The Great Carrier Thread

jenotontx

This week it's all about carriers! 

Which one(s) do you have? Would you recommend, why or why not? Which one are you thinking about? Questions or concerns?  

Dumbgurl04

*Edited to change it I thought at first this was about the infant car seat LOL.

 I have heard the Tula is a great carrier but it is expensive. I was thinking of going with the Infantino wrap carrier.

frenchiekinplusone

Ooh yay! I'm thinking about the Ergobaby Omni 360 which I think is the most expensive one. Worth it? Everyone who owns an ergo has told me they love it but not sure which version is best. 

Also I have this vision of doing the ring sling but wondering if I'm going to hate it. Experience with feeling like the baby is going to slip down/out of it? I guess that's my worry. They're so pretty though. 

codingchildhood

Tulas are my favorite! I have a toddler tula, and I plan on getting a standard for this baby. I also have a natibaby wrap, but my daughter hated it. I'm hoping this baby is less picky. 

kmalls

I'm by no means a baby-wearing expert, but  through trial and error I've found what works really well for us. It's just like strollers, though: certain carriers work well for certain people. Here are my two favorites: 

- I needed something that I could put baby in quickly and without needing someone to help me. I found the Ergo with the infant insert (which you'll need when your baby is tiny) to be prohibitively awkward and difficult to position correctly. I purchased an Infantino Mei Tai based on recs from friends, and it works so well for the early months. No insert needed, I can get baby in quickly and it's easy to use on my own. Plus it's only $30 and is a great alternative to pricey carriers. 

- For the later months (5ish months and up) I love the Ergo. It provides a lot of support and it's easy to use when you don't need to use an insert. 

btm013

Oh I'm going to pay close attention to your responses. I didn't use one with my first but I feel like I will need one this time around while chasing a toddler. 

okayrunner

I have a Sakura bloom ring sling, an ergo 360, and a beco (soliel or Gemini). I loved our ring sling best when he was little. I wore him shopping and anywhere else we went. He liked the ergo best when he was small enough to FF, but he got too tall for me to wear like that. At 3, we still use the beco. I wear him for walking the dog or day trips like the zoo. I'll use all three again for this LO, though I really want a Tula!

ekendall09

Ones i've used and owned:

Bjorn: used a little in the early months (2-4) and thought it was ok, not my first grab
Moby: only used a little, no complaints but not raves
Tula (toddler) we have two: used from 15 months- present day (4.5 years), love and highly recommend.  Front and back carry, easy to use and DD loves it too
Ergo: used from 6-18 months.  no complaints, easy to use, seemed comfortable for DD, not my first grab once I got a tula.  I thought good and quality for the price

What I plan to use this time around:
Wild bird or tula ring slings-I won't get another moby (and am almost certain I don't have mine anymore so I want to use ring slings as the alternative)
Tula: will get a free to grow to use early on and then transition to toddler once appropriate.

I. must. wear. all. the. babies. and. toddlers.

irenejean

I tried using the k'tan and a ring sling carrier with DS. I didn't like using either one, I may have been using them wrong, but DS head would always end up bending forward (chin tucked towards his neck), and I was paranoid about him not being able to breathe well. 

Starting at 1 month, I switched to just using the lillebaby carrier, and it worked really well for us. I really love the lillebaby, but was maybe going to get a bjorn for a little less bulky carrier for the first couple months. I'm curious what other mamas here liked for the really early days.

mispanda

The Tula Free to Grow carrier is a soft structure carrier that is on the expensive side but looks like it would be great for an infant especially in the hot summer weather.  This particular carrier you don't need an infant insert so that's a bonus.  I haven't used it because it's new to their line but I hear it's great!

