baby carrier and no pram?

[lemon101]

Hi all,

My dh and I are pretty keen to keep the level of baby accessories to a minimum and we had this idea of just getting a baby carrier/sling instead of a pram (until the baby was a bit older and then get a running pushchair).

As this pregnancy progresses and I start thinking about life after pregnancy however I am starting to think the whole 'no pram' idea might be a bit bonkers. The main reason being (and I appreciate this sounds ridiculous), but we do like going out for meals, a swifty drink at the pub etc. It's genuinely an important part of or lives and yes this will change etc etc (but still going to try!). In this sort of situation where do you put the baby if you just have a sling and haven't driven so the baby isn't in a car seat?

Is it a crazy idea to not get a pram? I'm sure there are other situations (and possibly more pressingly practical ones!) where a sling and no pram is problematic. I'd be grateful for the knowledge of the experienced ladies out there!

[milkingmachine1]

I have my baby (12 weeks) in a sling most of the time. I don't take a buggy if I'm driving somewhere or just nipping out. But I do take one if I know I'm going to be out for longer. It's handy to put bags/coats in and definitely worth having if you are eating or even doing something like going clothes shopping. You need somewhere to put the baby down. It's very difficult to eat and hold a baby or if it's in the sling attached to you. I've got a maclaren quest so it's suitable from birth and you can use it up until the child is a toddler. It folds up small so you avoid having a massive buggy which you have to lug around.
Regarding getting a sling, I'd recommend trying a sling library first as they are quite pricey and you want to make sure it's one you like and someone can demonstrate how to use it properly. There is safety advice when using slings so make sure you look into that too.
I love my sling, I've used it for both my babies and they've loved it too. I have a close caboo which you can use from birth.
Good luck and congrats on your pregnancy!

[purplesnail]

Meals and drinks can be done with a new born in a sling, a strechy wrap is great and you may find yourself eating at home with baby in the sling if they dont want putting down, I used to just pop a hat or a muslin on their head to catch drips and had to wait for hot drinks to cool so there was no risk of scolding baby.

[Madratlady]

I didn't use a pram until DS turned 18 months, only using the pushchair now as I'm pregnant andand finding him harder to carry for long and I want him used to not being carried everywhere by the time baby#2 arrives.

I'd recommend not getting a narrow based (baby Bjorn style) carrier though as they tend to be less supportive than more ergonomic slings, you'll find it more comfortable to carry for far longer (and probably cheaper to buy) with a decent sling. Like milking said, go to your local sling library if you can, they are happy to advise pregnant people on the different types so you can find something that suits you. Personally I never got on with wrap style ones and prefer a buckled sling or mei tai, but I know some people who swear by wraps from birth to toddlerhood.

[trilbydoll]

I always say my problem with a sling is it's like being pregnant and by the end of pregnancy I am done with being unable to squeeze through gaps, feeling really heavy etc. I love feeling relatively thin and mobile again once baby arrives!

DD2 is only really happy in the sling, irritatingly, but won't tolerate it if I'm sat down so you'd have to eat standing up

Eating a meal, with the baby sleeping in the pushchair allows you to feel like your life hasn't changed too much (ignoring all the furniture rearranging to get the bloody thing in between all the chairs) - eating with a baby in a sling feels like you're not even an independent person any more!

[ijustwannadance]

Could you not just get a running pushchair now and get adapters so you can just use buggy base to clip car seat onto if needed? My DD was far to heavy for me to carry around and car seat+baby=heavy

[Allstoppedup]

I have both and very rarely used my pram, we don't have a car and tend to use a woven wrap and ring sling the most. We've done full days out, festivals, anything that requires public transport, countryside/beach without a pram and have found that it can make things really easy- it's a breeze to get through crowds/ difficult terrain.

(I do use my pram more right now as I'm 7 months pregnant with number 2 and DS is 19 months)! Pram gets used if I intend to do a supermarket shop but if I'm honest, I usually take the sling too, wear DS and use the pram to carry stuff!

