Ok you baby wearing lactivists...convert me!!

[Love_My_Bubba]

My little Andrew is getting to the point where he wiggles SO much that I can absolutely no longer hold him and accomplish anything. I have always just held him in my arms (which are very buff by now, I might add ) ALL of the time.

I've heard so many of you talk about slings that I want to hear some educated opinions before I go out and buy yet another useless baby gadget and my DH whines because I use it once. So, which slings or wraps do you recommend for a robust, wiggly 17 pound 5 month old that actually allow you to do things while wearing it?

I love my Bjorn but it's tough to do things when Andrew's right on my chest and he HATES the Hip Hammock. Thanks for your help!!

[rmzbm]

Well, I think it depends on what you want to do in it. If you mean get stuff done around the house I HIGHLY recommend a Mei Tei, my favorite is my Kozy. But, do you mean one you can NURSE in? (Cuz you posted here. ) In that case I'd go with a hotsling. Now, everyone IS different, but I cannot nurse in a MT. And the only sling I CAN nurse in is the HS.

HTH in some way!

Good luck!

[EvansMomma]

I bought a ring sling first, and honestly - the learning curve was just too much for me, it took me WAY too long to even get close to mastering it so I'll just give that a try later on.

I bought a Cuddly Wrap (www.peapodcreations.ca) - it's Canadian, but its very similar to the Moby Wrap which is American I believe. I can NOT say enough about this carrier. Evan LOVES it, gets so excited when he sees me wrapping myself in it and NEVER fusses when he's in it. Actually, if he's fussing and I put him in it - the crankiness comes to a dead stop. I can do laundry, tidy up, go for walks, pretty much anything I need to do - with him in it. It's a stretchy cotton wrap, so it can be a bit warm in the summer but I love it. Love love love love love!!!

You could also try a non stretchy wrap - and the GREAT thing about wraps, is taht all they are is a big honkin piece of material. So if you don't want to spend a kazillion dollars, go to a fabric store - get maybe 5-6 metres of a good cotton gauze, or stretchy cotton, and VOILA! You have a new wrap carrier.

The Cuddly wrap also has no weight restrictions which is nice, and the extra bit of give that comes with the material is good for crazy active lil ones - Evan goes wacky sometimes with legs and arms going and the material just moves with him.

www.thebabywearer.com has GREAT info for deciding which will be best for you, as well as DIY ideas and help using whichever sling/wrap/carrier you decide to get.

[zansmama]

I highly reccomend some kind of soft backpack (I feel like there's one called EcoBaby, or something like that). It changed my life, carrying ds in a backpack, although mine was a hard frame(hand-me-down: couldn't afford to buy one). It is so wonderful to have your arms free, and yet still be carrying the baby. Watch out for your hair, though! I always wore a hat or bandanna.

[luckymamato2]

I really like the KK (Kangaroo Korner) adjustable pouches, but my favorite is fleece so I'm sure it'll be too warm. I just received some Hotslings and like them okay. I was very careful and thought I ordered the right size, but maybe not Maybe I can shrink them a little.

[MamaChel]

We swear by the mobywrap over here. I have 2 other wraps and this is my favorite. I can carry DD on my back once she's a bit older, I used a wrap with both of my boys well into toddlerhood. (Until I was too pg with the next baby to lift the current one )

I've heard great things about the meitai type carriers but I've never tried one. That's next on my list.

[MamaFranklin]

I agree with the Moby wrap endorsement.... It carries babies from 3 lbs to 35 lbs...

But my favorite to actually GET THINGS DONE in would be our ridgid backpack with a hard frame. It puts all their weight on your hips and you can use it until they are 3 years old! (It just looks a little silly) It has a tripod look to it... you place your child in and strap him down while the back pack is on the ground. Then you can sit and put the back pack on... or learn to lift it and put it on while he is in there. My older 2 liked being up high and being able to see everything.

[tallulahma]

My ring sling is good for quick trips or when babe will want in and out freq. For back carriers I have an ergo and mei tai. The MT is waaaaay more comfortable, but ergo is way easier to figure out alone.

i recently bought a large peice of fabric and it is soon becoming my fav.

also affordable enough to have more of.

[jeanine123]

I love my Ergo carrier! With the new one you can wear baby on your back, your hip or you front. It's so comfy and so much nicer than the Bjorn!

[zansmama]

Ergo! Ergo! that's what i was thinking of!

[CalBearMama]

I second (or third or fourth?) the Ergo. I liked my Moby Wrap when DS was little, but once he was over about 15 pounds, the Moby Wrap was just too stretchy, so he would be sagging down to my knees and I would have to take it off and re-tie it just to get him back in a comfortable position. I repeatedly tried to put him on my back using the Moby, but I could never get him to hold still and stay in the right position long enough for me to get it tied around him securely.

DS is now 20 months and about 26 pounds, and we both love him being on my back in the Ergo. (He says "back! back!" whenever I get it out.) The only downside I find is that I can't see his face since he is behind me - I'm considering rigging up some kind of rear-view mirror or something I guess another solution to that would be to have him in the Ergo on my hip, but I'm trying to minimize positions that put me out of balance to one side or the other, since I already carry him around so much on just one hip (it just doesn't feel right to have him on the other one).

I bought my Ergo through a WAHM that I "met" on an EC message board. Her site has lots of great products in addition to the Ergo and Ergo accessories (I bought the Ergo backpack as well as the Ergo, and I can't recommend it highly enough). She also makes her own wrap carriers, which are beautiful (I bought one for a friend), but it sounds like your baby may already be past the age when you would get long-term use out of a wrap. Here's a link to her site: http://www.theportablebaby.com/

[lilsishomemade]

I can't nurse in my mei tai, either, but I love it for carrying my 4 month old on my back. It's wonderful! I don't own a wrap, but really wish I did, I wanna try one out sooo badly! Ring slings are good for quick trips, but after a long time, my shoulder starts getting sore.

[graceshappymum]

Hands down vote for the storch....it is fabulous, you can put baby on you back or front, pretty much however you would like. The support is wonderful, I have carreid a friends todler in it for a couple of hours with absolutely no problems.

There is a learning curve, but it just takes a little time and concentration to get it right, plus they usually come with a DVD to help.

[Treasuremapper]

Ergo is a great choice. We loved it.

[wannabe]

WRAP! or Mei Tai.

[mamacatsbaby]

nak

another moby lover here! when we get the bread i want to try the mt.

[tash11]

mei tai, mei tai, mei tai.

easier to learn then a wrap, but two shouldered unlike a rs or pouch. plus it is far more comfortable then a bb for you and the baby.

in a mt you can bf on the front, or put him on your back so he is still with you, but not right there in the way.

[tash11]

oh, and theecobaby one zansmama mentioned is the beco. its a buckle mt. its also one of the carriers on my wish list

[sadkitty]

ERgo or Mei Tai. I have a bad back and a baby that got heavy quickly. We mostly use the Ergo, but its way easier to nurse in a mei tai. They can both go on your back which is great for vauuming and cooking!