Welcome to the Happy Baby sling! Unlike conventional carriers our sling is very versatile. You will be able to carry your growing baby from birth to 2½ years in a variety of ways. There are at least six possible positions for Baby. Sling wearing is a skill, like tying shoe laces or knotting a tie. Take a little time to practice and you will find wearing your Happy Baby becomes second nature.
Putting on the Sling
| Hold the sling as illustrated in the hand opposite the shoulder you want the sling to rest on. Put it on just like a sash. Make sure to lift the sling high over your head as you put it on, to avoid twisting. |  |
| Have the sling loosely adjusted, rings about at your shoulder. Pull out both edges of fabric to make a hammock. You are ready to lift your baby. |  |
Getting Baby into the Happy Baby Sling
Firstly put the sling on. Because the shoulder pad
tends to come forward as you finally tighten, start with the rings about on
the crest of your shoulder, on tightening, they will move forward to their
optimal position, just under your collar bone.. Have the sling fairly loose,
stretching down as far as your waist. Strap is made up and to the front.
Decide how you are going to hold your baby. Snuggler
Hold has him fairly well enclosed, his body curled like a little banana, head
is central and well protected. Lullaby Lie is much flatter and ideal for feeding
however his head is at the edge of your body, so this is not ideal for situations
where you might be jostled. “I want to be upright’ babies are best tried first
in a Cosy Frog. All positions support the baby in two ways. Firstly, the hammock
of material that you create cradles the baby. Make a horizontal hammock by
pulling both padde edges at your waist for a Lullaby Lie. Make a 45degree
hammock for a Snuggler by lifting the inner edge of the sling up onto your
chest. Check the angle of the hammock you made by resting your forearm in
it. There must always be some material under the baby and between you and
the baby. Secondly the cinching of the strap physically holds the baby against
your body, it is essential to adjust the sling to fit snugly once you have
the position sorted out. In general, you hold the baby where you want him
to end up and pull the Happy Baby in front of, under him and between you and
him. Remember that as you tighten, some of the material at the strap end will
be “gobbled up”. Avoid positioning the baby too close to the adjustment, i.e.
aim more towards your opposite hip that you actually want the baby to end
up. I strongly recommend trying with a teddy first so you get to know where
in the swathe of cloth to position your baby
| TIGHTENING — Support Baby’s weight and pull firmly. | LOOSENING — Support Baby’s weight and pull up on the lower ring. |
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Example: The Snuggler in Slow Motion
To avoid left and right confusion, (the Happy Baby
works on both shoulders) I will refer to your arms and hands as:
“Sling side”: the hand under the shoulder pad, and
“Free side”: the other hand.
It comes hard as a mother of four daughters, but
the baby is referred to in the masculine and the wearer in the feminine
for clarity.
With the sling on, make a hammock sloping at an
angle by pulling up the inner edge. Hold baby in your free arm, his head
cradled in your hand, his bottom tucked into your elbow. With your sling
hand, pull the leading edge of the Happy Baby away from your body, creating
a hammock space. Guide your free hand, still fully supporting the baby,
into the hammock space. Lean forward a little, draw fabric under the baby,
and get some between you and him, again with your sling hand. Your free
arm is still in the sling supporting the baby; you now have fabric in
front of and under him. Swap hands, twice: Put you sling hand under the
baby outside the sling , wiggle out your free hand, then put your free
hand back where it was, only this time on the outside of the material.
Positioning is completed, now for tightening. Lift Baby up a little so
the material slackens, lean him slightly towards your free side, using
your free hand under his head to tilt him slightly up in the sling.
Using your sling hand, pull down firmly on the strap
until the material snugly holds up Baby. Let his head settle down into
the sling now. The purpose of holding him up as you tighten is to ensure
that his head is not finishing too low in the hammock, check with Teddy,
you’ll see what I mean! You should now be able to take your two hands
away and Baby will stay exactly where he is. A little snuggler.
Click here for Photos.
Taking off the Happy Baby Sling
Support Baby's weight, lift up the lower ring and the sling will loosen. It is possible to gently put a sleeping baby down at this stage and slip the sling over your head. The sling can then be used as a little coverlet for your Sleeping Beauty.
Hints on Comfort once Sling is Adjusted
- Always keep the square of stitching on the shoulder pad centred just over your shoulder joint (not up on your neck). The rings should be just under your collar bone.
- Spread the material evenly across your back.
- Experiment with slight variations in Baby’s position and sling’s tension. Little adjustments can make a big comfort difference. It may take you one or two days to find the best position for your baby.
The Lullaby
This is an easy first position for novice sling users.
Suitable for infants, babies and toddlers.
Baby’s head is at the open side of the sling. When
positioning baby aim her bottom near your hip. If you feel her head is
too near the side of your body after tightening — reach into the sling
and move her over more centrally. This may require her toes to peep out
at the other side. The more upright ‘Lullaby’ hold gradually turns into
a Cosy Frog.
More Photos.
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| This baby is 5 weeks old and still likes ‘scrunched up’ womb-like positions. | Discreet breastfeeding of a six month old. Notice the older baby has uncurled her legs. | Quite a large child can still be carried once head and bottom can still be enclosed. Ideal for the ‘tuckered out toddler’. |
The Snuggler
| Suitable for infants and babies
up to about 18 lbs. Baby is lying in the opposite direction to the Lullaby
position. This is the most discreet breastfeeding option.
