Carrier for preemie?

[acmom]

My little one is 2 weeks and weighs 4 lbs and 10oz. She is well short of the listed starting weights of both carriers I have - the Beco Gemini and the K'tan. Has anyone used a carrier with a preemie? If so, which one?

[sdjeppa]

My little guy was about the same size when he came home. I used a Moby wrap the first few weeks.

[Liziz]

DD1 wasn't a preemie, but she was well-below the 8-lb listed starting weight for the first month of her life or so, and I successfully used a Moby Wrap starting at about 2 weeks. Although under 8 lbs, she was definitely much bigger than your little one though and wasn't a preemie, so ymmv. If you're going to use something I think making sure her head doesn't slump/doesn't block airway is the biggest thing when they're so little. I liked that with the Moby I could make it as tight as I wanted and I could tuck her head in such that it was positioned correctly.

[lizzywednesday]

The thing about preemies is not necessarily their weight, but their positioning. A preemie can get into the curled-up/chin-to-chest position really easily and that impacts their ability to breathe.

That said, I taught my SIL how to use the Moby when my nephew was born; he was a little more than 5lbs at the time. I emphasized the importance of pulling past the stretch AND ensuring his airway was open. (It also helped a bit for his reflux.)

Based on my, albeit limited, experience, I think that a wrap would probably be the best option to use with a new squish that tiny because it's quite adjustable; I would choose something like a Wrapsody Hybrid (https://wrapsodybaby.com/product-category/stretch-hybrid/) over a Moby or woven, due to the width of the fabric and the one-size feel rather than trying to figure out sizing (like with a woven) and pulling against stretch (like with a Moby.)

The biggest issue you'll have with the K'tan is sizing - most folks order theirs too large - and the Gemini, even with a rolled blanket under Baby's bum, might be too long for a baby so small.

For more info, and a few links to videos, do check out Preemies and Babywearing at Babywearing International (http://babywearinginternational.org/tag/preemies/). Hope this helps!