Baby wearing parents: Which carrier/wrap?

[englishteacha]

I plan on wearing our baby and am looking for recommendations on wraps and baby carriers. What do you like? Why?

I'm 5'4" and a bit plump, and DH is 5'9" and a bigger guy. So it has to fit us as well as baby! Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[deegack]

I used a Moby when dd was young and teeny and an ergo when she got bigger

 

[Elleshoodat]

I used a Moby when dd was young and teeny and an ergo when she got bigger

Me, too! DS loved the Moby when he was really little, as he felt snug and secure. When he got a bit older, we got an Ergo, which he was fine in for a few more months. Now that he's mobile, we no longer use a carrier.

 

[chimilady]

I would advise AGAINST a Bjorn. Caused my DD to have hip dysplasia and resulted in subsequent physical therapy for months, in addition to a helmet due to the resulting torticollis.

 

[bumbershoot]

I would advise AGAINST a Bjorn. Caused my DD to have hip dysplasia and resulted in subsequent physical therapy for months, in addition to a helmet due to the resulting torticollis.

Oh I am so sorry. You're the first person that I've read of an actual, documented problem, though the thought process of the Bjorn being bad for the pelvis has been around (I'm a retired chiropractor and I just have to look away when I see them being used).



OP, I honestly would not try to get ONE carrier to make BOTH of you happy. I know in my house, DH liked just holding DS better than wearing him. Once DS was around a year old, he saw a Maya ring sling that he liked, and we bought it. He liked it, but really found that carrying DS was best for him. Meanwhile, I cannot stand ring slings, I don't even like the look of them!

I had a Moby, I had a Hotsling, I had two Mamma's Milk slings (got them too late, though, he was already too big for me to do a hip carry without hurting myself, by the time I got in on the co-op for those slings, which was so sad because I think I would have liked them SO much better than I ever liked the Hotsling). I made two Moby-type wraps ("made" = "bought long lengths of fabric and tied them like you tie the Moby") and liked them. We ended with an Ergo and wished we'd had that from the beginning! It's ergonomic for baby and for you. Especially since you don't wear baby facing away from you in it. Helps baby's state of mind as well, since they can interact with the world to the sides and behind you (which means people aren't making googly faces at your chest, LOL, always a nice thing to avoid), but can hide his/her face when it all gets to be too much).

If you do want to try to make you both happy with the same thing, I'd suggest the Ergo with the infant insert, and depending on how big hubby is, with the clip extender. See how it goes!

 

[mommaof3boys]

I like the moby for when they are small. I use my Beco Butterfly II and love it!

 

[englishteacha]

Thanks for the advice and tips! Any other suggestions? So far a Moby wrap and Ergo are the front runners!

Bumbershoot, did you try the Ergo with the infant insert? I've seen tons of mixed reviews on the infant insert. How big must a baby be to be in the Ergo without the insert?

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

I have an ergo w/ infant insert right now although I haven't used it yet I plan on getting a moby wrap to use b/c I will need to be a little more hands free than I feel like the ergo will allow for. When she gets a little bigger I plan to switch to the ergo.

 

[Cant wait for Disney]

I used a ring sling when DS was tiny and a Boba carrier when he got a little bigger. Personally, I never got truly comfortable and hands free with the sling, but absolutely love the Boba and carried DS around disney with no problems when he was 10 months. Recently, Boba upgraded their carriers to start at 7 pounds so i'd like to get a new one so I could use that style right off the bat and skip the sling. But, a lot of people really love slings and it works well for them

 

[msmama]

A Mei Tei would probably work for you. I had a Babyhawk. It ties (like a Moby, but it has more actual shape to it). LOVED it!! Did Disney with it.

The good thing about a tie type of carrier (like a Mei Tei or Moby) is that you tie it on each time so there's no adjusting between you and your husband.

(I'm short and plump, too, so I can tell you the Babyhawk works there). That said, I don't think I started using the babyhawk until he was a bit bigger - at least holding his head up.

I never had an Ergo but I have a friend who used the infant insert all the time and both Mom and baby seemed happy with it.

 

[SweetMissy]

I used a sling from hotsling with my daughter....LOVED it! Used it until she was about 11 months old....could've used it longer but winter came. :/ I now have a moby for my baby and I can honestly say I don't love it, I barely like it. It's just too bulky and I can NEVER get it like they have in their pictures or videos. Way too much fabric to deal with. I'm thinking of getting an ergo....but I read in one of the responses here that the baby can't face out? My baby loves to face out in the moby so I don't know now.

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

I used a ring sling with both my boys and loved it. I used it with my older son until he was 3 and my younger son until just before he turned 2. I also had a mei tai but never fell in love with it. I couldn't get comfortable in it for some reason. I also had a beautiful pouch sling that my friend made. It was sized to fit me but my little,guy disliked being in the sling not long after getting it so we didn't use it much.

