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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to believe there is no baby on earth who is "too heavy to carry" at six months?

268 replies

GoogleyEyes · 07/04/2015 13:47

AIBU to believe there is no baby on earth who is "too heavy to carry" at six months?

Too heavy for a crappy carrier with no waist support and marketable but unergonomic design, definitely.

Too heavy to carry full stop - absolutely not.

Full disclosure - I still carry my 3yo on occasion, much easier to sling than piggy back when her legs get tired.

OP posts:
capsium · 07/04/2015 14:14

Grin Maud

I remember DH carrying DC in the 'BabyBorn' backpack thing and getting his eyes covered and his hair played with (pulled) and me running behind putting DC's hat back on etc.

canweseethebunnies · 07/04/2015 14:15

YABU. A six month old us like a lead weight! I 3yr old is more ergonomic and kind wraps around you. My nearly six month old weighs over 20lbs so I'm avoiding the sling until she stretches out a bit!

Artandco · 07/04/2015 14:15

Can I ask, for people who find baby heavy to carry in sling, do they somehow seem lighter just carrying in arms then? There's 101 times when and where you can't use a pram so surely you must have just been carrying in arms?
Around the house, up and down stairs, on buses, trains, planes, visiting friends in flats, doctors, dentists, certain shops, off road country walks, the beach, the list goes on.

capsium · 07/04/2015 14:15

Bjorn. Autocorrect fail.

GoodToesBadToes · 07/04/2015 14:15

It seems to me that baby-wearing mums, extended-breastfeeding mums, and baby-led weaning mums consider themselves vastly superior to people who use a pram, or a bottle, or purées.

But there is no need to get Angry about it.

Original poster
GoogleyEyes · 07/04/2015 14:16

I shouldn't have used Angry, am on my phone and was aiming for something along the lines of puzzled / quizzical and didn't realise that the little red face was angry rather than either of those. Entirely my fault on that one.

I agree there are lots of good reasons not to use slings (heat, other things to carry, bad back etc). I'm still not sure that there are at six month olds who are physically too big / heavy for someone who hadn't got any health issues to carry, though, assuming a decent carrier.

OP posts:
Coumarin · 07/04/2015 14:17

Well I think it's disgusting they're closing all the book libraries and replacing them with these along libraries. I shall be writing to my local MP.

Coumarin · 07/04/2015 14:18

Sling libraries.

Joke fail.

LittleBairn · 07/04/2015 14:18

google do you not realise how smug and judgemental you come across?

I have a RS, a stretchy and intend to buy an Ergo at some point but I will also use our pram a lot too. My DC may well become too heavy at some point I have a shoulder injury that will likely get agrivated but you won't see that because its not obvious.

capsium · 07/04/2015 14:19

Art I could take the pushchair everywhere. We live in different places I guess. I carried my baby up and down my own stairs though..but that was not for prolonged periods of time. The shops I visited had lifts.

natwebb79 · 07/04/2015 14:19

I did use a sling for my babies but to be honest I got a bit freaked out as suddenly I seemed to have become part of a club amd other sling users would refer to me as a 'baby wearer' and even worse 'mumma'. I've no idea why but it was like some weird cult round here. I only used it if I couldn't be arsed to dig the buggy out. ..Grin

LaurieMarlow · 07/04/2015 14:19

Why do you care what other people do/say OP? If other mums feel their baby is too heavy to carry then surely that's their issue.

Coumarin · 07/04/2015 14:19

Can't read this thread because of posters using 'baby' as a proper noun. Treat yourselves, stick a 'the' in front of it.

Original poster
GoogleyEyes · 07/04/2015 14:20

Not judging - I used a buggy too. And disposable nappies (though not sure how that relates). And all sorts of other stuff that a 'perfect' mum (we're they to exist) wouldn't do.

OP posts:
addictedtosugar · 07/04/2015 14:21

Not sure I'd want to carry this little chap

However, I did carry 22 month old DS2 round for 10 days on holiday (pushchair unfriendly desitnation), and on occasion DS1 decided he wanted a carry - he was nearly 4 at the time.

BUT you need a propper sling, not the hip recking things that seem to be in the shops, rather than the "Hippy Mummy" wraps and things Sure start asked me why I bf. I looked suprised and said i wasn't sure I'd ever fed in the building, and they just assumed I bf as I took DS2 in a stretchy wrap from about 2 weeks old

Aeroflotgirl · 07/04/2015 14:23

Op really, its up to the parent to carry their baby how they see fit. I preferred using a buggy as I felt it was more practical and easier for me. Noway would I want to carry a 35lb 2 year old on my back thank you. My 2 year old ds, was the same size as a 3-4 year old, not fat, but tall and stocky like dh. OP I would reserve my judgement, for more important issues.

capsium · 07/04/2015 14:24

Hmm, glad I never went to a SureStart scheme, addicted. Why ask why anyone would be breastfeeding or not even? As long as the baby doesn't have a feeding problem, why comment?

zazzie · 07/04/2015 14:26

It must also depend upon whether you have a baby that likes being in a sling. A peaceful contented one is very different from a screaming and trying to throw himself off you one. Ds hated prams too so it was car seats only for us till it was pushchair age.

passmethewineplease · 07/04/2015 14:29

Who cares? Surely this just isn't important? Some people carry, some people prefer prams.

Will sling vs pram become the new parenting debate? Like BF/FF?

AbbeyRoadCrossing · 07/04/2015 14:32

Thread highjack alert! What sling would those of you that carry big babies and toddlers consider to be a good one? I had DS in a wrap one until he became too much of a big bum for it. I borrowed a baby bjorn but can't get on with it. As I'm going to have 2 under 2 (or nearly 2 under 1!) it would be good to have some sort of sling / pram combo some days.

Shameless thread highjack, sorry OP!

MeeWhoo · 07/04/2015 14:34

Well, I carried dd in a sling for most of the day for the first 2 months, at which point I should have changed the wrapping style to "dangly legs" but I thought it was too early, but anywat she was starting to be a bit heavy, but mostly too bulky for me.

I then got a Manduca backpack and I could take 2 year old ds on my back for quite a while With no problem, but dd would be killing me after 10 mins. She had to go on the front (backward facing), was a complete dead weight and way too tall for me. I'm only 5'3, and dd is 99 and 99th centile for height and weight so for starters the top of her head would go all the way up to my chin/ mouth making it uncomfortable to walk, and really difficult to bend down (which you have to do if you are also dealing with a 2/3 year old). Add to that my very mild spd, and I can tell you by 6/7 months she was definitely "too heavy" for me.

hedgehogsdontbite · 07/04/2015 14:35

Why are you bothered that another parent finds their 6 month old too heavy for them to carry. How does it affect you? YABU and smug and judgemental.

Only1scoop · 07/04/2015 14:38

Yabu....

To get so Angry

None of your business.

Artandco · 07/04/2015 14:39

Abbey - take a look at Boba 4g. Good as you can use from newborn and up to toddler in one sling so you can easily swap them around who is carried. They also have toe straps for toddler once in back with long legs so they don't just hang. Take a look online, and YouTube to see how it looks and works.

KeturahLee · 07/04/2015 14:40

People just mean they don't want to carry their 6 month old for whatever reason, which is fine.

I carried my DD at 3 (and still can at 4 should I want to) but I don't really give a monkeys what anyone else does.