| There are many different ways to wear your Cabin Baby sling. As your child ages and gains more head control more options will become available. Before you begin, make sure you read the tips and hints to wearing a baby.
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| Putting the Sling On |
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When you wash the sling, it will look like this. You will need to re-fold it to use it with your baby. If you look at your sling closely you will see that one end is slightly curved and has a triple-stitched seam. This is what makes the pocket for your baby. In this picture, the curve is on the top. |
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Next, fold the straight seams together. Start by putting one seam inside and pulling it towards the other seam. In this picture, I started with the top of the sling and will work my way to the bottom. |
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Here the top of the sling is correct and only the bottom still needs to be fixed. |
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Now the seams are together. Give your sling a few good shakes to get rid of the bunched up fabric. |
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Now, the sling is folded correctly and ready to be put on. |
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Find the curved section of the sling with the triple-sewn seam. |
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With the midline of the sling closest to your body and the curve of the sling facing down, put one arm through the sling. With the other hand, pull the sling over your shoulder. |
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Now, pull it over your head. |
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Straighten out the material and make sure the curve seam is on the bottom of the sling near your hip (for the hip carry) or stomach (for the cradle-carry and kangaroo carry). |
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Reach behind you and straighten out the fabric so that the weight of your child is distributed evenly. |
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| Cradle Carry - Perfect for infants to about 4 months |
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First, put your sling on with the seam between your hip and navel. Hold the infant on the same side as the side that the sling is on. |
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Next, open the pocket with the non-kid arm and drop the baby's bottom into the sling. |
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Make sure to pull the front of the sling up so the entire child is covered. |
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Bounce up and down a little to get your infant settled into the sling. |
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Now bounce, coo, smile, and rock your baby. Some children don't like the Cradle Carry because they can't see. If your little one squawks in this position, give them a few minutes of bouncing and walking around. If they are still unhappy, you can try the Tummy to Tummy carry. |
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| Tummy to Tummy - Perfect for infants to about 4 months |
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Put your sling on with the seam down near your hip. Prop baby up with your arm and hold them on your shoulder. |
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With the other hand, open the pouch and lower your baby's bottom and legs into the carrier. |
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Make sure that their legs are crossed under then. Some babies instinctively stand up. For these babies, reach your hand in and bend their legs. |
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Bounce a little to make sure your baby is at the bottom of the pouch. You're done! Now you can go finish the mountain of laundry, wash that stack of dishes, and maybe read the newspaper. |
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| Kangaroo Carry |
 Pick up your baby with their stomach away from you. Lower their legs and bottom into the sling. Pull the front edge of the sling up so the baby is secure. You can allow the arms to be free or not. This is a great position for 5 and 6 month old babies who want to see everything around them. Be careful though because they also like to grab everything! |
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| Hip and Back Carry |
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This carry is for older babies who have good head control. First, put the sling on and make sure the triple-stitched seam is at your hip. Then pick up your baby with their stomach against yours. |
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Lift your baby's body high enough that their feet can be put into the sling. With your other hand, go under the sling and help grab the baby's feet and guide them through the sling. |
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In this position, the babies feet go through the sling. Continue to lower your baby into the sling. |
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When your baby is near the seam of the sling, pull the sling so that your babies butt goes into the pocket. Their knees and butt should be level or their knees might even be higher. |
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For older babies and toddlers, the top rail of the sling does not need to be pulled up very high. |
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For younger babies or babies who like it, the top rail can be pulled up to their neck with their arms inside the fabric. Just make sure that the bottom rail stays under their butt securely. |
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For the backcarry position, you just start with the hip carry and turn the carrier so they are on the back. The first few times you do this you should be very careful. Do this with a friend or in front of a mirror. |
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This is the backcarry from the back. |
My baby HATES it!
If you baby seems to hate it, don't give up. Some babies love the sling right from the beginning and some other babies need some time to get used to the sling. Moving around with your baby in the sling is the fastest way to get them used to this kind of carrier. You can also try to change the position of the baby. If you have an infant, there are not many choices of positions. They can only lay down in the carrier or do a supported Tummy to Tummy position. Also, as you become more comfortable with the sling, you will relax. Your baby can sense when you are tense and upset and that usually does not have a calming effect on them.
My baby is going to fall out!
If used correctly, the sling is very secure. You need to make sure you are using common sense when you use your sling. Do not try to play softball, ride a bike, do cartwheels, cook over a hot stove, or do any other activities that put your baby in harms way. That being said, one of the most common mistakes new pouch wear-ers make is that they think the sling needs to be even in the front and back. For example, in this picture, the rails are not even. The rail that is closest to my body is much lower than the rail that is on the outside I drew an imaginary line to show where the inside rail is.
My baby is lost in the sling.
Some small babies become "lost" in the fabric. To help them see, you can fold up a towel or small blanket and put that in the sling first. When you lay the baby on top of that blanket, they are closer to the surface of the sling.
Shoulder Flip
You can tighten up the sling a little bit by flipping the top layer of the sling over your shoulder. This snugs up the sling around your baby.
Wearing More than One
 You can certainly wear more than one pouch if you have twins or even an older and younger child. Speaking from experience, pouches are great for fast, poppable carries when you need to carry your babies quickly and easily. However, for long trips, hikes or when you really need to get something done, two wraps are invaluable. Wraps have a much bigger learning curve and I didn't like them at all until my twins came. Everytime I looked at one I was just overwhelmed with the amount of fabric. Feel free to email me with questions regarding wraps, wearing twins, or babywearing in general.
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