Dont need 4 carriers just want 4 carriers

[JessK87]

So i have a way to go until my baby get here but i love researching items and since im in my 2nd term i have gotten my 2nd wind and want to make all the tough decisions now before i have to waddle around the baby stores! also i am the opposite of a minimalist so more is more with me lol I know that most of my needs are actual wants but since I am a first time mom i feel like im allowed to be crazy and buy too much!

I love the idea of being a baby wearing mama and have joined the baby wearer forum for insight/ideas on what I will need to baby wear.

I have decided to register for the Ergo baby carrier and the Baby K tan.

I am thinking of buying a wrap carrier that will grow with baby and me (can be used for new baby and toddler. Also im interested in back carries (one day when I really can wrap a baby like an expert) I am not interested in t shirt wraps such as the moby I believe my K tan will work best for those. Im deciding between the Vatania and the Didymos wrap. I believe the Vatania wrap will be easier to learn on but hear the Didymos instructions are invaluable but i also have the internet for that. Your thoughts?

I also fell in love with the kindercarry adj infant carrier with adj straps. Its made by a tiny online shop and is VERY popular among baby wearers who dont wish the wrap but want to wear a newborn in a soft structured carrier. Im thinking this will be my carrier hubby will get ergo. Im quite petite 4 10 and hear ergo is not good for tiny moms hence this carrier choice Thoughts?

[azazela]

I have a Baby K'Tan and used i almost exclusively with my son when he was a baby. I think it's the perfect stretchy wrap, I really do. I will say that when he was teeny-tiny (and he was born at 9+lbs so he was never that tiny), I couldn't get the K'Tan to work right for us. I used the Moby for that time period, until he could comfortable sit in a froggy position. For some reason sticking him in a pocket in the K'Tan didn't work for me but worked with the Moby. If you're thinking about getting into wovens, I'd just get that and the K'Tan for now. TBW has a great FSOT section too, so after you do all your research on wovens you can get a broken in wrap for a decent price. Not cheap because the wraps hold their value really well, but decent.

As far as the Ergo, I have one of those too and used it some with my daughter. By the time my son outgrew the K'Tan he was heavy and we were kind of past babywearing. I do like the Ergo in theory but it was not really comfortable for me/my build with a heavy child. Your hubby might like it. Mine wore our son in a K'Tan proudly. :love-retry: I've heard great things about Kindercarry too but haven't tried one. There are a lot of boutique SSCs out there and you can learn all about them at TBW.

I say get the K'Tan and a woven for now. Maybe a SSC that your husband will wear if he's antiwrap though real men wrap babies! :wink2:

[wellyes]

I have a kinder carry. It is niiiiiice but I am glad I bought it used. It is so plush that it's not the carrier I reach for all that often. My everyday is a lightweit mei tai with wrap-like straps (bbo, not sure if they are still in business).

Ergos are definitely worth registering for! But don't bother with the newborn insert. Since you won't need it for months after the baby is born, just tuck it away and wait to see how / when / who will best be able to use it.

I am not a big wrap user, but, couldn't you just use the Didy instructions with any woven wrap?

Do you have a baby wearer group nearby? I so wish I'd gone to a meeting of my local one (Boston baby wearers) because they have a huge collection for you to try on and look over. Would have saved me a lot of time and energy to just look at them vs reading about them .

ETA - here is BBO http://www.carrymeaway.com/category_31/Ball-Baby-Overall.htm

[JessK87]

Not a fan of used but I understand why people are I just consider a wrap like clothing and I don't like the idea of used clothes but thats just me! I hear the didy wrap comes with a large amount of instructions (DVD, Book, and online/phone support. but only if you buy/not available online) The V wrap comes very soft (as if it is broken in already not sure what instructions come with it.) I do have a baby wearing group in my area that I will def check out!

[wellyes]

Forget written instructions, YouTube videos are the best place by far to figure out how to wrap. There are tons for didymos, in many languages, but you don't have to understand the language to get the techniques.

I loved buying, selling and trading carriers on TBW. It's addictive. A great way to find stuff. My favorite SSC was an Israeli one called Yamo that I don't think you can even buy in the states. But hey, someone has to buy it new first!! Great especially for small businesses like Kindercarry.

[TammyZ]

we LOVE our K'tan and like azazela, its basically used exclusively. we used it right from the time lo was born - didnt have any issues with the newborn hold, but moved fairly soon to the hug one (which i love!).

it never hurts to have a stretchy style (k'tan) and a woven/structured carrier (we have a freehand). they fill different needs.

