back injury, front-carry mei tai

[HikeMama]

I do a lot of hiking with my 20 month old, 20 pounder front-carry in our mei tai. This is currently the only carrier I own for frugal reasons. The last time, I overestimated myself and went on an hour + hike that was hilly and rigorous by my standards. My right thoracic & paraspinals are killing me. It radiates to my low back, not so much in my shoulders. My chiropractor said I probably tore some muscles and I shouldn't be carrying her for anywhere near that long, especially on my front, especially for a hike, etc. She is just too heavy for me to be wearing for long periods of time. I had it tied tight and I had the straps that go over my shoulders around her back, not her bum, to hold her tighter. I know that I will take it easier next time, try to have my husband wear her for at least part of the trip, and wear her on my back more- it's just that she likes to nurse while we walk.

Questions: Should I invest in a different carrier? I have always found the mei tai to be very versatile and evenly distributing the weight, but maybe there is something better I don't know about.

Should I tie it differently? Maybe if I put both straps under her bum, my hips will carry more of the weight?

Any other advice? I would really like to be able to continue wearing my toddler as much as I can.

[batsister]

I don't have any advice but am also curious as to what others will say... I was about to post a question about which carriers are best for hiking/other outings during which the baby is carried for a long time and there may be hills, rough terrain, etc.... an SSC such as an Ergo? A pikkolo?

I look forward to seeing what others have to say.

I hope your back feels better soon!

[Shonahsmom]

I'm watching this thread too. As I type I am icing my injured neck and shoulder from a long mountain hike wearing my big (15 lb) infant in the high carry on my back in my Mei Tai. It was over three weeks ago and my neck and shoulder are so jacked up.

[Jillian79]

Have you tried wearing her on your back? With a bigger baby it's often more comfortable for extended periods to do a back carry, up nice and snug, than on the front. You'll use a different set of muscles wearing her on your back. What mei tai are you using? If the one you're using doesn't have a padded waist you might want to try one. It should help support your lower back more (when in a back carry). Before you go out and buy something you haven't used though it would be great if you could find some local people who would let you try out their carriers. Which mei tai works best can be such a personal choice, especially with the wide variety of brands these days and all their different options.

[mom2reenie]

I agree with pp, I'd try a back carry. DS2 is 20+ pounds and wearing him in a front carry hurts after a couple of minutes and my back is sore for hours afterwards.

[HikeMama]

Well right now my back is still recovering. It's not AS BAD when I wear her on my back, but I still need a better solution. I am going to try out my friends' beco and ergo next week and see if they feel better. In response to a poster, My mei tai is not branded. It does have a padded lumbar support. I haven't found my non-branded mei tai to be any different-feeling than the kozy carrier.

[pixiepunk]

my favorite carrier for hiking is a chunei. my torso/hips bear all the weight, no stress on my neck/shoulders/back at all. i have all kinds of shoulder problems right now, and this is the only carrier i can wear comfortably for long stretches of time without discomfort of any kind. my LO is about 25 pounds, for reference.

[inkedmamajama]

I also have back injuries and i find that a back carry is quite comfortable with a MT but i had to find a MT with a wrapstyle straps that were super wide and super long. the longer the straps, the better i could really get a tight tie and give myself some really good support.

i found that padded waists and straps were NOT the way to go, as they were often too stiff to be comfortable-the key was wrap style straps that could really conform to my shoulders and fit me comfortably for longer periods of time.

btw my baby is 27 months and 25 lbs. back carries and front carries worked for stretches of up to 3 hours, and i have MANY back issues( I broke my back twice and still have a herniated disk.)

[Quirky]

I would definitely go for a back carry. My feeling is, once baby hits 18-20 pounds, front carries should be short-time only -- for nursing or snuggling, but definitely not for any vigorous activity. We're designed to carry far more weight on our backs than we are on our fronts.

My favorites are soft structured carriers with hip belts to transfer the baby's weight to the lower body, and padded shoulder straps to relieve pressure on the shoulders. Our Ergo is our go-to carrier for our 22 month old who's 28 pounds. I can't even do MT carries with her on my back -- it's just simply not comfortable to have all that weight on my shoulders.

[mckittre]

My baby's not quite that big yet (17-18lbs), but I like the back carry in a wrap. With some kind of back carry/carrier, it should be easily possible to keep carrying a 20lb kid, I think. 20lbs, after all, is not very heavy for a backpacking backpack, and people lug much more than that (over mountains, all day long) to go backpacking.