Baby Carriers

[Bmonki]

Hi Ladies,

Just popped over from 2nd tri to ask a quick question,

I have a 10 month old daughter, she will be 14 months old when new bubba arrives... now i've been looking at double buggies and i just cant seem to decide on one, so then i thought, why not just use a baby carrier/sling thing for the teeny one and continue with DD's buggy until the new one is big enough to use a normal buggy... the question i have is this... i have an old style tomy freestyle carrier (the type with the poppers around the top) but i could never really get on with it as it just seemed a lot of hassle once i got DD into the car and stuff and had to fuss about taking it off and everything.. plus when she fell asleep in it it took a lot of effort to get her out of the sling and she'd always wake up!

is there a type of carrier where they just kinda unclip or something instead of having to be hauled out the top of it? also the one i have is quite fleecy and i worry tht it is too hot for the warmer days?

thanks in advance, im just trying to decide if baby wearing would be a good alternative to a double buggy....

would be grateful for any advice on which are good ones and which to stay away from etc

 

[celine]

Hmm Im not a carrier expert so thought Id get this started and hopefullt someone can give more and better advice, My son will be 2 when my new baby arrives and I plan to use a wrap - Ive seen the Close parent carrier wrap which doesnt look that complicated and it wont be too hot fo summer.
When your baby is older a mei tai style one is a great idea, you can get great clip in ones like Ergo (which is one of the priciest but apparently the best one out there) or a baby hawk is also great too
I have a maya tai whcih i can still use with my lo which is almost 17 months~ Its a mei tai but the wide wrap styled 'arms'

 

[Rachel_C]

Mei tais are great for older ones and can be worn on your front or your back. Most come with long straps that you tie around you (it takes me about 10 seconds, mine is a Babyhawk and I love it) but you can get ones with buckles too. Connectas are nice and I've heard very good things about Rose and Rebellion carriers too, both of those have buckles. As a general rule, I wouldn't go for anything that's sold in Mothercare as they tend to be mass produced rubbish from companies that just want your money! And if a company tells you that you can wear your child facing away from you in their carrier, I would mistrust them as you really shouldn't, no matter what the carrier, as it's really bad for LO's hips and for your back.

 

[Bmonki]

wow thanks ladies, i never even knew these mei tai ones existed!! have just been having a look at them and they seem so much more lightweight and just tying it on sounds like a great idea, looks as though they should be relatively easy to get baby out of if she's sleeping too!

has anyone had any problems with the tie ones rather than the ones with clips/buckles, if im gonna be spending money on another carrier i've got to be able to justify it to DH!

 

[Rachel_C]

I love my Babyhawk (with ties) but it can be a bit fiddly if the ground is wet/dirty cos the straps are very long until you tie them, so it's a case of hopping around trying not to trail in the mud! Other than that, I love it. You can buy them preloved too for cheaper.

 

[Bmonki]

Are they suitable for newborns? The website says they are but is it supportive enough and padded enough?

 

[Rachel_C]

They're very supportive and you can tie the long ties around behind a young baby's back rather than under the bum - that gives more support and also makes sure they can't slip out of the sides. They're not padded apart from on the shoulder straps for you, but I don't think many carriers are. Baby Bjorns and other mass produced ones like that so seem to be padded but they don't get very good ratings so I think they've concentrated on the wrong things there!

I got our Babyhawk when LO was about 6 weeks old and 12lbs-ish so not a small baby at all, but I plan to use it from birth if we have another baby.

ETA - I've just looked at our BH and it is actually padded around the shoulders/head for the baby so it's nice and soft but still supportive, but there's no padding in the body of the carrier.

 

[Hanna]

How about a Babybjorn. Our lo went in it from 3 days old.

 

[Rachel_C]

How about a Babybjorn. Our lo went in it from 3 days old.

They don't seem to last very long though; I've heard lots of people saying that they hurt your back once baby gets a bit heavier. And you see so many people using them with baby facing out because they say you can use them like that, when it's really bad for baby's hip development and your back - I don't trust them!