AFM I have an Ergo Performance.  I really do like it but I have to use the infant insert and that makes both you and baby sweaty.

mcb2016

I liked the ktan when my baby was tiny. I also used the ergo w the insert. Once he was bigger I got a
custom made woven wrap  mei tai used. I absolutely love it. I wish I had it before. I may just spend the money and get my own designed this time but there is nothing wrong w the one I have.

i seriously suggest going to your local baby wearing meetings and trying on different carriers. It's a great way to make sure you are using your carrier right. And for me it saved me money from buying carriers that just wouldn't work for me.  

lindsye

My main contribution would be to buy a relatively inexpensive one at first to see if your child even likes babywearing before spending a whole lot on one (or more) carriers. I have spent a fortune over the years on every major brand of carrier in hopes that the carrier was the problem, but apparently my kids just do not enjoy baby wearing for any significant period of time. Maybe baby #4 will break the trend!!

sapphires-and-diamonds

I agree with @lindsye. A friend gave me her BabyBjorn and DS hated being worn. I had such high hopes so I could clean and just have my hands free in general, but nope. I'll probably wait to see if the new LO likes being worn before I spend the $$$ on a good carrier. I am eyeing the Tula Free to Grow.

riversdoctor

lindsye said:

My main contribution would be to buy a relatively inexpensive one at first to see if your child even likes babywearing before spending a whole lot on one (or more) carriers. I have spent a fortune over the years on every major brand of carrier in hopes that the carrier was the problem, but apparently my kids just do not enjoy baby wearing for any significant period of time. Maybe baby #4 will break the trend!!

Danger with that is that the cheap ones are much less comfortable so it may take trial and error!  I would instead look for a baby wearers international group or find a store that lets you try different brands/styles before you buy. If I had judged babywearing by the cheap infantino mei tai I never would have done it. But my son lived in the maya wrap. We did 4 mile walks regularly and walked all over Chicago and Seattle with it!  

I prefer the maya wrap over the moby because the moby is only good when they are itty bitty then gets too stretchy. 
Definitely a learning curve to tying but once you figure it out it's a breeze and very versatile. 
The cheap mei tai was easy to put on but painful to use. 
Ktan was too stretchy and only worked through three months. 
I bought a second hand ergo for this baby and ds2 loves it!!

ladythrice

What I own: Moby, Mei Tai, Tula SSC, Tula Ring Sling, Maya Ring Sling, Ergo (original) SSC

• I love the Moby for tiny newborn squish, but it can be a PITA to put on. It definitely takes practice.
• I love the ring slings for just barely bigger than a newborn stage. Easy to put on and adjust but sometimes they pull on my back a bit.
• I love Tula SSCs for everything else. We have an infant insert to use when they are small enough that they still need it. DS is nearly 3 and he still likes being worn in the Tula.

*bonus: I have successfully nursed while wearing kids in my three fave carriers. Helps to be able to do this for nursing moms on the go.

kmalls

riversdoctor said:

lindsye said:

My main contribution would be to buy a relatively inexpensive one at first to see if your child even likes babywearing before spending a whole lot on one (or more) carriers. I have spent a fortune over the years on every major brand of carrier in hopes that the carrier was the problem, but apparently my kids just do not enjoy baby wearing for any significant period of time. Maybe baby #4 will break the trend!!

Danger with that is that the cheap ones are much less comfortable so it may take trial and error!  I would instead look for a baby wearers international group or find a store that lets you try different brands/styles before you buy. If I had judged babywearing by the cheap infantino mei tai I never would have done it. But my son lived in the maya wrap. We did 4 mile walks regularly and walked all over Chicago and Seattle with it!  

I prefer the maya wrap over the moby because the moby is only good when they are itty bitty then gets too stretchy. 
Definitely a learning curve to tying but once you figure it out it's a breeze and very versatile. 
The cheap mei tai was easy to put on but painful to use. 
Ktan was too stretchy and only worked through three months. 
I bought a second hand ergo for this baby and ds2 loves it!!

And on the flip side, that "cheap Infantino Mei Tai" is by far my favorite carrier and my two babies loved them. I'll be getting another for baby 3 as it's been a great experience using them. 

