Wrapping Up Baby

Baby slings may have simple origins, but these days, even the most basic things can become luxuries. At Psny, the carriers – which are large pieces of cloth draped around parent and child – are made of all-natural, handmade fabrics. And though slings are a staple of attachment parenting, the earthy school of child-rearing popularized by Dr. William Sears, they’re also about looking good.“People are viewing them as fashion items,” the store’s manager, Maya Omori, said. “Slings are good for the baby, but a lot of people see them as too hippie-looking. We want to change that. We want to make the sling more accessible to stylish city parents.”Psny is the first New York outpost of the Japanese company Psling & Co., which has been selling the baby carriers in its three Tokyo stores since 2002. Spare yet inviting, the shop carries slings that range from $99 to $550 and can be used for babies weighing up to 40 pounds. The slings, some of which are made from hand dyed cotton and linen, can be tried on and tested out with the use of lifelike baby dolls.The tryout makes a difference, according to Dusan Relgin, who recently purchased a $150 cotton Psling to carry his 1-year-old daughter, Theodora. “Normally, you’re left buying this kind of baby gear on the Internet,” he said. “Then when you get it, you have to spend a day just figuring out how to put it on and put the baby in it.”As for the expense, Mr. Relgin, who tried and was frustrated with carriers such as the Baby Bjorn, felt it was worth it. “It did cost probably twice as much as other slings we’d seen. But, he said, echoing a rationale often used to justify the purchase of an $800 Bugaboo Frog stroller, “if you’re using it every day, it’s not really that expensive.”“It’s also well-designed and extremely comfortable,” he added, noting that the Psling allows him to change the baby’s position if his back begins to hurt.While the expense did not put Mr. Relgin off, Ms. Omori said she’s witnessed some sticker shock in the store. “They’ll say, ‘Whoa, why does it cost so much?’ and we’ll explain that all the fabric is handmade and the more expensive slings are hand-dyed. We say, ‘Think of it as a fashion accessory, like a scarf.'”Still, she reports, the $150 cotton slings are the store’s most popular. As for the $550 “hand-crumpled” linen slings, only one has sold so far. “It was a gift from the husband,” Ms. Omori said.Also on offer is a range of clothing for moms-to-be, including silk maternity and nursing camisoles ($145-$195) and cashmere baby sweaters ($115). The clothing additions were strategic. “People would see the sling in the window and not know what it was,” Ms. Omori said. “Now people see the clothes and know it’s a baby shop. Then they ask what the slings are.”Psny, 69 W. Houston St., between Wooster Street and West Broadway, 212-253-0630.

Wrapping Up Baby

Wrapping Up Baby

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