 

[Hanna]

they don't all hurt your back. and you don't have to use them with baby facing out. i think it is a good one for little babies. i don't think it is great beyond 5 or 6 months old. but great, secure and quick to fit before.

 

[Bmonki]

i must admit im liking the sound of the tie on ones as they can be used on hip when baby is bigger too... would be much easier!!

anyone know of anywhere relatively cheap to get a good one like this?

 

[Rachel_C]

You can get some lovely preloved ones on naturalmamas.co.uk. They're usually well looked after and you can get some good bargains.

 

[Mary Jo]

just a point about carriers available in Mothercare - I don't totally disagree, but they're not all bad. I got my Close Parent from there, when Adam was about 3 weeks old, and it was lovely when he was little, so soft and snuggly. I didn't get on with it as long as I should have (it can be used through the toddler years, apparently) because I found the stretchy fabric wasn't as supportive as I wanted when he was heavier, and I was constantly pulling at it to tighten it. I replaced it with a Connecta when he was about 8 months. The reason I chose the Close Parent one in the first place (because I did a lot of reseach when I was pregnant) was because a friend recommended it, then I saw it in the shop, and I just couldn't make my mind up otherwise. I'd definitely use it again if I have another baby (that is, if I get it back from my sister in law, who borrowed it).

 

[Rebecca_B]

the close baby carrier is great forwhen baby is small, i have one and it is great but now charlie is nearly 5 months i am needing a more supportive fabric and im saving up for a didymos sling.

they are awesome. xxx

 

[lynnikins]

i would reccomend more of a wrap style carrier like a kari-me or Moby or cuddle wrap or even an Ellaroo which isnt as streachy but works the same way i think they are really the only totally handsfree carriers as baby is wrapped enough to you that you dont freak out about bending over lol, and they are easy to make too you dont have to shell out huge amounts if you can get your hands on some good fabric

 

[Bmonki]

thanks for your input ladies, i decided to get one of these now so i can get used to using the hip carrying option with DD and rest my arms before lil DD2 arrives... hopefully i'll be a pro with it by the time bump arrives!

again thankyou so much for the advice i never even knew mei tai's existed and when i showed the idea to DH he loved the idea (he never could figure out the tomy carrier we had - i think he's planning on using it too)

got this one from ebay - in pattern number 42 cant wait to try it now!
https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220690137651

p.s. i looked at the moby ones too but it just seemed more complicated

 

[Caz-x]

thanks for your input ladies, i decided to get one of these now so i can get used to using the hip carrying option with DD and rest my arms before lil DD2 arrives... hopefully i'll be a pro with it by the time bump arrives!

again thankyou so much for the advice i never even knew mei tai's existed and when i showed the idea to DH he loved the idea (he never could figure out the tomy carrier we had - i think he's planning on using it too)

got this one from ebay - in pattern number 42 cant wait to try it now!
https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220690137651

p.s. i looked at the moby ones too but it just seemed more complicated

I dont want to pop a downer on this sling (& everybody is different) however, a friend of mine bought this brand off EBay & then noticed I had advised another friend against it & came round with it when it arrived. My reason being that (in my opinion) they aren't well constructed. The shoulder padding isn't very padded & where the shoulder straps are stitched into the carrier at one point only had about 1/2 cm of strap in the carrier so I was worried that it might pull out, plus the straps were slippy & my friend had to re-tie loads during her test run out with her LO & it left her very uncomfy. She sent it back, got full refund & picked up a 2nd hand Babyhawk from EBay which she absolutely Loves, I have had a Babyhawk too & can vouch for them. You can pick up well priced pre-loved known ones on the natural mamas website all the time if it comes & you don't want to keep it - Kozy/Freehand/Babyhawk are a couple of brands but you could also list an ISO (In Search Of) with your budget & see what mamas can offer you.

No offence meant by this