Review and Giveaway – SnuggyBaby Ring Sling

What is it?

It’s a Prestige ring sling from Snuggy Baby!  It’s 100% cotton with aluminum rings. Ring slings are great because they’re fully adjustable and can be worn by anyone, for any age/size baby (until they’re just too danged big or heavy to carry).

All of the slings come with an instructional DVD. I, being someone who tries to do things “The Right Way” (sigh) popped it in the DVD player before even unwrapping the sling. You can view the ring sling carry positions videos online for a peek!

My Thoughts:

I decided to try out the tummy-to-tummy / snuggle positions, since my little girl seemed to be tired of the cradle position (with my pouch sling). Since she likes the upright position her soft structured carrier holds her in, I thought she might like it.

I was right. By the time my husband and I walked to the corn field at the end of my road (yup, I live in California central valley farmland), she was sound asleep.

Make note: It is HOT here in the central valley. That’s why I haven’t even given my wrap-style carrier a good try yet. I’m sweating in it even in the air conditioned house! But I’ve worn my Snuggy Baby ring sling out several times now, and it never seems too hot.

Another bonus? It looks gorgeous. I think my mother almost wanted to have another baby so that she could get a ring sling like this. And I get excited when I get to use it, because it’s so pretty! It’s definitely an accessory for Mama, not just utilitarian. When I wore my daughter to the La Leche League meeting, I got several compliments on my sling.

Ring slings evidently have a bit of a learning curve though, and this is my first experience with them. If you look at the picture above, you’ll see that one of the rails is sort of bunched in the rings. Because I didn’t have the fabric spread out just right at first, it was really hard for me to adjust the sling once my girl was in it.

I emailed Jo (of Snuggy Baby) for help and she responded right away with a couple ideas to try out.

Now that I’ve had more time to play with it (I took these photos the first day I’ve used it, which was about 2 weeks ago) I’ve figured it out a bit better. It’s much easier for me to adjust, and my girl appreciates that I can make her a bit snugger.

The last time I took Anneliese for a walk in the sling, she was asleep before I passed my next-door neighbor’s next-door neighbor’s house. I swear.

Snuggy baby also carries wrap-style carriers, doll slings for kids, and zip-top wet bags (for cloth diapering).

Just in case you’ve been scared away from babywearing due to the Infantino bag sling recall, please know that babywearing is 100% safe when done properly. The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA) was formed after the recall to ensure that safe baby carriers stay on the market. They’re also setting industry standards so that new slings that are produced are safe, and working to educate the public so that improper and unsafe babywearing can be avoided. Membership is only $25 to be a “Friend” and you’ll get discounts from many participating vendors.

Buy it:

Go to Snuggy Baby, and pick out whatever you’d like. Let Jo know you’re a Joyful Abode reader by using coupon code JOYFULABODE for 10% off.

Win it:

One lucky Joyful Abode reader will win a $75 gift certificate to SnuggyBaby.

To enter the giveaway, visit SnuggyBaby.com and explore a bit, then come back to this page and tell me which item you like the best, INCLUDING THE LINK to that item.

Be sure to use a valid email address when commenting, otherwise I won’t be able to contact you if you win!

I will select the winner using Random.org on Monday, October 11th when I get up. I’m not giving you a specific time because, hey, I have a newborn who sometimes wants to nurse for hours in bed before getting up! But it will be in the morning, Pacific time.

Update: Comments are now closed because the winner is Elaine Matoushek! (Comment #98)

Extra Entries:

If you’d like an even greater chance of winning, you may leave an extra comment for each of the following:

• Follow @SnuggyBaby AND @JoyfulAbode on Twitter (1 extra entry)
• “Like” Snuggy Baby AND Joyful Abode on Facebook (1 extra entry)
• Tweet about this contest: “ Win $75 to @SnuggyBaby for a #babywearing ring sling, #clothdiapers wet bag, or more! At @JoyfulAbode (Ends 10/11) http://bit.ly/amE25U ” Comment here with the link to your tweet. (1 extra entry PER DAY)
• Subscribe to Joyful Abode. The RSS and email links are in the right sidebar. (1 extra entry)
• Email at least 10 friends about this contest, and BCC: me (emily at joyfulabode dot com) so I can see. Only email friends you think would truly be interested, because I don’t want you to annoy people!  (1 extra entry)
• Blog about this contest. Write about this contest on your blog (you may snag one of my photos to use), linking to this page. Comment with the link to your blog post. (1 extra entry)

The SupaFine Print:

SnuggyBaby provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was not under obligation to write a positive review.

If you win, I’ll contact you via email and you will have 48 hours to respond, otherwise I’ll pick another winner. Sorry, Charlie, but that’s how it goes.

Also, if I draw your name but you didn’t complete the mandatory entry, or the comment selected as the winner is completed improperly (like if you tweet but don’t include the link to your tweet in the comment), I will choose another winner. Tough noogies.