Help me please. I need to buy a baby-wearer asap.

[Blessed_Mom]

Hi,

My DD is kind of small but she is about 15 lbs at 6+ mo. I have never worn her. When she was about 3-4 mo I tried to wear her in a hotsling but she would have none of it.

Fast forward now... At 15 lbs she has gotten a bit too heavy for me to rock her to sleep in my arms and that is pretty much the only way she will nap in the mornings. I need to buy a baby-wearer but am a complete ingenue at the differences or different brands.

Just by browsing through I think I may want the Ergo (I don't even know why) but where can I get it for a reasonable price without it costing me heavily in S&H and a site which has a easy return policy (in case DD never takes to it)?

Is Ergo the right carrier for us? Age-wise and weight-wise? Where do you guys buy your Ergos?

TIA

EDIT: Or do I want a Mei-Tei? Or a Moby wrap? Pictures seem pretty similar to me and I am panicking here...

[MissMommyNiceNice]

I didn't really use my ergo until DS was able to sit himself up. I got it around 1. I bought mine used off of ebay. They have a high resale value, so if she doesn't like it, you can easily resell it for almost full value.

At that age, I used a wrap style or a ring sling. You should be able to find a ring sling for $20-$30 and I just saw Target has Moby Wraps for $40.

[possum]

Lots of people love Ergos, and they often seem to be especially popular with daddies. An Ergo will fit your LO for a long time to come, so if you both like it, it will be a great investment.
Mei tais are a bit more fine-tunable, I think, but the structured waist of the Ergo will allow you to put most of the weight on your hips as she gets bigger - not so much of an issue right now.
I'd say go for it. If you really don't like it, you can easily resell an Ergo as they are pretty mainstream as carriers go.
I would not suggest a Moby for a 15 pound, 6 mo old baby. She will soon be too heavy to use it comfortably, and IMO it is not safe to do a back carry with a Moby. If you are interested in a wrap, I'd go for a woven wrap.
If you have a baby wearing group in your area (check on the babywearer.com), you should try to attend a meeting where you can try out different carriers before you commit to buying one. You can also meet lots of cool moms at BWing meetings .
Good luck!
Melinda

[Blessed_Mom]

So seems like Ergo is too soon and Moby is too late. She hates wraps (I tried Hotslings and some other ...which I don't remember. Was organic and woven from Target online)

What about a Mei Tei? I am not looking into back-wearing. It is for me and not DH.

Any suggestions? Where can I get a Mei Tei (I shall look into the babywearer.com but am a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information and views out there)

[possum]

I think she'd be fine in an Ergo. My best friend has a 10 lb newborn who loves the Ergo.
Melinda

[MissMommyNiceNice]

If you were using a fitted sling, a ring sling is really different. You can wear the baby chest to chest no problem. It's a lot easier to use than a big wrap. And it grows, I stilll use mine for my 3 yo sometimes. It takes a lot of work out of the hip carry.

[Blessed_Mom]

Originally Posted by MissMommyNiceNice

If you were using a fitted sling, a ring sling is really different. You can wear the baby chest to chest no problem. It's a lot easier to use than a big wrap. And it grows, I stilll use mine for my 3 yo sometimes. It takes a lot of work out of the hip carry.

Which ring sling were you thinking about? And - I have never carried DD on my hip - it has always been straddling her hips in one of my shoulder and supporting her upper body with another hand. I have never worn her and done chores around the house. I do them in the evening when DH is at home and I hand her off to him.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

I dunno, I have a WAHM made one. I now have my mom make them. (I can, but hate hate hate tiny seams!).

anywho, at your DD's age, she's probably a little too little for hip carry, it's really for when they are very stable at sitting up and head control kind of thing. But maybe if you get it up her back far enough. At that age, DS peferred the kangaroo carry (sort of sitting sideways in the sling (fett to one side, back in the upwardsweeping part) facing out so he could look around.

