Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

Has anyone tried not using buggy and only baby carriers?

42 replies

Pinetreeland · 06/09/2010 07:25

Hi,

I am considering not buying a buggy but just use a babycarrier/sling instead. I was wondering whether anyone else has done that? I have spoken to a few new mums and was told that it will be practically impossible and I should drop this stupid idea. However, I do like the sound of having baby close to me at all time when I am out and about...

Thanks for your advice in advance!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
snoozathon · 06/09/2010 07:31

Watching with interest - ttc and like the idea of sling rather than an unwieldy buggy.

littlemisslozza · 06/09/2010 07:35

Yes, not me, but there are websites devoted to it I believe. Some people who do it call it 'babywearing' so that might help you to find a site.

Personally I couldn't do it. Both of mine were quite big babies and by about a month old I found them too heavy to carry for long in a sling, despite trying a few different ones. I also got really hot and sweaty which wasn't nice! A pram is quite handy for carrying the shopping too....

Good luck anyway

LadyBiscuit · 06/09/2010 07:35

I have friends who have never owned a buggy - their DD is now 3. They seemed to manage fine but you might one once your child is older (and their child is very light - mine is slightly more sturdy :o)

gorionine · 06/09/2010 07:36

A sling only was fine for me for the first 6/8 months depending on the size of my Dcs but aftr that they became too heavy and a pushchair was needed.

I had a back pack with metalic frame when they were a bit older(1-3) but it was not confortable or long walks so only used it when desperate.

littlemisslozza · 06/09/2010 07:37

ps, I don't use a 'buggy', they are much more of a pain to push IMO than my 3 wheeler which I can steer one handed and is lovely and comfy for baby.

Northernlurker · 06/09/2010 07:41

There is a woman down the road from me who has done this. Her youngest is about two and she caries her everywhere - it looks like horribly hard work now. For the first year or so as long as you have a good sling it's perfectly doable imo.

Finn77 · 06/09/2010 07:41

Yes, I tried this in my innocence with my first born. I lasted 13 weeks until I was shopping in the city, my back finally gave in and I walked into the nearest mothercare and bought a pushchair on the spot. I met my husband for lunch and he couldn't believe that I had caved in!
The sling is brilliant for settling baby and allowing you to have both hands free, but in moderation. It was a bit of pain in a cafe as I was aware that holding a hot cup og coffee above the babys head was a risk and I couldn't put her down anywhere. I didn't have the bucket type carseat either, so it was a sling all the way. I think a happy medium is the answer.

FetchezLaVache · 06/09/2010 07:44

I liked this idea as well, until DS got to about 16lb in weight and my back was very relieved that we had the buggy to fall back on!

Babieseverywhere · 06/09/2010 08:29

I carried my first born from being a newborn 8lb 12oz baby until she was around 20 months old. By then I was 6 month pregnant with her sibling and I was too tired to carry her for too long.

It is more than possible however it depends on a few things.

  • Type of birth you have. With DC1 and a forceps birth I was carrying the baby a lot from the start but with DC2 and an EmCS I struggled to carry him at all in the first month or so.
  • Owning a proper sling (i.e. not a crotch dangler like baby bjorn) and know how to use it. A proper sling (ring sling, mei tai, wrap) can be used in several positions and older children without back pain. There are several sling meeting which go on around the country, where other sling wearers will help you hire/buy a decent sling and teach you how to wear it properly.
  • Frequency of sling use. If you use a sling a lot your muscles increase to match your child's weight increase. I used a sling both inside and outside the house.
  • Your child nature. Some babies/toddlers prefer to be carried others don't.

HTH

Original poster
Pinetreeland · 06/09/2010 09:03

Hey many thanks for these. I think I would have a go at the sling/baby carrier thing for the first couple of months to see how I feel. There are plenty of mothercare(s) around!

OP posts:
Fiddledee · 06/09/2010 09:11

How big are you. I'm tiny but strong but I struggled to carry my babies, had Csections so that didn't help but had 91st percentile babies.

Other factor to consider is how do you have a cup of coffee safely, how you are going to carry all the stuff (nappies, wipes and maybe even bottles) plus getting shopping etc...

Its easier if you have to get a car lots of times a day than walking everywhere IME.

EauRouge · 06/09/2010 09:19

Carrying the baby isn't so bad, it's all the baby luggage! Clean nappies, spare set of clothes, muslin squares, baby wipes (and dirty nappies in my case because I use washables) etc etc. You can always do a mixture of both, I'm expecting DC2 and I plan on taking the buggy out to carry all the luggage and whichever DC needs to use it.

I drank a lot of cold drinks when DD was tiny Grin and you might want to cook lots of food that you can eat with one hand because it's really hard to use a knife and fork with a baby in a sling!

madridhermione · 06/09/2010 09:23

Hi there!

I used a baby bjorn for the first 15 months and loved it. I found it was so convenient as your hands are free and it is lovely having the baby next to you, when they are older you turn them around and they watch everything go by... also, you avoid the pollution from cars etc which in a buggy the baby will be nearer to as they are lower down. Now she is older I have a pushchair (just a cheapie one) and that is good now as she is 2 and we do more and go out for longer periods of time and it is good for carrying the shopping etc. But I would definitely say use a sling/baby carrier for the first year again, it was lovely.

strawberrycake · 06/09/2010 09:28

I'll second that, I can just about carry 13 week old ds but not his change bag too. Add in the shopping and you've got a nightmare! Also in cafes it's wonderful to put him down when he's tired, not all babies sleep on people, mine always has liked to sleep on his own. Cuddles are for awake time only with him, and woe betide you if you can't put him down when tired.

