newborn doesnt like to be worn

[BarefootGirl]

pls excuse typos, holding newborn

my ds is 2.5 wks old and about 7.5 lbs.  we bf and cosleep and i hold him all.the.time.  i have a moby and a beautiful wahm ring sling, but hedoesnt like to be worn.  he screams and arches in tummy to tummy poitions.  cradle holds seem to be comfy for him, but i feel theyarent safe at his age with no head control - afraid of compressing airway.  it is difficult to always hold him - my arms are sore!  hewont nap anywher but in arms or in bucket carseat (which i only use in car).  hesleeps right next to me in bed at night, but i have to nurse/walk him to sleep before putting him down.  i wish i could carry him in carrier so i could have some handsfree time and it is very hard to take him out of the house cause i HATE to carry the bucket around. should i keep trying thecarriers?  maybe adifferent hold?  wait a few more weeks/months?    ideas?

[TiffanyToo]

Are you moving around while getting baby in the carrier? How long can you wear baby before baby fusses?

[downvalleygirl]

try putting a folded towel in the sling to support him so he doesn't curl up too tightly, preventing chin to chest.  also, maybe try an ergo carrier?  i did that with my second baby, sideways with the infant insert until she got to be too long and then put her in front ways, legs in froggy position.  she is liking it more as the days go by.  don't give up!  

[RiverandJulie]

As pp said, make sure you are moving as you put him in and get him settled.   Also, the cradle hold is safe in the moby.  (probably in the ring sling too, but I just prefer the moby so I know more about it)

[Asiago]

Originally Posted by downvalleygirl 

try putting a folded towel in the sling to support him so he doesn't curl up too tightly, preventing chin to chest. 

I agree. Here's a page on safe cradle carry in a sling:

http://www.thebabywearer.com/articles/HowTo/CorrectPositioning.htm

If he likes that carry then perhaps read more about it and try it if you feel comfortable. At that age I had to stay in constant motion with my baby, otherwise he would cry. I did laps around the house, grabbing my food off of the kitchen counter as I passed by!

My other thought was the Gemini carrier if you are not comfortable with the sling use. It's an SSC, so it is structured with buckles.

You had mentioned that he didn't like tummy to tummy though so I am not sure about it. It does seem like a nice carrier though for a newborn. I had it for a day but returned it since my son is a toddler and it just didn't support his length. For a newborn or even an older infant though I think it would be nice.  My only issue was the safety buckles, a tad of a bother to unlatch them. 

Oh, and you can nurse easily in it also.

[margarettim]

Hi, I remember, how devastated I felt when I put my newborn DD tummy to tummy in a stretchy wrap and she did not like it and cried for dear life. It took us a while, but we figured out that when we pre-tied and then popped DD in, the wrap was too tight, which my baby did not like. We went to a babywearing group and were shown a different way to tie tummy to tummy with our stretchy wrap: like you tie woven wraps. The main difference was that we put DD on our body and tied the wrap around her. This helped us achieve the right tightness, she was comfy and did not fuss. Do not give up and try to find an experienced babywearer to show you different ways of tying and experiment with them to see which works. Once we got over the initial problems, babywearing has been great, DD is 10 months now...

[BarefootGirl]

I am moving when I put him in.  he cries pretty much immediately.  i tried moving him into the sling yesterday when he was already asleep, but he woke up and screamed.  i am going to keep trying.  maybe i am tieing the wrap too tight.  i plan on trying the sling with a folded towel this weekendwhen DH is homeso i have an extra set of hands.  i think with a folded towel i can get him into a better position for cradle hold.  hopefully if he gets comfortable with being worn in cradle we can move on to other hold later.  i'd like him to be in other positions some.  thanks for the ideas, i really want this to work so i can give my arms a break!

[Monkey Keeper]

I just grabbed a link for an alternatives to the T2T hold in the Moby:

http://www.mobywrap.eu/index.php/instructions/cradle_hold

The cradle hold in the Moby seems a lot more supportive than in a RS.

[cristeen]

My guy didnt tolerate tummy to tummy until about 4 mos. But we lived in the Moby w a modified kangaroo hold. And i agree about tying him into the wrap... I could never pre-tie. I wrapped at the waist then upmover my shoulders so the loose ends were hanging down the front. Put him inside the first wrap nestled in a fetal position w one ear over my heart in a sideways facing position. Grab one side w the opposite hand, pull it snug, then grab the other, pull them to the back and tie. It took some practice, but i could do it in under a minute. But i had to be moving or instant scream-fest.

Keep trying different positions, hopefully you'll find one that works for the both of you.