Struggling to wear my 3 mo old

[lizfu]

Preface- I have a ring sling, a pouch sling, a Mei Tai and a Bjorn-style carrier. DS is 3 mo and big- at least 16 lbs. He was 8-9 and 21 1/2 in at birth.

When he was first born DS loved the ring sling. I could get him in the froggy position facing me and he would sleep forever. Now that he's 3 mo he won't do it. He keeps his body totally rigid and fights getting into the ring sling, even when he's tired. He doesn't have the head control to face out yet, and he likes the hip carry but isn't ready for that either. I have tried him in my Mei Tai but he does the same rigid legs thing, and he is still too small to have his legs sticking out like my toddler's. At this point the only carrier he likes is my Bjorn style one, but I am concerned about the hip dysplasia risk- however, it's so much easier to chase my toddler when the baby is in the Bjorn! I'm trying to limit it to an hour a day for now. Please tell me he'll get to liking the other carriers again, or give me a hint to get him in them now! TIA.

[clovergirl]

modify your mei tai so that he can have his legs out. use a hair tie or scarf to cinch in and narrow the base so that it's the right width to go from knee to knee. it should work well, it won't be as narrow as the bjorn style but will still allow for his legs to be out while his hips are well supported.

i'd also say try the hip carry. i used to believe that it wasn't really possible to do a hip carry with a baby under 4-6mo old but after the training i did last summer i learned that the spread of an adult's hip is usually smaller then across their belly and allows for a more physiological appropriate spread of the baby's hips, starting as early as a few weeks old. after that, i i tired it with a friend's 2mo old a few times and discovered that not only did it work, but it felt a lot more secure then a regular front carry with legs out. so it's definitely possible. just make sure that the fabric of the ring sling goes from knee to knee, and that it is snug across his back (smooth, no wrinkles or puckers), and goes up to at least the base of his neck. if you find that in order to get the top rail snug enough for head/neck support it is cutting in to your little one, try rolling a washcloth or small prefold diaper into it. it makes an amazing padded headrest!

good luck mama. i hope you figure something out soon!

[lizfu]

Wow, great suggestions, Clover! I am trying those tomorrow!

[ElaynesMom]

I was just about to hit submit when I saw clovergirl's suggestions were nearly the same as mine, she has some great ideas. I definitely agree about using something to cinch your mei tai.

Also, unless the base of your mei tai is super wide you should be able to do legs out without cinching soon. I was just visiting my cousin who has 3.5 month old twins and she was able to use her babyhawk mei tai legs out with either baby. The smaller twin is 12 lbs and not especially tall.

Hopefully things get better for you soon. I think 3-4 months is sort of an awkward age for babywearing.