Baby Carrier Design Features

 To help you choose your options, I have compiled a visual library of all the different design elements that go into a Pouchlings baby sling.
SHOULDER STRAPS 
Padded Mei Tai straps:

- These are 4" wide and 2.15m long.
They are generously padded for the first 15" from where they leave the body of the carrier. 

- Best for wearer's who need padding at the shoulder and who don't want a lot of extra fabric to deal with.

- All Pouchlings Classic MT's and HB's come with Padded MT straps. 
- They are also available as an Extra Option on Wrap Conversions.
Single layer Wrap Straps:

- These are approximately 30cm wide and are a single layer of fabric. They can be worn spread over the shoulder and the baby's bum, or bunched up.

- Best for wearer's who are used to wrapping and like wide straps or who don't like padding.

- Wrap Straps come as standard on Pouchlings' Wrap-Tais and on Basic Wrap Conversions.
"Hybrid" padded-to-wrap straps:

- A combination of the first two strap types. These are 4" wide and padded for the first 15". Then they flare out to a single layer of fabric approx 30cm wide which can be spread wide over baby's bum and thighs.

- Best for wearer's who need a padded shoulder but could benefit from having extra fabric to spread under baby's bum, giving more support.

- Available  as an extra Option on own brand Wrap-Tais and Wrap Conversions.
Buckle Shoulder straps:

- 16" long and 4" wide with 40mm Dual Adjust buckles and approx 65cm of webbing.

- 16" straps come as standard on Pouchlings' Full Buckle carriers and as a size option for Wrap Conversions.
(- Wrap Conversion Buckle shoulder straps are also available in Petite 12"), Medium (14")  and Long (18") sizes).

- "Adjustable" buckle shoulder straps with Reverse Perfect Fit Adjusters (PFA's) have a 25mm webbing and slider mechanism that allow the straps to be adjusted from 20" long down to 14" long. 
- Recommended if the carrier is to be shared between two very different sized wearers.

- Available as an Extra Option on Own Brand Full Buckle Carriers and on Wrap Conversions.
Adjustable length shoulder straps with Perfect Fit Adjusters

Chest Belts

Chest Belt 1:
- Included in the price for Pouchlings' Buckle carriers and Wrap Conversions.

- Single loop, webbing only chest strap with 25mm dual adjust buckle. 
Chest Belt 2:
- Available as an optional extra for Own Brand carriers and Wrap conversions.

- Double loop, webbing only chest strap with 25mm dual adjust buckle. 
Chest Belt 3:
- Available as an optional extra for Wrap conversions only.

- Single loop, wrap fabric chest strap with 40mm dual adjust buckle. 
Chest Belt 4:
- Available as an optional extra for  Wrap conversions only.

- Double loop, wrap fabric chest strap with 40mm dual adjust buckle. 

Waistbands

       Unstructured Waistbands
  Mei Tais, Half Buckles and Full Buckles:

- 3.5" wide and lightly padded across the base of the carrier.

- This style of waistband is designed to be worn folded up against the wearers tummy or back to form a pocket for the baby's bum.

- Mei Tais have two 65cm ties on each side and buckle carriers have two 65cm lengths of webbing and a 50mm Dual Adjust buckle. The webbing exits from the bottom edge of the carrier so that it can be rolled up.

- Comes as standard on all Basic Wrap Conversions.
- Optional on all Pouchlings' In-stocks.

Integrated Cinch Strap

​An integrated cord which cinches the base of the carrier narrower by approximately 2"
​Can be added to any carrier with an unstructured waistband.
Rollable, apron-style waistband
Integrated cinch strap
Structured waistbands (with or without Seat Darts):

- This style of waistband, is designed to be worn bottom edge down on the wearer's abdomen or lower back in a traditional SSC style. The webbing, or fabric ties, exit from the top of the waistband. The structured waistband can be either soft or firm.

Soft, Semi-structured waistband:

- 5" wide waistband which is made from 3 layers of soft fleece, strengthened with top-stitching. The width of this waistband makes it supportive but it is also soft and squishy so it moulds well to the wearer's body.
- This waistband is available as an option on Wrap Conversions Mei Tais, Half Buckles and Full Buckles, and on Pouchlings's instock Mei Tais.
- Can be made with or without seat darts.

Firm, SSC style waistband:

- 5" wide waistband which is made with firm,but flexible, SSC style padding and a 50mm Dual Adjustable buckle.

- Structured waistbands are combined with Seat Darts to give an extra deep seat and to sit on the wearer's body more comfortably.

- This waistband is available as an option on Wrap Conversion and in-stock, Full Buckles

SSC Waistband with seat darts
Semi-structured buckle waistband - no seat darts
Ring Waist with wrap strap tie:

- A waistband made up of two coloured Sling Rings on one side and a single-layer, 1.25m long and 20cm wide, wrap strap style tie on the other side. The strap is threaded through the rings like a Ring Sling and tightened by pulling. 
- It can be paired with either a soft or a firm waistband.

- Available on Wrap Conversions only.
Wrap strap style waist:

- two single-layer waist ties, each approximately 70cm long and 20cm wide, pleated at insertion into the body of the carrier.
- Can be paired with either a soft or firm waistband. 