I originally ordered a fitted sling, but it turns out I'm not the pre-determined size. Shocking. The ring sling gives you possibilities for varying adjustment and wears. A mei tai is also good for that age, if she can sit up pretty good. 15 lbs seems small for that age, maybe you could do it with her legs tucked in.

Maybe you can check out the WAHM well at the bottom of the boards - there's bound to be some reasonably priced homemade slings & mei tais available.

[Bokonon]

I wear my 20lb. 7mo in my Mei Tai all the time, very comfortably, and since she was about 12 pounds. I'm only 5' tall, so my torso is very short, and it's still comfortable for me.

A friend of mine made it for me, and it's similar to BabyHawk.

I'm going to be borrowing an Ergo from a friend of mine this weekend, but it's really for DH. He likes to wear her in the Bjorn, but I'd rather him not use the Bjorn at all. I didn't want to buy a new Ergo either, so I'm going to make a 3.5-hour round trip to get one free. My friend used hers with her daughter until she was probably over 3 years old and 35+ pounds, so I know that if DH likes it, we'll get a lot of use out of it until my friend decides to have baby #2!

[Blessed_Mom]

So a moby wrap may be out, too soon for the Ergo.... but a Mei Tei may be good? I google Mei Tei and i am going crazy

There are so many types out there...and so many sites.

Is Karma Baby from Target the same as My Karma? Or are they two different brands?

I am asking my DH to try getting the Karma Baby and Moby wrap (all the same) from Target until I figure this out better and can order myself a Mei Tei or an Ergo.

And yes .....sigh....DD is small ! She was born a premie at 35 weeks.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

Here's a WAHM MDC mom from down at the WAHM Marketplace:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1093713

I'm sure she can give you some guidance. There are a few other links too...
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1130459
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1094012
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1134748

[Blessed_Mom]

Err.... her (Quirky baby) Babyhawks are ranging in the upper 100(140) dollars whereas Daintybaby has them for $80.

Am I missing something?

[Blessed_Mom]

I am now leaning towards Mei Tei Babyhawk or a Beco Butterfly -2 (or something) carriers.

Am I right in thinking these two are almost similar? Are there any major differences?

Anyone's alarm bells going off on knowing that I plan on wearing my 6 mo old, 15 lbs DD in these wearers to make her sleep in the front (mostly want until she falls asleep , which can sometimes take upto an hour in the mornings)

Thank you so much ladies

[thtr4me]

A Babyhawk is a great starter carrier, and most people will be able to use them right through toddlerhood. My sister used a Freehand MT right from week one. And I say go with an MT to start. They are much more adjustable and versatile than something like an Ergo.

[Quirky]

Originally Posted by Blessed_Mom

Err.... her (Quirky baby) Babyhawks are ranging in the upper 100(140) dollars whereas Daintybaby has them for $80.

Am I missing something?

Babyhawk Oh Snaps (that cost $140) are the new buckle carrier made by BabyHawk, not the mei tai (that costs $80 and up depending on options). I carry both.

[Blessed_Mom]

Originally Posted by Quirky

Babyhawk Oh Snaps (that cost $140) are the new buckle carrier made by BabyHawk, not the mei tai (that costs $80 and up depending on options). I carry both.

Does that tell you how much of an ingenue I am about baby carriers?

Now I understand - thank you!

[an_aurora]

I love love love my Beco with my 16 lb 5 month old.

[MamaKickyPants]

I've never used a beco butterfly... My DS went through a stage (like, 6 mos long!) where we had to get him to sleep in the carrier, and then could transfer him to his bed, but he was very sensitive to movement/fiddling, even if he was in a deep sleep. I used either a mei tai (a Babyhawk, specifically) or the Ergo because it was easy to untie/undo the shoulder straps and then slide him onto the bed (mattress on the floor - wouldn't have worked with a crib) without fiddling too much with buckles and waking him up.