Carrier Advice and Concern

[Piperette]

Hi,

Our LO very much loves very close contact with us. He pretty much falls asleep every time when he is put on one of our chests and at the same time is not too impressed when he is not held. So I really like the idea of carrying him around with me while getting on with some daily tasks, which currently are a little neglected.

I have seen the thread about the carrier reviews, which I will have a proper read later, but I was wondering if someone could give me a bit more advice please. Once I have a bit better idea of what carrier I am looking at, I will hopefully be attending a local sling meet.

I heard that there are some carriers, in which you can breastfeed the LO. Really? Is this possible? So you just latch them on and they drink?

Also, I read that some carriers can cause back and posture problems for the LO in later life. Is that correct? Which ones do I need to steer clear from?

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[lepaskilf]

can't answer all of your quests hunny, i bet others can on here, but for daily chores such as laundry n hoovering n stuff, as there is a lot of bending and leaning over I recommend a wrap which covers lo's head securely so it doesn't lol about!

 

[tiggercats]

For a teeny tiny one you can't go far wrong with a moby wrap (or any other stretchy wrap). Once they get bigger you can try a woven wrap or mei tai, MT's can be used for tiny babies, but a stretchy is really snuggly.

You can in theory feed in a wrap although I never got the hang of it, I have had to feed in a LO when he was in a MT at the supermarket checkout, but it wasn't that comfy for me, LO was fine.

Check out slingguide.co.uk for information on mass produced carriers and forward facing carries (both in the safety advice and links section). Get to your next sling meet and the mamas there will help you. Happy slinging

 

[lepaskilf]

i remember feeding my LO in the mei tai, on the beach walking along. It was a bit wierd because he was in an upright position but he was happy!

 

[freckleonear]

There are three main types of carrier: wraps, ringslings and soft structured carriers. Breastfeeding is possible in all three, although ringslings are probably easiest for this. I have fed several times in my Connecta (SSC) which just requires me to loosen the straps a bit and wear it lower than normal.

Mass produced carriers (the ones you see in Mothercare and Argos) and forward-facing carriers are the ones that don't provide proper support for the hips and spine. Wraps, ringslings and SSCs allow baby to be carried with knees higher than the hips, which is the anatomically correct position.

 

[Rachel_C]

I've also read that carrying a baby facing out is bad for your back too, as it puts all the weight of the baby forward rather than in towards your body.