Baby hates carriers :-(

megahof

My sweet baby is a cuddle bug. She wants to be held all the time, and I love that she's already so attached to me and Hubster. If we put her down for even a minute, she starts fussing. I have no problem carrying her with me during the day, but there are 2 problems - 1) I can't get anything done because I need both hands to hold her securely (she can be a bit of a wiggle worm sometimes), and 2) this kid is starting to get heavy - I'm going to be ripped soon! To alleviate the strain on my arms and back, and to give me at least one free hand, I've tried putting her in a Baby Bjorn (free from a friend), which she tolerated for maybe about 5 minutes, and I've tried putting her in a ring sling (homemade), which she tolerated for about 30 seconds. I'm more than a little disappointed that neither of these have worked. I would have thought that being close to my body would calm her, given that that's what she seems to like. Maybe the problem is that she likes being cradled in my arms, and both the sling and the BB have her in more of an upright position.

We're super tight on cash, so buying a new carrier isn't an option. (I would, however, be open to cannibalizing an old jersey sheet to make something...) Does anyone have any advice? Does anyone else have a baby who fusses when you try to put her in a carrier? Does that fussiness go away?

rosiemomma

make sure baby is happy the first few times you try it... often we think it will help with a fussy baby but a fussy baby isn't ready to learn something new. I say keep trying and relax, make sure you feel comfortable while doing ti... if you are tense or worried your baby will feel that.

I am going to talk about the ring sling because that is what I have experience with. Get your content baby in the sling and tighten it up around baby... then if everything looks and feels right start walking around, if your baby is starting to fuss gently sway or bounce like you would if she was fussing in your arms. If she starts getting frustrated end it, and try again later.

I know often mommas who aren't 'experienced' baby wearers often say their baby doesn't like carriers, but then the baby will be happy in a carrier with and experienced baby-wearer...  Babies know when your feel comfortable or not!

silkyhorse

My son only liked his carriers when we were in a walking motion.  If I tried to do housework (which is more back and forth, up and down, not a constant motion), he was not impressed

dottymobo

My possibly not "correct" advice is to use the ring sling to give you enough extra  support in whatever position works for you so that you have one hand free, if it's just not working for you otherwise.

I use the ring sling for hours most days, and my basic strategy is to tightening sling around whatever position DD wants to be in, even if that means one hand is holding up her head as it sticks out or I'm supporting her weight while she faces out and the sling is just around her tummy keeping her from flopping forward.  It might not be "right," but I'm careful about support and airways, and it works for us.

tokenhoser

https://zolowear.com/Wearing.aspx

I would try some different positions in the ring sling. That site has videos.

GypsyEsq

Ditto pp - baby needs to be a in a good mood, fed, content, clean diapered to try a carrier.  Second, 5 minutes and 30 seconds isn't long enough to decide whether baby likes or hates carriers or the particular carrier or carry.  We used both the  Bjorn and a ring sling with DD was bitty and I preferred the ring sling but you should still try to use both.  With the ring sling you can do a cradle carry but it's a little more difficult to do correctly and safely, if you have a babywearing group nearby I'd recommend finding out when their next meeting is and going to get some help.  Sometimes just having someone IRL help you with the carry is all you need to get it just right on your own.  Plus the confidence you'll gain will be calming to your baby.

Also in my own experience DD rarely tolerated me wearing her and sitting still, whereas she'd sit in my lap or cradled in my arms all day if I let her.  So once you've got baby in a good mood and in the carrier of choice get up and keep moving - laundry, vacuuming, a walk around the 'hood, something that keeps you both moving will help your baby get accustomed to the sensation of being carried.  GL!

katiewhompus

Keep trying and give it time.

DD hated me wearing her in carriers until she was about 12 weeks old. Now she loves it. Prior to 12 weeks she was fine with men wearing her (my dad, my husband) but would lose it if women carried her, especially me. My own totally non-scientifically proven theory is she equated being close to me with food (non-stop growth spurt from birth to 12 weeks it seemed) and would get pissed that she couldn't eat but was right by the boobs.

megahof

Y'all are probably right in that I gave up too quickly. She is very young still - only 3 weeks - but I was hoping she might take to it early on so that it wouldn't be something we would have to adjust to later on. I guess my concern is that my gal is particularly fussy - if she's not sleeping, she's screaming for something to eat, or just fussing in general. There are rare and fleeting moments when she is full, changed, and happy - those moments usually only come when she's napping. Do you think I should attempt to put her in the sling while she's asleep? I'm so hesitant to try it when she's seemingly happy and awake, because every time I've tried so far has resulted in a meltdown that lasts for a couple hours...