Your favorite carrier for a newborn?

[Yipee]

So, my first baby is due in a few months, and I'm starting to think about carriers. I'm reading conflicting info online; some places I read you shouldn't put a newborn in a carrier of any kind (due to suffocation risk), others say it's fine. Some say ring slings will squish their legs together, which apparently is bad for their hips, especially when very young, others say ring slings are fine.

We plan on visiting my family when baby is about a month old. There are a lot of nice trails there where I'd like to be able to go out for walks with her in a carrier, and also have the option of wearing her at home too, to try and get housework done, etc, if she turns out to be a baby that needs to be held all the time.

My SIL loves her ergo, and I was also thinking the baby K'tan looks interesting. I've been offered some free ring slings too.

So, what was your favorite carrier for a newborn, and how early did you start using it? Or just any thoughts you have on different carriers. I am in the US, if that makes a difference.

 

[Rachel_C]

I think the advice you're reading about no carriers for newborns is probably from people who wouldn't know a good carrier if it jumped on their head and people who have only seen mums wearing babies in unsuitable carriers.

I prefer to carry babies upright even from birth - it is easier to see that their head/neck is in a good position and easier to see them breathe. Legs in was recommended when my first was a newborn (actually we only got her carrier at 6 weeks old, still newborn-ish!) but she just wouldn't do it and neither would my second (from birth), so they were both legs out in a mei tai from the word go. Now, general advice is legs out (spread) anyway, although many manufacturers haven't changed their instructions to reflect this. If a carrier is too wide for LO's legs, you can often tie a ribbon around it to make it just right. I did that for both of my kids at first.

I liked our mei tai from birth, then moved to a SSC as they got heavier and also a woven wrap. If I had another newborn to carry, I'd probably use a woven wrap. If you're a first time mum, a stretchy wrap might be a good way to get into wrapping, although I found the one we tried far too warm.

 

[lozzy21]

Stretchy wrap.

 

[Feronia]

I'd start with a stretchy or a woven wrap. SSCs aren't very comfortable during the newborn stage.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

A stretchy wrap e.g a moby. However! If I was to have another baby I would have a good think about the Ergo with infant insert, having seen my friend use it from birth and get on really well with it. The ergo is a bit structured for my liking but there were times when Scarlett was newborn that I was really desperate for the ease of a buckled carrier.

 

[CupcakeBaby]

Stretchy wrap for sure.

 

[CupcakeBaby]

Take one of the RSs you've been offered though as I love mine now DD is bigger.

 

[MindUtopia]

Get a Moby or another stretchy wrap. We do have an Ergo and they can be used from newborn with the newborn insert, but it's kinda awkward and if it's hot where you are, it's easy for baby to get too hot in the insert (it's basically a bit fluffy duvet). I've found Ergo is fantastic for outdoor activities once you can use it without the insert (6+ months). But for daily use, get a moby wrap or similar. We used ours every day pretty much from birth and it was the best money I could have spent. We now have a woven wrap, which I love even more, but the Moby was a great place to start and easy to learn how to use. I think it's better than some of the carriers because you can use it around the house more easily. I wear my daughter more indoors and while sitting down than anything, and you can't easily sit in an Ergo, or at least not comfortably. But Moby is cheaper anyway, so a great introduction to babywearing. If you decide you like it and want to get something else later, then you can.

 

[BigAl]

Stretchy wrap for sure. I used to leave mine tied on all day, so I could just pop him in and out easily.

 

[dan-o]

My ergo with insert and cushion was amazing while the weather was cooler but we had to stop using it when the heatwave started. If we have another baby I would go for a moby next time, unless its winter of course!

 

[Olivette]

We've been lent a Caboo carrier (formally a close carrier) LINK. It's kind of like a stretchy but is kind of pre-tied (the photos do it my justice than that explanation). We'll be using that for the really early days. My friend also lent me a ring sling so I'll be giving that a go as well. From the Caboo I will be upgrading to a woven. My Dads going to buy me the woven ahead of time so I shall give it ago in my spare time and see how it goes, but the idea is that i'll use it later on. We'll need to find something different for my hubby though as he's rather large and 6'7"!

Ox

 

[babydrms]

The K'tan is great when they are tiny!

 

[Honesty]

I currently have a brand new Ergo Baby for baby on the way. I just recently started researching woven wraps and decided that I wanted one of those too so I decided to go with a littlefrog wrap in a size 7. All the reviews and YouTube videos I watched helped me make my decision and you can wear baby from newborn to toddler years.

 

[counting]

I have a stretchy and a woven wrap and have been wearing LO since the day he was born. Stretchy is easier to use since you can just wrap tight and pop baby in, but in the heat it is just too much. Cool days are ok. I really like my woven. It is extremely light weight and easy to wrap him in.

I don't like the look of some of the pouch style carriers, especially with a newborn as it would be hard to see their faces and the baby is kind of laying there in an odd position IMO. I also think mei tais and boba carriers look nice but I haven't used either. My SIL had good luck with my nephew as a newborn in a boba.

 

[Fortune Cooki]

I like the Moby wrap. It seems more comfortable compared to the SSC. I have tried the SSC at 2 months, but I think it will work better at 4 months like the company recommends, due to lack of head control.