Anyone who has followed Joy Riders for a while will probably have realised that I'm a bit of a fan of the ring sling. Its my go to for the bottom of the nappy bag/boot of the car for just in case, because its compact, quick to put on, and can carry a new born or my preschooler equally well.
But did you know, that my first ring sling attempts were horrendous, and I actually put it in a cupboard for 12 months before I gained the courage to give it another go!
So, just for you, my top tightening tips which I wish I knew when I started out with a ring sling
1. Make sure the pouch is about right before you start - Its a bit like Goldilocks, too small and you can't get baby in, too big and you have to do HEAPS of tightening which makes the whole process much more difficult. Having the pouch "just right" means that baby is pretty well supported already, so you can take a bit more time thinking about technique as you tighten, and less tightening is required to get your carry perfect.
2. Feed the slack around - this means when you pull on the tail you will actually tighten the sling instead of just pulling down on the rings and spinning the whole carrier around on your body.
3. Pull the fabric back in the direction it came from - you shouldn't have to really yank on your sling to get it to tighten. Looking at which direction the fabric comes from as it enters the rings and pulling the tail back in that direction reduces the amount of friction as you tighten so you don't have to pull as hard.
Bonus tip - Give baby a bit of a boost under their bottom - this "unlocks" the rings and lets them slide much more freely.
Do you have any other tips you have picked up that makes ring slinging that much easier for you? Let me know in the comments!