Suggestions for back carrier that's easy to get a strong and wriggly baby into!

[Bevziibubble]

I currently use a mai tai to babywear on my front. It works well but I wear him for hours and hours every day and it's starting to hurt my back and ribs. Would a back carrier be better? My mei tai can do back carry but I just can't do it because he's so wriggly I just can't get him into it.


Please could anyone give suggestions of good comfortable back carriers that are easy to get a wriggly and uncooperative baby into? Also he has a habit of arching his back and he's very strong so it would need to contain him safely!
Thank you

 

[MindUtopia]

Try getting yourself to a sling meet and trying a few. Many of them also run backcarrying clinics or a consultant can do a one-on-one session with you to teach you some tricks and figure out what works for you.

Personally, I think wraps are more comfortable for back carries than a carrier. Carriers are easier to get them into usually, but they are less comfortable especially for long stretches of time. Also, they're a bit less adjustable, in that you need to find the one that in a back carry fits you best. They have the hip strap that in a back carry comes across your lower abdomen, but depending on how tall/short you are or how long your torso is, they can really cut into you in not so comfortable ways if you don't get one that really fits you perfectly. That's why I think wraps or a mei tai can be a bit more flexible and adjustable, as they aren't quite so firm and structured. But that doesn't mean you won't find one that's a good fit for you. It's just a matter of trying them out and seeing what happens. Personally, we had an Ergo and my husband and I are both tall, and found it wasn't comfortable in back carries because it tends to fit someone with a shorter torso than us. It was fine on the front, but it just really dug into our stomachs on the back. That's my only personal experience with a carrier doing back carries, so if you are shorter than me (I'm 5'9), you might find it works better for you. Either way, try lots, hire one out for a bit and see if you really like it when you use it regularly.

 

[Bevziibubble]

Thanks so much for the advice!

 

[jessmke]

I carry Isla on my back in the Ergo and I find it extremely comfortable. I am only 5'4 so it might be more comfortable for me because I am shorter. The waist strap does go across my lower abdomen but I don't find it uncomfortable. I can wear Isla in it for long periods of time very comfortably. But there's no way of knowing if it will be comfortable for you until you try it. I am looking into getting a woven wrap because I am pregnant and eventually won't be able to do up the waist belt on the Ergo, so I will try using a wrap with her instead. We don't have sling groups, etc where I live so we don't have the opportunity of trying before buying which really sucks. If you have that opportunity I would definitely recommend trying out a bunch and seeing what will work for you!

 

[Bevziibubble]

Thanks I'm only 5 ft myself!

 

[minties]

I've back carried in an ergo (classic style not the new one), several kinderpacks, an angelpack max toddler and now have a manduca. All were wonderfully comfortable, I'm 4'11".

I can't wait to get Emma on my back as I don't enjoy front carries much.

I used to get Sophie to stand on the bed and I would have the carrier around my waist already, get her to climb on me piggy-back style, bend forwards and bring the carrier up over her back. I know James would be too young for that so maybe superman toss? I got very fast at getting the carrier up over Sophie's body before she could thrash around. I found wraps took ages to get on and found it frustrating for back carries, but that was just my experience.

I wonder how old for back carries a baby should be anyway? I shall have a google, I'm curious now.

 

[jessmke]

I think the recommendation is 6 months for a back carry, but I started at about 3 1/2 months. She had excellent head control and I would use the hood on the ergo to give her extra neck support if she needed it. She hated being worn on my front.

 

[messica]

Tula!

My boys outgrew Ergo way too fast and wraps became too complicated in parking lots. Standard sized Tula is still serving them well at nearly 2 and I can get them up and ready to roll in about 20 seconds

 

[minties]

We've switched to back carrying around the house or in shops, sooo much more comfortable! I had to experiment a bit to figure out how to get her on my back, I only baby wore from 13 months with Sophie.

 

[Twag]

Lillebaby they are fab from newborn to approx 4 years old and can be put on back and very easy to use and comfy - I own 2