Need a carrier for 12-15 month old

purplesnapdragons21 · January 2013

We will be heading to Europe for a few weeks next summer. My LO will be 12-15 months old depending on when we go. We currently have a bjorn and snugli we use mostly for walks or the airport. I think we will want a carrier for our trip and maybe a stroller?? Not sure about that.

I am considering the Ergo or the Beco Butterfly II. Do any of you have the Beco? Do you think these carriers will work well for walking all around the town and country side of France? We won't be doing any intense hikes in the mountains or anything. Mostly walking around, seeing the sites. I am 5'7" and DH is 5'10". My LO is currently 7 months old and weights 18.5 lbs.

What do you think would be the most comfortable/easiest to use? We want to be able to front and back carry.

Amelia4 · January 2013

I have an Action Baby Carrier, which is a SSC similar to the Ergo and Beco. I LOVE it and it is very comfortable in carrying my 15-month, 24 pound baby for long periods of time. You can do a front carry or a back carry and they even have a toddler size, which is a bit bigger than the regular.

If you are going to France, I would not bring an American stroller. My ventures to Europe (England, France, Germany, places further east) have made it clear that their streets are not made for American strollers. The strollers over there are much more heavy duty than the typical stroller here and with a good carrier,

MoparWife67 · January 2013

I love my ergo!

BelhurstBride · January 2013

Still use the ergo with DD. love it!

purplesnapdragons21 · January 2013

Amelia4:
I have an Action Baby Carrier, which is a SSC similar to the Ergo and Beco. I LOVE it and it is very comfortable in carrying my 15-month, 24 pound baby for long periods of time. You can do a front carry or a back carry and they even have a toddler size, which is a bit bigger than the regular.
If you are going to France, I would not bring an American stroller. My ventures to Europe (England, France, Germany, places further east) have made it clear that their streets are not made for American strollers. The strollers over there are much more heavy duty than the typical stroller here and with a good carrier,

Thanks so much! I will totally look into that. Yeah, if we went I would get something like a jogging stroller that could take the cobble stones well! I lived in Europe for a year and have been to France a lot so I know a cheapo wouldn't work well at all.

purplesnapdragons21 · January 2013

theresat858:
I would not invest in an Ergo for a 12 month old..I would look into a Toddler sized carrier like a Toddler Tula or a Kinderpack. The Beco Butterfly is also on the smaller side and your LO might outgrow it. Ideally, support should go knee-to-knee for baby, and baby is best supported facing in for front carries.

Thanks! I will look into those options. We really want something that will work well for 12+ months as we may go to France every summer for many years to come and will probably have a toddler for quite a few years if we are able to have more children in the future.

purplesnapdragons21 · January 2013

BelhurstBride:
Still use the ergo with DD. love it!

How long do you wear her for? Have you every worn her for 3-4 hours?

BelhurstBride · January 2013

purplesnapdragons21:
BelhurstBride:
Still use the ergo with DD. love it!

How long do you wear her for? Have you every worn her for 3-4 hours?

oh yea, cleaning house, when she comes to work with me, this summer in Williamsburg. FWIW, she's tall for her age but only in the 25th percentile for weight.

sucredee · January 2013

We go to Europe once a year since that is where I'm from. The first time DD was 4 months old and we brought the Ergo and a stroller. That was the last time I ever traveled anywhere with a stroller (I actually don't use a stroller at home much either). I have the Ergo performance and used it plenty until she was 2. I still use it now when we go grocery shopping and when we travel. She still falls asleep in it at times even now at 2.5. She is almost 25 lbs. once in a blue moon I will carry her in the front still (mostly if it rains or is very cold that way I can cover her with my coat) but 98% of the time she is on my back.

I would leave the stroller at home personally especially if your LO is used to being carried. I love my Ergo but I have never used anything else (other than a hand me down Baby Bjorn which killed my back by the time she was about 14 lbs).

purplesnapdragons21 · January 2013

BelhurstBride:

oh yea, cleaning house, when she comes to work with me, this summer in Williamsburg. FWIW, she's tall for her age but only in the 25th percentile for weight.

Good to know! My LO is hanging around 50% for weight and 75% for height. I assume he will grow into a skinny toddler as both DH and I were skinny at least until the freshman 15 hit.

purplesnapdragons21 · January 2013

sucredee:
We go to Europe once a year since that is where I'm from. The first time DD was 4 months old and we brought the Ergo and a stroller. That was the last time I ever traveled anywhere with a stroller (I actually don't use a stroller at home much either). I have the Ergo performance and used it plenty until she was 2. I still use it now when we go grocery shopping and when we travel. She still falls asleep in it at times even now at 2.5. She is almost 25 lbs. once in a blue moon I will carry her in the front still (mostly if it rains or is very cold that way I can cover her with my coat) but 98% of the time she is on my back.
I would leave the stroller at home personally especially if your LO is used to being carried. I love my Ergo but I have never used anything else (other than a hand me down Baby Bjorn which killed my back by the time she was about 14 lbs).

Unfortunately, my LO isn't used to be being carried in his bjorn. Maybe once or twice per month for an hour or two each time is about all we have done. (outings and the airport). He loves being down on the ground and moving all about. Which is why I was thinking about a stroller. I'm afraid he will be too wiggly to be carried, even though carrying would be so much simpler! He has been in the stroller for hours when we have gone on walks or on vacations in different US cities. If I pick a carrier we will definitely "practice" wearing him in it to try and get him used to it.

MouseInLux · January 2013

I live in europe, deepending on where you go you could get away with an umbrella stroller but if you go anywhere that you're going to depend on public transport I'd not take a stroller.

DD is now 18 months and we wear her in a Toddler Tula almost every day, she fits great and will fit in it for a good while to come. She out grew our Ergo at about 14 months and as it's something that we use on a daily basis we decided to size up. I'm so glad we went with the Tula. We did have a Kinderpack but DH just didn't get along with it, we found the Tula more versatile as I'm 5ft6 and DH is well over 6ft tall.

nyki06 · January 2013

MoparWife67:
I love my ergo!

This.

purplesnapdragons21 · January 2013

MouseInLux:
I live in europe, deepending on where you go you could get away with an umbrella stroller but if you go anywhere that you're going to depend on public transport I'd not take a stroller.
DD is now 18 months and we wear her in a Toddler Tula almost every day, she fits great and will fit in it for a good while to come. She out grew our Ergo at about 14 months and as it's something that we use on a daily basis we decided to size up. I'm so glad we went with the Tula. We did have a Kinderpack but DH just didn't get along with it, we found the Tula more versatile as I'm 5ft6 and DH is well over 6ft tall.

Thanks! This is very useful! I had some friends in Europe who used strollers on subways and busses but it would be nice not to have the hassle.

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