Favorite Sling/Carrier? - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[mamabelle]

I love the moby at home for the early months (wearing it right now!), the maya wrap ring sling out in public (and can nurse in it!), and then the Ergo once the kiddo is bigger. I also have a mei tai and have been liking how fast it is to put on compared to the moby, but I have to hold the baby's head a lot at this point and it seems to hurt my lower back after long wearing. Once this one can go in the Ergo I will probably sell the rest of my carriers (this is our last baby).

[Krystal323]

My moby is...meh.  still wishing i had another baby k'tan :)  i LOVED it with my last babe (comfy, EASY to use, and warmer than a ring sling), but it was borrowed from a friend who needs it herself right now!

I also have a WAHM-made mei tai (which DH loves, cause it's just like his old babyhawk), a maya wrap pouch, and a Taylor-made ring sling.  The ring sling is pretty much all I use! 

To keep the cold metal rings from pressing against baby's face/head, just wrap the tail around them several times, then tuck it inside itself.  it looks like a big fabric knot, and pads the rings.

I want an Ergo or Beco--anyone wanna talk about the pros and cons of those for me?? 

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by mamabelle 

I also have a mei tai and have been liking how fast it is to put on compared to the moby, but I have to hold the baby's head a lot at this point and it seems to hurt my lower back after long wearing. Once this one can go in the Ergo I will probably sell the rest of my carriers (this is our last baby).

If anyone is considering a MT, some brands have head rests to eliminate the need for head holding and some have padded waists, which helps support your back better with heavier babies.  You can also get the support belt I mentioned above and add it to a non-padded waist MT.

  BH MT with headrest  (that's ds1, not Avery)

  CatBird Baby support belt

 

And a younger baby can go in the Ergo with an insert- if you don't want to buy one you can use a towel or blanket.

Krystal... I prefer the Beco over the Ergo b/c I found the Ergo did not fit my petite frame- the shoulder straps were too wide and could not be adjusted well for me.  Plus the Beco comes with an infant insert so you can use it right away- no extra purchase necessary.  I have the Butterfly II and I know several people that adore their Gemini, which is padded and shaped differently so that baby can forward face.

 

Ds1 in the Beco                                                              Dd in the Beco (3 years) with my MIL

 

 

 

[Krystal323]

ooh, good to know Jaimee, thx!  and i think that's awesome that your MIL babywears--ha! 

i guess the beco gemini is the one with thicker, padded straps (as opposed to  your pic of the butterfly)?  cause i thought i'd remembered reading that becos were actually better for thicker frames, and i have a twig-thin friend who has an ergo and loves it.  

[Jaimee]

Yes, the Gemini is more padded.  All these carriers have gone through so many small changes over the years.  An Ergo from a few years ago will be qualitatively different than one purchased new now.  I believe the newest Ergos would fit a petite frame much better than when I was trying them 5 years ago.  In fact, I think when Ergos first came out they were actually sized!  Anyway, I think that they are both great products and you would really have to try them both on to feel the subtle differences in their cuts and adjustability.

[mamabelle]

Thank you for this tip!
 

Originally Posted by Krystal323 

To keep the cold metal rings from pressing against baby's face/head, just wrap the tail around them several times, then tuck it inside itself.  it looks like a big fabric knot, and pads the rings.

[SoCaliMommy]

 I have a Ergo, a Merry Carry woven wrap, a Moby, a Bara Barn wrap,a Maya Ring Sling. Ive mainly been using my Merry Carry Wrap, Last night though

 i wore the Moby while making dinner. I need to figure out a easy why to nurse in it though, trying to nurse with baby sitting up right didn't seem comfy for him.

[augustmom]

Thanks for the input ladies. I think I'm going to go with the Boba 3g sling after talking with a friend who swears my it.

[munchymum]

I couldn't live without a ring sling.  It's my goto carrier when I'm at home and baby is fussy - she goes to sleep so quickly in it.  I start her vertical in it, but she usually ends up sort of reclining sideways.  If the rings are a problem, you can let her lie on the opposite side of the sling, away from the rings. I'm not describing it very well but there are good videos on YouTube that show the different carries.  I have a Moby and it is definitely more comfortable for longer periods but it is a faff to put on, and I'm not very good at adjusting it to get it perfect.  Then I take baby out to feed her, and it feels wrong when I put her back in.  For going out I love my Beco, and I have a snuggly fleece cover that fits around it so I can go out in the cold without having to mess about with snowsuits.

I know wraps are meant to be the final word in babywearing, but I just can't quite get along with them.  For me, and ring sling and the Beco work perfectly.

