Best baby carrier for the parks?

[stamot]

I'm looking for a baby carrier for our next vacation. My baby will be 15 months. He is a small baby. We are planning to take a stroller but we also want to wear our baby for the rides we are allow to.
What carrier do you use? Which one is better?

 

[Dismama2boys]

My last trip I took a Moby and a Becco Butterfly. Your baby is most likely too big for the Moby, but the Becco would probably work well. I liked being able to switch out so that the pressure would be in different spots and give my back a break. The next trip I'm taking a ring sling (hip carry) and a Baby Hawk Mei Tei. The Becco I used before was on loan, otherwise I would take it too. I've never tried an Ergo, but people rave about it. We have a branch of Baby Wearers International (I think that's the name) locally that has an amazing lending library, which is a great way to try them out. Perhaps your city has one too. I love wearing my babies, and it made our trip so much easier. Good luck!!

 

[my2boyz]

We used the Ergo and loved it. My youngest is now to big for it It is comfy and even my husband would wear it!

 

[nat8199]

I tried Ergos and Becos and liked Becos better. I am short and short waisted, though. DH prefered the Ergo. I could wear both my twins (one front and one back) with the Becos. I cannot begin to express how much I loved them!!!

 

[JoeyEmmaMomma]

Tula!!! Or possibly a toddler Tula.
I love it more than others we have had--- Beco, Ergo.

 

[Baptist]

We used the Baby Bjorn, both styles (front and backpack). The backpack style is tricky if you are by yourself. I found them to be comfortable, durable, and competitively priced (they are all sort of expensive).

 

[ZeroMyHero]

If you can, try before you buy any carrier. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for everyone. I was able to borrow an Ergo from a friend who raved about it but there were things about it I didn't care for, so I'm glad I didn't buy one for myself before trying it. I decided to try a Boba in a local specialty baby store and it worked really well for me and my DD for years. She loved being on my back. The back support for the kiddo comes up higher on the Boba and provides extra security, IMO, and the straps are more comfortable on me than the Ergo ones are. I also like the high weight limit on both the Ergo and the Boba. My skinny DD5 is only 34lbs so she could still fit in the carrier if we were desperate, lol. I hope you find a carrier that works for you and your LO!

 

[Dismama2boys]

Please don't use the Bjorn. Any carrier that has their legs dangling is bad for their hips. Their thighs need to be supported, and their knees should be level with or above the level of their tush.

 

[StaciMay]

My husband and I used the Ergos for our twins and liked them. I liked them much better than Bjorns. I haven't tried any others.

 

[ghtx]

Ergo

 

[bumbershoot]

Please don't use the Bjorn. Any carrier that has their legs dangling is bad for their hips. Their thighs need to be supported, and their knees should be level with or above the level of their tush.

They are also awful for the wearer. Especially when people misguidedly wear their children facing outwards. That's even worse for the child's spine, horrible for the wearer's spinal muscles, and can easily freak out a child who has absolutely no way to shield themselves from the constant, frenetic activity of the parks. People wearing them with the child facing out also can't see how close to strangling the children often are, with their necks resting too hard on the front of the carrier.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I love our Beco Gemini. You can wear a 15 month old on your front or on your back (facing into the wearer), in a hip carry on your side, and you can also wear the child on your front and face the child out for short periods of time. The structure of a Gemini is different than a Bjorn, and the child is appropriately supported even facing out, but they still don't recommend keeping them facing out for very long.

It's very comfortable. At 2 (23.5 lbs, 33.25") she is too big for me to wear on my front for very long, but I can still wear her on my back comfortably in the Gemini.

 

[Woodmnky]

You can check on Facebook to see if you have a Babywearing group in your area. This may allow you to connect with others that could allow you to try things before you buy.

My suggestions for good park carriers for begining babywearing are:
Kinderpack
Tula
Ergo
Boba

 

[pachelbel9]

I used a Beco gemini on our last trip. I love it because the straps criss-cross when wearing LO in front. I agree -try before you buy. I bought my carrier from a site that let you rent some before trying, and credited you for the rental fee if you buy from them. I'd link, but they currently aren't doing that. Perhaps others are. I thought I would like the Boba 3g best, so I'm glad I rented it and a Gemini first since I was wrong about that. The Boba didn't fit me well at all.

I also have a Beco Soleil that I got from MommyCon Last year, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.

I know Frogmama.com lets you try/return for a full refund within 30 days.

 

[pachelbel9]

Oh and I ended up wearing LO the whole time. The only time she was in the stroller was for a few naps. We rented a stroller from a local place. So nice wearing baby through airport without having to worry about lugging stroller around. Baby in Beco, backpack as diaper bag, DH, and myself. Easy traveling!

Also, about wanting to wear baby on rides - it was my experience that most CMs made me take LO out of the carrier for the actual ride. They wanted her either on a lap or on a seat. Maybe just bad luck on my part?

 

[lauraleh]

We have an Ergo and comfortably wore my daughter for 2+ years. I love it. I've also heard great things about the Beco and Boba. If you have a local cloth diaper store many of them also carry baby wearing supplies. I know ours is great about trying them all on you to let you see what works for you. We will be wearing my 9 month old son in the parks in September.

I also do not recommend a Bjorn. They are not ergonomically designed for you or your child. Though they are usually slightly cheaper, I've had friends say that they couldn't use them for more than 30 minutes or so at a time before it began hurting their back. I hiked 3 miles up a mountain with a two year old in the Ergo.

 

[acceber32]

If you are wanting something to be able to get baby up and down quickly in I would recommend a buckle type carrier (Kinderpack is my favorite but a Tula is also good). I love wrapping but at Disney I much prefer a buckle carrier.

 

[Disney Khi]

I wore DD in an Ergo at the parks from the time she was 22 months to 4 years. (After that she was just too heavy, so now she just walks.) I loved the Ergo for ease in getting on my back by myself and comfort. I also like the little zipper pouch that's built in to keep a few small things in.

When she was 22 months we went to DL and I wore her on my front while she napped. I wore her on POC, Pinocchio, the storybook boat ride, and maybe a few other similar rides. The only ride that made me take her off was Jungle Cruise. I didn't understand why, but I just took her out and held her on my lap. Luckily, she stayed asleep, and I put her back in the carrier after the ride.

 

[meljean]

I love this thread! We are bringing our 16 month old and a double stroller. I have 2 older boys but worried if the 7 year old wants to sit and rest what will I do with the baby. I have looked at the slings so they sit on your hip. Do any of you have one or have used one of these? I don't think I want a front/back pack. Keep the advice coming!

 

[Dismama2boys]

I love this thread! We are bringing our 16 month old and a double stroller. I have 2 older boys but worried if the 7 year old wants to sit and rest what will I do with the baby. I have looked at the slings so they sit on your hip. Do any of you have one or have used one of these? I don't think I want a front/back pack. Keep the advice coming!

I LOVE my ring sling for my toddler for hip carrying. It's fast and easy, and my babies have loved it too. It allows them to look around, and it's a position they are very familiar with. It's really the only way I've used my sling - I didn't feel like it was safe for my itty bitties. But toddlers? Perfect.