West Coast Sling

Oliver is 6 weeks old today, and in the last 6 weeks we have learned a great many things.

We have learned that caffeine is in fact passed along through breast milk, and that caffeinated babies are no fun at all. We have learned to worry less about comfort and more about fastening the diaper tight enough to prevent catastrophic poop events. We’ve learned to only buy food that is easy to prepare and eat with only one hand. And that the purchase of a bassinet to put beside the bed was a total waist of time and money, even if it can hold more books than my bed side table.

We have also learned a thing or two about the portability of babies. Basically, with the help of a good baby carrier, the world is your play ground.

The baby carrier we’ve been using is the West Coast Sling from Baby Slings Canada. The sling is secure and comfortable, and can be used in a number of different positions depending on the age and mood of your baby or toddler.

Wearing your baby may not be for everybody. I’ve met a few mothers who either didn’t like, or weren’t comfortable with the idea. But for me, being able to wear Oliver has been a life saver. Not only can I wear him around the house when I am doing chores, but with the bus and my own two feet as my only means of transportation, the sling has given us a freedom that would have otherwise been difficult or impossible with a stroller, or just my bare arms. Nestled snuggly in the sling, Oliver falls straight to sleep, and usually stays that way through anything I may need to do be it out and about errands, or puttering around the house.

The best part about this particular sling is that it gives me piece of mind that my son will be warm enough throughout this upcoming winter. While the main sling, the part that actually holds the baby close to you, is made of a light jersey material to keep your baby happy and cool in the warmer months and can even be worn at the beach or in a pool, it comes with three covers that slip on and off as easy as a sweater to make the sling a great option in any weather. A fleece cover for warmth, a rain cover that is also great for blocking the cold prairie wind, and a UV cover that I will no doubt be using come summer. The combination of fleece and rain cover feel like completely cocooning him in my own body heat and a winter parka, which saves me having to worry about little mittens and toques staying on, or the wind hitting his tiny face.

I could go on about this sling all day, and some days I do when a number of women stop me daily to ask about it. This sling in the single most useful and awesome gift that I have received since Oliver was born; I don’t know what I would do without it.