Which baby carrier do you use??

[jawa7400]

At the time of our trip we will have a DD4 and DS1 (20 months). DS is a very active kid. He walked early and has been on the run ever since! He's also very heavy! (30 lbs at 15 mos.!) We plan to use lightweight strollers for both kids in the park. However, my concern is in the ride lines. The stroller will be parked before entering the line and neither of us want to hold DS for however long we are in line. I read a suggestion that you should put baby in a carrier for those times. That sounds great, but what's the best kind for a bigger kid? We don't currently own one, and I don't want to spend a ton of money for this one trip.

 

[jennilee171]

We love the ergo. Easy to front or back carry. Our 30 pounder rides in it on our backs.

 

[sarahtar]

For compactness, you might consider a Mei Tai. Comfortable but with less bulky padding than an Ergo. Ties instead of buckles. No plastic parts to adjust when switching wearers. Folds down to fit into a pocket in your diaper bag.

 

[RachaelA]

Toddler Tula or a Toddler Kinderpack

So so so so so so much better for a toddler than an Ergo.

ETA: Some places (paxbaby.com and maybe the tula website tulababycarriers.com) rent them. And Abby's Lane has a 30 day return window on Tulas.

 

[MrsPinup]

While I LOVE my Ergo, larger and older babies would do much better in a Toddler Tula or a Kinderpack. Tula's offer more support for parents and child; Kinderpacks have a mesh back to keep the child cooler. There are lots of babywearing groups on Facebook to help you find one without breaking the bank. Babywearing on a Budget is a great group.

 

[DisneyStorm93]

We have the Toddler Tula for our 20 month old. Absolutely love it! I was back and forth on several carriers for weeks - small town so no baby wearing group. Finally ordered the Tula from Paxbaby and it was perfect.

 

[amyren]

We used the Ergo on our most recent Disney trip (Tokyo Disney). DS was 21 months. We used the stroller as much as possible but definitely utilized the ergo in line!

 

[usagibuffy]

I have used an Ergo since my oldest was tiny, but I just got a Kinderpack and woah! So much better! I will warn you, Kinderpacks are very difficult to find right now; they are made in the US by a small company and currently demand is far outstripping supply. I'd start hunting now for one if that's the way you choose to go. I bought an infant size to wear our upcoming baby at DL and WDW, but have been wearing my toddler in it all week. It is so comfortable!

 

[mommyofsamson]

I also agree with the Tula Toddler. I had the Ergo for my son but it was basically getting too big for it. He is only like 20 lbs but 30" tall at 17 months. So the Tula Toddler I felt had so much more room. (It also goes up to 50 lbs.) It is totally worth it, especially if you decide you do want to wear him the park and not just in the line.

 

[kimbee]

I love my ergo. weight distributed evenly and very comfortable for you and baby.A Moby is great for the newborn stage, but not so much past 6 months or so.

I have admittedly a baby carrier addiction, but these are my favorites that are commercially more available:
Beco Butterfly
Nana's Jetpak
Babyhawk

 

[kohlby]

I loved my unpadded ring slings - like the Maya. They were lightweight and easy to pack. I used it with my eldest daily until 16 months - and he as 33 lbs then. I used it at Disney with my youngest at 2.5 years old. (Can't remember his weight other than above average but not as high as my eldest was at the same age). The plan was to use the stroller but he refused. (And refused to walk as well). So, after a year of not using a carrier, I had to use one. There are probably some made for bigger kids, but we did just fine with the sling. I wouldn't go out and spend a lot of money on one though unless you plan to have another child. However, if you can sew a straight line with a sewing machine, then you can make your own for under $10 likely. It's easy to throw it into your bag and use when needed. (Plus, you can also use them as a seatbelt in restaurant chairs to keep the child in better!)

 

[Tropics]

I definitely agree with the Tula Toddler! We have it for our 2.5 yo. She's only 30lbs but she has the height of a 4 year old. The Tula Toddler provides a really wide seat for them so that you LO is comfy and so that their legs aren't dangling in your way.

 

[slzer0]

I have an ABC that I prefer for hip carries as it has switchable arm straps. Not so great for back carrying a 35lb 2.5yo.
My Boba is best for back carries but can't be used for hip carries.

At 35lb I rarely use our Mei Tai and I never liked the wrap (too squirmy).

An Ergo is the best of both worlds but I don't have one. I can't justify it for this trip but I will be getting one for the next baby.
And likely a ring sling.

Then I'll only have 6. Lol

I can't decide between ABC and Boba for this trip. I'll likely bring both but only one into parks and decide on the fly.

HTH

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I really like our Boba 3G. We used it in lines when DD was 3 months and I just tried her out in it again today (she's a HUGE 12 month old--90th percentile at least) and it was still really comfy. I'm going to bring it for lines when we go in September.

It does seem like the Tula is all the rage right now for soft structured carriers, though.

 

[MichaelaF]

We use Ergo (DS is 15 mo/23 lbs), but the last few times we've tried to back-carry him with it he doesn't like it at all. We ended up just moving him to the front even though he was almost a year. So we're gonna have to figure out something to get him used to it before our next trip in November! I definitely do recommend the carrier for lines. We just held him a couple of times last time and it was a pain!

 

[branv]

We really like our lillibaby carrier. Front, forward, side and back carry, amazing support and padding (including a lumbar support pad), easy to adjust. Also lets you adjust the seat width. My DS and I are both furnaces, but I wore him at the zoo during a Texas June and felt as comfortable as one can in that temp (we were using the Airflow Lillibaby). He sweat more after I put him in the stroller!

 

[KerTggr]

Will you be the only one using the carrier?

I ask because both my DH and I use ours. He is ~100 lbs heavier and 7 inches taller than me. We tried 5 or six different carriers. We used a mai tei when DD was a baby but switched to a Pikkolo with a Babywearing Support Belt now that she is bigger (just under 20 lbs). Is great because it works for both of us and is as easy as resizing by pulling on the extra straps to tighten (me) or pulling on the plastic tabs to loosen (DH).

As she gets older we are planning on using a MiaMily Hipster.

 

[jawa7400]

Will you be the only one using the carrier?

I ask because both my DH and I use ours. He is ~100 lbs heavier and 7 inches taller than me. We tried 5 or six different carriers. We used a mai tei when DD was a baby but switched to a Pikkolo with a Babywearing Support Belt now that she is bigger (just under 20 lbs). Is great because it works for both of us and is as easy as resizing by pulling on the extra straps to tighten (me) or pulling on the plastic tabs to loosen (DH).

As she gets older we are planning on using a MiaMily Hipster.

I haven't thought too much about it, but DH will probably be the one to carry DS for the majority of time. Right now, the plan is to only wear him in line, but if he likes it, we can wear him around the park as an alternative to the stroller.

 

[msmama]

When my son was 2 I mostly used a hip carry with my ring sling in lines. He was much to big to carry around the parks at that point but the ring sling worked well for lines. (Of course that is what I had already).