# Back carry - Connecta (and similar)



## Mary Jo

I'm getting really frustrated because I cannot get Adam into a back carry by myself. He is happy in a front carry, but he's getting so big (26lb and tall) I find it hard in shops to be able to pack my shopping, get my purse out, etc, because I can't see round him; also I've tripped over a few times in shops because I can't see where I'm going so well. 

I don't want to give up carrying him, it's just so nice not to have to take the pushchair out all the time, especially for short trips, but I'm getting to the point where I'll have to quit or buy a new sling that's easier to get him on my back, and I don't want to do that in case it turns out to be a waste of money and I don't use it. 

I've watched several You Tube videos of people getting kids into this type of sling, but they all seem to be much smaller babies. Or the women doing the videos are stronger than me - or their children are more amenable. There is no way I could lift him over my head, and he just wriggles and escapes when I try other ways. So frustrating for us both.

Any tips? Is there anything else I can try before I give up?


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## Mrs Muffin

I'm having the exact same problem! Darwin weighs a bit less but is on the way to getting too heavy to carry on my front soon. I just can't do a back carry with my babyhawk. Thing is I can't use the pushchair as it makes him cry :( so I really need to master a back carry.


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## Mum2b_Claire

I can't see round Ruby in a front carry either, she is also 26lb and tall. 
I use the 'hip scoot' method to get Ruby on my back, have you tried that? Before I started to do that, I sat her on the sofa and crouched in front of her and lifted her onto my back.
I have a R&R though, I'm only guessing that the Connecta is not wildly different.


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## Mum2b_Claire

Mrs Muffin it's interesting that someone else's child hates the pushchair also, people look at my like I've lost it when I say Ruby won't go in one.


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## dougie

I have a pushchairphobe too! Absolutely detests it, just as much as I hate pushing it! It hurts my hands!

I do a bit of a shuffle, i put it on sideways and put him on my hip then shuffle him round, its the ONLY way I can do it but am good at it now, have a practice :)


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## freckleonear

Have you tried the superman? My 3 year old is now way to big to hip scoot so I needed an alternative way to get him on my back. The first time I tried it I thought no way could I ever manage it with his weight, but actually it's not that hard once you figure out how to do it. It's the last one in this video:
https://wrapababy.com/baby-wearing-...ctions/how-to-get-baby-on-off-your-back/1497/


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## Mary Jo

thank you for the responses :)

Mrs Muffin, I'm sorry you're having trouble, too. I am lucky because Adam is fine in his pushchair, it's me who doesn't want to take it out all the time (we live in a 2nd floor flat and I sometimes can't be bothered hauling it up and down the stairs, though I do if I need to buy more than 1 bag of shopping).

Claire, yeah, I hoped you'd have an idea of how to do this, I knew you had a R&R and from what I can gather they're very much the same idea as a Connecta. I managed once - ages ago when he was about 9 months old - to sit Adam on the settee and quickly fasten the straps, but never again. He's too much of an escape artist, it's all a game to him, argh! I am confused about how to do the hip scoot, or maybe it's just that Adam won't have any of it and is extremely uncooperative; I get into a muddle with the straps and his legs and trying to get him sitting right. 

dougie, thanks :) when you say you put it on sideways, how far do you get - as far as putting your arm through (do you fasten the straps before doing this, or pull the straps up and fasten with him on your hip?) or do you shunt him round before putting your arms through? I will definitely need to try this way, I haven't tried actually putting the sling on in any position other than front of back, never thought of moving the carrier, just him!

freckleonear, thank you for the link - that baby is well-behaved! - I have tried lifting him up and over, and I can get him on my back, it's fastening the sling after that, with him flailing about, legs kicking... he refuses to hang on to my shoulders while I fasten it and I get into a mess with the straps again. gah! think I need to do a lot of practise with someone else around one day, because I get so cross when I can't do it. 

thanks again, fingers crossed!


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## dougie

What I do is this, (I just have a normal Mei Tai and an Ergo, I started doing it with the ergo though and adapted it to the mei tai)

clip/tie around my waist so the 'apron' is at my right hand side (right handed)
scoop child onto my hip
pull the apron up around him
I usually scoot him enough to grab the right hand strap, whilst either holding him around his back/bum for support
Grab the left strap and bounce him round
In the ergo now I would put both arms in the straps or in the mei tai cross the ties over his back then tie at the front

I hope that was detailed enough and make sense :)


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## Eala

dougie said:


> What I do is this, (I just have a normal Mei Tai and an Ergo, I started doing it with the ergo though and adapted it to the mei tai)
> 
> clip/tie around my waist so the 'apron' is at my right hand side (right handed)
> scoop child onto my hip
> pull the apron up around him
> I usually scoot him enough to grab the right hand strap, whilst either holding him around his back/bum for support
> Grab the left strap and bounce him round
> In the ergo now I would put both arms in the straps or in the mei tai cross the ties over his back then tie at the front
> 
> I hope that was detailed enough and make sense :)

This may solve things for me (thanks to the OP for asking this question :blush:) Thanks for that dougie, I shall be trying it next time I take Roo out :)


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## dougie

Not a problem, Happy to Help!
It is the only way I can do it though, and I find Louie co-operates more too which is good!
If your really stuck though, I could TRY and do a video if you need me to :)


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## Kaites

Our "method" may not work for many, but here it is... I put the carrier on around the waist, hanging down and then get Emma to grab a hold of me like a piggyback carry by scooting her round to my back from the hip (she loves being carried like this- I play it up with animal noises), hold onto her bum with one hand and with the other, bring the straps up and over my shoulders one at a time. She's old enough that she can help by holding onto me but she also doesn't squirm much either- if I lean over to a tabletop position, she'll pretend she's riding me like a horse. hth :flower:


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## AFC84

Mum2b_Claire said:


> I can't see round Ruby in a front carry either, she is also 26lb and tall.
> I use the 'hip scoot' method to get Ruby on my back, have you tried that? Before I started to do that, I sat her on the sofa and crouched in front of her and lifted her onto my back.
> I have a R&R though, I'm only guessing that the Connecta is not wildly different.