Just keep in mind that what works or doesn't work for you is not necessarily a universal experience. 

julzy

I have the original Ergo for DS and we got a ton of use out of it. I loved it. We didn't get the 360 because from everything I've read, it's really not good to Forward face baby because of the position of the legs. We had the infant insert and we used it but I really found that to be the most cumbersome part. Used my Ergo carrier much more once I was able to forgo the infant insert.

I also had a moby wrap but to be honest was too much of a nervous mom to use it enough when baby was really little. This time around, I'm definitely going to practice a bunch before baby is due to be able to take advantage of it from day 1. 

We also have a backpack carrier we still use for hikes! 

riversdoctor

@kmalls exactly!  Trying out a bunch with your kiddo with people who can show you the ropes and tell you how things should fit and feel is so huge!  I was super lucky to have a store that let you try on carriers before you bought and taught you how to use them! 

kaymaroo

I had the Moby for DS when he was under 3 or 4 months and it's my favorite thing ever. It can be tricky to learn to tie but for me it was worth it. Nothing beats the snuggles and fit for an itty bitty.

I had the Infantino Flip when he was older. I liked that it was easy to put on and it worked pretty well but did hurt my back if I wore him for a long time.

My sister just gave me a Beco she's done with. Anyone have experience with these? If it's not great I'd rather just buy one I'll love.

nond135

I've had/have a moby wrap, woven wrap, ring sling, mei tai, beco gemini, and several kinderpacks in infant, standard and toddler.

I'm not a huge fan of the moby as I don't like how crazy much fabric there is (I only weigh about 100 lbs so that may be why). I LOVE my woven wrap for early days. So soft and supportive. I wasn't a fan of the mei tai - also too much material there. Maybe better when baby is older, but I'd given up by then. My daughter hated the ring sling for some reason though I really wanted to love it for convenience reasons. I may try again with this one as I still have it. I sold my Beco Gemini when I got my first Kinderpack. No comparison. The beco was much stiffer and the kinderpack is just way better.

Kinderpacks are AMAZING. They have straps that detach (unlike a Tula) so you can cross straps, the infant size has an adjustable seat so you can use it for itty bitties without an extra insert, and the three part panel gives you a great deep seat. Tulas just don't compare to Kinderpacks in my opinion (they lack all 3 reasons listed above why I love Kinderpacks so much). The only other carrier I have been interested to try (but not interested enough to actually buy since I own 4 Kinderpacks...) is an MJ Carrier. It has the 3 piece panel like the Kinderpacks but also has a pocket like the Tulas which could be convenient. I think the seat also may adjust like a Kinderpack though I'm not positive. I didn't get an MJ originally cause they hadn't yet come out with the infant size when I bought my first Kinderpack. MJs are pretty new.

Lillebaby would be my first choice for a carrier purchasable at someplace like Amazon over something like an Ergo.

Mattel

We really loved our Tula. Both DH and I carried DD in it. 

Thia time I want to get a standard half WC and also a ring sling for the first few months and hip
carries. 

I would also also suggest if you plan on baby wearing, try to start early. I only wore my daughter a couple times when she was a newborn and then we didn't start wearing her in the two little after she was too.

riversdoctor

https://www.slingrings.com/nosew.php

I plan on attempting to make my own ring along this time too 

mountainsmama

We have the Ergo 360 and the Solly baby wrap. I love the wrap for the little tiny stage, once you get the hang of trying it. My DH especially loved to wear DD in it.

I like the versatility of the Ergo and have no complaints, although I agree the infant insert is kind of annoying. Also I don't think it's a great fit for broad-shouldered men/people, but I find it really comfortable. Both of our carriers are in good condition so I'm probably not going to get a new one, but this list has some intriguing options!

danjoly

I have an ergo with the infant insert + a baby ktan. I used the ktan a lot when he was tiny because DS was under 6lbs and was floating in the ergo insert (made for 8lbs I think). Now he's 14 months and 20lbs and we use our ergo daily. It's very comfortable despite him getting heavier. This time I'm gonna add a ring sling or 2 (wild bird) and I'm hoping to carry a lot in order to follow my busy toddler!

