Need help choosing a carrier - pouch vs. wrap

[lowfatmuffin]

I've recently started wearing my 9 week old daughter in the past week. We've been having a blast, out walking and running errands for hours every day in our hometown of San Francisco. Then I found out that I shouldn't be carrying her in a Baby Bjorn for hours every day due to issues with spinal development. Boy was I crushed! So now I'm looking for a replacement, especially since DH and I are taking baby to Japan for a 10 day vacation at the end of the month and we're not bringing a stroller, so we need to be able to wear her for 8-10 hours a day!

I've read seemingly everything on this board and on babywearers.com, but still can't decide between a wrap and a pouch. Again, she is a newborn and we plan to wear her while walking for many hours a day over the next couple of months. I'm not too concerned about wearing her until toddlerhood, I just want something for the next few months. DH and I both have had back problems, and the wrap seems to address this better than the pouch, but the complexity and steep learning curve of the wrap tend to push me towards the pouch.

Any advice? Also, any recommendations for particular products would be helpful.

Thanks so much in advance!!

[npace19147]

I would think that a wrap would be preferable for the amount of wearing time you're talking about. You don't say how big your baby is but I think that one-shouldered wearing for that length of time would quickly become uncomfortable.

The learning curve of the wrap is, IMO/IME, highly overrated. If you get the wrap and practice a few times before your trip you will be fine.

As far as which wrap to try, a stretchy wrap is the most forgiving and comfortable for newborns and moms new to carrying. Two favorites are the Moby and the Hug a Bub. You might want to check what the weather's going to be like on your trip, the HaB is much lighter weight and cooler but also more $$. The Moby is more like t-shirt fabric and can get warm as an extra layer.

Let us know if you have more questions, have fun on your trip!

[mamaAnn]

If you can afford both a pouch and wrap it would be a great investment for you and I'm sure you'd get tons of use out of both of them.
The pouch is so nice for the errands to the store and in/out of the car. I can wear mine for 2-3 hrs with no problems at all and my babe is 17 lbs now. A proper fitting pouch is the key here www.hotslings.com is great for getting you the right size.

BUT...a wrap is very good for long carries-esp for siteseeing on a vacation/travel. It takes a little to learn but as the PP said-just a few times practicing and you'll get the hang of it. www.mamatoto.org has some great little videos that you can watch and practice at the same time-I've done that a few times!

Another option is the mei tai-like a wrap it is a 2 shoulder carry but a little easier to put on in my opinion. You can still do front/back carries with it and some do the front facing like a Bjorn with the narrower body styles but it has more fabric to support their spine so they are sitting rather than hanging. Here's a few links of good ones:
www.kolamobaby.com (this is my favorite and great for smaller babes since it has a high headrest)
www.sachicarriers.com
www.kozycarrier.com

www.thebabywearer.com has tons of great info/reviews too
Good luck
Ann

[lenad]

I second (third?) the wrap. Incredibly comfortable for long periods of time. Plus much less likely that your DD won't like it (a number of babies do not like cradle hold, which you would need to use w/ a pouch for a little baby).

I totally agree with Nancy that the learning curve of wraps is not nearly as bad as it might come across in the posts. With a little one you would most likely be using FWCC (front facing in wrap cross carry) and this is the easiest carry to learn. A stretchy wrap is incredibly forgiving so you don't have to worry about just how tight it is and how perfect your rails are. The poppability of a stretchy wrap is also the best.

All in all, I recommend you start with a stretchy wrap, then go from there. As you wear your DD you will realize what you need.

LD