Vatanai & Beco?

OctGirl80 · September 2010

I'm trying to find the best set-up for us so any help is appreciated. Apparently, we are not in an BW friendly area. Our local Target (which carries only Bjorn) started carrying Moby's only about a month ago. There is no group for our area on TBW (the closest one is about 1 1/2 hours away) and the closest shop that carries Beco is an hour away so it's not a trip I want to make numerous times.

DH's cousin-in-law (who lives in Prague) had a Vatanai wrap and she loves it. DH is not very wrap friendly and gets hots VERY quickly (I'm not a fan of Moby's based on the warmth factor). Since I will be doing 95% of BW when LO is small, I'm thinking of getting a Vatanai and a Beco Gemini for when LO is a bit bigger and DH will be doing more carrying. I know it says from 7#, but it makes me slightly uneasy about using with a newborn

WDYT? Thoughts? Suggestions?

kwinters87 · September 2010

I have a Vat and I absolutely love it! (SSC's aren't my thing so I'm no help to you there)

My Vat was very broken in when I got it, so it is incredibly soft and very lightweight. So I highly recommend it.

ncbelle · September 2010

I love Vats (they are my favorite wraps and definitely the coolest!) and know folks who love the beco.

You can rent a beco here - https://www.granolababies.com/rent-a-sling/cat_73.html - if you want to try before you buy ;-)

OctGirl80 · September 2010

First, I love your pics. I've been meaning to tell you that. Grace is beautiful and I love how you carry her.

Did you get your Vat new or used? We're hoping we can afford for me to be a SAHM If so, I will have plenty of time to learn how to use a wrap. Other than the pics from Prague last year (before I was on here), I had never seen wraps. To this day, I have never seen one IRL. They just seems to make so much sense to me, though. I'm so anxious to try it when LO gets here. Any advice for me?

OctGirl80 · September 2010

ncbelle:
I love Vats (they are my favorite wraps and definitely the coolest!) and know folks who love the beco.
You can rent a beco here - https://www.granolababies.com/rent-a-sling/cat_73.html - if you want to try before you buy ;-)

Thanks for the link. I'll definitely look into that. I'd hate to spend that money to find out either me or LO don't like it.

kwinters87 · September 2010

Thanks! Grace loves being worn.

I got my Vat used from a mama in my local API group, but you can find them on thebabywearer.com For Sale or Trade forum. I really do prefer pre-loved wraps because they are usually broken in. (I bought one new and there is a huge difference between a new and used wrap)

You should check out the link in Ncbelle's siggy, its got great wrapping info and some really sweet pics of her wearing her DS. And here's a link to my FB wrapping album with lots of pics of me wearing Grace.

https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=24935&id=292901617&l=e5f02a2b69

As for advice, you just kind of have to jump right in, you'll get strange looks from people when you're out and about but look at it as an opportunity to educate them on a new way to care for babies. Ooh, and practicing with a teddy bear before LO arrives was one of the best things I did while pregnant!

OctGirl80 · September 2010

I had seen a post where someone tried a sling with their dog, but I have a cat who would definitely not be ok with being stuff in a wrap. Smile

The teddy bear is great idea I hadn't thought of. DH got me a bear years ago that has some kind of rice heat pack inside it and it has some weight to it. That would probably be perfect. Thanks for that!

Brooke81 · September 2010

Butting in but my advice would be to buy a vat or other wrap before baby gets here but to wait on the SSC. Wraps are really best imo for the snuggly little newborn stage. I bought a Pikkolo (similar to the Gemini) before DS arrived and I tried him in it a few times around 3 months or so but he just didn't seem to fit in it well or sit in it right. I don't think I really started to use it until DS was about 6 or 7 months old. I didn't really start feeling the love for it until about 9 months or so. DS is a little on the small side but really I could have lived with just the wrap until 6 months in retrospect.

When you decide you want to try a SSC I deffinitly recomend renting or borrowing one if you can. I tried a Boba when DS was 12 months because i was looking for something that might give me a bit more support and last a bit longer in terms of height. While I loved a lot of things about it it just wasn't comfortable for me. I think the choice of a SSC is a very personal one. I lucked out with my Pikkolo because it fits realy well but it could have been a bad buy too. KWIM?

Good luck!

Bride2b2004 · September 2010

I use wraps & SSC. I agree that while it is okay to use (certain) SSCs with newborns, I prefer wraps. A vat would be a great one because it can take you all the way. I have a vat stripes 3.5m that I love, it is so airy and yet supportive. If you are only getting one, I would probably get a Vat Jaquard because they are a little more cushy and if you aren't getting a moby (sure you don't want one for just around the house, stretchy is nice for a little squishy) I would want a little more cush. Also, see if it would be better for your CIL to buy and ship because in the US we really only have POC to buy from and though they are great, the selection might be better (and probably prices) outside the US.