Welcome!

Welcome to Nuzzle Baby, formerly Baby Capes! Feel free to browse the blog for pictures and information about my slings.

I am Jessica, wife to Tony and mom to Gage and Evie. I am an occupational therapist turn stay-at-home mommy. I began wearing Gage as soon as he came home from the hospital and I can't imagine life without a sling. As an OT, I appreciate the developmental benefits for baby. As a mom, I appreciate the convenience of having my baby close and my hands free.


When Gage was little I wore him everywhere in an area where baby wearing is not very common. Now I am wearing Evie, and nearly every time I go out, people ask me about the sling and if I sell them. Now I can say yes! I look forward to helping other moms and dads discover baby wearing!

I tried several other shoulder patterns in slings and none of them were as comfortable and beautiful as the style that I am using for my slings. It fans nicely across the shoulder, distributing baby's weight and making it easier on mom.

I only use aluminum rings from SlingRings.com, which are specifically made for baby carriers. My fabrics are ones I would use to carry my own kids and meet my requirements for beauty and comfort for both mom and baby.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Recalls and Warnings

All of the recent recalls and warnings have really been disturbing for baby wearers. The recalled and warned slings that have been at the forefront of this are VASTLY different from my slings. They are bag slings and you can see one pictured in the link above. They are basically a bag with a strap attached. Babies were suffocating because their chins were forced to their chest. It's the reason we keep tiny new babies at a 45 degree angle in the car for the first several months- chin to chest cuts off a baby's air way.

That said, yesterday I read about a recall (voluntary, I think) of a home-made ring sling that looked a lot like mine. From what I read, the problem was the same as the bag sling- chin to chest or fabric over the mouth and nose causing suffocation.

With that I issue this warning/recommendation: DO NOT CARRY YOUR BABY CRADLED DOWN IN YOUR SLING. Your baby's chin should not fall to his chest. I highly recommend you use the tummy-to-tummy carry when using your sling with your newborn. If you look at the pictures at the top of the page, NONE of them are being carried in a cradled position. You use a sling as a "second set of arms." You carry your baby in it just as you would if you were holding him with your arms. This link does a WONDERFUL job of showing the difference between a safe carry and an unsafe one. I encourage you do do your research and really practice using your sling. Use some of my resources on the right side of the page to learn. There are tons of videos and tutorials out there at your disposal. Your baby's safety is your responsibility.