Exactly this...I had to sit on the sofa for a while but getting the hang of the hip scoot now. My LO's not as big yet but I stick him on my right hip, pull him round as far as I can, and then lift my right arm over the top of him and back to the front, then push him round the rest of the way from there. Hope that makes some sort of sense :wacko:




Kaites said:


> Our "method" may not work for many, but here it is... I put the carrier on around the waist, hanging down and then get Emma to grab a hold of me like a piggyback carry by scooting her round to my back from the hip (she loves being carried like this- I play it up with animal noises), hold onto her bum with one hand and with the other, bring the straps up and over my shoulders one at a time. She's old enough that she can help by holding onto me but she also doesn't squirm much either- if I lean over to a tabletop position, she'll pretend she's riding me like a horse. hth :flower:

So cute! :)


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## Jetters

Thanks for this thread, I'm desperate to learn too but my arms seem too short :rofl: I'm going to try Dougie's method tomorrow. I get really frustrated, too. x


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## Eala

I think dougie's method might work for me because my arms just don't seem to bend the right way to do anything else :rofl: I can do the Conneca method where you put baby on a bed with their legs through the straps, and kinda wiggle her on, but she doesn't always sit still for that :blush: But I have problems with my shoulders and I find that if I try and do a normal hip scoot, my arms just don't reach where they need to go!


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## AFC84

Haha, I'm lanky/long armed and very double-jointed in the elbow, so maybe I have a strange advantage :lol:


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## dougie

See I find my arms are too short to, I can't contort them the right way to pull the straps up!

My way works for me though, you do need to do a bit of bouncing and pulling though! But you get there in the end!


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## Mary Jo

thanks for the instructions, dougie :) I'll have a go this afternoon, really hope it'll work!


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## Mary Jo

Well, I've had a go and YAY!! It worked perfectly. :happydance: Thank you so much! And if you ever did get a chance to do a You Tube video it would, I am sure, be really really helpful to others, I never saw a method for getting into a back carry quite like this one. 

:D


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## dougie

I'm so glad it worked! Yay!
Louie is conked out asleep at the moment but when he wakes up I will make a little video if he co-operates :)


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## NattieLou

I'd love to see a video. Isaac is such a little wriggler and so strong, any new tricks would be gratefully received. He's still light enough for me to carry comfortably on my front, but it'd be handy to be able to put him on my back to do stuff like cooking and washing up when he's clingy.


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## dougie

Shall I do it in the Ergo or the Mei Tai?

or Both?


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## Mary Jo

Both! :)


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## dougie

Bloody camera wont work

Its uploading now, Ill put it on my blog as I don't have a YouTube account :)


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## Jetters

can't wait to see it x


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## dougie

its been uploading for three hours and its still not done!


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## Mary Jo

the evidence! I still can't believe he's up there and I didn't put my blood pressure through the roof in the attempt...

https://i688.photobucket.com/albums/vv248/adam_elliott/IMG_0024.jpg

(had to employ the dummy as bribery, Adamski was thinking about being really difficult! and he looks SO SMALL in there, but it's just the angle, plus his arms are totally tucked in :lol: )


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## dougie

https://louiesmummy.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-we-do-back-carry.html

ta daaaa! All done! Video of how to do a back carry the way I do it, easy peasy! :D


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## Mary Jo

:D thanks! it's great, and your written instructions must have been good because that's exactly how I did it yesterday. definitely found it easier to pre-fasten the Connecta straps - think that's what I found so hard when I was trying before, dealing with straps round the back, and a large obstreperous toddler. :lol:


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## Jetters

Dougie that's FAB, thank you! I'm going to try as soon as K gets home from hid day out with my friend who looks after him on Fridays. You are lovely and so is your bub :cloud9:


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## dougie

Glad to have been able to help ladies, and thankyou Jetters :)


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## Arcanegirl

Shall go take a look, though we can do back carries im interested to see other ways of doing it :D

We get the back carries easily, but couldnt do a front for a long while :rofl: :blush:


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## pinkandfluffy

Want my poorly babba to wake up so I can sling him :haha: :blush:


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## Eala

Thanks so much for posting that video, Dougie! I definitely think I could do that with my Connecta :) You're a star, cheers! :hugs:


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## Jetters

I did it I did it :happydance:


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## veganmum2be

dougie, i just mastered a back carry thanks to your video....thanks! x


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## Eala

Dougie, I think you need to patent that method :rofl:


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## dougie

Really? Haha, I'm just glad to have helped you ladies :) 
I just did it one day and have no problems now!


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## pinkandfluffy

Yay we did it!!!!!!!! Thank you heaps - chubby boy was starting to be too heavy on my front!!!!!


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## Jetters

Yay L :happydance:


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## lynnikins

i really need to get a sling sorted gonna check with DH and order one tonight if i can


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## lynnikins

no one want to lend me a spare mai tai/r&r they have knocking about ? lol


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## mommy43

OMG u made that look so easy i'll have a go when madam isnt so grumpy lol


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## Jetters

LYNNIKINS rose+rebellion are selling off slings for £55 tonight on facebook x


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## mommy43

dont say things like that jetters its bad for my bank balance:rofl:


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