Baby wearing? {Moved}

I thought with this baby I I might start baby wearing. I bought a snugli, with my first baby, used it once but found it uncomfortable. When I found out I was having twins I bought a maximom. The first time I tried it my babies seemed way too small and like they were getting lost in it. I wore it once more at a festival then I tried it on last week and my babies are way to heavy and I thought I was going to fall over with them both in it. So now I thought I will try baby wearing with something that other people recommend.

Usually I either a) go grocery shopping have the twins in the cart and have my girl doddle behind and I would love to be able to baby wear to still have maximum cart space instead of having half the cart taken up by a carrier. B) have my stroller which only has enough room for 3 kids. My daughter gets tired easily and I would rather carry a baby then my almost 2 year old.

Any suggestions of anything that doesn't make baby feel like its falling out, hurt your back to much, and is easy to get baby in and out of by myself?

Re: Baby wearing?

I think it just differs for everybody. The best thing to do would be to try a bunch of different carriers if you can. I used a ring sling, almost exclusively. It has a learning curve, but for easy on/off, being able to change carries on-the-go, and portability, it was my carrier. I used a Moby some, especially when I was going to be out all day (i.e. an amusement park) but I always came back to the ring sling.

Some people never get ring slings, and like something else way better. I just don't think you can know until you try, and with something like a ring sling, watch a lot of how-to videos or have someone there with their hands on you to show you how to work out the kinks you may run into.

I really love my Ergo! I had both a beco Gemini & a beco butterfly II but they just didn't work for me - I'm shorter torso & no hips but busty lol the ergo fits me well & is really comfortable

There's a new beco called the Solari it's similar to an ergo, I haven't seen one IRL but it looks like a good option

Alot of my friends swear by their boba's & Tula's

I would think just for ease of use you would want a SSC & the ability to throw it on your back if needed would come in handy

I'm a pretty avid baby-wearer, but it took a while to get that way. Pretty much everything has some kind of learning curve. I'm a huge fan of ring slings and mei tais (love the BabyHawk). Others hate them. You really need to experiment and find what works for you.

Re: Baby wearing?

LISmama810 said:

I'm a pretty avid baby-wearer, but it took a while to get that way. Pretty much everything has some kind of learning curve. I'm a huge fan of ring slings and mei tais (love the BabyHawk). Others hate them. You really need to experiment and find what works for you.

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That's me Ring slings & mei tais don't work for me at all. I love my Angelpacks & Kanga XT. I use wraps at home sometimes because they're so soft and beautiful, but if I'm out & about I love the buckle carriers. At a hockey tournament a couple months back I had my 2yo on my back in a toddler Angelpack and my 5mo in the standard Angelpack on my front.

Re: Baby wearing?

I love my mei tai. My friend wears her 6 month old twins in Ergos, one on the front and one on the back.

Google to see if there's a sling meet and/or lending library near you. That way you can try before buying.

I have a string preference for ring slings but if I'm corralling DD and stuff too, I prefer a two shoulder carry so I will use a SSC or a wrap. But TBH I never wrap when I'm outside bc I hate dragging tails on the ground. I'll wrap if I can wrap up DS and not have to unwrap him till we get home though.

I have a Moby wrap, a Gypsymama wrap, and I just bought a Boba carrier. They're all great. I could never figure out a back carry by myself so that's why I bought the Boba. It's super easy to get the kids on the back. If you're looking for something snap-and-go, check out the Boba website. You don't have to add anything to the carrier for a baby (there's just a couple snaps to do up) and my 2.5 yo rides around quite happily as well.

Good luck hunting!

I've been researching all of these wraps and carriers. I really like the mei tai and the angelpack seems nice too. I might get both and see what one I like more. I have put my other 2 up for sale and then hopefully I can maybe get a wrap as well. My lovely hubby has never went out with all the kids by himself and he can't understand why I might need a carrier!!

I have looked up the ring sling and I'm not sure about trying it yet

My body changes so much from pregnant to non pregnant. How do I know if it fits correctly?

Ring slings don't have a fit really (well unless it has padded rails). Ring slings are more about shoulder style preference.

You can also use it as a belly support in pregnancy

I could've used some good belly support with the twins. When I got to 38 weeks I wasn't doing so much walking around just sitting in my chair!

I might look up a ring sling see if I can get one for cheap off of a second hand sight. I found a mei tai off a second hand website for 30$ and they say they tried it, didn't like it, so its pretty much brand new! I hope to get most for cheap then if I don't like them I can sell them again!