8bithearts

JJMNO1616 said:

This week it's all about carriers! 

Which one(s) do you have? Would you recommend, why or why not? Which one are you thinking about? Questions or concerns?  

I have a kinderpack standard, a ring sling, and a work at home mom ssc. I used to have a moby and a woven wrap and a mei tai with the others. I put a new mei Tai  on the registry because I'm superexperienced and sometimes need my hands free  so I put baby on my back. 

jenotontx

I think from all the responses I may be leaning towards a ring sling like the wildbird and the Tula room to grow. I don't know if I would love carrying a baby in the Tula the first few months even though it seems like it is ok to put the ittie bitties in there. It just seems like they would be swallowed up!     

@danjoly I just went to the Wildbird website to check those out and almost everything is sold out! Yeesh.  

ekendall09

JJMNO1616 said:

I think from all the responses I may be leaning towards a ring sling like the wildbird and the Tula room to grow. I don't know if I would love carrying a baby in the Tula the first few months even though it seems like it is ok to put the ittie bitties in there. It just seems like they would be swallowed up!     

@danjoly I just went to the Wildbird website to check those out and almost everything is sold out! Yeesh.  

I checked it out today too but no color I wanted was still there.  I think their fall colors come out in a few weeks!  The pelican is the only thing i've purchased so far this pregnancy but i'd love a bamboo one too!

jenotontx

ekendall09 said:

JJMNO1616 said:

I think from all the responses I may be leaning towards a ring sling like the wildbird and the Tula room to grow. I don't know if I would love carrying a baby in the Tula the first few months even though it seems like it is ok to put the ittie bitties in there. It just seems like they would be swallowed up!     

@danjoly I just went to the Wildbird website to check those out and almost everything is sold out! Yeesh.  

I checked it out today too but no color I wanted was still there.  I think their fall colors come out in a few weeks!  The pelican is the only thing i've purchased so far this pregnancy but i'd love a bamboo one too!

I think if I buy one (or register for one) I may go with the double chambray because I live in Texas and the Bamboo apparently isn't as breathable according to the reviews I have read. It seems like it is the softest option though!  

ekendall09

JJMNO1616 said:

ekendall09 said:

JJMNO1616 said:

I think from all the responses I may be leaning towards a ring sling like the wildbird and the Tula room to grow. I don't know if I would love carrying a baby in the Tula the first few months even though it seems like it is ok to put the ittie bitties in there. It just seems like they would be swallowed up!     

@danjoly I just went to the Wildbird website to check those out and almost everything is sold out! Yeesh.  

I checked it out today too but no color I wanted was still there.  I think their fall colors come out in a few weeks!  The pelican is the only thing i've purchased so far this pregnancy but i'd love a bamboo one too!

I think if I buy one (or register for one) I may go with the double chambray because I live in Texas and the Bamboo apparently isn't as breathable according to the reviews I have read. It seems like it is the softest option though!  

I saw that too.  I got the chambray single one.  My friend has two and says she had trouble breaking in one of hers so is hoping the bamboo will fix that.  I figure if anything, options!

Puddlewonderful

Same as @danjoly I had Ktan and Ergo. @kmalls is right, the Ergo is absolutely impossible for tiny babies before they have neck control. I could only get into it with the help of a bed to lay baby in (basically flopped down on top of him to scoop him into it) and my husband to clip the straps. Not helpful for a solo trip to the store. The Ktan worked much better when he was tiny and I could get him out of the car seat and into the Ktan on my own with no help. 

