Hello,
I know this is a silly question, and I am certain everyone will tell me "of
course not", but still I wonder.

I have purchased a baby sling (kangouroo style, only a long piece of cloth
that you wrap around you and the baby). I saw my neighbour using that and I believed it was a beautiful and wonderful way to carry baby. Having used a BabyBjorn with reluctance with Mlle C, I decided to switch for the sling. Yesterday at the pool a woman with her little boy told me those slings are not safe for baby boys: apparently, it compresses their genitalia too much. I pondered over that, and my guess is that she's wrong: the baby is cuddled on you, much as he would be if you were sitting down with him. It's true that his legs are spread, but he's more "sitting" than being "pushed" on you while you carry with that type of sling. And not only that, that's a method of transport used all over the world for gernerations: South America, Africa, India... Oh, here's the URL of my reseller, so you know what I mean:

www.mamankangourou.com.

Now, the big question: could that woman be right? Will I risk hurting my
baby boy's genitalia with this type of transport?
Thanks, I'd hate to have to return the sling!

Why are you having the reluctance with the Baby Bjorn? Why the switch? Baby Bjorn is a well recommended brand when it comes to baby gear.

Steffi

First, the Baby Bjorn is very thick,and it is made of unflexible padding. You have only one position to put your baby in when he is very
little, and only one position to carry it on your shoulders and your hips. I had the carrier with the lower back support, which was not so bad, but I felt pressure on my
shoulders.

Second, being so thick and unflexible, I felt I could not cuddle my baby. I actually felt detached from her, even though she was very close to me.

3) Even on the most tightest setting, my daughter was still loose, and her head was bouncing back and forth when I was walking.

4) The Baby Bjorn I had was black in color, which is not really good in the summer time. I had the standard model, which doesn't let air go through, and when it got warmer my Baby
would sweat as much as me. I know there is a lighter model for the warm season, but I don't want to invest the money - a sling is so MUCH cheaper.

5) Finally, the Baby Bjorn we have has already outlasted its life with the first baby. A sling could still be used.

I hope that answers your question.

I heard there are concerns with the Baby Bjorn (and even similar carriers)
that they put too much stress on the baby's spine to be carried that way.

Best wishes,
Maggie

I have a girlfriend who has a sling like this: http://www.theslingset.com/ that she says is super comfortable. I have never heard of any problem with carrying boys in a sling, I cannot see the genitals being squished that way any more than they are when they are being carried on mom's hip. I carried both my boys on hip constantly with no complaints.

One thing for sure about boys: if the package isn't happy the boy isn't happy, so I'm quite sure your ds would alert you to any discomfort! I know the one time my ds's carseat strap got twisted & we didn't notice, it was way too tight on his crotch and he started fussing and complaining til we took him out to see what was wrong.

Never had much luck with a sling at all. But I think it was me not using it the right way.

Avri