As I mentioned in my previous blog post, Ada just wasn’t feeling the love for our pram system (we soon got the message after failing to console her around many a supermarket and town centre).

Thank goodness for slings! For the spring months, I wore Ada in a stretchy wrap, which we both adored. Then along came the summer, which presented a small problem in that I couldn’t bear the sauna experience of wearing her in the stretchy wrap. After visiting a sling library  to try different slings, accosting sling-wearing parents at baby groups, and reading reviews online, I decided it was worth buying a Connecta baby carrier (£74.94 from babipur.co.uk).

It’s the best £75 we’ve spent (even my husband, ‘Mr. Skeptical’, agrees that it’s a pretty nifty sling). Here’s why:

• it’s lightweight (only one layer of material: great for warmer days);
• it can be washed easily – sling (hehe) it into a 30 degree wash;
• there is no rigid waist band;
• it’s easy to put on single-handedly (“Yes, Sandra, I can manage just fine thank you.”)
• it has a built-in hood to keep the sun or the rain off baby’s head;
• you can tuck the hood away and conceal it if you wish;
• it comes with an accessory strap  to narrow the baby’s ‘seat’ (for smaller babies), or to store the Connecta neatly;
• you can choose one of many different colours and designs;
• suck pads are available to buy separately to attach to the straps – if your baby sucks or chews them, they can just be chucked in the wash;
• baby can be worn on your front or your back;
• baby can be worn up until he or she is around two and a half years old (then you can just upgrade to the Connecta Toddler Carrier -[£84.95 from babipur.co.uk]. Win!);
• once you’re wearing it, the Connecta is easy to adjust.

The downside of the Connecta – which isn’t actually a negative in my eyes at the moment – is that the baby can only be parent-facing. This is fine by me as I get to be snuggled closely to Ada, and she can still be nosy and twist and turn comfortably to see what’s going on around her. She can also have a snooze (something that is guaranteed with every wear) and I can put the hood up to support her floppy, sleepy-baby head.

So, whilst my lovely pram lies redundant under the stairs, I whip out the stretchy wrap on the cooler days, and the Connecta Baby Carrier on the warmer days (or on the days when I don’t want to faff with tying the stretchy wrap).

Connecta Baby Carrier