I am becoming increasingly aware of how full my hands will be when this baby arrives so i thought i would invest in a good sling for carrying the baby around. i know its a bit premature but i am a super organised person and I want to get some ideas of what might be suitable as I have never used a sling in the past. Any recommendations or advice??

I like the Baby Bjorn.

 i love slings!!! there are a ton out there and they all have thier merits...

Ring Slings are great for quick trips into the store etc. They are esay on and off, adjust quickly and easily (as long as it's not padded) and they are usually fairly easy to nurse in. They do not do so well for really long carries (like walking around Disney land) as one shoulder is bearing the wieght.

Mei Tai is a little harder to on and off than a ring sling, but no more difficult than any conventional carrier (like a snuggly or baby bjorn) my newborns hate them but they are great for older kids and it's easy to carry a toddler in these. You only have two ties to worry about and nursing is usually pretty easy these as well

Wrap these are my all time favorite. They are the most versitile and if you can hem a piece of fabric you can easily make your own. There is more of a learning curve as you figure out the ties, depending on the carry you use you might have to completely unwrap to nurse. They are the best for long carries as you can distrbute the weight between shoulders and lower back. They come in a variety of fabric types depending on weather etc. but like I said you can make your own if you can hem, you don't even have to hem if you use a knit fabric.  I really like the tying instructions at gypsymama http://www.gypsymama.com/colorbooklet.pdf

I just got a peanut shell from my SIL; she, as well as two of my friends use it...for well over the babies first birthday.

 i have a cuddlewrap and i love it.

 http://www.peapodcreations.ca/index.html

i have a baby bjorn and i love it but then i found the bubba moe slings they are great do you have babies galore in nz? they have them on ebay anyway here is a link to the website it has a great video showing you all the ways you can use it!!!

http://www.bubbamoe.com.au/baby_sling.html

Check out http://thebabywearer.com and their forums.

You can go nuts with recommendations, and research there.

To be the voice of the other side, I HATE the bjorn (glad it works for some but it was awful IMO). It costs way to much for what it is, and only goes to 20lbs (which my babies hit at 3 months), and can only do one position in it. Plus I've heard bad things about hanging babies by their crotch and not sitting on their bums. You can get a way cheaper sling, ring slings are great for versatility but harder on the one shoulder. I like the maya RS lightly padded. Mei Teis have the baby in a nice comfy position and you can do way more with them tie wise, but still easier than a wrap. Honeybunches makes an awesome MT with wrap like straps for great support. And wraps are awesome and the cuddliest, but can be harder to learn and manage, start with a stretchy one like the cuddlywrap or moby or moby D.

Thnaks ofr all the advice ladies - you have all been very helpful. I really like the look of the Peanut Shell especially becuase it looks really easy to use! Has anyone lese used this one and found it good/bad/indifferent??

meamyselfandI:

Plus I've heard bad things about hanging babies by their crotch and not sitting on their bums.

The baby Bjorn is the only front pack carrier that does carry baby in a sit position as opposed to directly supported by the pelvis. You're right, talk to any pediatric orthopedist and they'll tell you that most of those front carriers are aweful for developing babies pelvis and back alignment... and I also agree, I hate all those front carriers, none of them have every been truly comfortable for me.

Clarebear:

Thnaks ofr all the advice ladies - you have all been very helpful. I really like the look of the Peanut Shell especially becuase it looks really easy to use! Has anyone lese used this one and found it good/bad/indifferent??

I had one and it was okay.  I ended up selling it.  Most people seem to love them; I just never felt 100% comfy wearing it and even when they were newborns I felt like it squished my boys and therefore ended up not using it much.  With my second I eventually bought the Moby wrap and LOVE it!  It's stetchy and once you wrap it once or twice you catch on quickly and it takes no time to put on.  One of the holds I used all the time when he was an infant was the kangaroo hold (him facing me; legs tucked inside.  He used to fall asleep in it and it's great for nursing too.