Baby carrier

[cataroldi]

Anyone love their baby carrier? I've been using the maya wrap (ring sling) from birth-six months (LOVE IT!) but baby boy is too big for the front carries now and I'm not loving him on my hip. Thinking about babyhawk, ergo, or beco for a soft-structured carrier. Any suggestions?? 

[katelove]

I don't like the ergo but I love our beco gemini. Easily DHs and my favourite carrier.

[glassesgirlnj]

I don't have a Babyhawk but that's essentially a mei tai, right?  We really like our mei tai so far (it's a Kozy) -- it sounds like our LO is a bit younger than yours, but she's big for her age, so maybe they're about the same size.  

Do you know anyone with a mei tai who would let you try it on? 

[cataroldi]

Thanks for the recs - there is a store near us that carries them and I think I'll go in to try some on. Appreciate the advice! 

[lilbsmama]

I have a baby hawk and an ergo, and love them both. I like the BH for newborn, up to about a year, and then it becomes a little borhtersome for me. We still use our ergo on our 2 and 4 year old boys, so I would say we like it!

[Gracecody]

I have a nearly 7 mo old (~18 lbs) and have been using my Angelpack LX (a SSC similar to Beco) and my Freehand mei tai lately. The mei tai especially is SO comfortable. I like the SSC more for back carries, for hiking or longer outings now or in general when baby is older and heavier. I love how the straps on the mei tai can give you the perfect fit, the SSC never fits me like that and I often feel like the shoulder straps are going to slip off my shoulders.But it's quicker on and off and good for quick outings and such.
 

[nilatti]

I ADORE my Ergo. They should pay me a commission for all the people I've sent to them.

[girlspn]

We used a maya wrap ring sling and loved it as well! Now dd is 10 months old, and we are using a Boba. It's great and exceeded my expectations. I can carry dd comfortably for hours at a time.

I also tried a mei tai, but found it a bit of a hassle with the long straps dragging around. The boba is much easier to use-- fast to take my dd out of it, and also easy to nurse in. 

[Choose2Reuse]

I love my Ergo to pieces for long walks--it's sooooo comfy and DD loves it.  But I have to warn you that since she was ~4 months old, she's preferred the hip carry in the ring sling (we have one from Sleeping Baby productions) for short jaunts, errands, and around the house, because she can see so much more (she tends to settle down and fall asleep on long walks).  If you have an active little wriggler like my baby, you might want a carrier your baby can see out of really well.

[tanyato]

i've got a boba and love it. i think boba, beco, ergo....they seem like essentially the same thing right? i got a boba because it was on sale online. if the ergo had been on sale i would have got that and i'm sure i would love it just the same.

[katelove]

Originally Posted by tanyato 

i've got a boba and love it. i think boba, beco, ergo....they seem like essentially the same thing right? i got a boba because it was on sale online. if the ergo had been on sale i would have got that and i'm sure i would love it just the same.

All SSCs but the beco and ergo have some different features. I think it depends on the individual whether those features matter. I love the beco but really dislike the ergo.

[LexiDrewMama]

I have a Beco Butterfly 2 and I LOVE it!  It has a panel inside that makes back carries super easy because you can put baby in the carrier and than on your back instead of awkward maneuvering ha!  I am also a bigger girl (size 18ish) and with the Ergo I would need a waist extender  (regular Ergo....Ergo sport has a longer waist), but Beco Butterfly 2 has a long enough waist belt thingy with no extender yay!

[Shannie77]

I love love love my AngelPack (mei tai).  My sister has another kind of Mei Tai which is beautiful but I love the AngelPack because the top bit can be folded over when they are little.  I also like that it is reversable so that my husband can wear it without the pattern.  I also have a cuddly wrap, and two different slings but the Mei Tai has got the most use by far!

[lilbsmama]

Originally Posted by LexiDrewMama 

I have a Beco Butterfly 2 and I LOVE it!  It has a panel inside that makes back carries super easy because you can put baby in the carrier and than on your back instead of awkward maneuvering ha!  I am also a bigger girl (size 18ish) and with the Ergo I would need a waist extender  (regular Ergo....Ergo sport has a longer waist), but Beco Butterfly 2 has a long enough waist belt thingy with no extender yay!

My ergo came with a waist extender....I am a flurfy mama and I've never had to use it. But it did come with one at no extra charge.

[rainface]

 I have a beco gemini and I love it  I compared/contrasted between that and the ergo and ultimately just went with the beco because I liked the pattern... They're fairly comparable with a few different features. My cousin has an ergo for her daughter and I do envy her the "hood" that she can pull over while her daughter nurses or sleeps. However, I like that the beco gemini can be adjusted several different ways - front, back, hip, facing forward, cross straps or straight over the shoulder straps - I can put the waist belt around my hips to lower my daughter and nurse her, or have it up higher to snuggle her in on my chest. I'm looking forward to using it for a long time...

[mambera]

Oh well, I wish I'd skipped the SSC altogether and gone straight for the woven wrap.  Anyone interested in a barely-used Angelpack...?

However if you love your Maya Wrap it is possible to do a comfy two-shouldered back carry with a ring sling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbsrMOB-onA

[MrsMike]

I have a Beco Butterfly 2 that I LOVE. I had tried an Ergo at a demonstration and I just didn't like it. I didn't like the way it felt on me and baby didn't seem comfortable. I like the way you can easily transfer baby to your back with the Beco. Check YouTube - there are videos that compare some of the SSC. I also have a BabyHawk mei tei that I am in love with. It takes a little more time to get on and off than a SSC, but once you get used to it there is barely a difference. I'll repeat what another poster said - the mei tei allows me to get the straps tighter so they feel more secure. I know the Beco is secure, but I just like the maximum adjustability on my mei tei. My little girl is into hip carries right now because she wants to see the world. I've been using my pouch (SlingLings) with no problems, but I plan on figuring out the hip carry with a mei tei.

[naturestacy]

We LOVE our Ergo carrier!  Baby loves to ride on back at 7 months!

[CherryBombMama]

Another Ergo vote over here! DS2 used it from birth (with the insert) until I was too pregnant to wear him (he was around 14/15months I think.) I now wear my DD in it (2 weeks), and my DS1 (age 3) fits very comfortably in it as well, when he randomly needs to be worn. 

[wolfmama31]

Check out these SSCs! I used my ring sling for the first 3 months then went ergo all the way but have been finding it uncomfortable for back carries and DD is 25+ pounds at 10 months so getting her on my back would be AWESOME. I asked around in my community here and was sent the way of Kinderpacks and Kangas... Just ordered my toddler-sized Kinderpack so can't tell you what I think BUT i've a feeling it's even better than the mass-produced ones such as Ergo, Beco, etc. They're small mama run businesses. Can be a little hard to order one or see what's in stock but I've been told if you join their FB pages or yahoo groups it all makes sense :)

http://www.kindercarry.com

http://www.bloo-kangaroo.com/