Babes in Arms – blogging about select baby carriers and slings from around the world

Bianca and baby Chris where selected to be one of our first Adjustable Peanut Shell Sling review panelists late last month. After a week or two of testing out their new sling, Bianca let us know what she thought of her new sling. You can read all about it below.

Bianca:

Firstly, thank you to Babes in Arms for allowing myself and little Chris to trial the new Adjustable Peanut Shell sling!! My first impression when I opened the box – ‘What a gorgeous sling!’. I chose the pattern ‘Whisper‘ and was impressed instantly! The grey mixed with the cream floral pattern look great together.

I’m a first time sling user, so it did take me a few goes to get it right. But the instructions and the youtube.com videos are easy to follow – it’s having the confidence to manoeuvrer a newborn in the sling that just needed a little practice.  However, once I worked out the correct position for the ‘cradle carry’, myself and little Chris were both relaxed and comfortable. Chris fell asleep within minutes. Practicing in front of the mirror and looking at how the sling sat helped me work out if the sling was in the best position or not. I also emailed Babes In Arms a few pictures to make sure I had it right. The team emailed back promptly and gave me a few little hints to make the final adjustments.

The Adjustable PS sling is easy to adjust. The shoulder and back strap have heaps of padding, making it comfortable on your shoulder and back. You can wear it on either shoulder. I found this option great, as your shoulders do get a little tired once you’ve worn the sling for a few days straight. So giving one shoulder a rest and using the other, let me use the sling every day.

I wore the sling around the home, doing the house work (hanging out the washing, vacuuming, mopping, etc) out to the shops, at mum’s group, having lunch with friends, my doctor’s appointments and at every opportunity I needed to keep my hands free. Every time I went out with it, I had someone comment at how comfortable Chris looked inside the sling. Quite an attention grabber! I even managed to breastfeed in the sling at home and out and about, which I was quite amazed I was able to do with so little practice. Another great advantage, was if Chris was in the sling and my older son needed a cuddle or I had to pick him up for safety reasons, I could do this while still having a hand free.

The sling worked well as a settler to get Chris to sleep or when Chris just wanted to be carried and I wanted to keep my hands free at the same time. Once Chris would fall asleep (which is every time he is in the sling) it’s easy to lay him into his cot while still in the sling, that way he stayed asleep and I was able to get on with my daily routine.

With a little practice, it became very easy and quick to put Chris into the sling. I found the sling quicker and easier to use than my other baby carrier, and Chris wouldn’t fuss in this sling even if I was sitting or standing, unlike my other baby carrier – I can only stand in that one. Using this sling for a newborn in the ‘cradle carry’ position was brilliant! I so wish I bought a sling for my first son, and I’m looking forward to using it for the other four possible carry positions!

10 Things I love about the Adjustable PS Sling:

• Quick and Easy to use
• Light and Comfortable, and I’m able to use it for long periods of time
• Lots of padding around the shoulders and back
• Padding for bub at the edges of the sling, nice and comfy for bub
• Nice and compact! It can easily be folded up to fit into my nappy bag! So I have it with me where ever I go
• Keeps both my hands free
• Settles a newborn within minutes
• Stylish and beautiful pattern!
• Pockets on the side, can put my house key or phone into them
• I can carry my older child and bub while still having a hand free

(Note from BIA: If you are concerned about whether you are wearing any of our slings or carriers correctly, simply follow Bianca’s lead and email us a photo community@babesinarms.com.au and we will provide your some helpful hints)

We really got a two for one deal  with both Skye AND Darko reviewing the sling for us! Looks like Deya was comfy throughout in her new ‘whisper’ Adjustable Peanut Shell Sling.

Skye’s Review:

Well, I have the privilege of reviewing the Adjustable Peanut Shell Sling. I’ve used a few slings before, including the sized Peanut Shell and there are several features of the Adjustable Peanut that are especially great.

First what really stands out is the safety strap! It holds the sling together, so when you are adjusting it whilst wearing it you have absolutely no chance of it coming apart, ensuring your babes safety.

The next great feature is that the pouch is deep enough to place baby in easily! Also, to put the sling on you face the tag towards you, so it is easy to know which shoulder you are putting it on – something I’ve often spent 10 minutes trying to figure out with other slings.

So far our sling has been quite busy. In a mere 2 days it has been strolling the neighbourhood while our big kids pretended to go camping, fed little Deya on several occasions, been to the city, children’s performances, the tram, to the markets and grocery store and spent the day baking. So many people have stopped me to ask about it! Though the print we chose is gorgeous so I can understand why.

I really wanted to review the Adjustable Peanut Shell for comparison, as I find our other one is very uncomfortable, and out of all our carriers it is the last one I reach for. I found that the larger width of the shoulder strap made the Peanut Shell a more superior sling for comfort in comparison to others I have tried. I can highly recommend

it; it’s easy to use, quick to put on, safe and comfortable. And even better- Deya loves it.

Thanks Babes in Arms, this sling is going to get a lot of use!

Darko’s Review:

I have a couple of things I wanted to add to Skye’s review. I also like that the pouch is deep and easy to get Deya in and out of, though I think the best feature for me is how adjustable it really is. Not only can we both use it (and I’m a lot taller and heavier), but it can be worn on either shoulder and still gives the wearer use of the pocket- as there is one on each side. Great for me, since I’m a lefty! Our other sling doesn’t cater for both. Thumbs up from me.

Hector C and his little boy, Joshua were selected to review our new Adjustable Peanut Shell Sling last month. After a few weeks of trialling the sling, Hector sat down and wrote the following review. Isn’t lovely seeing a dad babywearing!

Joshua is a happy 5 month old baby but isn’t a big fan of his pram, so either myself or my wife always end up carrying him in our arms.

I chose the Adjustable Peanut Shell in black for obvious reasons. My wife tried to get me to choose the ‘pretty pattern ones’. She even tried to sell it to me by saying the pattern is of tree branches and not flowers so its not so girly (?) I am glad I stuck to the plain black sling so BOTH of us would use it.

On receiving the sling, I noticed that it was very light and could easily be folded and stuffed into our nappy bag.

I like how there is padding on the shoulder area, this eases the weight on your shoulder and being adjustable means anyone can use it comfortably. It comes with an easy to read instruction manual, but if your like me and prefer a video demonstration, there are great videos on YouTube that teaches you how to correctly put your baby into different positions. It took a few adjustments but I got the hang of it pretty quick.

Joshua seems to be too long for the cradle carry already which is a real shame. He refused to let me tuck or cross his legs in and would wiggle and get upset. With the kangaroo carry, Joshua was happy and content just looking at the world around him. He can sit like this for hours if my shoulder allowed it. I even tried the hip carry. The instruction manual says its for babies 6 months+ but I felt Joshua was ready as he has very good head control. This position was great in the evenings, just before bedtime when he’s a bit cranky and just wants to be held.

At 6.5kg I could carry him around hands free for about 30 minutes before I start to feel the strain on my shoulder. Once that happens I would support him with my right hand and take a bit of the weight off the shoulders. I would recommend getting the sling before your baby is born to get maximum use but its also not too late when your baby is older as its great for everyday use in the hip carry position.