Child carriers (backpacks) - bush baby? what should I look for?

[SachaF]

Hi,
I am looking at buying the BushBaby Lite carrier for my 6 month old. Has anyone got one and what do they think? What should I be looking out for when buying a back pack? Previously I did a lot of walking (D of E leader, hut to hut in tatra's, lots of walking and camping in uk) but I don't know how much walking I will be doing in the future - I'm signed up for 3 days of the Penine Way next summer and am going to Snowdonia for 2 weeks this summer but am assuming that will be lower key than usual.
Also I'm training for an offroad walking marathon (beachy HEad)-Anyone done a walking marathon with a 10 month old? How did you manage it? (dm has offerd to babysit that day)

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[chevre]

i took dd with me and tried out various. some of them she hated and the one i eventually bought she sat in and was quite perky. i think 6 months is a wee bit young for long walks in these things.

[SachaF]

At the moment I'm probably only thinking up to 3 hours - we went for that long with ds in the front pack and had a feeding break half way. But I don't know how long is reasonable as they get older / fidget more / i get fitter

[SachaF]

What shop did you use? I guess it had more than 2 in stock?

[babedia]

Not a sporty person myself but I do have a front/back carrier that I find amazingly comfortable and it would be completely fine for a 6 month old. I carry my 16-month-old for hours in it without problems. I wouldn't be able to carry her for even 5 minutes without a carrier because she's a very heavy lump. Most of the weight goes on your hip so it doesn't pull on your shoulders and I find that as they sit lower than in those framed carriers, the centre of gravity is lower too, which I think helps. It's called Ergo Baby Carrier: www.ergobabycarrier.com/ I bought it from this place www.freerangekids.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=122, who I'd recommend as I wanted it for the weekend and only ordered on Thursday afternoon and they still managed to get it in the post first class that same day.

[SachaF]

Thanks, but I have a front/back pack and feel ds gets a better view and playtime in a backpack - we have borrowed one to try it and he liked it lots (and playing with my hair) so it's definatley a rucksack I'm after (I also have a ringsling which I love - all have their place )

[amidaiwish]

i got this one little life voyager

and was very happy with it - has toddler stirrups, rain cover and she seemed very comfy in it (fell asleep even)

only used it twice and thinking of selling it. i had visions of being very outdoorsy after DD1 but only have a 19m gap between the 2 DDs so in reality barely got to use it. if you're interested i guess i would want £100 delivered? (£150 new). it is in perfect condition - canopy never used.

[PurpleFrog]

We had a Karrimor backpack when dd was little (she is now 9), but there is a lot more choice now so I don't know the good makes. We got a lot of use out of it, although not just for all the activities we imagined. I remember taking dd to nursey in it one morning in the snow when she was around 2. We also ended up using it to go shopping as dd took a huge aversion to sitting in trolleys at around 17 months. It meant she could interact with adults at their own level and she was able to see what was going on. (Just be careful not to get too close to the supermarket shelves.....) It was also less hassle for escalators etc..

Make sure you try out various models with a heavier weight in it than your 6 month old ! I know people who bought cheap carriers and were unable to use them after about 18 months of age !

Look for one with an adjustable back if your partner is vastly different in size to you.

Make sure you can get it on and off by yourself. Our Karrimor one had a "collapsible" stand which you could click out or in while the backpack was on your back.

Get one with a raincover.

[Clary]

We have a wonderful Bush Baby - it's not the lite one as they only did one when we got it (7 yrs ago).

It's like the posh BB one but without the bits (sunshade etc) which IMO are not essential anyway.

It's FAB. Adjustable to fit diffferent heights, very very comfortable and loads of storage too.

Carried all my 3 on walks, into town shopping (! if not buying too much), and down the cliffs to the beach (invaluable as pushchairs impossible and who wants to carry a wriggly toddler in their arms down the steps?) etc.

It has had use non-stop for years. I think you could carry a smaller child in it for hours as long as you had the odd break. I carried them all of mine (one at a time!) until they were 3+. DS2 was 4 in April and last went in it last summer. It looks like new. In fact we want to sell it.

[RuthieBee]

I would strongly recommend the Macpac child carriers - Possum or Vamoose. They are at the expensive end of the range (but not by much), and have a great harness system.

If you walk longer distances (or times) and want to be able to carry larger children (2 year olds are heavy, but still not great at long walks off road), they are well worth the price.