Baby Carrier

[purplepoet20]

What is your favorite baby carrier and why?

[purplepoet20]

I have used many...
1. Baby Bjorn front carrier is ok but I didn't like the way it left red lines on my boys private areas.
2. Homemade Moby Wrap I loved it for the 1st 6mths and in winter when my boys were calmer and needed to be covered from the wind, great for nursing too.
3. Ergo love love love both 3 and 1 year old can be carried (not together) and still be comfy. My 1 year old can still be nursed while shopping.
4. I also have an Ergo Copy that I made to fit hubby.
5. I have an old backpack carrier and it is ok but makes me sweat to much in the summer.
6. I have pouch slings that I made myself and a Polkadot Papoose that someone gave me I like them for NB's because they can hurse and sleep, I use a small blanket to keep the head in the right spot.
7. An old 1978 Mei tai type carry that my MIL used when hubby was a baby. It is not that comfy if you have to move around a lot but good for NB.

[skrimpy]

I love, love, love my Ergo!! It's just so easy and so comfortable - the back carry allowed me to wear my 4th DC as much as he wanted easily. I also really liked a wrap when he was a newborn til about 6 months old. I used a Sleepy Wrap and liked it better than the Moby b/c of its slightly more stretchy fabric. It really holds babe snugly and holds its fit well if you need to pop babe in and out several times while running from store to store or such.

I also have a sling (a Maya Wrap) that I have had since DC2 and it is still an old standby. I like the true "hands free" of the wrap and Ergo, though.

[mmsgirlie22]

Great thread. I'd love to see what everyone uses/used. I never used a carrier with my first 2, but with #3 I'd like to use one.

[Liv]

Ergo for sure!

[DoulaMama]

Newborn- ring sling
3+ months- Mei tai(either a babyhawk, my own that I make, or a Kindercarry)
6+ months- Ellevill wrap, mei tai, or ergo

I have 7 carriers:) LOL And I've tried about 15 so far(Hotsling, babyhawk, Sugartai, Ergo, Peapod wrap, Ellevill wrap, Kindercarry, Ring slings, Beco, gauze wraps, custom made....) some I kept, some I sold.

[Betty Draper]

Ergo!

[swish]

Ergo too, they're fab!

[Chunky Monkey]

I'm in the minority as the Ergo isn't my favorite. But after trying many of them, I think the most important things for me are how quickly I can put them on and how comfortable they are. I love my ring sling from Tot Pockets on Etsy! It has a soft shoulder and is so easy to use. It slips right on in a few seconds and I can wear it for awhile comfortably. Oh, and it has a pocket on the front to keep a paci and a diaper in. I just looked into getting a second one too!

I have an old Peanut Shell pouch sling that I keep in the car for emergencies, and would only use it for 5 and 10 minute trips. I like that it folds up so small and takes 3 seconds to put on. I also like my Moby that I got from Target, but only for around the house. All the material is a pain to put on and it gets hot. The Ergo is like my old Bjorn type carrier and it took too long to put on. But I do like the back carry ability with it.

[Zivic-Bubac]

I used a Sleepy Wrap and liked it better than the Moby b/c of its slightly more stretchy fabric. It really holds babe snugly and holds its fit well if you need to pop babe in and out several times while running from store to store or such.
Great thread! I posted question about Sleepy Wrap on IG ages ago and got 1 (one) answer. Here it is http://www.in-gender.com/cs/forums/t/197218.aspx
I never realized there are that many carriers available:oops: I've heard only about Sleepy Wrap :suprise: What would you recommend for completely free hands from newborn til let's say 18-20 months?
There aren't ANY carriers available here, but we have relatives in Canada and they will send me whatever I ask for ( in term of baby carriers of course lol!)

[Chunky Monkey]

I use a ring sling with my almost 2 year old and I started using it when he was a few weeks old. I like them because my husband and I can use the same one since it adjusts so easily. I also like that it fits perfectly after delivery when I have the post-baby belly and 2 years later when 'some' of that is gone :) It adjusts around the baby, so you slip it over your head, sit the baby in it, and pull the fabric to snuggle the baby. You can use it when they are sitting up, laying down and it was wonderful for breastfeeding in public.

[purplepoet20]

If anyone is interested in a certain type of carrier there are sewing patterns online to make Mei Tai, Slings, Pouches, and Moby. Some are very easy to make and even a pouch only took less then an hour the measure, cut, and sew.

[queen-of-harts]

Zolo (zolowear) is my fave,i have had it since ds was nb and he still uses it now that he is 1. I have one that you can swim and use in the summer it dries fast and keeps you and baby cool.Both hubby and i can use it.It is a adjustable ring sling.

[Flava]

I really don't know many different types but I have a spleepy wrap and used it with DD4 it's really nice.
Had one with DD3 the type with a ring on it but both DD and I didn't like it.

[purplepoet20]

My SIL gave us a ring sling that she made and I think it may have been the fabric but it kept coming loose. I also didn't like the way the extra piece got in the way. I ended up using the fabric to make overall shorts for DS2 and I may someday use the rings to make a ring sling for a friend if that is what they want.

