How to Make a Baby Sling From a Sweatshirt

Carrying a baby in a sling allows you to have both hands free to tackle household chores, eat your lunch or read a book. Wearing your baby is also good for her health and development, as holding your baby close to your body helps her feel comforted and soothed, according to AskDrSears.com. You don't have to spend a lot of money on a specially made baby carrier or sling. If you can sew with a sewing machine, you can make a sling out of a couple of old sweatshirts.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 sweatshirts (large or X-large size)
  • Scissors
  • Straight pins
  • Sewing machine
  • Thread
  • Ruler
  • 2 metal or plastic rings, 3 1/2 inches in diameter

Instructions

    • 1

      Cut the sleeves off of each sweatshirt, then cut about 1 inch off of the shoulder area of each sweatshirt so that you are left with two tubes of fabric that make up the torsos of the shirts. Cut each sweatshirt along one side seam so that you have two long rectangles of fabric when you unfold the tubes.

    • 2

      Unfold each tube. Lay one rectangle on a flat work surface, or the floor, with the fleece side facing down. Lay the second rectangle on top of the first, with the fleece side facing up. Line up the four sides of the fabric, then pin only along one of the short sides.

    • 3

      Sew the two pieces of fabric together along the pinned side, about 1/2 an inch away from the edge. You're sewing a knit fabric, so use a zigzag stitch to provide some give. If you use a straight stitch, the stitches might break when you put the baby, or any weight, on the sling.

    • 4

      Measure the length of the stitched-together sweatshirts. Ideally, the resulting fabric will be about 85 to 90 inches long. If the fabric is too short, you can cut up another sweatshirt and stitch it onto one end. If the fabric is too long, trim it down to about 85 inches.

    • 5

      Lay the long strip of fabric on a flat work surface, then fold in half lengthwise. Fold the fabric in half again, so that it is a quarter of the width it was at the beginning. Ideally, the folded fabric will be between 4 and 8 inches wide.

    • 6

      Stack the two rings on top of each other. Slide one end of the folded fabric through both rings, pushing the rings about 10 inches away from the end of the fabric.

    • 7

      Fold the fabric over the rings, then pin in place. Sew the folded fabric together using a zigzag stitch. You might want to sew two rows of stitches or backstitch, as the seam will get a lot of stress from the weight of the baby.

    • 8

      Wear the sling by draping the end with the two rings over your right or left shoulder. Bring the other end of the fabric down and across your back, then around your opposite hip and back up to the shoulder with the two rings. Push the opposite end of the fabric through both rings, then loop it over the top ring and under the bottom ring to secure in place. Tuck your baby into the pocket formed by the fabric sling.

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