wearing Emma and started when she was a tiny two-week old little bundle. But wraps can be hot and it’s summer. And summer means outdoors. And outdoors means water.

And then one day my life was changed. Again.

There was a mesh ring sling from Anna Carrie Baby in my mailbox.

Rebecca and I have known each other since before I was pregnant with Joshua thanks to the (good ol’) Bump which brought us together. She’s a stay/work-at-home-mom to two children who really knows her way around a sewing machine! She started out with mei tai carriers and expanded her offerings from there.

Within minutes of opening up the sling, after I squee’ed a bit with excitement, I put Emma into a cradle hold and she started rooting around, so I nursed her in it while I ate dinner with two hands. And I didn’t over heat! It was a miracle!

It took a little getting used to at first.  I was so used to how wraps worked that I had to figure out how to get her into the ring sling.

One night she was incredibly fussy and I was incredibly at my wits end. So I grabbed the sling and decided to figure it out. As soon as I got her snugged up in the sling, she was asleep. And I was able to sit down and relax.

Joshua phone-jacked me. This is from my web cam. What's important here is the sleeping baby.

Taking Joshua to the splash park this summer was kind of a daunting thought. He needs to get out and have fun and I need to get out and talk to other adults. But how was I going to do that with a baby? Enter the mesh ring sling.

It’s not a daunting thought anymore, y’all. I just put her in the mesh ring sling and then I’m free to play with Joshua in the water.

If the sling gets wet, it’s okay because that’s what this particular sling is made for. The Anna Carrie Baby mesh sling is lightweight and it dries quickly. And it’s cool and breathable in a way that wraps aren’t. Rebecca’s mesh ring sling also has a shorter tail than regular slings so that you’re not dragging a mile of wet fabric through the water while you play.

It’s seriously the best way to wear your baby in the hot, hot weather we all seem to be having.

Sleeping baby! HOORAY! Beautiful ring sling! HOORAY!

The ring sling is so, so easy to use, y’all! Any time we go anywhere, I just grab it from the front seat, slip it over my head, grab her out of the car seat, snug her up, and off we go. I have two free hands to shop and chase Joshua. Or snap photos while he plays basketball at Old Navy or uses the potty. (Potty trained kids ROCK!)

I can even carry both of them if I have to, though that’s a lot of kid to carry.

He shoots! He scores! He pees! She sleeps!

My new favorite use for the sling is going out to eat. Since Emma hates the car seat and can’t sit up on her own yet, dining out was complicated. One of us would rush through our meal while the other juggled the baby. Then we’d switch off and hope the food wasn’t too cold. Now, I put her in the ring sling and we head into the restaurant and I wear her while we eat. She usually goes to sleep before our drinks arrive and stays asleep until, awesomely enough, it’s time to leave. See:

Baby's asleep. Mama's drinking a Sweetwater 420. And eating a meal with two hands.

Emma and I have come to love the mesh ring sling so much I bought a purple linen sling from Rebecca for BlogHer. (Remind me to tell y’all how I’m taking a baby to New York in August, okay?)

I get stopped every time I wear Emma anywhere. I feel kind of like a rock star when they do. People in Target or the grocery store ask about it and remark how cool it is and ask me whether or not she likes it or if it’s comfortable. And oh yes, it’s comfortable! The weight is distributed so that there’s no strain on your lower back to carry her like some other carriers on the market. And because the fabric isn’t stretchy, she doesn’t sag or droop down my torso. And wearing your baby is good for your baby, too, y’all!

I cannot rave enough about the Anna Carrie Baby mesh ring sling and how much I love it. Or about how easy it is to use. I almost made a vlog to show you and then I realized I was on two-day hair and would probably scare y’all. But if you really want me to vlog this, I will. I’m giving like that.

And speaking of giving, Rebecca’s giving y’all FREE SHIPPING from Anna Carrie Baby with the code SUPERMOMFS.

What are you waiting for? Run! See for yourself how awesome it is to wear your baby in a ring sling!