[echoesofspring]

I'm 5'2" and always felt like the ergos were built for someone taller than I am, I ended getting a beco that's been pretty comfortable, you can do a back carry with it, although we've never tried. You can use it with a newborn w/out an insert.

[lizzywednesday]

Not a fan of used but I understand why people are I just consider a wrap like clothing and I don't like the idea of used clothes but thats just me! I hear the didy wrap comes with a large amount of instructions (DVD, Book, and online/phone support. but only if you buy/not available online) The V wrap comes very soft (as if it is broken in already not sure what instructions come with it.) I do have a baby wearing group in my area that I will def check out!

Go with a group who has people who are wrappers, who can be few and far between in some areas. (My local group has one leader who's a sling/SSC person and another who's a wrapper. I love them both for different reasons.)

I have a "gateway" wrap - EllaRoo brand - and I used it almost exclusively with my DD when she was itty-bitty because I despised the Ergo infant insert and, well, it was hot outside.

Didy is great, but there are a TON of great wrapping videos online. Literally a TON. You don't necessarily need the Didy for that ... you could go with a Storchenweige or even your basic EllaRoo without any problems. (EllaRoo is fairly lightweight but still strong; it can get diggy when your babe is bigger. And it's OK with a back carry.)

I'd skip the K'Tan if you've got your heart set on a Didy; you'll get a lot more mileage out of the Didy than the K'Tan, IME.

As for the SSC, I think your impulse to go for a mei tei is a good one! If you change your mind, also look into the Beco Butterfly/Butterfly II, which tends to have a good recommendation for petite mamas ... and the Pikkolo by Catbird Baby (with support belt.) I'm currently researching carriers for my sister; I mean to surprise her with a SSC when she finds out what "flavor" LO she'll be having come September.

[Multimama]

Not a fan of used but I understand why people are I just consider a wrap like clothing and I don't like the idea of used clothes but thats just me! I hear the didy wrap comes with a large amount of instructions (DVD, Book, and online/phone support. but only if you buy/not available online) The V wrap comes very soft (as if it is broken in already not sure what instructions come with it.) I do have a baby wearing group in my area that I will def check out!

If you really want to buy BNIB I would get a Vatanai over a Didy just because depending on which one you buy a Didy could take awhile to break in and you might get discouraged. I agree with others YouTube is your friend.

[swissair81]

I'm 5'2" and always felt like the ergos were built for someone taller than I am, I ended getting a beco that's been pretty comfortable, you can do a back carry with it, although we've never tried. You can use it with a newborn w/out an insert.

That's funny. I'm 5'7" and I always feel that Ergos are built for someone who is broader than I am. I've tried them twice, and I can't get them to work for me. I have a gazillion Mei Tais and a Pikkolo. My one friend who wraps is trying to get me to try a Storch this time. I'll have to see if I'm adventurous enough.

[wildfire]

The advantage of a used woven wrap is they are usually broken in nicely. Some weaves can be a little stiff out of the box and take work to make nice and floppy.

That being said, I would not go with a Didy just because of the instructions. There are lots of place online with videos and you can get lots of help on TBW. Not everyone falls in love with wrapping, so it's good to try it out if you can. I loved my stretchy wrap but ended up going with Mei Tais and SSCs instead of a woven when I moved to back carries. My two favorites are a Bamberoo Mei Tai and a Kindercarry SSC. I don't wear much anymore, since both girls walk, but we did go to a Boat show a few months ago and I wore my almost 2 1/2 year old in my standard size Kindercarry for a few hours without a problem. (She's a runner and I was worried about crowds, falling, etc.) She was about 25ish pounds at the time.

Keep in mind also that for wraps, your needs may change. The typical front carries take a longer wrap than the typical back carry does. Not to say that you HAVE to do those, but you may start out with a longer one (also easier to learn with) and find you want something shorter as you get more adept.

[blueperidot]

I second the punk kilo recommendation. Hands down the best carrier of the 4 I went through.

[blueperidot]

That should have said "pikkolo". So much for auto correct.

[atroxnixfemina]

I just want to mention, because it doesn't seem to have been noted yet - if you aren't on www.thebabywearer.com (http://www.thebabywearer.com), you might want to head that way. There are hundreds of active (and thousands of occasional) mamas who can share their experience of baby wearing and different types and brands of wraps and carriers. Kind of a go-to for all things babywearing.

