Want to see the true Organic Baby Slings? You might have seen it many a times. Don’t remember? Okay! While watching television, many a times you might have seen women of various tribes, living in dense forests of Africa, Amazon and other parts, working hard with their babies tied to their back or chest with a long piece of cloth woven out of fibers derived from locally available plants. They are the Organic Baby Slings in the true sense.

But you need not be a forest dweller to weave your sling out of those materials in order to make it organic. You can get a good Organic Baby Sling, made up of a reasonably sophisticated piece of cloth of your choice, even in your locality. Only that you have to spend a few bucks more than you do on regular clothes. Organic Baby Slings are now available in your city. But why so much the fuss about these clings? What went wrong with the non organic (regular) baby slings all of a sudden? Want to know? Here we go.

Problems with the Non Organic Baby Slings: The purpose of a baby sling is to tie (I don’t mean tying hard with a rope) your baby with you or make the baby cling to you while you are busy, and don’t let the baby fall. So, while the sling sticks the baby to your body (a long time each day), it itself remains in contact with the baby’s skin all the time. Now, since the Non Organic Baby Slings can be made up of synthetic fibers or may use synthetic colours, they are not at all good to remain in contact with the skin, as these synthetic fibers, colours and dyes can give rise to rashes, skin irritations, itching and other skin problems. These synthetic compounds can also penetrate the skin and affect internal organs adversely. Further, synthetic fibers are not good absorbents of moisture and do not let air pass through them. So, the situation becomes worse if the baby perspires or wets the sling. In the long run, it can even cause skin diseases and severe rashes. The dyes, colours and synthetic fibers used in these non organic baby slings can even cause skin cancer in worst cases or may affect eyes, ears etc.

The Probable Solutions: Since the sling remains in contact with the baby skin for a long time, so it becomes very important that the sling is made up of such material that does not pose any harm or danger to the delicate and sensitive skin of the baby. What should be the properties of such a material? Let us find out.

• It should be very soft, smooth and comforting. Even slight hardness or roughness can cause bruises on the baby skin and make this long time a painful experience for the baby.
• It should be ergonomic, i.e. suitably designed to maintain the right posture of the baby. Since a baby’s bones are soft, any wrong posture may give rise to permanent deformity.
• It should be a very good absorbent of moisture and should also allow good passage of air to let the skin breathe and feel comfortable when wet.
• It should invariably be made up of natural fiber, preferably cotton, because cotton is the most comfortable, soft and non allergenic natural fiber which is strong, airy as well as very good absorbent of moisture.
• The natural fiber must be organic.
• It should not contain any synthetic bleach, dye or colour and should be processed organically throughout.
• It should be durable enough to withstand frequent wetting and wrestling by the baby.

Organic Baby Slings: The Organic Baby Slings bring you the solutions to the problems discussed above and stand up to the expectations of an ideal baby sling. These slings are made up organic natural fiber, i.e. fiber grown organically (without the use of any synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, weedicides etc.), processed organically (without using any synthetic chemical bleach or agents) and finally made into finished product organically (without using any synthetic dye, colour, scent etc. or synthetic thread to sew etc.). These slings should ideally be packed organically, i.e. using bio-degradable plastic or paper (this is often overlooked). The fibers used for Organic Baby Slings may be organic wool, organic cotton, organic silk, organic flannel or organic jute (jute may look coarse, but these days it is used to make very soft and smooth state-of-the-fashion clothing). Since wool and silk are animal products, some babies may be allergenic to them. Organic Cotton is the ideal material that requirements of Organic Baby Slings from all respects. It is light, soft, smooth, non allergenic, trendy, a good absorbent and a good ventilator. One more thing! The Organic Baby Slings will be little heavier on your pocket than their non organic counterparts.

Check List: As I have always been telling you, you need to check a few things before you buy these Organic Baby Slings. Here are they.

• Go to the shop and try it with your baby in it. If you are comfortable, and more importantly, if the baby is comfortable, then only think of buying it. See if it is ergonomic for the baby.
• Feel the fabric. It should be very soft and smooth to touch.
• Like I always said, do not go for the bright or dark colours. No matter how good they look on your baby. Better pick up the white ones.
• The fabric should be durable enough.
• Better pick up the cotton ones than woolen or silk ones.
• There are various styles to choose from. They have their own advantages and disadvantages. Pick the one that suits your need most. You have Ring Slings, Pouch Slings (also called Pocket or Tube Slings), Wrap Slings (Similar to Cloth Slings), Buckled Slings, Belted Slings, Mei Tais (Chinese Style), Basket Slings and lot others to pick from.
• Watch for the certificate of authenticity of organic material. There are various certifying agencies who certify these products. It is not enough just to see the certificate; you should also ensure that it is from a recognized certifying agency. Some vendors may use fake certificates too.
• Again, there is a lot of difference in a product being “Organic” and a product “Containing Organic Material” or “Made from Organic Material”. Go for those which have an “Organic” or “Hundred Percent Organic” tag on them.

Gains from Organic Baby Slings: The biggest gain you get from these slings is that they are harmless for your baby. Your baby remains safe from the adverse or harmful effects of chemicals. Moreover, by encouraging these organic products, you are contributing towards less pollution of the environment. The only thing that may go against Organic Baby Slings is their price, which is bit higher than the non organic ones. But then that is worth their goodness.

Something You Must Know: So far, you read mostly about Organic Baby Slings. But there are some issues which are related to slings in general.

• Slings, particularly the Wrap Styles or Cloth Styles, must be used cautiously and properly to avoid the risk of baby falling out. Pocket Styles are safer.
• You should be cautious enough while carrying your baby in a sling (particularly the front carriers) and handling fire, abrasives, water in tanks, hot water or drinks etc.
• The slings must be worn carefully to avoid suffocating the baby or to avoid doing the baby any postural harm.
• Wrongly wearing the slings may not only harm the baby but may also give you backaches and joint pains.
• The fabric, the stitches and if there are any straps, buckles etc. in the sling, must be checked for strength and durability.
• Some parents think of buying used baby slings, but this should be avoided for hygienic reasons.

So, I think that clears all your doubts. Happy parenting and happy slinging then! See you later!

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