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Carrying the baby in your arms can be beautiful and romantic, right? But what about carrying hours on end when we have or want to take a walk on the street that does not allow taking the baby stroller? It hurts the arms and is not at all comfortable for either mom or baby.
Then there are two accessories that can make a difference in the comfort of carrying your baby , the sling and the kangaroo! But which of the two is more beneficial for the baby and the mother, which is ideal without causing any future problems? Let’s see then:
About Sling
Sling arrived in Brazil not long ago, about six years on average. It came from abroad and is a novelty both among moms as an alternative to the kangaroo and carrying a baby comfortably. Usually the sling is made of long cotton fabric with or without a ring at the end, which is used to make the final tie of the desired shape.
With the sling you can make different shapes, one to breastfeed, to carry the baby lying, sitting and even for those who enjoy, on the back. The sling was inspired by the way the Indians carry their babies and the most used types are:
Sling Models
Wrap Sling: of cloth with almost five meters that wraps the mother and the baby.
Hoop Sling: The most common and also slightly smaller type of fabric, about two meters long. It has a ring at the end for mooring.
Pouch Sling : form of tie similar to a net to comfortably carry the baby when very small or sleeping.
- Kangaroo: very similar to the conventional kangaroo sold with thicker materials, normally the baby is carried sitting in front or on the back as a backpack.
Benefits of Sling
The main benefit of the sling is the security that the baby will have as he will be very close to his mom, listening to her heartbeat. The facility for the mother is also great because keeping her hands free is a great request. And the cons? The sling has some points against it, it can interfere if the baby is badly positioned because it can cause pain in those who carry it and also in the baby itself.
Attention should also be paid to the way the sling is tied , as it can cause the baby to fall. The child may slip through the gaps in the fabric if it is not properly attached and also those who carry it may suffer falls, as the weight will remain in only one region.
Sling vs. Kangaroo
The kangaroo is the oldest, but still very used by moms when it comes to carrying the baby for a little walk that will require her to have her hands free, in the supermarket for example. The kangaroo stands in front of the mother and rests entirely on its trunk and with X-shaped handles on the spine.
The benefit is really for the mother in the sense of distributing the weight evenly, but for the baby the position is not favorable. The weight will be concentrated in the pelvis instead of the back (butt). The baby is also “hanging” with its little legs dangling out of the kangaroo. The ideal would be to fit the baby with the position of folded legs and thus favor its development in the joints.
Kangaroo Care
With the kangaroo, every care must be taken to keep the baby in a correct position, to know if the baby is well accommodated it is advisable to check if the baby has the legs in the same proportion on both sides , if the weight is well distributed and there will not be a bad posture of the child that could cause sequelae. They say that a baby that uses the kangaroo a lot tends to keep its legs arched with its growth. If myth or truth is worth consulting an expert on the subject to clear up the doubt.
Use Time for Sling and Kangaroo
Both the sling and the kangaroo must be used for a limited time due to the baby’s limited position when accommodated. Choosing good, comfortable and hypoallergenic fabrics are two important recommendations, in addition to, of course, avoid using them for a long time. In my view the two forms are a good choice, which may weigh in favor of the sling is the ease in making the position of the different baby every use. It is up to Mom to experiment and see what pleases her most.
The kangaroo are of different brands (Chicco, Ergobaby, Stokke and other) and can cost around R $ 150 to 250. The slings are more accessible and cost around R $ 60 but must be very well tied to avoid risks. See the correct way to use the sling.
See also: Baby Trousseau – Complementary Utilities
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.