That said, it IS handy to have a pram for some social situations like you describe. If you are going to be out and about with friends, it can be nice to have somewhere to pop a comfortable, sleeping baby down so you can do your own thing.

It can all depend on the child though, some don't like to be carried/prefer different types of carrier. I'd say go to a sling library and get a feel for what you might like when your LO arrives. I picked up our buggy for less than £20 pretty much new from a charity shop- it doesn't have to be all bells and whistles.

I should say- slings can be a bit addictive if you catch the bug!

[SaulGood]

I never bothered with a pram. The DC just lived in the sling. It never caused a problem. Under 6 months and out for a meal and they just stayed in the sling, over 6 months and they went in a highchair.

[Dangermouse1]

I loved my sling but personally I would have found it hard not having a pushchair. If you can get your baby to sleep in a pushchair you can then go out for a coffee / shopping etc. or for a meal as your OP suggests. Or back to bed! Leaving a baby in a car seat for any length of time isnt ideal and having a drink/meal with baby in a sling is not very relaxing. If you're not sure you want one I would go and choose a pushchair but not buy it and if you find you're not coping well without one then just order online. Having said that I found it much better buying slings when I had an actual baby to try them in so I'd probably get a small pushchair beforehand and buy the sling after.

[RainDancer]

I bought a lovely iCandy jogger, but for the first few months my DD didn't want to go anywhere near it! I would go out for coffee with other Mums after going to baby groups and all of their babies would be happily sitting in their car seat or buggy but mine wouldn't go anywhere but the sling! I had a Moby which I loved and also a Connecta which was fab for when she was older, although lots of people use them from newborn. I found I could do pretty much anything with her in the sling, and it was the only way I could ever eat a meal with both hands! Give it a whirl and see how you get on. Her insistence on being held all the time drove me a little bit mad at times, but actually it really is only for a short time. She is now a very lovable and (fairly!) independent toddler. I don't regret lugging her around all that time!

[DeladionInch]

Ds1 wouldn't tolerate the buggy till he was old enough to want to see what was going on so nigh on 6 months. Sling is more practical for me anyway (upstairs flat in town and I get road rage wheeling anything around) so I doubt imminent ds2 will use one till later. Ds1 mostly uses it for naps if we're away. There's nothing to say it's you that has to have the baby tied to you btw; both my mum and dh had taken ds1 out in the stretchy by the time he was a few weeks old, and dh has his own carrier (prefers buckles, I prefer wraps)

[MrsNuckyThompson]

I think it is completely bonkers.

Babies get heavy pretty quickly you know. Also, you hold / carry little babies a lot as it is, especially if you breastfeed and sometimes it's nice just to put them down!! If you have a carrier you have to wear it the whole time - so you go out for a walk and sit down for a coffee still holding the baby rather than just parking the pram beside you. It would get very wearing.

Also I think you're likely to run into sleep issues further down the line if your baby's only mode of transport is being attached to you.

I'm sure I'll get flamed by the AP brigade for all of the above but let me just reiterate that this is a stupid idea and you should just get a pram.

[Topsy34]

i do think you may well struggle, ds was in a sling a lot. But we liked the buggy too, just for long walks in the summer and when it was really hot

i found sometimes ds wouldntgo off to sleep in the sling and a good long walk in the buggy got him off much better.

Ultimately you need to do what you think best for your baby

[DeladionInch]

Sounds like you haven't actually tried it, MrsNucky?

If you describe something that has worked for billions of parents over a period of millenia as "bonkers" and "stupid" then yes, you may well find yourself something of a minority

[museumum]

Buy one of the forward facing running buggies that can take a car seat on top in a parent facing position. Best of both worlds. I think the "baby jogger" brand do this.

