Pouch, ring, HAB, mei tai, Baby Bjorn, wrap...???

I would love to hear suggestions and recommendations from people who have tried these different carriers. I am really interested in trying something different for carrying this baby (plus Marieke will still be using the stroller when this one comes, and we don't want to have to get a double one) but I really don't have a clue as to what is the best way to go. My babies gain weight quickly, and so I need something that will likely be comfortable even when they get bigger. (The girls were both 20+lb at 6 months.) I've liked the look of most of the carriers I've seen, although the wraps seem like a little much material to be wearing. The entire upper body seems to be covered. It does look really comfy for the baby, though. Also, it would be nice to find something that would work for DH and me. He is 6'4" and 280lb (mostly muscle ;)) and I am 5'7" and hoping to get down to 160lb after this baby. :rolleyes: Many of the adjustable carriers are also quite expensive, so I would want to be pretty sure that they would be good before ordering one. One other thing that I wonder about is how hot does it feel to always have your baby on you? Wouldn't you both cook?!
So please send me your recommendations, and the advantages/disadvantages that you have discovered. Thanks!

took me a few times to get used to it but now I cant live without my HAB! I take it everywhere and both Mason and I love it!

I always make sure I am wearing a thin top underneath and that he is only wearing thin clothes too as it can get a bit hot and sweaty. Apparently there is another way of tying it in the hotter months but I havent worked that out yet.

good luck!

i just got an ergo.... it is amazing.. so comfy and is for babies/toddlers up to 40pounds... ive also got the HAB which is my most favourite thing ever. I would recommend this for anyone, esp newborns... if you plan on wearing ur babe alot i wouldnt get a sling or baby bjorn- not good for you or bubs spine...
HTH
xoox

I have a pocket sling - the one with rings on the shoulder and it's fantastic. It took a while to get good at putting it on quickly and properly, but I couldn't live without it now. Tom is 10 months and over 9kgs and while I sometimes put them both in the stroller, I still mostly shop with Tom in the sling.

I have the baby bjorn......its only really good for little babies. Even then u get a sore back after a while. Sometimes i still try to squeeze bodhi in it( he is like 9.5kg....i think that must be its max weight) & after a short while i'm out of breath & my back is killing me. It doest offer alot of support. To be honest i'm thinking about getting a HAB for him. Iv heard its comfy & gives alot of support for ur back. I'm not sure of the ages & weight for it tho???

I had a Kari-me when DD was newborn (same as HAB). It was marvelous for the tummy-to-tummy carry and the facing-the-world front carry. When she hit about 8kg she started to get too heavy for the front carries for me. You CAN tie on the back with it but it takes either a helper (i'm a single parent) or a co-operative toddler and i didn't have either! lol XP still uses it and carries her on his front, he doesn't seem to mind though he does moan incessantly about his bad back.

For a long while then i carried her on my hip, supported with a length of cloth tied into a sling (literally just tied on a knot, then the knot in front of my shoulder and her supported onto the opposite hip) but she soon started to throw my back out as she was getting so big.

So i made a meitai carrier for her myself on the sewing machine a few weeks ago, you can see the pic in my "crafty things" album in the gallery, and we LOVE it. I usually put her on my back and she's MUCH lighter in this carrier. It's a crepe fabric so it's not too hot, and we're not in the warmest climate so in a way i like the less worry about her being warm when she's in it - i can feel how cosy she is myself. I can email you the instructions if you or someone you know would like to make one.

Bec

We had a Baby Bjorn & hardly ever used it cos it was just murder on my back. Next time I'm planning on getting a HAB or Calmawrap which are both very similar.

i only have a Baby Bjorn.. and while it is really easy to use and great for newborns its not the best idea if you have a heavy bubba like me.. he is 10 months and around 10 kilos, so when my DD is tired and want to go in the pram i use it and get a very sore lower back!

next child will defn look at another carrier!

there is also the baby bjorn active which has extra back support and i have heard quite good things about it. They have also bought out the baby bjorn air which is extra breathable so good if you tend to overheat.

Hi, I brought a HAB this time round after trying other carriers like baby bjorn with my first 2. I LOVE the HAB. Angus also loves it and settles almost immediately when I put him in it. Also I can wear it shopping for hours and my back feels fine. I use it around the house when he is grizzly, esp when I am cooking dinner and stuff, I have 2 free hands and he just sleeps!! I did have to watch the DVD a few times to get the hang of it, but is easy once you do! Good Luck!!

*Michelle*

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So i made a meitai carrier for her myself on the sewing machine a few weeks ago, you can see the pic in my "crafty things" album in the gallery, and we LOVE it. I usually put her on my back and she's MUCH lighter in this carrier. It's a crepe fabric so it's not too hot, and we're not in the warmest climate so in a way i like the less worry about her being warm when she's in it - i can feel how cosy she is myself. I can email you the instructions if you or someone you know would like to make one.