- Available on Wrap Conversions only and, depending on other design details, may require a longer wrap.

- Recommended only for Reverse Half Buckles  where the straps can be spread over the wearer's chest as a chest belt.

Headrest and Sleep Hoods

Self-supporting Headrest:

- A 9cm high, lightly stiffened and padded headrest that supports baby's head when sleeping or can be flipped down when baby wants to look around or ride with arms out.

- Comes as standard on all In-stock "Classic" carriers or as an extra option on Wrap Conversions.
Flat Sleep Hood:


- A simple hood measuring 25cm x 35cm.
Use for supporting the head of a sleeping baby or giving protection against bright sunlight, wind, rain etc.

- Available on Wrap Conversions or on In-stock carriers on request.
Adjustable Sleep Hood:

- A longer sleep hood which can be formed into a "cup" shape to mould around baby's head, by cinching up the hood ties. 

- Use for supporting the head of a sleeping baby or giving protection against bright sunlight, wind, rain etc.

- Comes as standard on In-stock Hooded Carriers or as an extra option on Wrap Conversions.
Elf Sleep Hood:

- A "Hoodie" style sleep hood - good for older babies who are used to having their heads covered. 
Use for supporting the head of a sleeping baby or giving protection against bright sunlight, wind, rain etc.


- Available as an extra option on Wrap Conversions and on In-stock Hooded carriers  on request.

Other features

Leg Padding, Seat darts and Side buckle Cushions:

- Leg padding softens the edges of the carrier which can be more comfortable for older babies. 
- Not recommended on the "Baby" size carrier if you want to roll the waistband up to shorten the body.

- Comes as standard on all Pouchlings' In-stock carriers

- Available as an Extra Option on Wrap Conversions.


- Seat Darts turn the base of the carrier body into a concave shape to create a deeper seat for the baby. This can help with centering the baby's bum in the carrier but some wearers may find that it takes the baby further away from their body, making them feel heavier - definitely a case of personal preference.

Seat Darts are only available on Wrap Conversions with the Semi-structured waistband option.
- Side buckle cushions are small cushions underneath the buckles at the side of the carrier body for extra comfort. Do not order if you want the carrier to be reversible.

- Both these features are available as an Extra Option on Wrap Conversions only.
Hood Tie and Toy Loop:

- The hood tie is made up of two small ties, one on either side of the hood which are used to secure the hood when it is rolled up. 
Once rolled up, the hood can be used as extra neck support for a small or sleeping baby. They are also usefull if there is a lot of artwork on the body of the carrier that would otherwise be hidden by the hood.

- Available as an extra Option on Wrap Conversions.
- A Toy Loop is a small loop of fabric sewn into the carrier where the shoulder meets the body. It is useful for securing small items such as teething rings, taggies, Slingamejigs  etc

- Available on Wrap Conversions only.

Accessories

SuckPads/Dribble Pads.




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Dribble Bibs




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Key Fobs

Carrier Sizes



​Carrier Sizes.

I offer 4 sizes in total:

- Size 1 "Infant": 
Height 16"; Width 15." 
- Suitable from 3m - approx 18 months old

- Size 2 "In-between":
Height 17"; Width 17" 
- Suitable from approx 6m - 24m

- Size 3 "Toddler":
Height 18"; Width 19" 
- Suitable from approx 15m - 3 years

Size 4 "Pre-school":
Height 21"; Width 21" 
Suitable from approx 30m - 4 years

​Width and Height Cinchers
Order the size you would normally order as stated above. If your child is still a bit small for that size, adding Width and height cinchers will reduce the height of the body panel and the width of the seat by a couple of inches each and give your child time to grow into the carrier.

Ring Sling shoulder styles

Gathered Shoulder

- An easy shoulder style to wear and makes for a perfect “beginner’s sling”. 

-The fabric opens up wide to cup the whole shoulder and top of the arm. The wearer can spread or gather up the fabric as they prefer.

- Especially good for larger frames or rounded shoulders as it will prevent the fabric popping up to the wearer’s neck.

- Not recommended for petite frames or narrow shoulders as the wide style may swamp a smaller wearer and restrict movement of the arm. 
Pleated Shoulder

- Another easy shoulder style to wear.

- The first row of embroidery/stitching sets the shoulder width at approximately 5" - 6", so the fabric cannot travel too far down the arm. The pleats then open up wide to spread the fabric nicely over the wearer’s back. 

- Can be worn on all shoulder shapes but particularly good for narrow and/or sloping shoulders. 

- As with all Ring Slings, it is important to wear the fabric against the ball of the shoulder, not against the neck.
Padded Box Pleat

- A padded 5” wide box pleat. The padding sits on the ball of the shoulder and the flaps are spread out to cup the shoulder and fix it in place. (A good choice if you don’t like the fabric touching your neck). 

- The padding makes carrying heavier babies, (8m+), much more comfortable. 

- The narrower style works best on square shoulders, narrow shoulders and/or petite frames. 

- Not especially recommended for sloping or rounded shoulders as it can slip up towards the neck.