Not sure which carrier to get.

[incognitomms]

Hello everyone,
I'm new to baby carrying, I had a Bjorn with my daughter and neither of us liked it. I would like to try something different with my son(1month old), I need to be hands free since my daughter is now a very active two year old.

Yesterday I went to a local store which sells slings, wraps etc and tried a bunch on but I'm still not sure what will work best for me once I get it home. I was mainly looking at the wraps, Mei Tai or slings. I want something I can use from newborn to young toddler(1-2) and that isn't too complicated to use every day around the house. I would like to spend less then $100 for it.

I haven't seen any posts compairing the Gypsy Mama BaliBaby Stretch to the moby. I had read that the moby tends to stretch out more and isn't as good for larger/older babies. The GM Bali says it is less stretchy so might work better for longer?

When trying the hotslings on I liked how easy it was to put the baby in but wasn't sure it would be comfy to wear all the time and it didn't seem as secure as the wrap, if I was running around after my daughter or bending over to pick things up and cleaning etc. I didn't care for the ring slings as much.

For the Mei tai I tried a babyhawk, seemed a bit harder to get him tied in it then the wrap. Seemed to me like I could tie up the wrap ahead of time then put him in where the Mei tai I had to tie it with him in my arms which seemed a bit harder to me. I also wasn't sure if it had as many positions as the wrap.


I had wanted to try the ergo but they didn't have any in stock. Also not sure if I want to spend that much. Is it easier to put the baby in then the bjorn, I found it hard to put the baby in by myself to do up all the clips and my daughter just didn't look comfy in it. Would it be hot for the summer with the infant insert?

Any other suggestions for carriers that I haven't mentioned?

Last question, and suggestions for good prices online? So far I have looked on amazon and The Sling Station.

Thanks for your Help.

[jenny]

You might need more than 1 carrier. Wraps and Ring slings are great for when the baby is really young, but as they get heavier and bigger, it's more difficult to use b/c there really isn't much support, IMO.

I've heard from different moms that a mei tai is good, but I agree that the long straps of tying it can seem intimidating. There are mei tai's that have a buckle, so you might consider that.

I have the beco butterfly 2 and like it alot b/c it puts the weight of DD on my hips. If you're concerned about your child getting hot in the ergo, there is an ergo sport, that has a lighter fabric. There's also a carrier called the solar weave connecta, which has a fabric that's made of UV protectant to protect your kiddie and it's breathable during the summer months.

If you join TBW, you can get gently used carriers of all types from the moms on that board in the for sale or trade section.

I got my beco butterfly 2 on babysnaz for $90 including S&H. Frogmama also has carriers with free shipping over $100.

edit: my bad, it's thebabywearer.com

[cindys]

www.tbw.com?? I went there and its somebodys personal website about their travels and friends.

[vahnessuh]

If you want a mei tai that has buckles, then there's the Pikkolo. It's basically a buckled mei tai.

Love my Pikkolo!

[Malloryn]

Here's the Babywearer's forums:

http://www.thebabywearer.com/forum/index.php

There are very helpful reviews here as well.

[firsttimemama]

i don't like one carrier from birth to toddler
i'd buy used wrap & ergo or meitai & ergo

i spent 20 on my MT and 50 on my ergo

[lefarrell]

A Connecta soft structure carrier would be great. I started with a wrap and mei tais (with a hot sling, an obi that didn't cut the grade), but eventually found I am a buckle kind of gal. I used my Connecta Solerweave from about 4 months to 10 and then went with a Beco Butterfly II, because I thought I would be doing more back carries, but DS still spends more time on the front! Shopping on the For Sale or Trade of TBW is a great option. That's were I got everything but my wrap and Beco which I bought new. Wraps get hot and bulky pretty quick, especially once summer comes along. You can pre-wrap and insert baby later, but a buckle carrier is so much faster, and you don't have to sport the extra layers in the heat!