Do you consider carriers gender specific?

[OkiMom]

I know, strange question but do you consider carriers gender specific? I haven't ever thought of it before but I had DD2 in a blue wrap and got told twice I had a cute son. Shes 20 months old and was dressed in a pink dress, she just wanted mommy's attention and to be carried.

I just realized other than the wrap all my carriers would be considered girly (purples and pinks) because I got them second hand or on sale and thats what I could find.

[GoBecGo]

i don't. i have 4 right now, all home made, a deep red ring sling, a maroon wrap, a blue wrap and a blue crossover ring wrap (like a close carrier). in every case i got the most suitable fabric the discount fabric place had and there was little or no colour choice. if anything i suppose the carrier, if gender specific, would be specific to thr gender of the babywearer, not the baby. i'm sure my DH wouldn't be too thrilled to wear a pink flowery wrap, especially if dd wasn't actually in it!

[katelove]

Nope. I consider them an "accessory" (for want of a better word) for me not for babe. I bought a pink stripey sling before I knew J was a girl and I have a gorgeous blue Moby, although to be fair it does have batiked flowers on it. I still would have used the pink sling if she's been a boy and I do use the blue Moby.

[JamieCatheryn]

Well I wouldn't put my boys in a very pink one, though my ring sling is pinkish tan. The blue one I gifted to a friend with a girl I thought that might be an issue so I added a flower to it. Generally I go for gender neutral colors and patterns, which in my eyes is pretty broad (it would take VERY feminine for me to call it girl only, and for a girl it'd pretty much have to SAY boy on it to be boy specific).

[Lauren710]

Sort of.. but only in the context of me being a girl, and I happen to like to wear pink. I have a daughter, but I think I'd still wear a lot of pink if I'd had a boy LOL.. I imagine DH would have a fit if I wore a boy in a pink carrier though!! I have had people call my DD a boy when I have her in non-pink wraps.. kind of funny since she's definitely a girl who's generally in pink shoes and pigtails!

If I were gifting something I'd pick a gender-neutral color unless I knew for sure that the mama wanted a specific color.. if I don't know them well, it's hard to know whether they think "x color = x gender", or are more "I like this color, so I'll wear it".

[MamieCole]

The first sling I ever splurged on was this bright pink silk brocade Zolo ring sling. To wear my baby BOY. So, I tend to buy carriers that match me and my preferences, not the gender of babe. I still use my pink sling now that we have DS2. Only a handful of people have assumed "girl baby" and said "she" over the years. It really doesn't bother me at all.

[GoBecGo]

Lovely sling MamieCole!

I have to admit, i don't really care if people guess the wrong gender - who cares, really, what gender a baby is anyway? It's just not relevant to anything.

[finn'smama]

nope. But we don't really believe in things being 'gender specific'. If the boys want to wear pink or dresses than that's fine : I choose my carriers because I like the way they look and if they'll match the rest of my wardrobe.

[Mama2mc]

I choose the color to match what I'm wearing, but I don't think I'd put DS in a pink sling, though.

[almadianna]

No I dont think that they are. My son has been in all sorts of funny colors and my first wrap with Kate was blue.

Kids wont burst into flames if you put them in a color that does not go with what society thinks that kids should be wearing.... and really I dont care.

[dakotablue]

Sort of....I mean I think I can wear 'boy' carriers because DS is a boy and 'girl' carriers because I'm a girl...I don't know if I'd wear anything to boyish if I had a girl (just out of why) and also I'm finding with DS unless he is wearing I'm a BOY!!! clothes (blue with trucks or something) people think he's a girl it seems everything but blue is gender neutral...

I get annoyed when people say DS is a girl because quite often after I correct them it is followed by, "But he's to pretty to be a boy." which I find more insulting than complimenting (its the tone...like judgey of my beautiful baby)

So no, wear what ever you feel like.

[GoBecGo]

Originally Posted by dakotablue

Sort of....I mean I think I can wear 'boy' carriers because DS is a boy and 'girl' carriers because I'm a girl...I don't know if I'd wear anything to boyish if I had a girl (just out of why) and also I'm finding with DS unless he is wearing I'm a BOY!!! clothes (blue with trucks or something) people think he's a girl it seems everything but blue is gender neutral...