I have several Didymos (Didy's) and a couple of Storch's, and have tried several other brands, includint Vatanai's, Bara Barn's, Gira's, Natibaby's, etc. Babywearing is such FUN!

I'd have to agree not to chose a brand based on instructions - there are plenty of you tube videos and web tutorials that can help out.

I think it depends on the weave and fabric make up. Take into consideration that your 8 lb newbie is NOT going to feel the same way in your cotton carrier as a 30 lb toddler.

Hopefully you only stop at 4 carriers, mama :) I thought I'd be ok with one or two, but once I realized how wonderful they are, I ramped up my 'stash'. Well worth the investment!

[abh5e8]

well...i don't think 4 is too many :) :) :) :)

we have an ergo, peanut shell (fleece sized pouch) and wrapsody bali breeze (woven wrap). i used to have a handmade (no-name) mei tai that i simply LOVED but it got lost. and i have a pretty inexpensive woven sized pouch sling...can't remember the name, but its one of those free shiping kinda sites. its prefect to keep in the center console of my car or bottom of the stroller.

hope you love baby wearing...just keep trying them out!...its great!

[lizzywednesday]

That's funny. I'm 5'7" and I always feel that Ergos are built for someone who is broader than I am. I've tried them twice, and I can't get them to work for me. I have a gazillion Mei Tais and a Pikkolo. My one friend who wraps is trying to get me to try a Storch this time. I'll have to see if I'm adventurous enough.

I just bought a Storch for a friend's baby shower last month and WOW do I have wrap-envy. It'll take a bit to break in, but the weave is sooo much different from my EllaRoo that I'm tempted to pass it down to someone else & just buy a Storch instead! If you do buy one, I really feel that you'll love it, swissair!

I also agree that if you're not broad in the shoulder, an Ergo is probably not going to feel very comfortable on you and you'd do better with something by Beco or a mei tei.

Anyone interested in wrap carries can check out this site, recommended by the wrapper-leader of the babywearing group I'm part of, for how-to videos on wrapping:

http://closeathandbaby.wordpress.com/click-here-for-a-list-of-urls-to-all-of-becca-and-kyles-babywearing-instructional-videos/

[lizzywednesday]

The advantage of a used woven wrap is they are usually broken in nicely. Some weaves can be a little stiff out of the box and take work to make nice and floppy.

That being said, I would not go with a Didy just because of the instructions. There are lots of place online with videos and you can get lots of help on TBW. Not everyone falls in love with wrapping, so it's good to try it out if you can. ...
Keep in mind also that for wraps, your needs may change. The typical front carries take a longer wrap than the typical back carry does. Not to say that you HAVE to do those, but you may start out with a longer one (also easier to learn with) and find you want something shorter as you get more adept.

:yeahthat:

FWIW, though, you can usually break in a carrier pretty nicely by washing & ironing it. (Yes, ironing ... like you have time to do that, right??)

Or you can run it thru the dryer on fluff/no-heat with a couple tennis balls or dryer balls after washing it.

And, truthfully, some brands of wraps break in faster - my EllaRoo, for example, broke in VERY quickly!

[swissair81]

:yeahthat:

FWIW, though, you can usually break in a carrier pretty nicely by washing & ironing it. (Yes, ironing ... like you have time to do that, right??)

I don't even iron clothes. Oops.

[lizzywednesday]

I don't even iron clothes. Oops.

My DH gets his mom to iron his work pants because I just don't have the time.

But I'll iron DD's dresses if I'm motivated enough...and she's still sleeping.

[swissair81]

My DH gets his mom to iron his work pants because I just don't have the time.

But I'll iron DD's dresses if I'm motivated enough...and she's still sleeping.

Someone is always not sleeping here :) I usually take my kids dresses out of the dryer while still damp, and lay them out so they don't wrinkle. That's about it.

[JessK87]

Thank you everyone for your amazing suggestions! We will still register for the Ergo and Baby k'tan we had a chance to try them both out and i actually don't think the ergo will be too big for me after all. I love the K'tan I had a chance to use it with my newborn nephew and its perfect for that purpose. We will be getting the Vatani wrap to learn on. If all goes well I will end up buying the didymos wrap for some variety. Our other SCC will be the kindercarry. Thank you everyone for taking the time to read/post on my thread.