I also feel safer on the bus or in very crowded places with him n his buggy, it offers some protection. Last week I went flying when the bus clipped a car, so did his buggy. He was fine with the protection it offered but I could have hurt him if he'd been on me.

All this though is from the perspective of a non-driver who walks miles each day.

craftynclothy · 06/09/2010 09:30

We've pretty much done this with dd2. We have a pram/pushchair but only cos we had one for dd1. They've hardly been used for dd2.

We started off with a stretchy wrap, then moved onto a woven wrap and then a mei tai. dd2 is 13months and have no problem carrying her, as someone said your muscles build up as your baby grows. I also wear my 3 year old too and can manage to wear her for a few hours with no problem.

I have a shoulder bag made with sling rings so it's adjustable and can go over the baby and spreads the weight over my shoulder (so no pressure on baby, feels really light on me). You can also get an Onbag (which basically ties in different ways depending on the carry you're doing). Lots of people use a trolley bag to put their shopping in.

We used cloth nappies and FF so lots of stuff to carry and it's never been a problem.

One thing I would say is avoid Mothercare for slings. They mainly sell the Baby Bjorn type things which aren't very comfy or supportive. You'd be much better off finding your local sling meet and going along to try a few things out.

There's the Natural Mamas forum which is full of babywearers and it's worth looking on there to see if there's anyone in your area that could show you if there isn't an official sling meet near you. Smile

boogeek · 06/09/2010 09:37

I just bought a buggy for DD3, but only because we were going on holiday and I wanted to be able to put her down for a sleep to play with the other children. She's 8 months.

Fiddledee · 06/09/2010 09:38

Another problem is that they may sleep alot on you during the day and not at night - mine fell instantly asleep when in the sling

Raejj · 06/09/2010 09:39

I love carrying my baby. Dc also loves it! Alas dc is big baby and even without a handbag/bag of shopping is too heavy and my back caved in. I now have to use a buggy but turned around so dc facing me.

littleshinyone · 06/09/2010 09:46

I love having my baby in a sling, but at only 4 months (and i'm a pretty fit healthy person) i'm already thinking twice about it for longer walks as my baby bjorn is getting less comfy for my lower back. I have tried a friend's kari me, which is much better at distrubuting the weight, so would go for something like that next time (although, when they're really small I think they look a bit lost in the folds of fabric, but then my DD was 6lb 9oz) but I'm glad I've got the option of the stroller too.

my baby really didn't like going flat in the pram bit, so the sling was greatuntil she was a bit more robust and could sit in the sitty uppy seat (i know they say 6 months, but she seems fine with it!)

second the the bit about somewhere for shopping and changing kit too....

I can't imagine NOT having a sling for her (especially to get some house stuff done in the early days!) and loved using it, but I think realistically I'd be really struggling without having both.

Good luck!

ecuse · 06/09/2010 09:53

My friend has a 6 month old and has so far not bought a pushchair, just used a Moby sling (and also, I think, a Mai Tei or whatever it's called). She absolutely loves it, says it's much easier to get on and off buses, leaves hands free for carrying things. But her little one is happy to sleep in the sling, I think.

I'm hoping to do the same, primarily to save money (9+2 with my first) but I've just been offered a second hand pushchair so will probably take that and do a mixture.

ThatDamnDog · 06/09/2010 10:09

I'm due DC2 in 3 weeks and the pushchair's still in the loft. The sling is ready to go though! I used a KariMe with DS which was a lifesaver. We were given a Baby Bjorn type Tomy carrier which was useless - hard on my back, limited adjustability and poor DS just hung in it and bounced around. With a wrap they're cosied in and supported, the weight is carried close to you and distributed widely and they're completely adjustable, so from a comfort point of view they're immensely better than a cumbersome pushchair. However, the chair is a boon for getting the shopping home, and IF they'll sleep in it I guess that would be a benefit. It just takes up so much space though. I think a wrap would do for the first year and a cheap foldy pushchair would complement it after that.

spiritmum · 06/09/2010 10:18

Never got any of my dc used to a sling of any description. Had no choice but to go for a buggy. We did have a three-wheeler but as we live in the sticks the pneumatic tyres kept puncturing on the brambles.

Gave up and got a Chicco in the end.

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 06/09/2010 10:20

Yes -- tried a buggy with DS but he hated it until he was much older (8 months or so) so just carried him in a sling. Then with DD I just never tried the buggy because I was used to carrying babies in slings; eventually got a lightweight buggy when she was a year old but went everywhere with slings before that.

Don't use a Bjorn if you are planning on using it as your main form of baby transport -- it's just not great for your back and something that distributes the weight better will be more comfortable.

ThatDamnDog · 06/09/2010 10:28

I should also say that lifestyle factors make a difference. We have dogs to walk, live about 1/4mile from the shop, and often have enough snow in winter that a pushchair is pointless. And DS walked most places from 18 months, so the pushchair had a limited lifespan - another child might be less willing I guess.

Swipe left for the next trending thread