[heket]

My borrowed Moby has been great for at home and doing chores.  When out and about and trying to nurse, not so much.  But I'm a big breasted gal.  Instead, my simply New Native Pouch that is going on 9 years is the best thing to work for nursing and doing stuff like grocery shopping.  I have an Elleroo MT I've yet to use because little man's back and neck isn't strong enough to my liking.  I'd love for something like an Ergo for dh to use also.

[jbk21]

I love my new native for nursing in the sling too!  I just tried out my boba with little man last night at the grocery store- he passed out in just a few seconds.  I wasn't even expecting it- I just looked down and he was sleeping soundly!  I guess he likes it!

[mommy2sage]

My Moby is my favorite for right now, but when my little man gets a little bigger, I am thinking about getting a BabyHawk MT or a Manduca. 

Does anyone have opinions on the Manduca carrier?  I did not find any reviews or opinions on this carrier, but it looks comfy and well made.

[augustmom]

BabyHawk looks like a good one. I can tell you that I will love the Boba 3g once Sean is a little bigger. I don't love the infant hold, but I think the Boba will be perfect once he's bigger. Can't wait to get him in there! For now, I'll just use the dang Maya wrap.

[meesh933]

I love my BabyHawk! I've only used it with the little guy once, but I was wearing my 28 lb toddler on my back at 8 months pregnant in the BH.

[Jaimee]

Love my BH MT with head rest.  I would love it more if it had a padded waist like the Bamberoo, but I made it work by adding a CatBird Baby support belt once my kids got heavier.  Padding in the waist helps distribute the weight on the hips so that your back doesn't break and the straps don't dig in.  You can find the occasional used Bamberoo on www.thebabywearer.com, otherwise you have to stalk her website to get a custom.

[TalkToMeNow]

Bumping this in the hopes I can get some advice. I am ready to get a new carrier. I love the Mei Tai I had made when dd2 was born, but the straps are very narrow and Jasper is much bigger than she was. I know my back is going to get worn out quickly. I'm trying to decide between another Mei Tai and a soft structured carrier. I'm looking at the Kozy and BabyHawk for MTs. I really like the look of the Kozy. I'm not so sure about the head rest on the BabyHawk. Is that really comfy? It looks like it will get in the way. 

For a SSC, I don't see much difference between them. I think I'd go for the Beco, but not sure about Butterfly or Gemini. I'm not going to do forward facing, so I don't need that feature. The SSCs look so buckl-y... I think I might feel like I was always about to go hiking! Are they really easy and comfortable? And does anyone know if the Gemini is much better than the Butterfly? 

I'm obsessing over these right now... I do not want to spend so much money if I'm not sure! Help!  

[LunaLady]

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Edited by LunaLady - 6/29/12 at 4:13pm

[Abraisme]

I have a Beco Gemini (I like the forward-facing option, as sometimes it's the only way I can get an awake baby in a carrier) and the Ergo.  I really like both of them and find them to be very comfortable.  I actually think they're much easier to deal with because there are no long straps that dangle on the floor.  I can easily leave my carrier around my waist when my DD2 isn't in it.  I always have to take the Mei Tai off because I get all tied up in the long straps.  I wear mine all the time and don't feel like I'm about to go hiking.  ;)

[Jaimee]

I am not much of a SSC fan, much preferring my MT.  I have the BH with headrest and I love it.  The headrest is very useful for support baby's head and it folds down easily when you don't want it.  A must have feature IMO.   I did purchase the CatBird Baby support belt to go with my BH.  It's something you could try out with your current MT and see if that solves your problem.  I know you said the straps are narrow, but the waist belt better distributes the weight down on your hips and this helps all around.  So you might get to use the carrier you currently love for just a $20 investment in the belt.  Otherwise, I think Bamberoos are some of the best MT's around.

I do have the Beco Butterfly II and find it comfortable, but honestly it takes me longer to get on and off than my MT.  Plus it has to be adjusted differently for me or dh, unlike the MT. 

[Mal85]

I had a Mei Tai with DD1 and I loved in throughout the baby age. She was about a year old when I decided it wasn't working for us anymore. I had a Babyhawk, so it had the headrest and I used it from newborn age until about a year old. After that, I got into SSC's. My first purchase was a Beco Butterfly that I used with DD1 for a little while. She was over a year old then and wasn't really into babywearing anymore, so I did get much use out of it. 

With Greta, I sold off the Butterfly and bought a Gemini and I LOVE it. It is so comfortable for both Greta and me. It is extra padded compared to the Butterfly and super soft. She was able to fit in it really early because of the way you can snap in the bottom portion. I'm not a big fan of facing out either, but it does work when she's awake and wants to see everything. Grocery store trips are saved by my Gemini. You can also do a hip carry with it. She's not quite big enough to try that one out yet, but within a month or two I think she'll really like riding on my hip. When I wear her out in public, I get a lot of comments about how comfortable she looks in it.