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FAQs
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Did your company invent these?
A. No. There are lots of people making unpadded ring slings (URSs). What
is different about our company are the stylish fabrics, the quality of our
rings, and the way in which we sew the shoulder.
Q. Is this thing really safe?
A. Absolutely! Our rings are strength tested to 400 pounds and the sewing
is done on an industrial machine. Your baby is securely snuggled into a taut
pocket of fabric that cradles his or her body just like your arms. The even
way their weight is distributed supports them safely (rather like a hammock)
and they enjoy being close to your body heat, heartbeat, and familiar scent.
There is no need to support the baby with your hands, though rubbing their
little bodies is almost irresistible!
Q. Isn't a Baby Bjorn® or other front carrier better for my baby?
A. Not at all! There are lots of reasons why an unpadded ring sling is better:
Q. Well, what about a NoJo® or other padded sling? Those look
comfy.
A. The padding is exactly why we disliked them after a month of use! It was
bulky, impossible to fit in a diaper bag (an URS can fit in some coat
pockets!), and all that padding kept the baby too far from the body for
comfort. It also prevented the fabric from cupping the shoulder like an URS
and instead chafed the neck. Plus the padded sides (rails) made the sling
far less adjustable as they got too thick to fit through the rings where the
padding began.
Q. Okay then. How about a pouch carrier, like the New Native®
carrier? Or a mei tai? Is there anything else you guys like?
A. There are lots of great carriers out there! What we like best about
unpadded rings slings is the ease of use, the versatility, the adjustability,
and the way it keeps baby snuggled against you. We have found that an
unpadded ring sling offers the best combination of all of these factors.
Q. I've seen some slings with these nifty little pockets in the tails.
How come you guys don't do that?
A. For a number of reasons:
Q. My bust is very full. Will this make using a sling hard or
uncomfortable?
A. Not at all! Many users (including one of the co-founders of Mama
Marzipan) have found that the adjustability and back support offered by the
slings is perfect for people with full chests.
Q. I have a very bad back. Am I out of luck with regard to sling use?
A. Slings are GREAT for people with bad backs. If you are wearing your
sling properly, it will distribute the weight across a very wide area of your
back instead of concentrating it at pressure points like those front carriers.
This is also true for those of you with bad necks. Please make sure you
carefully follow the user tutorials or you may risk wearing the sling wrong
and make yourself pretty uncomfortable.
Q. I'm really short and my partner is really tall. Do we need two
slings?
A. You'll be just fine with one sling. Because they're so adjustable, the slings
can be used by lots of different sized people. In fact, that was one of the
motivations for making these slings! Marci, one of Mama Marzipan's
co-founders, is 5'8 and her husband is 6'5. Finding a carrier that worked for
both of their sizes was really difficult and starting to get expensive. Since the
tail is unsewn, you can just knot the extra around the rings, roll it up and
tuck into the sling, cover the baby, whatever you please.
URSs go from birth through about 40 pounds while most
front carriers stop at around 20 pounds.
URSs can be used in at least a half-dozen holds including the
cradle hold, the hip hold, and the piggyback hold; and can
even be used for discreet breastfeeding.
Front pack carriers can put a lot of pressure on baby's
delicate pelvic bone and can compress the spine because of
the way the baby is positioned. Because of the way the URS
supports the baby, these kinds of pressure points are
avoided.
Front packs also offer little in the way of neck support while
the tail of our slings can be tucked around your newborn's
head to steady and support those fragile newborn necks. A
sling can keep your baby tucked up comfortably without his
or her legs dangling, an especially good feature for cold
weather. Newborns particularly like being snuggled up in a
fetal position, an option that is easy in an URS but not
feasible in a front carrier.
The nice thing about an unsewn tail is that it can be used to
cover the baby or be tucked behind the head to create
support for wobbly newborn necks. This is not possible with a
sewn tail.
A sewn tail is also hard to keep out of the way by knotting it
around the rings or keeping it tucked into the sling, like you
can do with an unsewn tail.
We tried a design with a pocket sewn in the tail and found
that the weight down there was really awkward and made us
lean forward a bit.
Thank you so much for your interest in Mama Marzipan! Please
feel free to contact us with any other questions you may have.
We love our slings and really enjoy telling people all about
them!
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