woven wrap, mei tai, or ssc?

[moxygirl]

I know there's a big variation there but I'm looking for something to back carry both a newborn and older baby through the toddler years. I love wraps but I do find them harder to use and am wondering if I should go with something easier. What do all you experts recommend?
Also, which brands are your favorites?

[2ID_Wife]

I prefer to wrap, zara or bbslen. Maybe a size 5(4.2m) .
MT are good for multi age front and back, freehand is a good one that are easy to find, I am not a big babyhawk fan for some reason but alot of people love them and you can pick your own fabric and strap colors.
What wrap did you have that you found hard to use?

[tracymom1]

I love my Ergo! Easy to get the little one on the back and very comfortable. I used a Moby until about 8-9 months and then switched to the Ergo because I didn't like the lengths of fabric on the wrap touching the ground in parking lots when I would get the wrap ready - just started to gross me out and with 2 under the age of 3 I needed something FAST and EASY - because as soon as the car shuts off, they want out!!

[sosurreal09]

i love my woven wrap i just made my own. just go to the store and buy 5 yrds of cotton gauze and cut it 25-30inch wide. i also love my mei tie which i made myself too.

DIY mei tie http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/FrankenKozy.htm

DIY wrap/ greatest BW website ever! http://www.wearyourbaby.com/Default.aspx?tabid=173 if you click start here it will show you how to make your own

[scrapadoozer]

Loved the Moby until ds was about 6 mos. Now that he is older & a wiggle worm, the Ergo works best for us.

[SubliminalDarkness]

I have, and used, all sorts of carriers. Wraps were my favorite. DH preferred soft structured carriers, we have a Beco, a Beco Butterfly, and an O&A.

I think wraps just offer more options. I could do a high back carry, a low back carry, a single layer carry, a multi-layer carry, on and on.... Not to mention front carries, hip carries, using the wrap as a picnic blanket, etc. etc.

If I could only have one carrier, it would undoubtedly be a wrap.

[moxygirl]

Originally Posted by 2ID_Wife

What wrap did you have that you found hard to use?

Well, to be honest, I've only used the Moby.
It's not so much that it's hard to use. It's just too stretchy to get a good wrap on my biiiig 7mo. No matter how snug I tie him (hip carry mostly, due to my big preggo tummy) he always sags down past my hip. I do intend to get a woven wrap eventually, but I'm thinking "poppable" right now. DS is in a clingy stage and if I want to be able to leave the room to do any little thing (get something to eat, wash a few dishes) I'm going to need to start taking him with me.

I'm also thinking ahead to when I want to wear two and what will be the easiest. I'm about to have two under a year old and EASY is becoming the name of the game.

[SubliminalDarkness]

Originally Posted by moxygirl

Well, to be honest, I've only used the Moby.
It's not so much that it's hard to use. It's just too stretchy to get a good wrap on my biiiig 7mo. No matter how snug I tie him (hip carry mostly, due to my big preggo tummy) he always sags down past my hip. I do intend to get a woven wrap eventually, but I'm thinking "poppable" right now. DS is in a clingy stage and if I want to be able to leave the room to do any little thing (get something to eat, wash a few dishes) I'm going to need to start taking him with me.

I'm also thinking ahead to when I want to wear two and what will be the easiest. I'm about to have two under a year old and EASY is becoming the name of the game.

Well, you can wear two in one wrap. You can't wear two in an SSC or a mei tai, unless you're combining more than one carrier.

[MyLittleWarrior]

woven wraps, all the way. I wouldn't feel comfortable putting a newborn on my back in anything else, and they can't be beat for support and comfort for your toddler.

[scottishmommy]

Woven wrap all the way. Sure they take a little practice, but once you've got it down it's sooo comfy and supportive.

[Lauren710]

^^ I agree with the two posters above me Stretchy wraps are not really useful past 15 pounds or so. I've tried one stretchy, mei tais, SSCs, ring slings, and woven wraps, and wraps have by far been my favorite (I'm up to 11 of the darn things now for my toddler ). If you want poppability, though, I'd think about getting two: either a long and a short woven wrap, or a long woven wrap and a ring sling.. then you have the option for long-term comfort/back carries or poppable hip carries. If you don't mind buying used, you can easily find a shorty or sling and a long wrap for about the price of one brand-new long wrap.

My favorite brand is Didymos, but they can get pricey. Ellevills (Zara and Jade), BBSlen, Neobulle, Storchenwiege and Hoppediz are all great wraps that will take you from newborn to toddler and are easy to care for (all my non-wool wraps just get machine-washed on a gentle cycle and dried on low in the dryer).