Made babywearing coat - now how do I use it?

[MittensKittens]

OK, I got a coat at a thrift store and chopped it - hole in the back for baby and all that. It is a whole hassle to get it on, because baby prevents it from going over his head, pushing and pulling on the fabric with his hands. Getting it off is more of a pain still. Is this normal? Do other mamas have this experience as well? If you have no trouble getting on a babywearing coat, please tell me how you do it .

[lifeguard]

Mine slips easily over ds' head but I haven't found a really effective way to get it off by myself. I'm going to try taking the coat off myself then moving ds with the ergo around to my front & then getting it off of him. It's great when it's on but it is a little inconvenient to get on/off.

[Astraia]

I just made my first attempt at a babywearing coat - an old coat I can't get the stains out of and some scrap fabric. It's UGLY but so are my sewing skills so I figure I'd wreck one before trying for real.

I got it on easily enough, she had fun putting her hands up through the hole as I was trying to get it over both of us. Getting it off.... well, that was more interesting. I'm not sure there is an easy way to do it, but I like the idea of turning baby around to the front.

[MittensKittens]

Thanks for your replies! Getting it off was less of an adventure than putting it on, for me. I removed the sleeves from my arms, then untied the mei tei and then removed the coat from baby's head.

Getting it on? The only way that I have been successful so far is from the top upwards... I kind of bring the back of the coat up from my legs towards my back, until it reached the part where baby's head goes through, and then put the sleeves on. It takes a long time . Trying to put the coat on a more "normal" way, DS simply prevents the coat from coming anywhere near him.

Another concern - once it's on, he likes to put his arms through the hole as well. The whole point of the coat was one coat keeping the both of us warm, because the baby coat in the mei tai feels, well, uncomfortable and really bulky. But if he keeps putting his arms out, he'll be cold.

Any other suggestions? How do you make babywearing work in the winter? For front carries, I just wear a coat a couple sizes too big and we have no problems at all. But my back wants a break from the front carry at times .

[MittensKittens]

Originally Posted by Astraia

I just made my first attempt at a babywearing coat - an old coat I can't get the stains out of and some scrap fabric. It's UGLY but so are my sewing skills so I figure I'd wreck one before trying for real.

I got it on easily enough, she had fun putting her hands up through the hole as I was trying to get it over both of us. Getting it off.... well, that was more interesting. I'm not sure there is an easy way to do it, but I like the idea of turning baby around to the front.

Did you just cut a hole, or make the side panel thingies as well?

[lifeguard]

MittensKittens - ds does the same thing with his arms. I am going to put an elasticy drawstring on the neck opening so his head will fit through but not his shoulders... any day now I'm going to.

[MittensKittens]

Please be careful the elastic isn't too tight , I would be a bit concerned about choking issues.

[lifeguard]

Believe me - that is the thing that has stopped me from doing it so far - but right now it is rather useless the way it is.