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

I have been using a CatBird Baby Pikkolo carrier. It is a structured carrier w/ buckles- same as a mei tei. I am 5'5" and def plump. I went in to buy an ergo but had problems with the straps not fitting comfortable plus I could not clip the buckle that keeps the straps together on your upper back. I tried the Pikkolo and absolutely loved it. I used it for DS when he was 4 months till he was almost 4 years old. I wear front, hip and back. I even used it with our newborn foster babies-- from birth and up. The crotch area has a cinching cord that can expand the width. I made it the biggest and put the babies in. They loved to be carried that way. I soo wished I had it for our first DS now 13. Sadly DS 4.5 is too big to be carried.

It is one of the baby items I just can't seem to sell. Check out Catbird Baby- they have a FB page. Wonderful product.

good luck!

 

[MamaCoog]

As a plus sized mom, I had a hard time finding something that would be large enough and comfortable for both of us. I ended up with a Moby and I loved it!! My younger son was a high needs baby and wanted to be held constantly. As much as I loved snuggling with him, I still had other things to do like cook and clean. The Moby was very comfortable for me since it distributed the weight evenly across my shoulders and back.

 

[mrsbicewdw]

ERGO, ERGO, ERGO.

Did I say...ERGO.

We love ours. We had a Moby when he was tiny, but nothing beats the Ergo now. DH and I can both wear it comfortably, it is not hot for DS or us, and is made to support their spine and hips in the proper way.

Love, love, love it. Best money I have ever spent (and we have used it at Disney and several other trips already). I have back issues from a bad wreck, and I can still carry our 1 year old for hours without issue.

 

[chekhovgirl]

Thanks for the advice and tips! Any other suggestions? So far a Moby wrap and Ergo are the front runners!

Bumbershoot, did you try the Ergo with the infant insert? I've seen tons of mixed reviews on the infant insert. How big must a baby be to be in the Ergo without the insert?

Ergo was our go to carrier, but others that are similar would be good choices as well. I could still carry my big 5 year old in it if I wanted! I wouldn't do it for any extended period of time, but it's possible

 

[SweetMissy]

Ok, I've heard a little bit how the baby bjorn isn't safe. What exactly is the difference between that and the ergo? They both seem to look like the same.

 

[2Princesses2Pirates]

As others mentioned the Moby and Ergo are great carriers!

The Moby- Watch Youtube videos when learning how to wrap, truly makes an immense difference! This wrap is awesome for smaller babies (actually I even used it when my son was 1 at WDW). And another huge benefit, you can buy a UV protected Moby! Great for those first 6 months when sunscreen isn't recommended and when baby is little you can actually cover their entire body with it! (Buy a light color) The Moby was also a perfect solution to my colicky baby, he would stop crying as soon as I put him in it!

The Ergo- Love this one! Wish I would have bought one for my prior 3 babies! Although I have yet to use it at WDW I was able to shop at the outlets the entire day without any back pain at all! It is SO much better than the Bjorn! The sleep hood is awesome too, allows baby's head to be kept snug against you while sleeping, keep them shaded and block out stimulation when baby is getting tired.

Ergo vs Bjorn- Biggest difference the Bjorn suspends baby by the crotch area vs the Ergo which has the wide band below your waist which actually hugs baby's legs around your front therefore evenly distributing their weight taking pressure off thier little bodies and off your back!

Bottomline: I love both the Moby and Ergo and need to have both but carriers are often hit and miss with everyone, if you have any other questions let me know

BTW; this is my first post, so I have to find out how to add all the fun stuff at the bottom still!

 

[ZeroMyHero]

I use a Boba G2. It's similar to an Ergo, but it fit me way better than the Ergo did. The Boba G2 carries up to 45 lbs and both I and DH have comfortably used it. I use it nearly every day to carry my YDD to pick up ODD from school in warm and cold weather. What I like best about it is it has foot stirrups for older children so their legs don't dangle and to help keep that "frog" position in their legs. YDD uses them to bounce on my back sometimes, making me feel like a horse.

ETA: I didn't see how old your baby is, OP. If they are younger than 1, the Boba G2 won't work well for you, as it's considered to be a toddler carrier. It can be used to front carry, but it doesn't have infant head support.

 

[supergirljennie]

Ok, I've heard a little bit how the baby bjorn isn't safe. What exactly is the difference between that and the ergo? They both seem to look like the same.

Here's a visual of the difference between crotch danglers like Baby Bjorn and Snugli:

It shows the importance of using a carrier that places a baby in a seated position, not hanging by their crotch. There are plenty of carriers that place baby in the correct position, including but not limited to Ergo, Boba, Beco, Olives & Applesauce and Babyhawk, as well as wraps and ring slings when used correctly. Baby Bjorn and Infantino front packs are of the first type in this image that is not recommended.

For Disney I would recommend a soft structured carrier like Ergo, Boba, Beco, Babyhawk, etc. It'll give you and the baby the most support.