Advice on supportive woven wraps, structured carriers...

[andtellyouofmydreaming]

Hello!

I've got a 3 year old and a 5 month old. With my 3 year old I carried him loads in a mountain buggy juno carrier when out, and a moby wrap when at home. Both were really comfortable and supportive. This time around I use the moby wrap at home for naps which is great and comfortable as long as I'm just pottering about at home. But when out the carrier isn't comfortable and it's putting too much weight and pressure on my abdomen which is making my (mild) prolapse uncomfortable... I think it's a combination of the carrier being super worn out and my prolapse being worse. And my baby being heavier this time around!

I know a logical response might be not to use a baby carrier at all: I do use the buggy as much as possible but there are times when I need (and want!) to carry my daughter.

So really I was just wondering if anyone had suggestions for a structured carrier that doesn't put all the pressure on your abdomen, or if anyone else with a prolapse had any suggestions for the best carrier.

I was thinking of trying the Tula or the Boba. I have a tall husband who would also be using it. And also wondered if woven wraps would offer more spread out support and comfort than structured carriers? Am quite tempted by a woven wrap as the moby is very comfortable and spreads out the load. It's just not strong enough for out and about.

The logistics of a sling library not easy right now so hoping for some words of wisdom to make an informed choice....

Many thanks!

Ergobaby omni360

Ergo baby. They are fantastic. Look on eBay for a cheaper second hand one?

I loved woven wraps and yes you can tie them in a lot of different ways to distribute the weight in different areas so would be great for avoiding your prolapse if needed.

Our local sling library is still offering advice and zoom sessions so worth looking if there's something local still running near you.

I have a woven wrap and a giant baby. I feel the weight is quite well distributed. He's 6 months now so I'm going to play about with some new ties this week.

If looking at secondhand ergobaby be careful - loads of fakes out there (google it for advice).

There are online sling libraries working - I've used Its A Sling Thing before very successfully! They're good at advice too if you message them.

Thank you very much for advice! I'll try contacting a sling library I think... My husband doesn't like the ergo so that ones out as need one for us both!

People who've used woven wraps - are they supportive enough for walks (short ones, not long hikes) ?

"baby bjorn carrier one" its awesome, can wear on back too!

I wore my heavy toddler on a 5 mile walk on my back no issues!

Was that with a woven wrap @MsChatterbox ?

I wore my toddler until she was older than 2 in a woven wrap and it was the .let comfortable and supportive way of carrying. I tried a few structured carriers and they all put more pressure on my shoulders and back.

There are loads of options OP! Definitely get in touch with your local sling library, ours is still doing postal hires and online help. What works and is comfortable for one person may not be the same for you.

Personally I love my woven wraps - there's so many different ways of wrapping them so they load the weight differently depending on what you like, but they are a bit of a learning curve. I use them for short and long walks :-)

Yes, the woven will solve your issues. They are not mainstream/popular so you probably won't get many recommendations on a general parenting forum like this, if you look for a sling enthusiast forum you'll probably find more. Agree sling consultants are working remotely at the moment. Can I also put in a plug for Pouchlings? She's a consultant who also makes custom slings to your requirements. She doesn't make woven wraps but does conversions to ring slings and buckle/half buckle carriers, if you're interested in exploring that. I do know the owner IRL, but I'm not recommending her because we're friends, but because I genuinely think her products are fantastic in quality and price. Send her a FB message and see what she says?

Woven wraps are incredibly versatile and can be supportive in many different situations, the issue with them is that they can be extremely daunting to a beginner because the onus is all on you to learn the different carries and do them correctly. They also look very stereotypically "hippyish" which puts some people off.

Woven wraps are slightly trickier than a stretchy wrap as you have to hold the child while wrapping (as opposed to doing the wrap and then putting the baby in).

I have a Connecta that I use when the babies are about your baby’s age. It is super easy to put on and to carry around as there is very little padding. I have very narrow shoulder though so I like the lesser amounts of padding. For a toddler I then use a Tula.

I think it’s preferable to find out what suits your body (which is hard at the moment). But my first carrier was an ergo baby and I hated it!

Oh I should say, I also use woven wraps too and love them, but as PP has said, it’s a steeper learning curve.

I have 2 Kokadi wraps and they are beautiful and don’t look hippish I don’t think (others are definitely more so!)

Thank you so much everyone for responses ! I've been hesitant to get a woven as worried it wouldnt stand up to being out and about but I've loved the moby with both babies so if a woven wrap similar support but with the strength to take the weight I'm going to go for one of those I think....(and start youtubing how to tie!).

Then will try a couple of structured ones from a sling library for my husband, or get a non worn-out mountain buggy one again!

@luckystar1 yes I think that's it, so hard to know what will suit your body shape / comfort levels etc

Thanks for the recommendation @BertieBotts I'll check her out!

So YouTube can be a bit hit and miss (and a bit overwhelming - there are a lot of videos!), but I'd recommend starting with FWCC (front wrap cross carry) for front carrying, and a basic ruck for back carrying 🙂

I have the angel carrier. Really good!! It hugs on your hips, very supportive.
Since your younger child is 5 months they can use it as well

I think the problem with any of the structured ones that go on your hips, while I would usually totally agree this is the best (women's hips/thighs are much stronger than our upper body generally, whereas men tend to have the upper body strength which makes those shoulder based carriers more comfortable for them) is that they will put pressure on the abdomen which is what OP doesn't want. So you need a carrier that can do things like a ruck carry which avoids that area. However I am not a physio, so I don't know what would be best overall. What you need is a sling fan who is also a physio :o Maybe there is one somewhere on the web!

I loved a ring sling as could carry baby to the side as they got bigger, like how I carried baby on my hip!

I'd normally advise a sling library but obviously that can't happen atm... but check out sling groups on Facebook!

@jbiscuits thanks will check those ones out first! Are any of the woven wraps fine or are there any particular ones to go for/avoid?

@BertieBotts thanks for the insight into why the structures ones might be putting the pressure in the wrong place. I'll have to work on upper body strength...! A physio with sling knowledge is exactly what I need! Will ask the women's health physio I'm seeing to see if she has any words of wisdom...

Generally a good starting wrap is 100% cotton (easy to look after) in your base size (generally a 6 for most people). One that has stripes/different colour top and bottom can be helpful when learning too. Buying pre-loved rather than new can also be good as it doesn't then need breaking in (FB groups are good for this). In terms of brand, it depends on your budget 😂 but I'd just get one you love the look of, and that way you're more likely to use it and practice 🙂

I got one from little frog that I like. It was in the sale at the time so it wasn't too bad price wise. It's lovely and soft and has no trouble supporting DS.

Lenny lamb is another brand. Does beautiful woven wraps and structured carriers. I've used both woven wraps and structured carriers for all my 3 kids. I was able to wrap them on to my back confidently while out of the home.

When they were super little, preferred the woven wraps so I could back wrap with their tiny heads on my neck, by my ear. They often napped there.

As they got older and heavier I actually prefer a toddler sized structured carrier. Mainly because they are always wanting to be up or down walking. The wrapping just takes too long and carrying a size 6 woven wrap around is no fun.

I’d avoid trying to find a carrier that fits you both - you may end up with ones that works for neither of you.

You might also want to look at carriers made from wrap material but either with buckled or meitai style - Wompat, Ocah and Storchenwiege are three brands I know of, there are others. These combine the supportiveness of a wrap with a bit less fiddliness for those of us who find wrapping hard!

Yes I'd suggest looking for a physio in a sling group - maybe a FB group would be a good place to ask! :) Good idea to ask your own physio as well.