Tak boleh sling leh... (translation: cannot sling leh)

Went with Meredith and my mom to try a pouch sling today to see if it works any better than the ring sling that I have so that I can nurse her on the go. I have mucho problems with adjusting the ring sling cos the material gets all bunched up in the rings and I can't pull the material smoothly (or fast) enough to get Meredith positioned right in the sling. Speed and ease of use is critical seeing as how one of the main reasons I want a sling/carrier is so that I can carry Meredith around the house when she's fussy and still have both hands available. And when Meredith is fussy, she's FUSSY. ie hands flailing; legs stiff as a board, kicking off anything she can get a hold of; back arched; head thrown back; squirming.. you get the idea. And there's no way I have the luxury of putting her in the sling and adjusting it around her when she's in one of those moods. =(

So I figured a pouch sling may work better since it's sized for the user and hence has no need for adjustment (or so I thought). Went to try it out today, and erm, well, I'm a little disappointed that it's not as user-friendly as I had hoped. There's still a good deal of wrestling with Meredith needed to get her in the sling (and we all know how much my fussy little baby likes being messed with). And even when I did get her in the sling, she looked all curled up and a tad uncomfortable. And true to form, when the lady who's selling the slings carried Meredith in the sling, she looked totally fine. Sigh.

So anyhow, my mom seems to think it's cos I'm a little narrow and Meredith's long for her age. Because she still doesn't have good neck control, her head needs to be in the sling which means her whole body length has to fit in the width of my body. There may be some truth to that, altho I think a little practice is needed in order to perfect the art... but I'm a huge fan of instant gratification, plus I've already spent money on 1 sling that I don't use, and am not very willing to spend more on another that won't work for sure.

The Ergo carrier I have works wonders for me. It's paid for itself and a half. Meredith has fallen asleep in it EVERY time I've put her in it.. regardless of how fussy she was prior to being put in it or how noisy/chaotic the surrounding environment is. It's the only way I dare to go out shopping with her. My only complaints? It's a tad bulky to carry around if she's not in it and I can't nurse her in it. But at least it works for everything else. So I think I'm going to end my search for a sling and just stick with the ergo. Which I guess is good for the wallet! heh.