Am I doing something wrong?

[Jerlin]

My baby is almost 6 months old and weighs 19 pounds and 28 inches tall. He's exclusively breastfed from the breast, no bottles.

I have 2 organic Moby wraps. The only position I can carry him in is with his legs hanging down, with either him facing me or facing out. I want to do other positions, as I'm afraid that his circulation to his legs might be comprimised. Is he just too big for the other positions?

Right now, I'm just holding him with my arms and goodness he's heavy!

Am I doing something wrong? Are there better wraps out there? Thanks for any help you can give!

[lifeguard]

You may find a non-stretchy wrap or a ssc is better at this point. At just over 20lbs I found I had to switch ds to my back 'cause he was just too heavy to wear up front for long.

[Ellp]

I agree with the PP. I found that by the time both my Dd's hit the 18lb mark my stretchy wraps were useless. They sagged and no matter what I couldn't get it tight enough to be supportive. After that I switched to a woven wrap, eg. a Didymos wrap.

The added bonus with a woven wrap is that you can have the baby on your back, which puts them up higher so that they can see, and you can have your hands/arms/space in front of you, free again.

[hezasan]

I need help too!

I am having similar problems with carrying my 9 month old -- he's also 20 pounds and 28" tall. The one that's actually working the best for me right now is a stretchy wrap kind of like the Kangaroo Korner one. The stretchiness holds him in tighter, even when he wiggles. It's also easy to get in and out of.
The problem with hip or front carriers for me right now, is I can't actually do anything while using them except walk around (helpful when we're out of the house!) His reach is as good as mine. This morning he dumped my measuring cup of veg oil, molasses, and maple syrup (making granola!) on the floor while I was wearing him. But if I wasn't wearing him, he'd be squealing and carrying on and I couldn't make my granola anyway.
I have been experimenting with back carries (although I don't have a variety of carriers to try) without much success. My problem with the ones that tie, is that I am having issues with my left wrist (seeing a chiro) and there is no way I can pull it tight enough that he is in the wrap securely. I had a front-to-back backpack style, but it is a huge pain to get in and out of, and is absolutely useless when I am home by myself (all but a few hours every day!) I like the idea of the woven wrap carrying him high, as I'm sure this would be what he's most happy with at the moment. Just not sure I can do it with my wrist. (I have a woven wrap that is pretty lightweight, wasn't originally intended for babywearing, it's kind of stretchy which seems to be a problem with his weight, even though the other stretchy one is great!) Are there any other styles that would do a back carry easily with one person?
I went to a thing the other day with other moms who were all carrying their 15 - 18 month old babies in the front with bjorns or mei tais. Their babies seemed to just hang out there -- no twisting to grab this or that, trying to dive here or there, just went along observing whatever mom was doing. It made me wonder whether baby wearing, while very helpful for a very "active" child who wants to be held, is also just simply more difficult! Is this a fair assessment, or is there something I am missing?

[mntnmom]

Originally Posted by hezasan

I am having similar problems with carrying my 9 month old -- he's also 20 pounds and 28" tall. The one that's actually working the best for me right now is a stretchy wrap kind of like the Kangaroo Korner one. The stretchiness holds him in tighter, even when he wiggles. It's also easy to get in and out of.
The problem with hip or front carriers for me right now, is I can't actually do anything while using them except walk around (helpful when we're out of the house!) His reach is as good as mine. This morning he dumped my measuring cup of veg oil, molasses, and maple syrup (making granola!) on the floor while I was wearing him. But if I wasn't wearing him, he'd be squealing and carrying on and I couldn't make my granola anyway.
I have been experimenting with back carries (although I don't have a variety of carriers to try) without much success. My problem with the ones that tie, is that I am having issues with my left wrist (seeing a chiro) and there is no way I can pull it tight enough that he is in the wrap securely. I had a front-to-back backpack style, but it is a huge pain to get in and out of, and is absolutely useless when I am home by myself (all but a few hours every day!) I like the idea of the woven wrap carrying him high, as I'm sure this would be what he's most happy with at the moment. Just not sure I can do it with my wrist. (I have a woven wrap that is pretty lightweight, wasn't originally intended for babywearing, it's kind of stretchy which seems to be a problem with his weight, even though the other stretchy one is great!) Are there any other styles that would do a back carry easily with one person?
I went to a thing the other day with other moms who were all carrying their 15 - 18 month old babies in the front with bjorns or mei tais. Their babies seemed to just hang out there -- no twisting to grab this or that, trying to dive here or there, just went along observing whatever mom was doing. It made me wonder whether baby wearing, while very helpful for a very "active" child who wants to be held, is also just simply more difficult! Is this a fair assessment, or is there something I am missing?

I have a WAHM made mei tai, that has buckles instead of ties. It's very easy for back carries. I would look at the soft structured carriers, like Ergo. As yes, some babies are just more "hands on" than others.

[jecombs]

Generally, the stretchy wraps are only good until LO reaches 15-20#, after that the wrap gets too saggy. If you really like wrapping, you might want to invest in a woven. They don't have the stretch-factor of a Moby, so it's better for heavier babies. Your other option is an SSC (like Ergo, Babyhawk Oh Snap, Beco) or a Mei Tai.

I have an Ergo and I love it! It's only downfall is that it can be too hot during the summer. But, it's easy to use, good for babies and toddlers, and you can do 3 different carries with it (back, side, front).