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@teawithpaloma: I haven't used a ring sling yet and I'm also interested in this, but I also want to encourage you to try the back carry wth the ergo. We had to master it this winter since we had a billion inches of snow and a dog that still needed to be walked, and it really wasn't as hard as I expected. Watch some you tube videos but after only a week or so, my then 18 month old would climb into my back herself so I could do up the shoulder straps. And she LOVED it- everyone would comment on how happy she looked (since I couldn't really see her). So I think it's worth trying out at least.

But I am still interested in the ring sling since I think that would be a lot easier to just throw in the diaper bag for those times when you need to hold her while out and about.

Have you thought about trying a wrap? You may be able to get more use out of it with a toddler since you would be able to do more with it. I also agree with @Foodnerd81 in mastering the back carry. It's so wonderful and my 21 month old loves it (and I love not getting hit in the chin with her head every time she moves).

i bought a sling for my 25-lb 2 year old, thinking that i would also use it for the next baby (otherwise i'm not sure i would have gotten it). we used it mainly for a trip to NYC, where a stroller would have been a pain. i could carry him for about 20 minutes at a time, but more than that it gets pretty straining because of the one shoulder. that was fine as he wanted to be up and down.

I have a ring sling that I used sporadically when DD was younger. I pulled it out again a couple months ago (when she was 16ish months old) because she was going through an "up" phase and my arms were tired...well, she HATED it. Screamed bloody murder until I took her out. I tried again a few days later and the same thing happened. So at least for us, starting to use a ring sling as a toddler would be an absolute no-go. I actually wish I'd never bought it, neither DD nor I ever liked it all that much so it was pretty much a waste of money.