OT - Baby carriers - Suggestions Please!

[lighttech]

Have any of you Mommies used any kind of baby carrier that you love? I used a Snugli w/ DS, and although I liked having him in a carrier, I didn't like the carrier at all. I found it made my shoulders sore, and was very awkward for him until he got older. Plus, its so over engineered w/ a ton of buckles and clips and this that and the other... its hard to get baby in and out and inconvenient to travel with and wash. (First generation Snugli's were so much better... I loved the idea of the ones my mom had... made of curdoroy, cotton and comfy fabrics and just used buttons.)

Anyway, I've been looking at more of the sling type options (I'm expecting #2 ) that can hold a newborn in a "cradle carry" or hold an infant/toddler in front, in back or on your hip (I'm REALLY interested in the Hip carry). But, I'm leary to spend all the $ w/o some first hand opinions.

Thanks!

 

[ERMama]

www.thebabywearer.com you join for free, then have access to their for sale or trade forum which is VERY active. you can try out many things for much less than buying new.
they also have many reviews out there.
www.attachedtobaby.com their store has many nice products.

meitais are nice. i like babyhawk and freehand baby.

ring slings are pretty easy to use but i never found myself using them much.

pouch slings are also nice. i used them most i think. i think a pouch with a slight bit of stretch is easiest for first time user. hotslings for example. only issue is they are very size dependant so most of the time mom/dad can NOT use the same pouch.

soft structured carriers (or ssc's as you will see them called) are more of the buckle type but often WAY better than the snugli's. ergo and beco are the more popular ones but their are others. i have a pikkolo by catbirdbaby.

 

[cogero]

I love my Ellaroo ring sling they are just most comfortable for us seconded by our moby wrap and meitei.

Honestly it is a matter of preference. I just love having my hands free though and find I never have back aches from any of them.

 

[lighttech]

www.thebabywearer.com you join for free, then have access to their for sale or trade forum which is VERY active. you can try out many things for much less than buying new.
they also have many reviews out there.
www.attachedtobaby.com their store has many nice products.

meitais are nice. i like babyhawk and freehand baby.

ring slings are pretty easy to use but i never found myself using them much.

pouch slings are also nice. i used them most i think. i think a pouch with a slight bit of stretch is easiest for first time user. hotslings for example. only issue is they are very size dependant so most of the time mom/dad can NOT use the same pouch.

soft structured carriers (or ssc's as you will see them called) are more of the buckle type but often WAY better than the snugli's. ergo and beco are the more popular ones but their are others. i have a pikkolo by catbirdbaby.

Thanks so much. I just checked out the babywearer site and it is chock full of info. I haven't registered yet, but I plan to. Especially if I can take advantage of the sell/trade forums.

I keep seeing "co-op" prices mentioned too, and I can't quite figure out what that is, or where to get the info., but I've only wandered for a minute.

Thanks again.

 

[tanyaandallie]

tbw rocks!!! My fav carrier for a newborn is a ring sling. It worked really well for me. After that I moved on to a mei tai. Then to a soft structured carrier. There are so many carriers out there!!!

 

[lighttech]

tbw rocks!!! My fav carrier for a newborn is a ring sling. It worked really well for me. After that I moved on to a mei tai. Then to a soft structured carrier. There are so many carriers out there!!!

Have you done any of the co-ops for purchasing on tbw? I've been thru the FAQ, and I'm trying to learn all the abbreviations... but just like here or anywhere, there's a learning curve. And, I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out how that works... I know a few people mentioned using yahoo groups?

 

[tanyaandallie]

I participated in 1 coop. It was through the yahoo group. I am not a member anymore b/c my ds is 3+ now and I have no need for more carriers! You should be able to find it somewhere or pm someone and ask them about it. I did a coop for the Patapum. I got a great price on it!!! I think I paid $55 which was an awesome deal.

 

[chipscinderelly]

Here is a link to another thread I found VERY helpful when looking for baby slings

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1824499

 

[lillykat]

I have the ultimate baby carrier (haven't used it in a while) but DD LOVED it - it is a stretchy material that looks like a long piece of material with a loop on the end. It is great b.c it can go in 5 different positions (side, front, sling etc). Since it is stretchy it gives and doesn't dig into you the way all the others did for me. I think it was about $30-35.

 

[Karlzmom]

Have any of you Mommies used any kind of baby carrier that you love? I used a Snugli w/ DS, and although I liked having him in a carrier, I didn't like the carrier at all. I found it made my shoulders sore, and was very awkward for him until he got older. Plus, its so over engineered w/ a ton of buckles and clips and this that and the other... its hard to get baby in and out and inconvenient to travel with and wash. (First generation Snugli's were so much better... I loved the idea of the ones my mom had... made of curdoroy, cotton and comfy fabrics and just used buttons.)

