Okay, here it is...

[conuly]

My quick review of carriers and carries I have tried, for people interested in the subject.

I do not claim to be an expert in babywearing, or even in these carries. Different people have different needs, and what works for one adult and baby pair might not work for another one. Et cetera.

Mei-tai

This was one I really really wanted. I got mine off of wallypop.net - it's a very inexpensive mei-tai, but well-constructed, all denim and corduroy. I can carry Ana in it, and she's 30 pounds. It's not a tall mei-tai - I couldn't carry a five year old, they're too big - and the person who makes them is much smaller than I am, she could've made the straps a bit longer. If/when I order from her again, I'll request longer straps.

When I first started using it, the baby was, what, four months? so I just used a basic front carry. I spread her legs out around me, when I really should have been tucking them up, especially in that bulky snowsuit, but she didn't complain. It was fairly easy to wrap blankets around her (wrap them around the body of the mei-tai, tuck them into the straps) and keep her warm in winter. It's really fun to play with her feet or kiss her head that way, seriously. And, she's not dangling. (It's also possible to do a front-facing carry, but I didn't like that at all. I also don't really like doing a hip carry like that.) Only thing is, socks come off fast. But they came off fast anyway. This baby lived in footed clothes.

Later, I switched to mostly carrying her on my back. I usually swing her onto my hip, drape the mei-tai over her (or whatever other carrier I'm using) then push her around to my back. (Jenn prefers to sit her on a chair and sit in front of her to get her up there. With Ana, I just have her climb up onto my back. Whatever.) When she's up there, I lean forward, pull the top straps over my shoulder and in between my legs, and keep them there while I tie the bottom straps. Then I take a minute to make sure the top straps are smooth and that she's centered in the mei-tai, and pull them behind my shoulders like a backpack. I twist the top straps behind her back and tie them in the front, like this.

I carried her so much in that that a few things happened. One, holding her like I'd carry her became a sure way to calm her and put her to sleep. Secondly, she recently started going around with it like a security blanket. I am *not* kidding.

It's very comfy for the baby and Ana, and when you pull it nice and tight (many people don't wear their slings as tightly as they should, so it's less comfortable and less safe) they can't lean back and be annoying.

Some popular mei-tais (brands I haven't tried) are Babyhawks, Freehands, Kozys (Kozies?), and Sachis. Though of course there are others - mei-tais are really easy to find online.

A similar carrier is the onbuhimo.

Ring Sling

Okay, I never got into ring slings. Apparently, the one Jenn has is widely considered to be the second worst one out there, the Over-the-Shoulder-Baby-Holder. (Worst is the NoJo. Aren't you glad I'm here to say this stuff?) I did try on an unpadded ring sling at the Bonanza and it worked nicely, even with the baby being fussy. It's a great idea, just don't go asking me for advice with it :)

Unpadded or lightly padded seems to be better than padded-to-the-hilt.

You can carry a kid in several different ways in a ring sling - burping position, nursing (yay!), cradled, on the hip, on the back (!), facing forwards.... Don't think you're limited to "lying down only" if you go that way. There's more information here.

Some popular ring slings (none of which I have, alas, tried) seem to be the Mayawrap and the Zolo, but I really don't know anything about them.

A similar concept is the pouch, but they seem much less adjustable.

Podegi

Once again, I got mine from Wallypop. However, her small body meant that the podegi that wraps around her entirely does not wrap around me all the way, and I don't have much room in the straps. (That does, however, ensure that the baby is *very* securely in place when I wear it!)

The podegi is great. It takes that weight off my shoulders. I follow the instructions here, though I just scoot the baby back from my hip, as I've said. You can also do a front or hip carry in the podegi - more instructions are here.

I don't know of any exceptionally popular podegis. A similar concept (but different carry) is the bei bei, but I really don't know of many people selling those. I'm not the most educated person out there, of course.

Kanga

The kanga is a very short wrap. I mean, very short. I use it to do a basic torso carry with two of them. They're quite inexpensive, very easy to put on (I even modify that carry and do a very fast hip carry), and I love them. I can't say much about them, even though they're cool. (And very lightweight - not much heat added in summer.)

Wraps

I have two wraps. I have a heavy woven one, quite long, and I have a lightweight one from GypsyMama, just as long.

Wraps are very versitile, but they can be a little scary to learn. Here's a lot of links to instructions on various carries - but they don't include every possible carry. More links can be found here, including a video of my favorite back carry ever.

A major advantage of wraps over other carriers, though, is the way that most carries spread the weight out - a lot more evenly than other carriers tend to do.

Some popular wraps are Bali Baby Breeze (very lightweight, not as comfortable with a 30-pound kid as the thicker, heavier one!), Didymos, Ellaroo, Hoppediz, Storchenweige - well, it goes on. They're mostly pretty ones, right?

For little-little babies, a lot of people prefer stretchy wraps, because you can tie the wrap in advance and just put the baby in and out as necessary. Unfortunately, this becomes a bit hard for bigger babies and toddlers - the wrap might stretch out of shape (though I know not everyone has that problem).

Some stretchy wraps are Bali Baby Stretch, and I believe the Moby wrap (though I could be wrong there).

And that's it, my very quick synopsis of the carriers I personally have tried. More information can be found at thebabywearer.com, mamatoto.org, or babywearer (which, for some reason, does not list babywearing as an interest, making it somewhat hard to find. Weird, huh?)

It's important to know all this stuff, because when the world floods, strollers just won't be good enough. (Luckily, some carriers are made of materials that can go in the pool or shower. Or, uh, inundation. That's what I call foresight.)

Comments

[jedirita.livejournal.com]

Well, if you ever do a sequel to this post, I'll bookmark that one, too!