[SaulGood]

MrsNucky, I think you might benefit from being calmly snuggled up in a sling. You sound very judgmental, cross, ill-informed and unkind.

I'd counter your inaccurate, ignorant and judgmental offerings, but I suspect you're not interested in the actual reality of my life so I shall leave you to your bile.

[avocadotoast]

I have both. I rarely use the buggy tbh but it is useful to have.

There are occasions where the sling just isn't right - eg when I went to the doctors and had to take DD with me, I took her in the buggy as I knew the Dr would need to examine me and there'd be nowhere else to put DD.

Buggy also useful for putting shopping in the bottom of - you're a little limited as to how much you can carry with baby in sling as you start to feel a bit like a packhorse.

[TheOriginalWinkly]

If I had to sacrifice either my buggy or sling, it would be bye bye buggy, but it is handy for having a place to put a small baby (far less of an issue when they can be plopped into a high chair) or for shopping, as previous posters have said. I still regularly carry my fairly hefty 1 year old, whereas she's always hated the buggy (much to my DM's disappointment, she loves pushing a pram :) )

[Artistic]

I found it difficult to use a sling - but that could down to my choice of sling - Moby. In the early days my back would inevitably hurt if I carried DD for more that few minutes. Later she was too heavy! I couldn't have survived without my pram! But am still considering a sling for my 10 month old. Am sure my back is stronger now?!

[badg3r]

We have both, ds only started using the buggy at all at 4 weeks and we only really use it once a week but still Good to have. If you need a car seat anyway why not get a secondhand frame you can click it into? Or just buy your running pram as soon as you feel you need one.

[HeadDreamer]

Depends on the child. DD1 lived 6mo in a sling. Would not tolerate a pram until she was sitting up. DD2 hates hates hates the sling. If we went out on long days with her in it, she wouldn't nap and get grumpier and grumpier. She sleeps like an angel in a pram.

[DeladionInch]

Tbf mothercare isn't likely to go bust any time soon. If you need a pram after your baby's born, go and buy one.

Sling libraries have weighted dolls you can practice with

[Doublebubblebubble]

I'm the same - slings are just soooo much easier - its also nice to have the bubble close and if you're sneaky enough - you can bf whilst walking around and no one will know any different - great days x i also have a 5 year old DD so I don't really want to (encourage) have her riding on the back of the pram. Me and DH (and DD) also enjoy going out for meals when we can (fairly regularly) and we bought a travel highchair (obviously for when baby can support him/herself) that can just fold into nappy bag. I cant for the life of me remember where we got dd's but they look like this....

[Boosiehs]

We had both. DS loved the sling but after a few hours he got REALLY heavy. He was nearly 5kg when born tho.

He also loved the pram, and in the rain/shopping it was easier to use the pram.

I say have both as the best option.

[Mulligrubs]

My son didn't really like being in a sling, plus he was only 5lb when born and I had an EMCS so a sling would have been unsuitable from birth for us. Obviously I wasnt expecting my EMCS or his tiny size so I would have been screwed without a pushchair. He was much happier in a pushchair and would (when he was a bit bigger) tolerate a sling for a little while but he wasn't that keen on it and we tried loads out.

He started walking at 11 months and was walking short distances at 12 months outside so we haven't used our pushchair a lot since then but it is still handy for long walks (he is now 22 months).

So I'd say be prepared either way!

[MadgeMak]

It's not a bonkers idea at all MrsNucky. If a pram/buggy works best for you then that's fine, if exclusively using a sling/carrier works for you then that is also fine. It's personal preference surely.

As for baby becoming too reliant on you if you use a sling too much. That is rubbish I'm afraid. There are lots of studies to suggest using a sling and keeping baby close actually fosters confidence and independence. My own personal experience - my second child was worn in a sling a lot as I had an older child to continue caring for too and it was easier if my hands were free. Second child took all daytime naps in the sling then happily transitioned to his cot or buggy at around 6 months. No issues at all.