Babywearing help and Babymoov Physiological Baby Carrier

[Grumplestinkypants]

Has anyone tried one of these? With my sleep deprived brain I couldn't find any reviews.

I have found the babymoov in argos and I have some gift vouchers so would only cost me about £15 with them.

If the babymoov is no good, does anyone have any suggestions that suit me instead?

I am quite outdoorsy and I have a 3 week old DD who needs to come with me. The pram just isn't going to be able to cope where I want to go so I have been looking at carriers.

I have a wrap which is ok but I am not a fan of the miles of material and I find having all the weight on my chest uncomfortable when going for a walk. I also have to retie about once a hour which isn't very practical when out.

I liked the look of the ergos but I think my DD would be too long for the newborn insert, so they wouldn't be suitable for another few months.

We live in the middle of nowhere and our local sling library only operates once a month and it doesn't have much selection. Oh and I am built like the proverbial brick toilet so any carrier would need to have long straps.

Does anyone have any ideas?

TIA

I think that if you find the wrap uncomfortable, you'd find that worse as it is the kind which hangs all of the weight off your shoulders.

It might be possible to get the wrap working better for you, as you shouldn't have to retie it so often (and that might be the same reason it's uncomfortable) but it is pretty difficult to do that over a talk forum. If you want you could post pictures and we could try to help. But the masses of material isn't for everyone.

I think that a soft structured carrier would be good for you. It buckles and it's easier to adjust, the ergo is one example, but there are others of varying sizes, so you could find one suitable for a newborn, or with a different kind of insert.

Oh poo - i was hoping that the waist band would help to take some of the weight, but looking at it i think it will probably come too far up me to do that (I am very tall).

I like the look of the soft structured carriers, I just couldn't see any which would be ok for my gangly newborn.

I am stuck to the sofa at the moment by a sleeping baby who will scream if I put her down. I will try and wrap and post pictures later though.

Thanks for your input BertieBotts.

It's difficult because you can't get to try things locally. What about a postal sling library? Those exist, I know. Worth a try?

I think you can use a connecta from newborn. But check I'm not 100%. That's what I use with my toddler, nice and comfy, easy to adjust etc. my DH who is about 17st wears it and I bought one with petite straps so I imagine standard straps would fit almost anyone. We have used it for all sorts, nipping about in town, mountain hikes, chores/napping at home. Plus it doesn't have a bulky waist band like most SSCs so you can fold it up really small and bung it in a changing bag or under a buggy.

You could also look at Mei Tai style carriers. Those have straps rather than being a wrap, but no buckles, so you have to tie them. Do you have a stretchy wrap or a woven wrap? I never got on with woven wraps, and I think I would have struggled with Mei Tais for the same reason, as you have to tie with the baby in place. But they would be good for a long thin baby, you can use them from newborn, and you can get different strap lengths so they are good for all kinds of heights. The other issue with structured carriers is that they tend to be built for a pretty average sized person, and if you don't fit into that then the straps can be in the wrong place and pull under the arms or not provide enough support. But some are built for taller people - you might do well to look up some of the US babywearing forums, because there really are some CRAZY obsessives who seem to have tried every single sling and carrier going.

Also check youtube for sling and carrier reviews.

I do have a friend who is a tall, broad-shouldered woman herself and she runs a sling consulting business, but I don't know if posting the name would be advertising. If you want you can PM me and I'll direct you to her website and maybe you can ask her for advice. I don't know whether or not she charges for email advice, but I'm sure she'd let you know!

I didn't know postal sling libraries were a thing. They look like a great idea.

I have a stretchy wrap, Victoria Slinglady to be exact. I am wary about tying it too tightly so I think I would be even more worried with a woven one. I know this could be contributing to my need to retie but I think in order to keep DD high enough I have to tie it quite tightly and once I am out walking and breathing more deeply myself it would be easy to restrict DD's breathing.

I looked at the mei teis but thought to keep DD at a kissable height I would still end up with it only wrapped around my shoulders.

I will have a look at the american forums and see if I can narrow down some possibilities before joining a postal sling library.

Thanks for your help.

I used a boba 4g from birth and walked for hours with no problem. I'm not that tall though, but it should take most of the weight around the waist/hip strap. My DH is 6ft and manages with it fine. I have my straps on almost be tightest and there's tons spare. I still carry my ds and he's 24lbs now. It's similar to the ergo but it doesn't need a separate insert, it just has a wee cushion they on when they're tiny.

I'm 5'10 and use a lillebaby sling with my ginormous 6 month old - I could use it as a newborn too.I originally wanted an ergo but this was lots cheaper and I love it!

I have the boba 4g too! It's brill and I still use it all the time with my baby on my back now he's 14 months. Longest walk with it on was 8 miles and we were both comfy all the way. ????I think the manduca, lillebaby and Tula also have newborn inserts. Or you can use an ergo insert with just the bottom padded bit. There's a Facebook group for fanatics - called slings and things fsot.

Ah okay, so with a stretchy wrap, you want to pre-tie it, and not leave room for the baby. Tie it as tight as a close fitting t-shirt - obviously don't pull it as tight as you can, but it should be fitting to your body, with no slack.

There is a LOT of stretch in a stretchy wrap, because all of the fabric that goes around you also stretches, not just the bit which is covering them. Really don't worry about restricting her breathing :) She honestly will be absolutely fine. Slings loosen a little as you walk and move, too, they don't get tighter. In fact, having it too loose isn't great because they end up chin to chest. When she's in the sling if you have her in an upright (tummy to tummy) position, you should be able to put your hand on her back and it stay in the same position. If she "uncurls" and straightens when you put a hand on her back, then it's too loose and she's slipping into an unsafe position. Look at some youtube videos to see how others are tying them. I'll see if I can find one about too loose vs too tight.

The high enough to kiss mantra might not be accurate for taller parents. Another rule of thumb is to have their bottom higher than your bellybutton. It's just basically to remind people not to have slings too loose with the baby swinging way down. You should be able to see her face fairly easily, but you don't actually need to be able to kiss her.

There is also a slings and carriers board on MN but I don't know how many hardcore babywearers we have here :o might be worth a look? I initially didn't realise you hadn't posted there.

I have a Caboo and it's been great-I've used it from when dd was new born and she was (and still is) very wee, only 6lb 11 at birth. It's not a tied wrap as such but has rings that the sling bit threads through that sit above your hips and you use to tighten it.It's comfy but it can get quite hot if you're doing a lot of walking.

It's comfy-I mean