two month old not as into slings anymore? (please help!)

[FMB]

Hello all,

I'm relatively new to these boards so please bear with me if I've missed a recent topic on this subject.

I have a 9 week old who is the love of my life (of course). He's also a 24/7 velcro baby and, while he is on the tail end of the intense evening needs phase (for lack of a better word) he still wants to be walked around or even danced around frequently. We love doing this, but our little chunker is 14 lbs (EBF, too), so I rely heavily on my two slings. I have a hotsling and a moby. DS kind of stopped enjoying the hotsling a while back, which was fine because I thought the moby was more comfortable. Problem is, now he's a bit tired of the moby, too, and has started to fuss in the sling like he doesn't like it. This isn't constant, but it seems to be happening more often. While he still prefers to be in-arms, we are of course careful about responding to his "put me down for a while and let me kick" cues, as well, and I'm pretty sure it's not about that. Since he has great neck control (but not full neck control yet) I have tried putting him in the hug hold as opposed to the newborn hug hold (which scrunches his legs up too much, I think). But the hug hold makes my little one look like a bug that smashed into a windshield (and I'm the windshield). I also worry that it's spreading his legs apart too much.

So I suppose my Q's are threefold.

Any sling suggestions that might work better for us? We have a great local community where I can try before I buy but I'd like to at least have an idea.

Anyone find their baby using the different holds earlier than recommended? (for instance, the hug hold was recommended for 3 or even 4 month olds)

Can incorrect sling use hurt their legs, either immediately or developmentally? (he's not in any pain, nor in any danger of falling out).

Sorry if this is a bit remedial and a little bit long. Thank you for reading.

Faye

[Kiara.I]

Originally Posted by FMB

Any sling suggestions that might work better for us? We have a great local community where I can try before I buy but I'd like to at least have an idea.

It depends on why he isn't liking the Moby. Does he feel too confined? Having the legs out should help with that. One thing to consider is how he likes being held in arms. Try to find a way to wear him that replicates that position as much as possible.

I have a sneaking suspicion that you are running into the stage where they desperately want to face out. But, of course, that's not really good for them and will be very uncomfortable for you with a 14 pound baby! So, your best solution is...the high back carry! Moby wraps say they can be used for back carries. Please don't. I would be very nervous about using a stretchy wrap for a back carry. Either a woven wrap or a mei tai will be your friend here. Basically, you can carry him high up enough that he can look over your shoulder, and his head can be supported on your shoulder by your neck when he needs it. There's a great picture of this with a mei tai on the Kozy website:
http://kozycarrier.homestead.com/ins...tml#anchor_316
If you like the idea of a wrap better, there are lots of instructions for that too.

Originally Posted by FMB

Anyone find their baby using the different holds earlier than recommended? (for instance, the hug hold was recommended for 3 or even 4 month olds)

Yes. If your baby is large enough (and at 14 pounds you bet he is!) then by all means put his legs out instead of froggied. (And anyway other stretchy wraps recommend doing so anytime after 6 weeks.)

Originally Posted by FMB

Can incorrect sling use hurt their legs, either immediately or developmentally? (he's not in any pain, nor in any danger of falling out).

Nope. Well, I suppose it's theoretically possible, but it would have to be *really* incorrect use. And I really don't think it could happen in a Moby at all. They're stretchy fabric, they will stretch around the baby. Babies, especially 2 month olds, are tremendously resilient. They bend, they bounce, they're designed to survive handling by nervous new parents.

[terrabella]

Originally Posted by Kiara.I

Moby wraps say they can be used for back carries. Please don't. I would be very nervous about using a stretchy wrap for a back carry. Either a woven wrap or a mei tai will be your friend here.

Moby wraps work great for back carries. Nothing to be nervous about.

I do recommend that you do get a mei tai as well, though. They are fantastic in their own way. It's nice to have the variety.

[Carrruth]

Since you have a group where you can try different carriers, try a mei tai and see how he likes that. As long as the waist isn't padded, you can roll it up on the bottom to make it shorter in the body if you need to. Hopefully he'll be more comfortable in that!

[mckittre]

I think it's fine to put his legs out if that helps - I did with my baby much younger than that (he liked it better). I don't think that it's so terrible to do a back carry in the Moby either (I've been doing it with my 7.5 month old, though I'm getting a woven wrap soon). If you do it tight, baby isn't in danger of falling out. But it's not so good if the baby wants to sleep - hard to keep that head from lolling back.

[FMB]

Thank you all for your replies! I think it's true that my little one might prefer to be held facing outward, although his preferred carry is pretty close to the newborn hold, he doesn't seem to like that all of the time in the moby. He is a very social baby though and I think he doesn't like having his head buried in all of that fabric. I don't think his head control is good enough yet for a back carry in the moby but I think I'll try out some of those other carriers recommended. Thank you for the link to the illustration, too, as I was really having a hard time imagining a 2 month old in a back carry until I saw those.

I'm obviously very new to babywearing, but we enjoy it!

[Adasmommy]

It's wonderful that you can try out carriers and see what you and he like!

I think a back carry may be just what you need, and he doesn't need head control for a back carry as long as the carrier is supporting the back of his head.

As for legs out, a baby can be wrapped with legs out as earlier as you want. The real issue is just finding a comfortable position for the baby. You can also try one leg and one out, if his legs seem to be uncomfortably wide apart. I'd imagine you could fold the moby too so it doesn't hold his legs so far apart.

[almadianna]

I too would stay away from a Back carry with a moby, especially with a baby that young. But I think this would be wonderful for you and your baby.