Toddlerwearing on back in the snow!

[AmyRS]

We luckily haven't had much snow at all this year, but it's coming!  We are walking to school 2-3 days a week to take my DS and normally take a stroller, but I'm not sure it's going to make it through the thick snow that will be here any time now.

I have an Ergo which I LOVE in the warmer weather.  This summer I wore my DD on my back while hiking and we both loved it.  She is almost 20 months now and is a tiny peanut so I'm debating whether I could use the Ergo for school runs in the winter rather than trying to push the stroller through the snow.

I have a big coat that I bought to wear while at the end of my pregnancy with DD and I was able to put the Ergo under it (front-carry) the first year she was born.  I'm not sure if that would still work since I would have to put her in front, and it probably wouldn't be too warm for her, unless I put her full snow suit on and then put her in?

I would like to put her on my back but I'm not sure investing in one of those fancy baby wearing coats is worth it.  Just wondering if anyone has any other ideas?

Thanks!

[sarahquinn]

I don't know much about wearing on the back, however I baby wore in the front last winter and will be with a toddler this winter. I think the front might be a better choice, I would either do the snow suit or a warm blanket over her n tuck it into the carrier straps to stay put. With normal winter wear n a blanket she will be warm especially being close to you. That way if the wind is harsh you can pull the blanket over her head aswell.

[galincognito]

I carried dd2 on my back in a mei tai during winter when she was around the same age.  her and I would each dress as usual for being outside and then I just tied her onto my back.  seem to work decently.

[AmyRS]

Thanks ladies!  I think I will try it out before the weather gets too bad just to see if it will work for both of us.  My DD doesn't like to be confined anywhere for very long so hopefully she will still be okay with it!  

[lifeguard]

I prefer back carries but found us both being fully dressed for winter very cumbersome unless I was using the framed backpack. I actually took an old winter jacket & modified it so ds' head came out the back. It cost me almost nothing & worked really well - I only had to put a sweater & hat on him.

[schoonersam]

How did you modify it?  Cause I'm kind of in the same boat.  And I just went to the thrift store to get a couple of old coats for cheap that I will try and mess with.

Originally Posted by lifeguard 

I prefer back carries but found us both being fully dressed for winter very cumbersome unless I was using the framed backpack. I actually took an old winter jacket & modified it so ds' head came out the back. It cost me almost nothing & worked really well - I only had to put a sweater & hat on him.

[schoonersam]

http://paxye.com/blog/diy-babywearing-coat/

That's a link to a DIY babywearing coat (modification of a regular coat) that I'm trying to a)find the time and b)work up the courage to make.

Thoughts?

Also, got given a mamaponcho - which I love (I'm a wool girl), but - and maybe I've just lost too many brain cells - I cannot figure out how to get it on us in a back carry when it's just me.  Anybody know any tricks? (Tried to put it on dd ahead of time but it's a lot of fabric to deal with while rigging her up too).

[lifeguard]

The link you gave is pretty much what I did - but mine didn't turn out that nice!

One tip I have is to sew a line all the way around on either side of where you intend to cut 'cause once you cut the jacket it's hard to keep all the layers together & lined up so having it sewn would keep it together for you (I hope that made sense).

I used fleece instead of ribbing - the ribbing looks a bit nicer but the fleece worked quite well.

I found that ds quickly figured out how to push his hands up &out of the neck hole so I actually modified it a bit more & put an elastic edge in around the neck that I could adjust tighter or looser as appropriate so his head could fit through but not his arms.

[paxye]

Originally Posted by schoonersam 

http://paxye.com/blog/diy-babywearing-coat/

That's a link to a DIY babywearing coat (modification of a regular coat) that I'm trying to a)find the time and b)work up the courage to make.

Thoughts?

If you have any question just ask ;)

[mamayogibear]

I used to have one of these http://suseskinder.com/ and it was awesome! I used it for four years straight and love it. I would still use it if I hadn't lost it a couple of months ago. My favorite part is that it is adjustable for front, side or back carries. The coat can be just a rain coat too which was awesome when I lived in the pacific nw. It is a big investment but if you plan on babywearing for several years it is worth it.,