Product Review: Sleeping Baby Productions Ring Sling

After much research on TheBabyWearer.com while I was pregnant, I decided to get a ring sling from Sleeping Baby Productions. These slings are very reasonably priced compared to well-known brands like the Maya Wrap, and I really didn’t want to shell out a bunch of money for something I wasn’t sure I (or my baby) would like. I opted for the European linen, though the denim was very tempting.

I first used the sling when Nathan was about two weeks old. We started going for walks around our two-street “neighborhood” at about that time, and he would fall asleep almost immediately (hence the name Sleeping Baby Productions). I didn’t wear it as much as I planned to, mostly because I didn’t have too much to do and I ended up just holding him all the time while sitting in my comfy recliner. But when I did have things to do, the ring sling worked great.

I really like the adjustability of the ring sling compared to a pouch sling (I have a Hotsling). I could change his position much easier, and it was relatively easy to get him in and out of. I don’t think I really mastered the ring sling, though, so sometimes I couldn’t get it quite how I wanted it to be. But I’m pretty sure that was just user-error. I think with the next child (Lord willing), I will use the ring sling more out of necessity so I will have more practice in adjusting it.

The ring sling is also helpful to nurse hands-free, or almost hands-free if your baby is very young. For the first four or so months, Nathan breastfed for at least a half hour every two hours, so slings really came in handy for us. I nursed him a few times when he was very small in the cradle hold in the ring sling. In this position, I still had to support his head, but one hand was free to do whatever I needed to do. When he was 3-5 months, I nursed him in the cuddle hold, which I found to be a lot less awkward. I did this several times while babysitting, and it made it very easy for me to follow around the active little boy, pull him away from things he didn’t need to be touching, spoon-feed him, or whatever I needed to do while breastfeeding Nathan. I didn’t really master nursing in this sling, though, so I wasn’t really comfortable nursing in public with it. Next time, I hope to do a little more practice for that purpose.

I was very pleased with the quality and comfort of the SBP ring sling especially considering its price, and I’m really looking forward to using it with the next baby. I haven’t used it lately with Nathan since he is so active now, but I may wear him in small increments in the hip-carry for quick trips. Since he is also so heavy now, I prefer my Freehand mei tai or Ergo for wearing him more than 15-20 minutes.