my "baby" is nearly 2, almost 30 pounds, and has enough "squirm" in her little finger to power a small town. :) i would love to be able to carry (wear) her still, but i don't know what type of sling or carrier to try. it would be mainly around the house, outside...light stuff. nothing all day (like she would stay in my arms that long!)
she loves to be in my arms, but i have a hard time holding her for an extended amount of time because she's long and lean and HEAVY. we have a maya wrap pouch (which is loaned out to a friend), so i'm familiar with baby-wearing....any suggestions?
Here is a link to a great WAHM that makes baby things. Her cloth diapers are awesome too:
http://www.sweetbabyboutique.com/store/Default.asp
Best Wishes,
J.
The ergo is definitely the way to go. We've had one for our toddler for awhile now and it works better than any other carrier at handling his weight. Its also super compact and can be worn in different positions (when I want my son to go to sleep, I wear him on my front, even though that is technically a "baby" position). Its very comfortable for both him and me.
Best wishes,
B.
We love our Ergo carrier: http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/. My heavy (always has been) boy is no problem in the carrier. This one puts most of the weight on your hips so it's easier to carrier the baby for a little longer. You can wear the baby on the front, back, or hip. The thing I really love about it is that it can be folded up and stuffed into a bag - I've even stored it in the diaper bag for some trips. This allows us to bring the carrier for "just in case" situations without making special arrangements for it.
Good luck finding something that works for you!!
~ C.
First, I recommend going to www.thebabywearer.com to get advice, read reviews, etc. You can also buy gently used carriers on their For Sale or Trade forum (and later you could sell yours if you want, and recoup some of the initial cost...)
If you want to have a look at an Ergo in person, Peapods in St Paul carries them. I also saw some Babyhawk mei tais (http://www.babyhawk.com/) at the Creative Kidstuff in Linden Hills. They may have them at other CK stores, but I don't know.
A few of the many other options:
The Patapum http://www.patapum.com/
The Beco http://www.ecobabies.com/
The Angelpack LX http://www.attachedtot.com/
Ten Toes Click http://www.tentoes.com/tentoesclick.cfm
All of the above have good reviews, but offer different fits, fabrics, etc. Haven't tried them all so I can't say which I think is best, but check out their reviews to see which you think might work best for you. They're also all pretty compact, so easy to bring along, toss in the stroller, etc (since I usually end up carrying the kid and pushing the stroller!).
Hope this helps!
Also, for what it's worth, I wore my 2 year old while 9 mos pregnant in a mei tai and found it WAY easier and more comfortable than carrying her in my arms!
My 2 year old was almost stroller/carrier free. She wanted to run and walk everywhere we went. Now at almost 4, I still bring a stroller to places where we might be spending alot of time on our feet, but she pretty much wants to walk. Maybe this is your daughter too. Perhaps being carried/strollered is not her way anymore.
Have you considered a mei tai? I used it with our son (and still can) when he was 30 pounds & squirmy but wanted to be held a lot. It was a life saver!
It was compact (folds up easily like a maya), lightweight, not bulky or hot for him, distributed his weight really well across my body... I was never uncomfortable wearing him in it, even when he was sleeping & felt like "dead weight." He loved it too. Also - it's really versatile & can be worn as front carry or back carry.
You'll get lots of good hits if you google mei tai, but meitaicarrier.com has good stuff, babyhawk.com, wallypop.com - you can find lots of WAHM-made stuff out there. They can be a little spendy, but you might be able to find someone out there willing to trade or part with one on the cheap. I think all of those sites have photo instructions for how to tie/carry so you can get a good feel for it before you buy.
Good luck!
J.
mom to Chase (3.5)
I just want to echo Char's advice. We love our ergo carrier, too. There are always a lot of them listed on ebay if you don't want to pay full price.
I would strongly recommend a backpack carrier. It was a great transition item from slings when my kids got large and squirmy. And I liked having my hands completely free in front.
It can handle more weight, gives the kids more freedom of motion, and (in my children's case at least) puts them up high so they have a larger field of view.
Once Upon a Child frequently has good-name baby backpacks. Read up on reviews at Amazon or elsewhere first to make sure you know some good models (or try them on at Babies R Us, etc.).
The #1 tip is to read the directions. A well-adjusted backpack is easy to wear - a poorly adjusted backpack can really hurt.
I would recommend looking for these features:
- A hip strap and chest strap. This makes a huge difference in fit, especially when wearing for an extended time
- Some kind of area for the children to rest their feet (this is hard to find)
- A stand-alone feature. This lets you put the pack on the ground and load/unload it yourself.
- A detachable canopy
- Padding around the top of the pack, in case the child nods off and needs to put her head down
Obviously, straps to hold the child in are a requirement, but I think they all have that.
I find that the storage on backpacks isn't very helpful because you can't reach it without taking the pack off.
Good luck!
