Advice for fabric buying-newbie

[Latte Mama]

I have an almost 1 year old little boy who weighs about 25 lbs and I love wearing him. I have both a sling and a Mei Tei. The sling we gave up months ago and the Mei Tei is just too uncomfortable on my bad back. I have heard great things about wraps and that the right carry is pain free!

So I definitely want to try it but i don't want to sink a ton of money into yet until I know it will be pretty comfortable. I'd like to buy some fabric first and try it out that way, if we like it, I'd certainly go ahead and splurge then.

So what would you experienced wrappers suggest? Type of fabric for my son's size? We live in NY and we'll have about another month of fairly warm weather and then nice fall temps coming. I would love to walk the neighborhood wearing him. I'm a fluffy mama but losing steadily, I do tend to get hot easily and so does my son.

Also besides fabric suggestions, what carries do you think are easiest for newbies and best for bad back sufferers? Thanks in advance!
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[momey]

The most comfortable baby wearing accessory

I have tried many and the most comfortable I have come across and recommend
is The Ergo baby carrier. It is a little more expensive but it truly is comfortable and doesn't dig in anywhere and is made of cotton, which is the best choice in my opinion for babies.(Read "Cotton - Babies Best Choice" www.articlesbase.com)
The really nice thing about it is that you don't feel the strain when you carry older babies in it.

Hope this helps

[baturay]

Originally Posted by Latte Mama

Also besides fabric suggestions, what carries do you think are easiest for newbies and best for bad back sufferers? Thanks in advance!
:

For fabric selection, I'd go for osanburg first and if you can't find it, then go for crinkle cotton. Crinkle cotton will be cooler, but it's very thin. Because it's thin, you will get more pressure points than you would with a thicker fabric. So, you'll need to be sure to wrap carefully to avoid pressure points. Thicker wraps are much more comfortable, since it's like having padding on your shoulders and more support around you and your son.

Some carries to try are front cross carry and front wrap cross carry for front carries, and hip cross carry for hip carry and then for back carries , you can try rucksack, and back wrap cross carry.

But, about your mei tai...are you sure you are using it correctly? Mei tais are also good for those with back issues. I like using the instructions on kozycarrier.com. Some causes of back pain when using a back carry is not having it snug enough on you. Baby should be pressed on your with little gap (if any) between him and you.

[possum]

I wouldn't try a gauze/crinkle cotton wrap with a 25 lber if you're new to wrapping. At 25 lbs, the difference in comfort of a German woven wrap and our much-loved crinkle cotton wrap was very noticeable. I doubt I would have stuck with wrapping if it was my first experience with wrapping. My crinkle cotton was perfect when my son was smaller, and it was hot, and okay for me as an experienced wrapper when he was 25-28 lbs.
If you are set on a DIY woven wrap, I would look for a bottom weight linen or linen blend. This will be supportive and cool, and will likely be on sale at the end of the summer. Also, since most linens are 60" wide, you can get 2 wraps rather than one plus a long, narrow strip.
It might do to calculate your costs and compare it to what a used German woven will cost you. I recently got a almost unused 4.1 meter Storch for $50 on ebay. If the cost/yard of your fabric is over $10, you might very well spend less money getting a used wrap.
I would suggest a back wrap cross carry (FWCC). It distributes the baby's weight very well. If you have a squirmer, you can do a FWCC with a chest belt to get him secured on while you get the rest of the wrap finished.

Happy wrapping,
Melinda