question on babywearing in WDW

[daisylove]

How do you do it exactly. ? when? where? how long usually?
We will havethe stroller and I could bring either an ergo for baby to ride on my back or a Lascal M1 for front. We have not done this much obviously. DS is 16 months 29 lb and 34 inches so he is a big baby - he is also a runner and I thought that wearing him in lines etc may be a good idea. Any advice would be great!

 

[A&E'sMom]

Just bumping this, as I'm interested in seeing some responses as well from those who have done this. My littlest one will be almost eight months old at the time of our trip, but I was thinking that in MK especially, it might be nice to wear him as opposed to a stroller so that we can more easily get on and off rides. Same for our almost two year old, although DH would have to wear him. He's a peanut, but still too big for me to try and hip around all day.

 

[ksjayhawkfan]

Our daughter was 10 months when we went in May. We have an Ergo and also had a stroller. When she would get fussy, we wore her. When she wanted to nap, in lines, when it was pouring down rain, on rides....pretty much whenever. Heres a pic of her on Dumbo...sleeping

In line

Riding with the boys

 

[chrisw127]

We took our twins for the first time when they were 10 months old and wore both of them, mostly in the Bjorn or in the Ergo. I don't know how comfortable I would have been in with a regular sling simply because you have less freedom to move, but the Bjorn and Ergo worked really well. They stayed in them for just about everything.

 

[koima]

Practice wearing him around for a few hours and see how the two of you like it. My 10 month old daughter LOVES to be in the sling or the Bjorn, and will happily hang out all afternoon, but she's only 18 lb. It still starts to hurt my back after awhile. I can't imagine carrying a 29 lb. baby who wants to run for any length of time, though!

 

[Tink'linBell]

At that age mine wouldn't have tolerated a front carrier. We had a backpack for our kids, which they loved. You do need a stroller for naps, etc., though. A backpack would be a heck of a lot easier than chasing after a toddler, for sure!

 

[daisylove]

I am trying to decide between the ergo in back carrier position or M1 in the front. How hard is it to take the baby in and out to get on the rides?

 

[chrisw127]

I know it's not technically babywearing, but if you find you're uncomfortable for long amounts of time with a baby in a sling/carrier, Sherpani makes a lightweight baby carrier that is excellent.

http://www.rei.com/product/783271

It's much lighter than it looks and I used it for more than just hiking (i.e., did the dishes with it on). The only problem would be you'd have to take it off for attractions.

 

[Disneychica]

We wore our 17 month old last Sept all over the park. I have a mei tai which I could use in front and back. My husband wore him in the Ergo front and back. We wore him on the front for napping and was able to leave him in it asleep for a lot of the rides with no bar- he slept through 6 rounds of Buzz Lightyear and a Safari ride at AK! If we knew we would be walking around longer distances and waiting in line more, we would put him on the back. We had the double stroller too (more for his 3 year old brother) but it was easier to wear him when we had to park the stroller or to give him a nap. Also, he was going through a major separation anxiety thing on our trip and didn't really like to be down in the stroller soooo far away from mommy!
In the Sept. heat, we both did get fairly warm, so we needed to take "breaks" every once in a while from all that shared body heat. Getting the carrier on and off in the parks was simple enough, although I wear him a lot around town at home, so I was really practiced at it at the time. Definitely practice wearing at home and build up those wearing muscles before you go.

 

[daisylove]

I know it's not technically babywearing, but if you find you're uncomfortable for long amounts of time with a baby in a sling/carrier, Sherpani makes a lightweight baby carrier that is excellent.

http://www.rei.com/product/783271

It's much lighter than it looks and I used it for more than just hiking (i.e., did the dishes with it on). The only problem would be you'd have to take it off for attractions.

Ive looked at that before and was tempted but I really think we would just wear him a little between stroller and lines in ride.

Anyone have experience with wearing a toddler that heavy?

 

[rotlex]

My wife and I just returned from a 9 day trek through the World with our 6 year old, and 8 months old son. (He weighs 20 pounds). She carried him nearly 100% of the time while our DD used the stroller we brought along!

Anyway, she exclusively used a baby sling, ring type, such as the ones sold here http://www.mayawrap.com/ She stated is was the absolute best thing she had ever, ever used, and would never even consider the standard carrier type again. (i.e. Baby Bjorn type carrier).

These slings allow the baby to look forward freely, hide in your chest if necessary, and even nurse while hidden, and in motion.

The other nice thing was it was very cool to wear, even in the 98+ degree heat. They are so configurable I simply, or I should say she, could simply not say enough about it.

Ours is not a Maya wrap specifically, but it is exactly the same style. (I believe my wife ordered it back when our daughter was born, so it has held up very, very well over the years, but this was the first time it was used this heavily).

Anyway, this was a great way to enjoy WDW for 9 full days without any issues. No back problems, weight issues, feeding, sleeping etc. etc. HIGHLY recommended!

 

[treehugnmama]

I wore my 2.5 year old in feb and he is a big boy 34 pounds. He was in the stroller till he got tired and I put him in my ring sling. It worked great but i find a ring sling very easy to get a babe/child in and out of. It is probably the end of the baby carrying days I neve even had a stroller for my first always wore her in the sling. Second child I had a stroller but rarely used it.

I found it very convient to wear my toddler while we were there...it was cooler though that will make a difference.

