Carrying a toddler while pregnant?

[whitneyg]

I am not pregnant yet, but hope to be soon, and will likely still be carrying/wearing my (now 21 month old) DD for a long while.  Is there a carrier that is remotely possible to use for back carrying a toddler while preggo?

I am also sort of looking for an excuse to buy a BBB Gypsy Mama wrap.  Would that work while pregnant?

Edited by whitneyg - 8/29/11 at 7:53pm

[macandcheese]

I have a Boba, and I think that would work through a pregnancy (though I only have one kid, so I don't know!). The buckle part sits quite low on my hips/pelvis, and the chest strap can be adjusted fairly high--should allow for plenty of room for a growing baby.

I'd think that a woven wrap would be great, as well .... I'm sure that someone with more experience will chime in!

[hildare]

i've been wearing the ergo on occasion, i had already purchased an extender for the belt for my dh.  with that, i can put the waist belt below the bump, so it's working for us, but i don't take huge hikes with the toddler in there, more like vacuum the house or cook dinner if she's being clingy.

[insidevoice]

My Kinderpack works really well, as does the BH Oh Snap- they can both go low on the hips if you want them to.  I will say though that by about 34 weeks it  gets a little harder to manage.  At 25 weeks though, I have no bump yet and no problem this time. 

Some people prefer to use a wrap later on as they can tie a really high carry and eliminate the issue all together. 

[GoGoGirl]

I'm 34 weeks pregnant, and still wearing my 2.5 year old a few times every day.  I mostly wear DD on my back--my chiropractor told me to not carry her on my hip at all during pregnancy, and I *can* wear her on my front when she demands it, but it's super uncomfortable because she smooshes my belly down. 

I've worn the Boba, a mei tai, and woven wraps during this pregnancy.  I didn't like the Boba because even when I wore the waist belt under my belly, it was very uncomfortable for me.  The mei tai is working really well...I just tie the waist straps under my belly.  I think it's more comfortable for me than having the Boba straps under my belly because the straps are softer and more flexible, plus you can customize the fit much better in a MT than an SSC.  I really like wearing my woven wraps, too.  I just tie it over my boobs (above my belly) so there isn't any pressure on my belly.  It looks like this.  I've worn DD for hours at a time in the MT and woven wraps, and it's really almost as comfortable as it was before I got pregnant.

As for your wrap question, are you talking about the Gypsy Mama Bali Breeze (the gauze wrap)?  In my opinion, it's really awful with toddlers.  I had one when DD was much younger, like maybe 12 months, and even at that age, it was really unsupportive, diggy, and painful.  I would HIGHLY recommend a woven wrap over a gauze wrap for toddlers and big kids!  The difference in comfort level is incredible!

[quantumleap]

I wore dd all through my pregnancy with ds, mostly in a mei tei that I tied on top of the belly. I carry my (in utero) babes low, and it was just more comfortable to tie the waist strap above rather than below my belly. I have no wrapping input, really. It was comfortable, but I didn't use it as much as the mei tai. But, you know, pregnancy can be a valid reason to buy a new wrap! ;)

[prothyraia]

Mei Tai!

[ericaness]

very quickly into pregnancy i can't stand to have anything snug near my abdomen. i'm 19 weeks now, and i have been carrying DS in a mei tai most of the time for the past several weeks. i tie it right under my bra, so he is up nice and high and can see over my shoulders. i wrap him sometimes too, but we prefer a mei tai in the summer.

[jenn0295]

Oh my goodness can you tell me how you wrapped in that picture? I only have a moby and a Bali baby breeze right now but I'd buy a good woven if I could get my almost 18 month old on my back like that! (suggestions for a woven are welcome!). I'm 15 weeks pregnant & haven't tried anything (I have those two, a boba and a ring sling) because it's been so hot and I've been so nauseous, but I'd love to start again and that carry you have in the picture looks amazing!

[GoGoGirl]

Sure!  It's a "double hammock" carry.  Usually with a double hammock, you'd spread that chest pass out over your whole torso, like this.  But now that I'm pregnant, I only spread it out over my boobs, instead of down to my natural waist.  I find it by far the most supportive and comfortable back carry for me, both when I'm pregnant and when I'm not!  If you search youtube for "double hammock" or "chunei back carry" (it's less common name) you'll get a bunch of video tutorials.  Here's one I made.  :-)

[GoGoGirl]

Oh, and it's safe to try it with your Bali Breeze, but not with your Moby (because back carries aren't safe in stretchy wraps).  If you want help choosing a woven just PM me and tell me more about what you're looking for!  I love helping new wrappers shop!

[musikmama]

If you have a MT, you can also gather the waist straps along with the chest straps, and tie them together Tibetan style.  That way, nothing to worry about going over or under your belly.