Oops, ETA I actually did love my Ergo once he got bigger. Very comfy and easy to use. About 6-12 months was the prime age when we used it. DS is a 30 lb 22 month old so mama ain't baby wearing any more! 

whatabout2ndbreakfast

I've been leaning towards the Tula also. I have a friend who is going to let me try it out. 

I don't know if we'll get any kind of wrap since we make such big babies. DS has been 99%tile in weight and height forever so I'm not sure if that's sort of pointless to get a wrap? 

g_amoss

I have a Boba baby wrap on my registry for when the babies are little, but am leaning toward the Lillebaby "Complete Original" for when they are a little bigger.  Anyone other than @irenejean used one?  

@irenejean - did you like it better when your kiddo was a little bigger?

dirtyboots

Moby Wrap : got it at a garage sale for $3. #1 did NOT care for it, plus it was tedious to take on and off. Glad I didn't pay much for it.

Ergo original : got for $15 at a second hand store. It did start hurting my back once #1 was over 20#, but from infant till he was just over a year we used the heck out of it. We didn't have any issues using the infant insert. No complaints for the smaller weights. 

Wildbird sling (bamboo) : got it second hand for a discounted price (there's a huge bst FB group where you can catch a deal now and then if you're watching) I actually got it for #2 so I've only used it a handful of times with #1 trying to break it in,, but I think I'll really like it so long as baby does!

Tula: just picked this up for $75 on clearance at Target last week. I haven't got a chance to use it yet, but got it mainly to try with #1 in hopes of it being better on my back from 20# up.

Every baby is different and has their preferences as well so I'm glad I have options when it gets here. That also being said keep an eye on garage sales, bst groups, second hand stores  because people get rid of lightly used carries that their baby didn't care for for some great prices.  

jenotontx

@dirtyboots I really want a wildbird sling! It would be great to get a deal on one. 

dirtyboots

@JJMNO1616 the FB group is "Wildbird Chit Chat B/S/T" there are some slings that sell for wayyyy more then retail, but there are also some that go for cheaper (around $50 shipped I've seen) plus their already on their way to being broken in (less stiff) so that's nice.  

irenejean

@g_amoss We started using our lillebaby when DS was about a month old. For some reason I wasn't super comfortable with baby wearing before then, might have just been my pp anxiety. It's a great carrier!

g_amoss

@irenejean - thank you for info. I never baby wore my late son, so I didn’t think much about it, but now I am really thinking with 2 it will be a big help to me. 

rmmorris

I have an ergo 360 in the cool air mesh and a baby Ktan. We got a lot of use out of the ktan when my daughter was little but she outgrew it pretty quickly. Unfortunately the ergo didn’t fit comfortably. My hunch is the problem was that the “cool mesh” material is more structured than the normal material and I have a really small frame. The shoulder straps just wouldn’t lay flat and so they’d dig into me. No amount of troubleshooting/adjusting helped. This time around, I’m going to wait until baby outgrows the ktan and then go to a store and try some different carriers on with the baby. My biggest regret was getting the ergobaby on my registry— so by the time we actually used it and realized there was a problem, we couldn’t return it. 

fancybelmont

It's been 7  years, so I'm not really up to date with carriers...but my two favorites were the Moby Wrap and the Ergo.  DH like the Bjorn too.  It worked for him, but I wasn't a huge fan.  

jenotontx

dirtyboots said:

@JJMNO1616 the FB group is "Wildbird Chit Chat B/S/T" there are some slings that sell for wayyyy more then retail, but there are also some that go for cheaper (around $50 shipped I've seen) plus their already on their way to being broken in (less stiff) so that's nice.  

I just got added to this group and it's so overwhelming! I had no idea there were so many colors and options. 

ekendall09

@JJMNO1616 I’m in there too and definitely am taken back by the girls who have sooo many slings. Like I get they are using as accessories but it’s a lot. My friend says there’s a sale in February usually and they’ll be releasing their spring colors in a couple months too.