Anyway, I've been looking at more of the sling type options (I'm expecting #2 ) that can hold a newborn in a "cradle carry" or hold an infant/toddler in front, in back or on your hip (I'm REALLY interested in the Hip carry). But, I'm leary to spend all the $ w/o some first hand opinions.

Thanks!

I loved my Hotslings....was able to use from birth on to him weighing far more than my poor bod would take...no clip, snaps or other, just the fabric pouch. Had two, one in black that went with everything and one in paisley for fun. i wish they'd been around when my older boy was a tot!

 

[labdogs42]

I loved my mayawrap ring sling. I hat\d a pouch sling, too, but I didn't like it as much as the ring sling. you have to try them to figure out what works for you!

 

[SplashMountainMama]

TBW is a great site with tons of info.I loved my Moby wrap with my newborn. It is so snuggly, but looks way more complicated than it really is so don't be afraid. I also use a Hotslings pouch which is very good with a newborn also. Right now my favourite carrier is a mei tai. There are so many much more comfortable options out there for you and baby than a Snuggli so check it out. Good Luck with your search.

 

[Kenenitz]

I have a sling and loved it! I got mine from this site. http://www.rockinbabysling.com/shop/baby_slings/ It took a little to get accustomed to the ring but once you do, it's very easy. Their slings are pricey but they are very very nice. I suggest buying one of the "sale" ones for $30 less.. they are just the discontinued fabric choices. They have a lot of info on their site that you can read. And they do offer a 30 day return policy.

They also carry the pouches now too.. I am not 100% up on them.. I loved the ring sling so I never looked into them, however I did try one of the hotslings on and it was not for me. I am 5'9" and a 38 DD. For me it was just uncomfy. I think a part of that was my height. I think everyone is different, best thing to do is simply try some out and see what works for you. good luck.

I

 

[Karlzmom]

They also carry the pouches now too.. I am not 100% up on them.. I loved the ring sling so I never looked into them, however I did try one of the hotslings on and it was not for me. I am 5'9" and a 38 DD. For me it was just uncomfy. I think a part of that was my height. I think everyone is different, best thing to do is simply try some out and see what works for you. good luck.

I

To each their own but I couldn't help wondering if you ordered by your size or tried what the store carried? I'm 5'5" and a 44DD, so I had to order mine, but it was a great fit. I see that one of our local baby stores now carries them instock (along with a bunch of other things I had to drop-ship to myself) and couldn't help wondering how many women would end up buying the one that was there rather than doing the measure and order....cheers!

 

[MommyBryn]

I have a solarveil hotsling that I LOVE for a cradle and hip carry. I also have a solarveil wrap that I like for a small baby, but I like the simplicity of a pouch as opposed to a wrap. I've hated all the Mei tais I've used, but I really love my Ergo for hip, front, and back carries!!

 

[#1 Minnie Lover]

I just used a solarveil mei tai at the parks last week and it was wonderful! Even wore it in the pool.

 

[Nanu57v]

We used a bjorn, but it hurt my back like the snuggli did for you...then I discovered the ERGO...love it! I also made a no sew wrap on www.mamatoto.org (free site). You simply buy a length of t-shirt material, cut it in half (hot dog style) and the site tells you how to wrap it.

 

[AKADrea]

We used a bjorn, but it hurt my back like the snuggli did for you...then I discovered the ERGO...love it! I also made a no sew wrap on www.mamatoto.org (free site). You simply buy a length of t-shirt material, cut it in half (hot dog style) and the site tells you how to wrap it.

I found some GREAT stretchy material last week on the Wal-mart dollar table.

It was wide enough that I COULD have gotten 3 wraps out of it, but I cut it down the middle before measure- oh well!

 

[wishtdream]

I love my Maya wrap ring sling. I also have a hot sling I use on occasion but do not love.

This is DD last year @7 weeks old in the Maya wrap she lived in it for ten days @ WDW. She is now almost a year old and I still use it almost daily.

I too had a snugli for my older DD. I hated it and rarely used it. We will use the Maya wrap @ WDW again in august.

 

[lighttech]

Thanks everyone for all your help. I think I'm going to order a Peanut Shell sling for now and see how it goes in the first few weeks. (Seems like a very easy starter.) But, thanks to all your advice, I won't get discouraged if it doesn't work out... I'll simply try something diff't now that I know how many options there are.

We used a bjorn, but it hurt my back like the snuggli did for you...then I discovered the ERGO...love it! I also made a no sew wrap on www.mamatoto.org (free site). You simply buy a length of t-shirt material, cut it in half (hot dog style) and the site tells you how to wrap it.

Looks like a great site for all kinds of info.
Thanks!