Can you do without a buggy?

[JuliaJulia]

Sorry, I'm posting this again as I got the subject wrong last time...

Hi

I'm pregnant with my first, so I still have a utopian outlook on everything! I read an article recently about a family who went without a buggy/pram combo and just used a baby sling until the little one was able to walk around themselves. I've got to say the idea appeals as we have a tiny house with very little storage. So has anybody done this? And what are people's thoughts on how practical it is? Things that concern me are:

1. How much other stuff will we end up carrying that would normally go in the bottom of the buggy? And how much stuff do you really need/use versus what people will carry around with them because it's easy to stick it in the pram?

1. How do you cope with bad weather?

1. Is it OK for a newborn to be carried around extensively in a baby sling rather than a lie-flat pram?

Other important bits of information are that my husband will be the primary carer after I go back to work after 6 weeks (so perhaps weight/sore backs aren't so much of an issue). I plan to breastfeed, but not exclusively so we will need to carry some feeding equipment. We don't have a car but plan to get one before the birth so will need an iso-fix car seat anyway. We live in central London, so public transport will be a big part of our travel needs.

Julia.

I have never bought a pram (although one came with a carseat I had to get in Singapore where my daughter was born) and have never bought a stroller.

I secretly hate prams and strollers, think pram envy is naff and kids often looks so folorn in them low down like that. But I understand why they are necessary and practical for many people.

I have carried my daughter every day in a range of stretchy wraps, non-wovens, and mostly these days, an ergo for front and back carries. She's 20 months and has her daytime nap in the Ergo with either me or DH walking about.

It helps she's on the light side. It also is convenient for me as either me or DH take her out for much of the day and we're in London and our train station has a flight of thirty stairs.

I carry everything I need (a few nappies and wipes, hat, a couple of toys, snacks and picnic stuff in a Longchamps Pliage bag over my shoulder. Helps I b/feed so don't need to hoik bottles. I've even been known to have a rucksack full of shopping on my back as well.

Only time it has been a pain is wearing certain clothes (I'm a dressy person, not a lentil weaver at all) or when I've carried her for very very long walks -- say she's taken an hour to get off for a nap, an hour and a half sleeping and then on top of that quite a while to walk back/stand up on the train. Then I can get painful feet and a sore back, but it's not a bad back.

It just developed this way. I practically carried her throughout her infanthood, then she was walking, then more convenient to keep slinging and seemed pointless to splash out (eBay annoyingly expensive for used strollers, in fact any big ticket baby items)

Yes, if you live in town, don't have a baby that's too heavy, can travel light (we also have a sportscar and everyone was telling us it couldn't be done, we'd have to get something four door) and yuour baby likes it, then yes, completely possible.

I would add that the Ergo is a fabulous carrier for an older child but has an infant insert.

Best for tiny babies is a stretchy wrap. I also for older, heavier babies like non-woven wraps like the Calin Bleu or the Girasol (comes in tasteful grey stripes rather than Glasto Juggler stripes) as you'll have got used to wrapping.

But for a bloke (my husband does 3 days a week childcare, I do the rest) then the Ergo in black is manly enough. Plus there's a pocket for nappies and wipes.

I also foudn wraps were harder on a man as they have a more triagular body shape so the waist often drifts higher.

Avoid Babybjorns, they dangle from their genitals in those, not enough support and the bum should sit lower than the knee bend.

I grimace inwardly when I see a baby facing out in one.

I haven't done this but am thinking about it for number 2 as I think that with a toddler, carrying a baby round will be easier than a pram.

Prams are also difficult on public transport so I think in that respect a baby carrier / sling is better and I wish I'd got one first time round.

I would say buggies are easier on public transport when they are slightly older - the difficulty with newborns and prams is that they need so much head support etc that it is very dificult to fold the pram up as is often required.

I wouldn't have liked to carry my daughter round when she was 6 months + so would still have a buggy from around this age, but by that age, you can get a lightweight buggy whichis so much cheaper and easier to use / fold etc

I suggest trying a sling first and then seeing if you really need a pram - so far we've only used the carrycot portion for him - at home next to the bed! Buying the buggy was a bit of a waste of money.
If you get the right sling - it should be supportive and not give you back problems no matter how big your baby. Try the Moby -it's fantastic. I suggest trying a few sling meets so you can try before you buy.