I personally wouldn't reccomend a back carrier only because they are a pain to get child in and out of in my opinion plus they are larger to carry around when not in use. I have one I used for hiking but \I would never use it if I was getting babbe in and out jmo

 

[Shleedogg]

I wore DD (who was 2 mos at the time) all over WDW in January. It was so much easier than the stroller, although we still did use the stroller a lot. It did start to hurt my lower back and hips after awhile, but that could have been a post pregnancy thing.

DD and I went to Cleveland to visit some friends over the weekend and went to the zoo with my friend and her baby. We only took one car and thus, only one stroller. We each brought our own babywearing device and traded off. DD, who is almost 8 mos, wouldn't fall asleep in the stroller when she was in it, but fell asleep almost instantly when I put her in the Moby. She loves it.

I love my Moby. www.mobywraps.com. You can wear the baby facing you and basically "hugged" right up to your chest, which is DD's preferred method when she's sleepy. You can also wear baby facing out, on your hip and on your back. It's super comfortable to wear and I love that you don't have to buy a size, it truly is one size fits all. It's also great for nursing if any mommies are still nursing.

The only issue I've found with it is that DD gets really hot and sweaty in it. She is naturally a sweaty girl. I just make sure to strip her down to just a onesie if possible before I put her in.

 

[JaimeK]

I'm an avid babywearer. I used mainly a ring sling or a short wrap while at WDW. We an 8 month old (about 18lbs then) and a 3 year and just brought a single umbrella stroller. So easy. DH or I carried the baby in the carrier and the 3 year old walked or rode the stroller.

I really like ring slings, particularly for older babies/toddlers. The position is exactly like you would carry a child on your hip except the sling does the work and your hands are free. It should NOT hurt the shoulder the sling is on if you're doing it properly, most of the weight is on your hip and spread evenly to your back. One you get the hang of them they are super fast to pop in or out. My favorites are made out of nice breezy linen.

Your plan to stroller around from area to area and then babywear for the lines is great. The stroller can hold your gear, you'll all be comfortable in the lines.

 

[koima]

We're ring-slingers too! I have an Over the Shoulder Baby Holder and a Maya Wrap. My little girl loves it since she can pick her position - facing out, facing me, lying down, etc. I can nurse discretely, even pulling the tail of the Maya wrap up over me so nothing is exposed. I'll be bringing it to Disney with us in September when DD will be 13 months. She's tiny, though, and I doubt she'll be 20 lb. by then.

DH prefers the Bjorn.

 

[VBAndrea]

We have never baby carried at Disney, but for trips when ds was younger I liked the Maya Sling (it's just a standard ring sling). It was easiest to sit him on a hip with one of his legs in front of me and the other in back. He could see great, having him on a hip was easiest/lightest for me and the sling meant I could use both my hands/arms if I needed to.

If you go with any carrier try it out at a store if possible first. I paid way too much for a Baby Bjorn that I found to be absolutely uncomfortable for me (thankfullly dh could use it, but still...).

 

[ckdsnynt]

My little granddaughter is a snuggler but she weighed like 26 pounds at 10 months and was really good size (like as big as a 14 month old compared to others at the day care (my son is 6'5 and his wife is 5'10 and tall people are on both sides of the family). So, she would like to be carried but I don't think any of us would like to carry her around for very long

 

[aidtrismommy]

I have an 18 month old and did not wear him at the world the last time we were there. He was in the stroller, and took turns being passed around the family. I have a hip hugger by playtex, or maybe it;s called a hip hammock, I don't know. It can be used on babies/toddlers up to 40 lbs. It is just like you are carrying him on your hip, but you don't have to hold on. It is a huge arm saver and doesn't kill my back (like my bjorn). Like I said, I never tried it at Disney, but I do like it. Just another idea.

 

[laceemouse]

Those things killed my back so I never wore them, but I do advise you to not go when it is hot (like 9 months out of the year at WDW.) I think both of you would be miserable.
We loved the strollers, by the time a toddler is that big they WANT to see all of the sights in the parks! We rented strollers once they were old enough to sit well

 

[AmyBWV99]

I have a Moby Wrap & the Lascal M1, LOVE both. I've worn the Lascal to WDW for 5 trips with DS #2 (now 21 months & 27lbs & quite wiggly) but I'm finding as he got bigger and more wiggly I couldn't get him in as quickly, but it still works even if it's a bit of a wrestle.

Altho I have to say that the Moby is fantastically comfy he's not lovin it. I feel like I don't have loading him down very well. I do like that I have the option of front or back carrier and if I weren't getting on and off rides I'd prefer to carry him behind.

I can't take him in lines not wearing him he's a runner and climber he'd be 6 rides away and scaling fences quicker than we could jump out of line to grab him. So it will make your life easier to wear in lines from our experience. I don't think a carrier that works on your back alone would be very easy trying to load and unload in line to board. I like having him facing out so he can see the rides it also keeps him from trying to run all over whatever we are riding in.

I will say that any carrier I used even when they were smaller would take it's toll on my back from just standing. Walking doesn't bother it so much but i can rememeber vivdly praying for the fireworks finales several times b/c I couldn't stand any longer.

We alwasy take a stroller I wouldn't sub a carrier for a stroller too much wear and tear on my body.