Baby sling/pouch from Kangaroo Korner

I had posted this under another brand originally and wanted to re post hoping that customers of Kanaroo Korner specifically (or folks that have feed back) would address it.

Thanks to Beth (egoldbear) I was turned on tot hese slings, I just ordered the fleece pouch in black but am looking at also buying the padded sling since the summer months might make the fleece hard to handle.

Anyone with feedback or further info...I am real excited about my purchase, and would love to hear from people who are familiar with it.

www.kangarookorner.com

Again I purchased the fleece pouch but considering also the padded sling...

[etwahl]

I really like the looks of the fleece pouch you ordered! And so many color choices!!

Ever since that last post, I've been wondering about slings/wraps. This one looks easy, but I live in San Diego, so wondering if it would be too hot, although it sounds like you can wear it in up to 95 temps.

We also have the Baby Bjorn, but I can see how having that and the sling would be handy.

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[etwahl]

I just emailed Kangaroo Korner directly, and there response was basically this:

On how popular they are in warmer climates...
"We've sold more slings to Atlanta, GA than anywhere else. I've
personally used mine throughout the entire summer. My son was also born in March and it does get in the 90's here with high humidity for a few weeks during the summer. Basically, it's hot to carry a baby in the heat, no matter what carrier you have. At least polarfleece breathes well and is so comfortable! Just dress your baby and yourself lightly (just a diaper on baby if necessary)."

On when to use the baby bjorn over the sling and vice versa...
"To be honest, I don't know anyone who would prefer a Baby Bjorn over a sling. Although, some dads prefer the looks of the Baby Bjorn over a sling. It is highly recommended that carriers such as the Bjorn are not used until baby is at least 6 months old - they put too much pressure on baby's soft developing pelvis and also "splay" their legs apart. I personally don't think it looks comfortable for baby to have his/her legs/arms going in 4 different directions. A sling cradles your baby in the natural position he/she is inside of you right now - this comforts baby and is familiar."

On whether they recommend another sling over this one based on my comments above...
"The fleece pouch is what I personally use and our most popular sling. We've sold more than 1000 and have less than a 1/2% return rate."


I'm sold on this sling now. It sounds great! My only concern is the comment about the baby bjorn. I had thought they were good for a newborn and up. Has anyone else had this problem or concern with the bjorn? I may need to post this separately to get an answer.

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

I don't think you'll know until your baby is here and you've tried both. I actually have both the fleece pouch and the Baby Bjorn. Honestly, I didn't get much use out of the fleece pouch. My baby was born in July, and it was way too hot for her in the pouch. I really loved the idea of a sling, and I kept trying. But she would literally break out in a heat rash. Once the weather got a little cooler, I tried again. But by then she wanted nothing to do with it. She would cry every time I put her in it. She does, however, love to be in the Baby Bjorn. She gets all excited, and kicks her feet. She loves to look out and see everything. I wish she liked the sling, because I personally would prefer it! My suggestion would be to start with the sling (unless it's too hot) so your baby gets used to it when they're small. You can't put a baby under 8 lbs in the Bjorn anyway, and I personally wouldn't do it until they're at least 10+ pounds. The way they lay in the sling is definitely more suited to a newborn. Good luck.

Hey guys thanks for responding!!!

Tammy thanks for sharing what she said in her email to you...I notice they respond right a way when you email them. I ordered mine in black, just so that it was sure to show all of the dog hair, cat hair and lint that I could put on display:):):)

BUT that blue one that is on the model on her web page is gorgeous, it made me 2nd guess if I was doing the right thing.

So far (from the stroller board at parents place too) I am seeing raves about the pouch, I think there would have to be a benefit to starting a newborn out in it so they adjust to the constraint as opposed to an older baby so could see why a baby would want nothing to do with it if not started out right away.

I feel for the price it's worth a shot...I'll keep you posted, let me know if you get one. I'm wanting the Amby Hammock for sleeping downstairs (nursery upstairs), and for taking baby on travel too. It is like a sling...

www.ambyhammock.com

I know nothing about Baby Bjorn's but do know you see them in a lot of thrift stores and consignment shops, but I am certain that would be fine. To me the two items don't really "rival" eachother, they can be appreciated at different times.

[etwahl]

Oh yeah, I forgot about all the pet hair showing up on the black (I LOVE black!) But I agree, the blue did look really nice. That's a tough call as to which color I'll get. I'm definitely going to get one and try it out. The price is pretty reasonable, so I figure why not. Please tell me when you get your black one and if you like the color of it (black can vary so much with different fabrics, in fact it looks brown on their web site). One thing I can recommend is to invest in a bunch of lint rollers. We literally buy out Costco when they have them in stock. They sell them in packs of I think 8 for about $8 which is REALLY cheap compared to buying them separately at a regular store. DH actually picks up more every time we go, even though we've got about 10 "packs" stockpiled, because they don't always carry them, and I refuse to pay full price since we go through them so quickly. But at least with the black you'll be able to see the pet hair and lint roll it off so it doesn't get in Tristan's mouth/hands. With the blue, if you don't see it, you might not think about it as much.

I couldn't get to the amby hammock site, but I'll keep trying.

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!

[corky]

The site you may be thinking of is www.babyhammocks.com

corky

[egoldber]

I actually didn't start using the sling until DD was about 10 months old. It took a little while to get her acclimated to it, but she now rides in it just fine (I use the hip carry position exclusively). So it pays to keep experimenting with the sling and trying different carry positions.

If the fleece is too warm, there are other pouch style slings that are made of cotton that would be cooler (like the Maya pouch). Pouch style slings are also very simple to make.

HTH,

Corky, Thank you...I gave Tammy the wrong web site address for the Amby Hammock, you are correct, thanks for catching that :)

Tammy, I'll keep you posted on the black, I am hoping that it is a true black I wear so much black and have a black stroller and will have a black diaper bag so I thought that best to get. But if I worry about fleece in the hotter months when I add that it is black I might be getting myself into a little pickle. Did you notice her little wooden "things" that you can attach a pacifier to from them, I thought they were cute. I have ordered a pacifer clip that is sterling with TRistan's name on it for such a purpose. (I love sterling and china two addictions before baby supplies had to change that). I too swear by lint brushes :)...I need to raid Costco I didn't realize they had such a deal on them.

I am hoping that once baby is here maybe I can commission someone to make some sort of sling/pouch for me in fabrics that I pick like Beth recommended.

[egoldber]

This is the site where I got the pattern to make my sling. It is EXTREMELY simple. One seam. (OK, 2 seams, since she has you do a French seam for extra durability). When picking fabric, the important thing is to remember to get a frabric where both sides look nice, since both sides show when the sling is in use.

http://www.ida.net/users/stace/sling.html

Just to make things a bit more complicated :) , when I followed the directions, the sling was too long and I had to shorten it significantly. Also, I like the sling a little wider than she calls for. She has you use a 22-23 inch wide piece of fabric. I was more comfortable with a sling about 30" wide (which is closer to the width of the Maya pouch).

HTH,