Playtex Hip Hammock

[Loaves Of Bread]

Have any of you bought this or had any experience with it?

http://www.playtexbaby.com/hiphammock/

My baby weighs about 18-19 lbs. I have never tried a sling of any kind yet, but would like to, though I don't know anything about them. This one looks great and I keep thinking of buying it, but I've read a couple of bad reviews.

[MagnoliaMommy]

I haven't actually tried it, but it looks kind of hot and uncomfortable to me. :shrug

If you are looking for a great sling for the hip carry position, I highly recommend a Hotsling! You can use it for more than one carry, but I mostly used it in the hip carry. It is such a great sling! :tu

[milkmommy]

have they fixed them?
I bougt one I liked how my DD sat i was a comfortable position but the straap cut into my shoulder I really need padded sling type carriers. However I then discovered they had recalled these because tots were falling out :eek I haven't seen them back on the market since..

Deanna

[Wonder Woman]

The strap on that one looks really uncomfortable. With a wrap, a pouch, or a ring sling, the weight is on your shoulder instead of your neck. :shrug

[Loaves Of Bread]

Thanks for replying, everyone!

I will look up that Hotsling!

have they fixed them?
I bougt one I liked how my DD sat i was a comfortable position but the straap cut into my shoulder I really need padded sling type carriers. However I then discovered they had recalled these because tots were falling out I haven't seen them back on the market since..

I saw on the official website that any manufactured before March 2005 were being recalled, so I assume they are fixed now. Then I read somewhere that there were no actual reported injuries.

[tiglet]

My neighbor has one, and she carries her 11 mo in it *all the time.* Every time I see her, he's in it. She says its comfy and nice.

I wound up buying a Walking Rock Farm Hip Baby carrier, which costs 2x as much but is similar in idea. I bought it because I saw that there's no way it could come apart, it's made of nice wicking fabric (dd doesn't get sweaty in it), it's big enough for me to use and for dh to use (he's a foot taller than I am) and I :O liked how it looked better. B hates all other carrying positions, so limiting to just hip carry was no big deal for us.

Anyway - it's a great carrier for an older baby. Although the neck strap looks like it might cut into you uncomfortably (at least I can talk about the hip baby one), it doesn't, because so much of the weight is on your hips, through the waist belt. I had been carrying B in a sling in the hip carry, and this is soooo much easier.

[Zoesmama]

It looks neat but the recalls already scare me. I assume they are fixed now but still scary. To me it looks like not enough support for the baby and you'd still have to have hand on them to support the weight. When I wrap my 2 year old the other day it goes all the way from under her bum to her underarms and she sometimes would pull her arms in and it was much more support for me to not have to support that weight on my wrist which already has problems.

I love the maya wrap I got after trying both the big baby carrier brands and she hate them. The weight goes way up there on them too. You can do a hip hold or a back hold too. I really like how versatile it has been. :)

[Loaves Of Bread]

Well... it turns out my mother-in-law offered to buy this for us... so I've got it now! I'll be trying it out this evening when I take DD out on a quick errand. I'll have to let you know how it goes!

[Loaves Of Bread]

The verdict: Well, so far my baby loves it... and I do too, but only for a short time (like running into a gas station or store to buy one or two things and I don't want to mess with a stroller). If I wear it too long it does seem to dig into my shoulders though, and it gets pretty painful. (But I do have a pretty small frame). I had visions of taking a stoll around the block when the weather cools down with her in it... but I'm not so sure that will work. I'll have to try it out more and see if I get used to it.

[2babymonsters]

Thanks so much for posting this - a friend offered to let me borrow hers - doesn't sound like it would be too comfy with my heavy guy in it!

[Loaves Of Bread]

It turns out that I too had to return it after putting my daughter in it and trying it out just twice. :cry I know I was wearing it right, but it put soooo much pressure on my shoulders that after just five minutes I was hurting so bad that my stomach actually was upset. My daughter really liked it though, so I was sad that it didn't work out. She is about 19 lbs... which is right around the age spectrum this was supposed to work for. The picture on the box looked really comfy and convenient.

My question now is how are some of the homemade looking slings you see online any different? How do they not hurt your back too? Wouldn't any sling for a baby of 20 lbs and up start to hurt simply because the baby is getting too old? But I see pictures of mothers with 18 months old snuggled and "slinged" and they both look happy. And my baby is only 8 months old... :(

[kris10s]

A pouch will distribute the weight better across your back because of the way the fabric hangs. I am pregnant and my daughter is 21 lbs. and I can still comfortably wear her for 30 minutes or so. www.hotslings.com & www.lucky-baby.com are two places to get pouches.

A back carrier that distributes the weight over both shoulders is even more comfy. There are lots of options: a wrap, an asian style carrier (also called Mei Tais), an Ergo, a Patapum...

[kris10s]

Okay, I had an unintentional experiment yesterday: I went to the outdoor, walking mall yesterday and forgot the stroller, so I had to wear DD in a pouch (a homemade Hotsling style one.) I was fine until EXACTLY an hour, and then my back was sore. I am not considered especially strong by anyone :giggle so there you go.

[tiglet]

I can wear my Walking Rock Farm hip carrier with my 23 lb dd in it for an hour or so. We can walk several miles in that time - or cook dinner, or buy groceries, so it works well for me.

It's got a seriously padded shoulder strap, with non-slip fabric, so it stays on my shoulder and doesn't hurt. Of course, I've got some large shoulders (moved ~2 tons of rock every day for years) so maybe that's part of it too. :giggle

[churchpunkmom]

The main reason that slings won't dig into your shoulder and cause pain is because they actually wrap around your shoulder instead of sitting in the softer space between your shoulder and neck. If you wear a sling between shoulder and neck, it will hurt just as much. Also, with the way the sling fabric wraps across your back and around the other side of your body, it's wider therefore distributing weight more evenly than any kind of slim strap (or even wide strap for that matter). If you're thinking of having a carrier to take walks with (I LOVE taking walks with carriers - it leaves both my hands free to hold onto Aidan and Kieran, lets us see more, and keeps Torrin VERY content!) I'd consider getting a good sling and/or wrap. I have one of each and wouldn't give up either! I use my sling lots for quick trips (going into stores, taking Torrin from car to nursery at church...) and I use my wrap for walks. The wraps are great because you can wear your baby longer without getting uncomfortable (I like to wear Torrin on my back for walks). Slings are awesome cause they're so quick to use and very comfy. My personal favorite is a ring sling with an unsewn tail - I got mine here http://www.momsinmind.com.sg/sarongslings.html - it was the best deal I could find at just over $20 including shipping. I also have an Ella Roo Wrap, but I'd recommend making one over buying one, if you can - it's so much cheaper that way! :tu