I get annoyed when people say DS is a girl because quite often after I correct them it is followed by, "But he's to pretty to be a boy." which I find more insulting than complimenting (its the tone...like judgey of my beautiful baby)

So no, wear what ever you feel like.

people used to think dd1 was a boy "but she'd make an angelic boy!" they said, i replied, "aye, but she doesn't have a penis" which tended to alert them that they were being ridiculous...

[justKate]

Specific to the wearer more than the occupant. Our "main" SSC is khaki colored, because Huz will wear this color. The RS is bright green (although we've just got one DD). I don't wear much pink, so the idea of buying a pink carrier never crossed my mind, but MamieCole's is so pretty I'm seriously considering it....

[thelocknestmother]

In general, no...I pick the sling for me, BUT two things...One, I think that since my littlest one is a boy...any new sling purchases would probably be GN, where if he was a she, I might buy something more girly. Two, I think the mainstream world thinks of the sling as being the baby's. I was wearing DS the other day in a floral MT and I got this comment "I like that Benjamin is man enough to wear the flowers".

[luv-my-boys]

i tend to buy slings to match my clothes Teh two I had thru all the boys were a denim colored and a neutral blue so it worked but if I had a girl I still would have used them as they were pretty neutral.

This time around (confirmed girl pg) I bought a more "girly" patterned one in a paisley but in chocolate/green tones. DH said he'd be ok wearing it even though it was somewhat girly because he says its his daughters not his

[ABO Mama]

I tend to coordinate with my outfit for the day...I happen to go for more "boyish" colors, which I guess works well with my DS's too.

[OkiMom]

I didn't think so either but I was wondering. Most of my carriers I got second hand. The wrap I was wearing i got from a thrift store for 2 dollars, I have a pink sling I got for 10.00. Im on a pretty strict budget so my purchases tend to be whatever is cheapest (and good quality) rather than what color it is. My more expensive carriers (a becco and a ergo) I bought gender neutral colors. Im making a mei tai through thats purple because i love the fabric Im making it out of (its a heavy duty classic winnie the pooh fabric that wears really well).

I think over here people tend to say he and boy as a neutral term. I live in Japan and a lot of parents dress their boys in pink and girls in blue. DD2 doesn't have much hair so I figure thats why shes always mistaken for a boy (even if shes running around in a pink dress, with pink shoes and a pink bow on her head. Of course people also ask me if my 21 month old and 3 1/2 year old are twins when DD1 is a good 6-7 inches taller than DD2 and talks in full sentences. Maybe I should learn the smile, nod and laugh later thing that people tell me to learn.

[Marissamom]

my moby is chocolate brown for the same reason my diaper bag is, daddy and mommy switch off with both, so it has to be something we will both wear/carry. I've found people jump to some of the stupidest conclusions about the gender of a baby. our carseat and stroller are light blue, and people always used to think DD was a boy. even when she was wearing pink, and she was tucked in with pink blankets. someone even called her a boy when she was wearing an all-pink snowsuit, with the hood up. seriously, no one seems to believe in gender neutral for baby gear anymore. like I'm more likely to dress a boy in all pink then put a girl in a blue carseat. you know, some of us plan to have more than one kid and want to be able to use the big stuff over again. and "shock!" some people don't know find out the gender of the baby until the baby is born!

[ammiga]

Yeah, I guess I do consider carriers to be gender specific. We have one Ergo and one Baby Hawk, both are gender neutral. I did this because dh and I both wear them and because I do think they sort of represent the child (we have one dd and one ds). I think they are kind of worn like clothes for both of us.

[ChetMC]

I Agree

Originally Posted by katelove

Nope. I consider them an "accessory" (for want of a better word) for me not for babe. I bought a pink stripey sling before I knew J was a girl and I have a gorgeous blue Moby, although to be fair it does have batiked flowers on it. I still would have used the pink sling if she's been a boy and I do use the blue Moby.

I have had girls in blue carriers, and boys in very flowery girlie carriers. I think of the carrier as an accessory for me.