Bec

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I would love to have instructions Bec. Thanks so much! Can you PM them to me, or would you rather have my e-mail address?
I mentioned the carrier/wrap/sling idea to DH and he doesn't sound too enthused about the whole situation. :rolleyes: I'm guessing that spending large amounts of money on this isn't going to go over too well. So making one myself, or finding one second hand is probably going to be the best bet for me. (and that's fine - heavens only knows I don't need to spend money just for the fun of it! :))
Thanks for all the suggestions so far ladies. I would love to hear more! So far it sounds like the HAB is a pretty good way to go, but as I just said, I don't know if spending $100, plus the shipping and taxes is going to fly with DH. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a good one on e-bay, or something.

Cricket it is 100 buks, but when u see ur bub fall aslepp in under 2 mins and you can go about ur stuff.. it'll be like those adds... "priceless" oo oooo just thinking, you prolly dont have those adds... There's a member on belly belly FionaJill who would prolly make you one... ir you read her blog.... she says she made one exactly the same and will make one for belly belly members- it would work out to be less than half price.(plus my comission now as well, of course:p)

Yep - I second the HAB. It will go brilliantly for the first 6m or so, and its hands free too, which is just so important when you have a toddler running around.
I would imagine they have a good resale value too.

We have a ring sling as well, but didn't start using it til he had good neck control and was happy being in an upright hold (about 4-5m or so). Our Ergo is just starting to get used more now with hamish but we use it alot for Jenna too.
But for the newbie stage, I dont think you can beat a HAB style wrap :D

I wore Indah in a HAB when we were in Qld last year July so she was 10mths, I continued to wera her for a few months after that too... But once she started walking we took the pram alot more & then I was pregnant!

But I've seen ppl weraing 12+mth olds!!!

Caro, till ur not comfy any more... Eden is still very comfy in ours and she is 7 months and 8.5 kg.... on the dvd they have toddlers in it?!?

We carried Jenna wil about 12m, and then she was walking well, so we let her walk rather than be in the wrap.

I love my HAB. It has saved my sanity. Maya can be quite gassy and impossible to settle at times. But within a couple of minutes in the HAB, she's fast asleep. Quite amazing, really. Sometimes I walk around for an hour with no success and then I put her in the HAb and it's instant. Couldn't live without it. She's only 2 months old, so I haven't had the issue of summer heat. But it does get quite cozy. I usually only wear a thin long-sleeved shirt underneath. I'd imagine you wouldn't need to wear much in summer. It takes a few tries to get the hang of tying it, but then it's no problem.
So, I second Gill's comment, it's worth every cent.
Am looking at getting the ergo too for ease of use.

Hi Cricket,

Sure i'll email instructions.

I need your email as it's in the form of a pretty big Word Doc and i can't attach to PM's. You can PM your email addy if you want, to keep it off forums.

You can use the Kari-me (same as HAB so similar here too i'd think) until bubs is 15kg, but it stops being comfy about 5kg before that! lol You can put a tired toddler on your back with it, but you really need help to get them on and get everything flat and comfy for you both (i found) but my wrap/mae tia in general, for me, really come into their own when bubs is good at walking but still small enough to get tired out easily.

Bec

We have an Ellaroo wrap - lurv it!! DS was in a Baby Bjorn at first which was great for a newborn, and my husband could carry him in that a lot longer than I could.

The wrap is much more versatile, although I am still trying to get the confidence for the back carries. DS is 15 months now.

what is a hab and where do i get one??

I have used a number of slings with both my bubs and both were big babies.

Ring sling
padded shoulder mesh fabric
Put a lot of weight on one shoulder, by 6mths too heavy to use for long periods. Mesh was slightly cooler but left a grid all over bubs skin. Took a little to get used to but easy to use, easy on and off. limited positions and always worried about cutting off circulation to bubs legs or squashing them

Backpack
quite large and bulky but they have better ones now. At the time only suitable from 6mth. Good storage underneath but hard to get on and off without tipping bub over. Great for active outdoors hiking, sports at festivals/carnivals. worked until 18mths

HAB
Love it, stretchy jersey fabric makes it very cuddly but very hot, could only wear it with aircon on. We tie it on before going out and pop bub in and out.

