HAB and Mei Tei from birth??

[Beach Mama]

Thanks Lea - thats sort of what I had in mind! We used a Ryco carrier for Izzy but I couldn't use it for long because it hurt my shoulders so DH mainly used it if we went to the shops etc... this time around I will have my hands full wth Izzy and don't want to use my P & T when bub is tiny so will use the sling and my stroller for grocery shopping etc... Not too sure how often I will use it at home - will see how we go!

[Tobily]

Haven't used a mei tei Tan, but HAB's are fantastic for newborns. They hold them nice and snug and securely and most babes really like it.

[paradise lost]

I used a KariMe (same as HAB) from birth until about 13 months. Basically when she got too heavy to front-carry as it's hard to safely tie HAB-style on your back without help and i'm a single mummy. Then i made myself a meitai, and i've been using that since (though at around 23months i made a new one with more padding and wider straps).

I use a buggy only once or twice a month, i walk at least 2 miles every day and i usually have DD on my back. If i am running i use the jogger but it's WAY to big to take into shops/toddler group etc. so it gets saved for running. I walked 8km with (15kg) DD on my back last week, 4km to a supermarket and 4km home with about a further 8kg of shopping. Though i don't recommend that sort of distance (felt a l-o-n-g way home) it didn't harm either of us (no soreness the next day etc.).

If you carry every day from birth (or a minimum of 4-5 times a week) you don't feel them grow. DD is never too heavy, because she's never much heavier than she was the day before. She's now heavy enough that carrying her in mr arms is tiring after 500m, but in the mei-tei, well, 8km is do-able!

Women in other parts of the world carry their babies up to the age of about 5 whenever they need to go farther than the child can walk and there is no chronic back problem with the women of Arfica, India, rural China etc. The main difference between those women and western women is that they are active ANYWAY. Your back is at more risk if you never did a stroke of exercise and then suddenly begin carrying a big baby/toddler all over the place. Begin with a newborn, stay active in other ways (exercise benefits EVERYONE), use a good carrier which fits well and is supportive, and you can let your back worry about itself.

Bx

[Nelle]

Tan, both a HAB and Mei Tai will be great for a newborn. I used my MT with Si from maybe a few weeks old and they're great.

[suse]

Tan, with a mei tai you can tuck their legs in froggy style, which is great for newborns until they can comfortably sit with legs straddled. Or, if you make the carrier with a loop on each side of the bottom of the carrier, you can use a strap to cinch in the bottom of the carrier so that they can sit legs out from a much younger age.