To breastfeed, loosen sling latch baby on, adjust front of sling for privacy, tighten if necessary. When not breastfeeding, rest Baby’s head on breast. |
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‘Snugglers’ will gradually turn into side facing ‘Little Buddhas’ as they gain head control and are sat up more in the sling. Bigger infants and babies will drape their legs over the side of the sling. The Snuggler is usable until baby is too long for head and bottom to be enclosed. By this stage most babies will prefer positions where they can see the world. A useful variation of the Snuggler is the Rugby Football hold. Baby is cradled more to the side. This can be handy for breastfeeding, especially quite young babies.
Cosy Frog
| Some babies like
to be cuddled chest to chest. Young babies will be fully enclosed,
supported from their pelvic floor to their heads. For tiny babies
a better fit can be achieved by pulling extra material from the
top edge through the rings after the first cinching of the strap.
Babies do not hang in the sling but are gently held against the
wearer’s body. Bigger babies will unfold their legs and let them
dangle. More Photos. |
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Little Buddha (side facing)
| Suitable for babies with head control. Baby sits up cross-legged or legs flexed, peeping out. In order to have sling properly tensioned, position Baby, leaving the spare fabric as usual to be cinched in, then support her and lean to the side away from the rings and strap while tightening. Now settle her back against your body and ensure a good width of fabric is pulled in front of her, and that there is fabric between her body and yours. |  |
A hint for parents of little wrigglers:
some babies tend to arch
their backs and be determinedly ‘uncuddly’. The ‘Little Buddha’ helps such
babies relax into being held. Hold her securely flexed and get into position
quickly. If protests continue, try bouncing walk for a minute or so. With
luck, you now have a serene Little Buddha.
Little Buddha (front facing)
| Suitable for babies with good head control up to about 9 months. Baby sits cross legged, her back against your chest. Keeps a good width of fabric in front of Baby. This position is ideal for alert, interested babies who like to be in the middle of things. |  |
Hip Hold
| The natural carrying position for older babies (approx 5 - 7 months on) and toddlers. Settle the baby on your hip, having posted her through the sling first. Lift her to tuck a fold of fabric under her bottom so there is material between you and her, tighten to support her weight. |  |
Out of Trouble
| Out of Trouble is a modified Hip Hold. Tuck Baby’s arms into sling, swing your arm in front of baby and shift her weight slightly to the back of your hip — NOT YOUR BACK. Tighten sling as necessary. (For a better fit, pull extra material from the top edge through the rings after the first cinching of the strap) |  |
Ensure a good width covers Baby’s back. Ideal for brief periods of photo snapping or letter opening — times when little hands need to be kept Out of Trouble!
Special Babies
All babies are special and have their unique gifts and challenges. The first Happy Baby sling was made for our daughter Florence, now nine. She is learning disabled. I’m glad she had such an interesting and comforting environment for her first years. Our world was brought close enough for her to join in it.
Babies with low muscle tone, for example children with Down’s Syndrome, benefit from what one mother described as ‘physiotherapy on the move’. It is easy to create a stimulating environment for the special needs child simply by carrying them. A mum is nature’s activity centre — running taps, folding sheets, rustling papers, all are fascinating and fun.
The Cosy Frog and Hip Hold can be used to support babies in the positions recommended for children with clicky or dislocated hips. These positions are also recommended for some children with Cerebral Palsy. It is possible to carry twins using two slings criss-crossed. Rugby Football holds or Hip Holds work best.
The Happy Baby sling has carried many special babies and feedback has been universally positive. A point several mothers have made is that their children are babies for longer, taking more time to learn to sit, crawl and walk — using a sling makes life a lot easier.
No therapeutic claims are made for the Happy Baby sling.
Please consult your caregiver as to the sling’s suitability for your baby
with special needs.
Safety Notes
British or Irish standards have yet to be formulated
for baby carriers. Any baby sling, however, has the best built-in safety feature
ever designed, an alert and loving parent! It is impossible to leave the baby
unattended. Slings like the Happy Baby have been carrying babies since cloth
was invented. They’ve had a lot of road testing. We have extensively tested
the Happy Baby ourselves both in normal use with a group of children in all
positions and we have also satisfied ourselves as to the strength of the materials
used. The rings, for instance have a breaking point of half a tonne. In normal
use, with proper care there should be no mishaps.
- Always keep the sling properly tensioned. Baby should not swing but be held snugly against your body.
- Ensure there is always a good width of material all round Baby in all positions.
- It may be necessary occasionally to steady the baby with your hand.
Washing
Surface wash for small stains. Machine wash 40 degrees C slow spin. Wash dark colours separately. Line dry or tumble dry on low. Cool iron, do not iron padding.
I hope you and your baby have many happy hours together in your sling. I have with my own children. Feel free to contact me with any other queries.
Yours
Louise Mac Mahon
Helpline
We are happy to help you get the most from your Happy
Baby.
For parent to parent sling wearing tips call or
fax:
Ireland: 01 282 6590 Great Britain: 00-353-1282
6590.
Worldwide:Your International access code, then
353-1282 6590
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