Carrier for Very Large Dad

[Sunflower223]

I am trying to find a carrier that my husband can wear comfortably.  He is a very large person, 6'8" and about 450-475 lbs.  He measures about 52-55" from shoulder to waist and then about 58" across going all the way down.  I don't even know where to begin to look.

When DS1 was a newborn my husband could wear a ring sling I had but he was about 100-150 lbs lighter so clearly the ring sling isn't going to fit him anymore, not the one I have anyway.  Also it only fit when DS was very tiny and it was never comfortable mostly because of his height baby was practically on his shoulders.  I'd like to invest in something that he and new DD can wear for a substantial amount of time.

I scanned some of the former threads with this question but no one that I saw in those was trying to accommodate a man quite as big and tall as my DH.

Any suggestions of where to look?

Thanks =)

[4Blessings]

You could always purchase fabric with a bit of stretch and make a wrap like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkwOTigK-_E

The fabric I used was about 20" wide and I found that to be the perfect width but you could always experiment. Start with maybe 5-6 yards of fabric and cut the length back as needed.

I'm also thinking a mei tai with extra (extra) long straps could work too. You could look for patterns here http://www.thebabywearer.com/lists/Sewing.htm and adjust to meet your needs.

Good Luck!

[GoGoGirl]

Hooray for papa wearing!

I also like the idea of a wrap, or a mei tai with very long straps.  I think those would be the most customizable for a large dad.  I don't think you should make or buy a stretchy wrap, though.  You said that you want a carrier that you can use for an extended period of time, and a stretchy wrap will probably only for comfortable/supportive enough for the first few months. 

I know more about wraps than mei tais so I'll just give a few more tips on those here.  Woven wraps are AMAZING because you can use them to carry the baby on your front, back, or hip (unlike a stretchy wrap which is only safe for a front carry) and they are supportive enough to use even with preschoolers.  I know you can find a size 7 (5.2 meter) wrap pretty easily on the For Sale or Trade board on the TheBabyWearer forums.  I've also seen a few 6 meter wraps for sale, but 5.2 is the longest size I see regularly.  5.2 meters would probably be long enough for a plus size woman to do a multi layer carry, like a front wrap cross carry.  Your husband sounds bigger than that  though...so I imagine 5.2 meters wouldn't be long enough for him to do a multi layer carry.  It might be long enough for a single layer carry, like kangaroo for a front carry or ruck tied in front (rtif) for a back carry.  Just put in "kangaroo carry" or "ruck tied in front" on youtube for tutorials on how to do them.  I think it would make the most sense for him to do single layer carries, because the amount of fabric he would probably need for multi layer carries might be overwhelming.

If you can't find a woven wrap that's long enough for him, I'd suggest making your own out of Osnaburg fabric.  The women on the DIY section of TheBabyWearer would have a ton of advice about that!

[TiffanyToo]

I think a size 8 wrap would work. If you sew you could make a mei tai that would be custom to his body.