[Tink18]

I love my Mei Tai!! Someone gave me bjorn but I gave it to a friend who wanted it really bad. Even know I told her how bad they can be on her babies hips, she didn't care. I really want and ergo as well! Maybe when I get pregnant next time I will invest! I have a sling that I like, but I didn't get too much use out of it because I was too busy snuggling her up to want to put her in anything when she was a newbie!

[CajunChic]

I loved my Mei Tai. I had an Ellaroo and one from a WAHM. I wore DS5 until he was 2.5. I was so sad when he decided that he no longer enjoyed it.

[CajunChic]

Oh I liked the moby wrap too but Mei Tai was my favorite..

[mis2ninos]

I love my Moby, I used it when my son was a month old and we had to take a trip. It was a lifesaver in the airport and on the airplane.

[Zivic-Bubac]

If anyone is interested in a certain type of carrier there are sewing patterns online to make Mei Tai, Slings, Pouches, and Moby. Some are very easy to make and even a pouch only took less then an hour the measure, cut, and sew.

Purplepoet, that's very valuable info, thank you :agree: A good friend of mine is about to have her 3rd boy in Sept and she is looking for baby carrier but all these things are not available here, so I'll tell her to google for it!

[purplepoet20]

Your welcome ZB... one thing I feel I should note is if you make a sling (peanut type carrier) make sure it doesn't hang low, move a lot if you bend over with a baby in it, covers the babies face to much (1-2 inch gap to peak in is good), and also most important never let the babies chin touch it's chest... it can block breathing and has been noted in a newborns death. A receiving blanket or two should be put behind the baby. Folded so the blanket/s are from tailbone to base of neck, so the head will point up a little to see mama.

I really like the peanut type ones for newborns because it forms around the baby like the womb and they have good naps. Mine measures from the top of shoulder (the little bone where the should and socket meet) to the hip bone (not the top of the pelvic bone, a little lower). DS2 who is 33 inches tall and 24 lbs fits in it at the sitting postion but no longer curled up inside :( .

[zanacal]

I've bought and sold many over the years too. My favourites are the Moby for a newborn, a woven wrap for longer walks and/or when they get a little older (I have a Hoppediz) and a Connecta for occasional use and for quickly taking on and off for school runs! I couldn't get on with a ring sling and I'm yet to perfect a back carry!

[Freya]

We had a Babybjorn carrier, but only used it briefly because it got too small very fast (it lasted for about three months). Also, it does not give proper support to baby's back and neck and I've seen on some forums it can tend to stretch out the baby's legs unnaturally. Apparently, Ergobaby is much better.

I bought a ring sling from Huggababy for girl no. 1 which I ADORED, mainly because it's so easy to deal with and I can't be bothered with the lots of fabric and wrapping that you get with some slings. But I used it mainly for getting up and down the stairs and for when my girl was fussy, not for longer walks. She really enjoyed sitting on my hip with my arm around her, though, so it was a shame it was a toll for my back as she got heavier ;) .

[purplepoet20]

The Ergo is great for back support, head support, nursing (with a tall 17mth old), and can be used on the back. It is easy to tighten the straps so the baby is formed to your body. The head cover supports the baby/toddlers head when they fall asleep. Putting the toddler (15mths+only) on the back is easy once you practice a little over the bed or couch.

I had a babybjorn with DS1... used it once for a 30min walk and when we took him out he had brusing near his privates. The carry puts a lot of weight in the thigh area and can cut off blood flow to the legs in most babies. The Ergo/Mai Tei, Beco type carries have the child in a sitted postion so the child feels like you are carrying them in your arms.

[b3blue]

I absolutely adore woven wraps. I currently use Girasol, Ellevill and Didymos wraps. I do really like a ring sling for newborn to 3 months as I'm not the best at rebozo with a wrap. But after that, I exclusively back wrap and off we go. I've tried dozens of all types from Ergo, to Beco (my favorite ssc), to the pricey/htf work at home mom types and always just come back to a simple piece of cloth.

[ravenaub]

I agree on the Moby wrap. I am planning on getting one this time around. I have a friend who absolutely adored hers!

[Mama]

I have a Moby, 2 ring slings, an Ergo Sport, and 2 Beco Butterfly II's. The Beco is my favorite. I do have plans for a BEco Gemini and PPB Ergo for the next baby :bigsmile:

[Satox3]

Love my ergo. Believe it's the ergo sport? Haven't used as a back carrier though.

[jacquelineh]

I have the Ergo Galaxy and it's very supportive and our go-to for long walks in places the stroller doesn't go. I don't like that it isn't front facing though because I feel like DD gets bored just starting at my shirt.

I tried a Sleepywrap and hated it. Too much fabric and very overwhelming on my relatively short, small frame and I could never get it to really feel secure. Didn't love the Moby either.

I just got a ring sling but think maybe at 5 months I got it too late, because it doesn't feel very supportive and she doesn't seem to like it month.

I also just got an Infantino front facing carrier off Amazon. It was very inexpensive and I'm going to try it out and see how she likes it and whether I think it seems like it pulls on her front portions. If it seems like a success, I'll probably invest in the better BabyBjorn version.