Kari your baby with ease! (Kari-Me)

Member Name: Sunflower070707

Product:	Kari-Me
Date:	23/08/08 (93 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Carry your baby, closeness, bondinfg

Disadvantages: Such a small one but the baby can get warm on hot days if you're not sensible with clothing!

Having first discovered the concept of "kangeroo care" while working in neonatal intensive care, I was keen to adopt this approach when we had our daughter in May 08. The kari-me sling has allowed us to do that with ease! I found this sling in particular through talking to other mums, the first one who introduced me to it said she'd gone through 7 others before finding this one and wished she'd found it sooner!

The sling is a long piece of soft stretchy fabric which you wrap around you. It does look quite confusing at first but once you have put it on a few times you can do it really easily! Due to you being able to carry the baby a number of different ways (5 different positions from a cradle hold to facing the world to even being on your back!) the sling is suitable from birth and can be used until the baby is 33lbs (15kg). They can be bought from a number of on line retailers, we got ours from the Kari-me website and paid aroud £38, postage is £3.70 for standard 1st class delivery with Royal Mail, there is also an express delivery option if you're in a hurry which will have your sling with you by 3pm the next working day - this option is £7.

The sling comes in a variety of colours - Black, navy, burgundy, oatmeal, orange, turquoise and lilac. We got a black one but will probably get a lighter colour one next time as black shows up drool very very easily!! It is a one size fits all approach as you just tie the sling to fit the wearer - something which appealed as it meant my husband and I can share the same sling! Unlike many of the baby carriers, the baby's weight is distributed more evenly throughout the baby instead of just on her crotch.

I suffered dreadfully with spd in pregnancy and took various slings in to hospital with me as, having been bedbound since 22 weeks, I was anticipating being so for a while afterwards too.. With our daughter being born by C Section too, the sling was invaluable in those early days as it meant she was right there with me and I wasnt having to bend into a crib to pick her up all the time!

The closeness that the sling affords is beautiful, I have carried our daughter in this for most of the day, every day since she was born! She was a good weight at birth at 9lb 8oz yet she doesnt feel heavy in the sling at all as her weight is distributed very effectively around my shoulders and back! In fact, she only really feels heavy if Im carrying her without the sling! Another benefit is as she gains weight my muscles will equally strengthen too making her no more difficult to carry!

It feels so natural to wear her in this sling, she is close to me and can hear my heartbeat, she looks safe and secure. Getting around town or walking the dog is effortless with her in the sling! To that extent we did not purchase a buggy at all and, despite many people telling us we would struggle, we have not regretted that decision one bit 3 months down the line!

As a newborn up until a couple of weeks ago she was mainly in the cuddly position, this was great not only for letting her sleep but also for feeding too - she used to feed feed feed and this sling was the only way I managed to do anything as she can feed on the go! While suffering with colic this sling was a godsend as I could go for a long walk - the rhythmical motion was very soothing to her and she'd be asleep by the time we got home! It's been great for me to start walking the baby weight off and our dog is certainly quite happy with the extra walks when trying to settle her! Now she's 3 months she prefers to face outwards and see what is going on but she still snuggles into the cuddly position well for feeding!

The only downside I can see to this sling is it is a little warm in the summer - I believe the moby wrap sling is a little more lightweight. That said, it's just a case of layering and if she's in the cuddly position on a really warm day the just a nappy is sufficient as the warmth of me and the sling is enough for her! Having said that, it will turn into an advantage come winter - if you have a fleece large enough to go round both of you then she will be as snug as a bug in a rug!

Be prepared for a lot of people to talk to you about the sling - most people havent heard of slings and really do love the concept when they see it!

We love this product, as I said before we've worn it every day for 3 months and washed it goodness knows how many times bt still looks as good as new! At this rate we cant see us needing a buggy for many months - or at least until she is up to the weight limit of the sling! We are putting our other slings on ebay as we have never even used them - and dont think we will do as this sling far surpasses the others by miles!

Summary: A wonderful sling with great versitility