As a busy mama, I’ve found it’s really important to have something I can carry my little girl around in. Since I’m a stay at home mama, there are times she just needs to be held, but I want to stay productive. For me, I have loved having a wrap to keep my daughter close and comfortable while remaining hands free. That’s why I’m sharing my Hope + Plum Ring Sling Review along with a tutorial on how to use it!
When my daughter was a smaller baby, I absolutely adored my Solly baby wrap! It kept her snug and happy! But, as she has grown, I noticed that my shoulders and back were getting sore. That’s why I started looking into ring slings.
With a nine month old, I needed the perfect baby carrier for an older baby. I needed something with more support and better weight distribution, but still kept my daughter close! Now that I’ve found the Hope & Plum Ring Sling, I want share everything I love about it along with a quick tutorial on how to use it!
What I Love about the Hope + Plum Ring Sling…
Before I get started, I just want to let you know that this Ring Sling was gifted to me by Hope + Plum. You know that I only share things that I truly love, so please know that all these thoughts are honest and my own!
1. Material
I cannot say enough about the Ring Sling’s material! It’s made from natural cotton and hemp, which gives it structure, but also remains soft! It’s really comfortable for both me and my daughter!
With the Solly baby wrap, I loved that it had more of a stretch and would keep my daughter close. As a little baby, she spent a lot of her time in the wrap snuggling up to me and sleeping. But, as she grew, the stretchy material didn’t offer enough support. It would pull her down and redistribute her weight in a way that would make my shoulders sore.
I love that this material doesn’t have stretch and keeps older babies more secure! (Especially since she likes to flail about from time to time.
2. Breathability
I love wearing my baby when I am doing things around the house. But, when I get into the groove of cleaning, I always start to get hot. Between the baby and myself, we can generate a great deal of body heat! And, if you throw in a thick baby wrap, that is a recipe for trouble!
That’s why I have really been enjoying the breathability of the Hope and Plum Ring Sling. I don’t get overheated when wearing this baby carrier because the fabric is incredibly breathable and comfortable.
3. Colors + Patterns
There are countless varieties of baby carriers on the market, but I was really impressed with the cute yet simple colors and patterns that Hope & Plum provide with their Ring Slings.
As someone who loves to make everything match, I feel like the colors and patterns are neutral enough that it can go with everything. This is a huge plus for me!
4. Length
I absolutely love that the Ring Sling comes in different lengths! They have a short (74 inches), mid-length (82 inches), and long (90) inches. This is great for a lot of reasons.
Obviously, mamas come in all different shapes and sizes. So, for a mom who is on the smaller side, she may prefer something shorter whereas a tall mom may want a longer length. But, there are other reasons you may want to select a different length.
Personally, I got the midlength. I love that it is long enough to give me lots of options. As I will mention below, I feel like I can use the Ring Sling for different uses because of its longer length (like a blanket or a nursing cover).
5. Weight Distribution
Once my daughter was about 14lbs, my stretchy wrap became pretty uncomfortable. I’m not baby carrier expert, but I left like I needed something a little sturdier. Between the fabric and the ability to wear hip carry my daughter in the ring sling, I found that this was SO much better.
Now that I have the Hope & Plum Ring Sling, I feel like she is sitting more comfortably too. I’m not feeling the weight in my shoulders because the weight is distributed evenly!
6. Easy to Learn
I’m not going to lie, I felt intimidated when I first got my Ring Sling. With other wraps, it took me a couple of weeks to finally find the fit and wear that worked best.
With the Hope & Plum Ring Sling, I was surprised how easy it was to learn. I actually had it down by the first afternoon of wearing it. After a couple of tries, I had confidently found a way to wear the sling that worked best for my daughter and I.
7. Quick to Put On
Goodness, this baby carrier is so much faster to put on compared to my stretchy wrap. Out of everything I love about the Hope & Plum Ring Slin, this may be my favorite part about this baby carrier.
With previous baby carriers, there was a lot of wrapping involved. If I needed to get something done and my daughter was getting fussy, I would have to stop everything and take time to put it on. With the Ring Sling, I can just grab it and have the baby in it really quickly!
4 Uses for Ring Sling
The Hope & Plum Ring Slings are definitely on the pricier end when compared to some other baby carriers, but I have found that their versatility makes up for the price point!
These baby carriers actually have different uses that will definitely come in handy as a mama. I just love it when I can find items that allow me to save money and space, and this does just that!
Here are some of the many uses I have found for my Ring Sling….
1. Carrying Baby
I mean, this is a given. Of course, the Ring Sling can be used for carrying your baby! That’s its main purpose!
2. Nursing Cover
While we all know that this baby carrier can be used for carrying babies, you may not have realized that you can use it as a nursing cover.
I’ve found that I can nurse my little one while she is actually in the Ring Sling, but if I want some more privacy, I can use it as a cover while I’m out and about. Because I have the longer length, it offers plenty of coverage while nursing.
3. Car Seat Cover
Because the fabric is breathable, I’ve found it really helpful to use as a car seat cover. When the sun is shining in my little one’s eyes or it’s just a little too breezy, I can throw this over the car seat to give her a little extra shelter.
4. Blanket
A lot of different baby carriers may have a lot of material, but they aren’t the right length or width to be used as a blanket. This is not the case for the Hope & Plum Ring Sling! It’s the perfect size to be a blanket whenever you need it to be!
The fact that this baby carrier can be used in so many different ways is one of the biggest reasons I have fallen in love with it.
How to Use the Ring Sling…
- Start by holding the ring in one hand and end tail in the other.
- Next, take the end tail and put it through both of the rings. Make sure that you keep it flat!
- While holding the end tail in one hand, put the other hand through the middle of the two rings.
- Grab the end tail, put it in the hand that is through the middle of the two rings, and pull it through.
- Once you’ve done this, you will need to put the sling on. To do this, locate the large tag. The tag should rest on the shoulder on the opposite side of where the baby will be resting.
- Spread fabric in the ring to allow for adjustability. (Be sure to watch the video to find out just how.)
- Place an arm on the inside of the thickest part of the ring sling. Your elbow should be creating space for your baby’s bum while your hand should be facing upward.
- Once you’ve got the space, put the baby in and adjust according to comfort for the both of you!
In Conclusion…
As my little one has gotten older, she and I have both greatly enjoyed the Hope & Plum Ring Sling! It allows us to stay close when I need to get things done without getting overheated or uncomfortable!
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