Ring Slings are often touted as the fastest method of carrying and can be an absolute lifesaver for school runs. We at Oscha Slings adore them, but we often hear people struggling to get the knack for a comfy Ring Sling carry.
The key to their magnificence is all in the preparation. A lot of the common comfort niggles with ring slings can all be resolved by taking the time to set it up perfectly for you and your little one. The best bit? Once you've taken the time to perfect it once, and there will be minimal adjustment required next time.
Not sure what a Ring Sling is? Check out our information page. Here you can also find help choosing a ring sling style, and the left or right shoulder guide might be useful.
Watch our top tips video to see all the best tweaks in action and read on for more detailed explanations!
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If the sling rides up on your neck, don't be afraid to use your shoulder!
A common concern is that the ring sling sits too close to the wearer's neck, causing discomfort. This can be easily solved by adjusting the ring sling prior to having your baby fully in - it's trickier to adjust once their weight is fully on the fabric. Before you pick up your baby - spread the shoulder nice and wide, cupping your arm, and ensuring it's well away from your neck.
Top Tip - If you're someone who moves their arms up a lot, and would feel restricted with a fully cupped shoulder, try our exclusive pleated shoulder.
Not sure if a capped shoulder will bother you? Try it out by tying a scarf around your shoulder for an hour or so and see if it bothers you.Top Tip from our in-house Baby Carrying Consultant
Rock the Ring Height
Sometimes the ring can sit lower than you'd like, making adjusting the sling difficult as the rings can end up sitting near your baby's body or face. The trick for this is again, positioning the rings before your wee one is fully in the sling. If you have the sling gathered like a rope (as the pictures show), lift your baby's weight off it, and gently slide it around, moving the rings towards your shoulder for the most comfort for both of you.
Prevent the Popper
Some children seem to have a knack for managing to 'pop the seat'. This refers to when the fabric is moved so that it no longer supports from knee to knee. This can be remedied by having a lovely taut ring sling at the start, with the lower section of the sling tighter than the middle section, allowing their weight to sink down into that optimum 'M position' and be distributed at their bottom rather than their knees. Here is an article illustrated with pictures that shows this really well.
Banish Back Pain
While ring slings are designed to be one-sided, this doesn't mean that all the weight has to sit to one side; in fact, ring slings can be spread really widely. As you can see in this picture, the sling is spread out and taut all the way across her back, with each contact point taking some of the weight.
If you tend to be a little sensitive to weight distribution, we'd recommend a gathered shoulder as it can spread the weight across a larger surface area than the pleated ring sling, and we'd recommend you also regularly change which side you're carrying your baby on. However, if you do have any medical back issues we'd suggest you ask your healthcare provider if a two shouldered option like a woven wrap would be a better solution for you.
Brave the Back Carry?
Ring Slings can be worn for a back carry, although this is a very advanced carry and we recommend you always do this with a spotter present. It is however lovely when we see pictures of this with your beautiful little one's faces smiling at us over your shoulder and we love seeing pictures of this.
We'd love to see your ring sling photographs! Join us in our supportive parenting community Clan Oscha and share your #babywearingwins with us.
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Written by Jess Hippey:
Jess is an experienced Baby Carrying Consultant, and mum to two boys based in Aberdeen, Scotland.
For more info about the work that she does see: www.closeandcalm.co.uk