What brand MT? I'd want a trusted brand so you know the stitching is secure.

My cousin has twins and wears them in oh snaps which is babyhawk's buckle tie.

But frankly tandem wearing doesn't appeal to me personally and I think you need some serious core muscle strength to do it. For grocery shopping if bring a twin stroller and grab a basket on wheels (assuming the have them) and make the older one walk or carry her on your back (I'm thinking that its preferable to have more even weight distribution in the stroller.

I saw a stroller rigged to the front of a handicap shopping cart at ikea a couple of weeks ago. I thought that was rather ingenious.

Babyhawk is the brand of the mei tai.


Right now I put the boys in the cart in the child place and get Aryana to follow. We only have carrying baskets where I go. We have the two layered wide carts where I shop so it fits the baby carrier well if I were to put it up their. When the boys were little I put one carrier on the top and one on the bottom with a basket behind the bottom carrier but we hardly had to buy any thing. I also make separate trips for diapers every other week to a wholesale and then I have the big flat cart then stick them all in my stroller and drag the cart behind me. Unfortunately my stroller fits only 3 kids and I'm thinking Aryana will be having the huge hissy fit about not getting her special seat, she LOVES her stroller rides!!

So really for my daily trips to the park and grocery shopping and my few trips to the mall I think I'm gonna want to baby wear for my new one!!

You can get away with the non-structured carriers pretty cheap. I make ring slings, although I don't really sell them anymore. They're super easy if you have even basic sewing skills.

A wrap is just a long length of fabric. Go buy 5 yards of cheap jersey knit. Cut it down the middle so you have 2 5 yard lengths, then go to the Moby site for wrapping instructions. If you decide you like the wrap and want to go for something nicer later, you can.

If you haven't chosen a carrier yet... (or even if you have, and others are now reading this post... )

- My first suggestion would be to find a babywearing group near you. Comfortable babywearing is partly about the right carrier for you (fit) and partly about figuring out the techniques. A good b/w group can help you adjust your carrier for the best fit, and maybe even have a lending library where you can try on different carriers before buying one of your own.

If you go to TheBabywearer.com, you can look for the forum thread called "Babywearers Near You" and do a search for your area. (I think you do have to sign in to search the forums, but it's not a site that sells you stuff, no one will spam you.) Sometimes a group may even have a Facebook page - could be helpful for meetups, even if the group itself is further away from you there might be individuals who can meet with you for one-on-one assistance. There are also general FB groups for babywearing but I'm not as familiar with those.

- If you can't find a group/babywearers near you - you could buy from a retailer that has a strong return/exchange policy (this is what I did when I was starting out, before I found my local group). Some retailers that have a good rep: Frogmama, Quirky Baby (also does rentals), Paxbaby (rentals/sling exchange program).

- YouTube has lots of videos for babywearing. Try practicing over a bed for back carries.

- Wearyourbaby.com has a host of resources, most especially safety tips and DIY info ("Make a Carrier").

- SBP (sleepingbaby.net) has lovely, well-made, affordable slings and lots of useful info: how to use your carrier, DIY, and sling safety.

- Note that carrier usage can change over time, as baby gets bigger or you do different activities while wearing, so you may find yourself returning to your resources for more/different info. It's not just for tiny infants! )

(and p.s. - so important to find reputable carriers that come recommended, just because they are sold in Target or BRU doesn't always guarantee they are safe. Check the straps for x-box stitching; look for triple rows of stitching on slings; look for sturdy material such as canvas (not just quilters' cotton), and really tug on your carriers before putting them on, to ensure the material has not weakened over time and can still support your babe. TBW has some helpful discussions on this topic.)

- ETA: Replying to your specific question: : Up till about 20 lbs - I liked our Beco (ours was the Butterfly 2, I think they now have the Gemini?). The Bjorn hurt my back. Never loved the Ergo, I felt it was designed for someone taller and/or with wider shoulders. My favorite type of carrier, especially once DS was an up-and-down toddler, was a ring sling, but it does have a tricky learning curve in the beginning. For longer walks I did like the option of a two-shouldered/backpack-style carrier. An MT gives you the option of customizing the fit more than a carrier with buckles. I think it also works well for sharing carriers between people of different sizes (e.g. husband and wife) or for tandem wearing.

Apologies for the novel-length post, but I loved babywearing, it was a huge help for me in the infant years! <3 Best of luck - I hope you find a carrier that you truly love!!