Wrap
We made our own wrap (same as HAB) out of lighter cotton and are trying out muslin at the moment and it isn't as stretchy but is much cooler. Check out mamatoto dot org for some great instructions on wearing in different positions. Our DD is over 8kg and we still carry her in the newborn (HAB style) but are starting to experiment with hip carry and forward facing. My hubby loves this one too - took him 2 goes to learn how to tie it - he loves all the attention he gets from the women I think

Have fun deciding

Gracie - the Mothers Direct shop in Malvern East sells them. The benefit of buying from them is that the profits go back into the Australian Breastfeeding Association. $112, from memory, but less 10% if you are a subscriber. If you DO subscribe, then you would be in my local group :)
Cricket - there are many websites that outline or go through the benefits of babywearing (with soft cloth slings, not commercial carriers), which may serve to educate your DH and justify the purchase. There is one book I can recommend that should be available where you are (American author), called The Vital Touch by Sharon Heller (pretty sure that's her first name, definitely Heller, though, I cited her in an assignment!), and that book has impacted on me quite strongly (I read it last year and it has served me in two assignments so far, for my psychology degree!). It's a pretty good case for babywearing, co-sleeping and keeping baby close. Otherwise, the many babywearing sites are pretty compelling. There is heaps of literature supporting it, so if you would like me to send you information from academic articles, I can hop onto my uni's database and send you something in a PM? I'd hate for an uneducated DH to stymie a wonderful babywearing relationship when all he needs is a bit of...edumacating!

i've just bought an ergo and cant wait to try it out, hoping it's as easy on the back as everyone says!!

I got the ergo yesterday!! I think its fantastic:D I went for a decent walk this morning & my back was fine, didnt hurt at all. Bodhi slept the whole time. When its on the front, it just as easy to put on as a baby bjorn. My arms are short so its a little more difficult to put on the back for me. I'll keep practicing tho! I fully recomend it or at least just going in & trying it out to see if its for u or not.

Anyhoo thats my 2 cents!:p

thanks mayaness- am thinking of subscribing actually, just need to convince dp to let me use his credit card lol!! so you guys would recommend the hab?? looks like a goer, i was just checking out the different colours....nice

cricket, why dont you look at buying one second hand? There are heaps on ebay :)

I have come across some of the literature on baby-wearing, and it does sound logical to me, but if you have a particular site, or essay to recommend, Mayaness, I'd love to hear about it. By all means, send over a PM. :)

Danni - I have been checking out e-bay recently, and saw one that looked great, and I believe it went for about $35, plus about $8-10 for shipping. I was sorely tempted. But I do want to make sure that DH is supportive of the idea (and that I have done as much research as I can!) before I commit to it. Also, I've never used e-bay before - still figuring that out. (If you have any tips or suggestions to pass along on that topic, please send them over!) I've seen a few being sold out of Australia too, and I always wonder if it's a BB member. :)

My daughter is only 8 weeks old, and we bought a Baby bjorn active. It was expensive (180.00) but so worth it. I only use my pram to go on long walks, but the bjorn for around town, shopping etc. It caters for bubs til about 26lb - whatever the conversion is.

I bought a Baby Bjorn Active, which is supposedly good to use from newborns onwards, presuming they are over 3.5kg - DD was under 2.5, so it was weeks before we could use it. So when she was a newborn we bought a ring sling, which she liked and was really comfortable until she got to about 3.5kg, then it was only good for short walks or around the house. We are now using the Baby Bjorn Active and I think it is brilliant. I can walk around for literally hours without DD getting heavy or hurting my back or anything.

check out the baby wearer website, too. It's a very comprehensive site.

I have a hugabub and love it. It was a bit hot when my DD was born (Feb baby), and it took us a little while to work out how tight/loose it needed to be, but it was great after that.

I must say though that my DD has never really enjoyed the chest-to-chest carry, and it takes a bit of walking around and patting her if I want her to go to sleep. She MUCH prefers the facing-outwards carry so that she can see what's going on around her. So from four months, that's how we've done it.

I take her for long walks in the HAB and have never felt any back problems. I have just ordered a Hotslings fitted pouch sling, as I wanted something I can easily put on to pop her in and out of, and something I can use to carry her on my hip and back. We will probably get an Ergo too, when she gets bigger.

OP tell your DH that all the carriers hold their value really well, so even if you buy one and decide it's not for you, you will be able to sell it for not much below the new price on Ebay.

Hi Lyric,
as I can't PM you yet (get posting to get your count up!!), I'll just tell you here - could you please come back to your post and 'unlink' your link (just type the name of the site without the w's and the dots and the com's) before a moderator finds it and slaps you with an infringment notice (i.e. infraction)? Better still, could you post the link in the 'Websites and Online Stuff' instead (you're allowed to there!)?
I'm going to check it out now, anyway, but thought I'd give you a heads up ;)

Oooh, thank you Mayaness. I didn't know we weren't allowed to show links.

I love your username, Lyric BTW!
you're new, it's hard to get your head around these things...I've been here nearly 2 years and sometimes I get caught out, too :blush:

Just a reminder, forum guidelines are here.