I mentioned I would love to hear from you all on what some of your favorite slings or carriers have been. Have you used one you absolutely loved? Please tell me about it! You may find yourself linked in one of my upcoming articles.
I used the peanut shell sling. I liked it because I didn't have to deal with rings or buckles or bunches of fabric. It was great when JK was quite small and sleeping all the time. It was also pretty good from 3-6 months, though my neck, shoulder, and back would get sore quickly. To be honest, I haven't tried it with the older baby positions yet, because I'd really just prefer to use the stroller. JK is squirmy and doesn't like to be held so tightly.
I've seen the wrap style slings and they look so comfortable. My husband says they look dumb and doesn't want me to get one ;-) Babywearing isn't very common in my area. Maybe because of the bulky winter coats we have to wear for 6 months each year.
I have two lucky baby slings and I love them because they have no loops to mess with, they roll up small can double as a blanket, they have a small pocket to carry keys and a credit card and some are even lined with plush minky. They all come in wonderful colors and patterns and she always has a charity sling too. I love that she also does custom orders (you pick the fabric) I found her through my local farmer's market back home and fell in love instantly. www.lucky-baby.com (it think?)
I made my own pouch style carrier for my last two babies and I loved it when they're little. It's so easy to make - directions abound on the net. And they are by far the easiest to get baby in and out of. I found them to be very comfortable and since it's made to fit, there's no adjusting and I never felt sore.
Once they get just a little bigger, I love a wrap. Mine is black stretchy material and it's super comfortable. The fabric spreads out across your back so that all the baby's weight is evenly distributed. Carrying the baby so close to your body feels very secure so I can move around more freely than with other carrriers.
Christian in 8 months and prefers to sit up most of the time so we're switching over to the stroller and the grocery cart seat...my baby is growing up!...but he still fits fine in the wrap and is no trouble to carry that way:)
I never used a sling, but I loved my MacLaren front carrier. It's very similar to the Baby Bjorn carrier, but had a higher weight limit. This was important to me since I had ginormous babies who thought strollers were evil.
I have a few that I love. The first is a pouch-style made by a WAHM that I bought off Etsy. Just as cute as a Peanut Shell, but $20 instead of $60. I use this for the first few months and for quick trips. It goes on easy. I also use a larger pouch that I made for my husband for older babies. They can sit facing out and it also is really quick to put on.
But for longer trips (grocery store and around the house), I use a Moby style carrier that I made myself. They are so easy to make (no-sew if needed) and disperse the weight on both shoulders. I found that the Moby and others are made for all sized women and 18 feet of material was far, far too much for me. I used 5 yards and then still cut it down another foot or so.
There are many awesome websites with tons of patterns for every type of carrier.
I prefer a mei tai (love my BabyHawk mei tai) or soft structured carrier, like an Ergo. My husband likes the Ergo better since he just has to buckle it on, instead of tying. I also have 2 pouch slings (Hotsling & Peanut Shell) but my daughter hated those. She did like a kangaroo carry in the pouch sling when she was smaller. I just think the Asian inspired baby carriers work better for me.
I will say that as my daughter gets older we will probably get more use from the Ergo. It seems a little more comfy. I took her to a festival last weekend and did a back carry with the BabyHawk and my back did get a little sore.