Just got a WRF-- reviews and a question for hip carriers/sling wearers

[newmomnyc]

I love it! I had a sling, which is supposed to work well with the hip carry position, but I must be doing something wrong b/c I've tried it several times, and DD hated it. Now she starts crying whenever I start to put it on.

Anyhow, I got the WRF yesterday and took it out for a spin. I loved it! We walked around for an hour in it with no problems. It's beautiful, DD was cozy, and it seems to be quite well made. DD is about 6.5 months old and weighs almost 21 lbs, by the way, so I just couldn't do the Bjorn anymore. My husband is getting a Kelty backpack too (we have way way way too much stuff for an NYC apartment!).

I do have a couple of questions/concerns:

(1) Does anyone worry about one of the staps/connections coming loose? I was sort of scared about that and I kept my arm under dd's bottom the whole time. I'm used to the Bjorn with the double safety connections. With a sling/hip carrier, if one side comes apart, out will come baby. (!!!)

(2) How do I carry the baby in a hip carry position in a sling? I have the Premaxx one, with the drawstrings. Maybe dd hates it because the drawstring is cutting into her (??) Any tricks for getting a baby into the hip carry position in this kind of sling?
Since the WRF is working well, I thought I could try to get her into this one, since it's brand new and never used.

tia!

p.s. Edited to add: How are the Hip Hammock and the WRF carrier different?

[Momof3Labs]

Glad that the WRF is working for you! The HH is similar in concept, but has less padding on the shoulder strap. The pouch for baby is made of a cotton and lined in fleece, so it cuddlier but warmer than the WRF carrier. I never felt like Colin was secure in either the HH or WRF (carrier could break, or he could throw himself out) so I always kept a hand on him - it definitely isn't a one-handed carrier.

I'm not familiar with your sling, but I much, much prefer a sling for hip carry position (and so does Colin). It doesn't dig into my neck, and the weight is distributed so much better. I have an adjustable hemp fleece pouch, a non-adjustable pouch, a Solarveil ring sling and a Zolo sling. An adjustable pouch works better for me than a non-adjustable, but the non-adjustable is smaller and more portable. It could be that the drawstring is the problem, especially if it cuts into her legs, or it could be that you aren't getting her into position properly. Her knees should be higher than her bottom, so that she is tucked safely into the pouch of fabric.

[egoldber]

I only tried a WRF carrier once and it didn't work for me, but if it works for you, terrific!

I do use a pouch sling for the hip carry all the time. It takes practice. But some keys are: make sure that your DD's knees are above her butt when she sits in the sling. She should be sitting deep in the pocket. Make sure the fabric underneath her is to her knees and that the upper part of the fabric is around her shoulders.

Here are some sites with good pix:

http://www.kangarookorner.com/k_how_afp.shtml

http://www.taylormadetreasures.wahmb...tm#Hip%20Carry

http://www.newnativebaby.com/productmain.html

HTH,

[shishamo]

Hi,

I have WRF and really like it (my DH loves it). We never worried about the straps coming loose, it seems very sturdy to me. We have had ours for about a year now, since my DD hit 20 lbs and couldn't bjorn anymore.

We stopped using it when my DD started to want to walk a lot more, around 13-14 months: in fact, I was just washing ours to put into storage!

Which Kelty are you getting, BTW? I have Kelty Elite and love that also.

Sara

[newmomnyc]

We got the Kelty Base Camp. Haven't used it yet, and I'm still wondering if we need the Ridgeline instead. We'll have to decide today because we want to use it this weekend.

The Elite isn't one of the current models-- do you know which one it compares to in the 2002 line?

[newmomnyc]

Thanks very much for the links. I will try the sling again (when dd is in a good mood, of course!).

[JerseyMom]

What does WRF stand for??? TIA

[newmomnyc]

It stands for Walking Rock Farm-- they make hip carriers. I don't have the link for you but you can do a Google search on it and it will come right up.

[Momof3Labs]

http://www.walkingrockfarm.com/