Baby Carriers-help!

[lilmisslibrarian]

I think I may have over researched and my head now has baby carriers rotating around and around it like cartoon birdies!

All I know is that I need one that will support my back and hips as I literally creak when I walk due to my PMH and I am undecided between the Mothercare two position carrier which is cheap but appears to be quite good although there are limited reviews on it or on the other end of the scale would be the Beco Gemini, Ergo Baby Carrier or Manduca Baby which are all quite pricey.

Does anyone have any advice on this or will I be resorted to staring at review upon review until I give birth?

I think the mothercare one looks like it could be a bit sore on the shoulders after a while. The other ones you mention are all highly rated and will last you much longer but different people get on with different carriers. My advice FWIW would be to get a second hand stretchy (moby, Boba, close caboo) for your newborn which should be supportive if tightened enough and then see if you have a local sling meet where you can go and try a few more structured carriers out to see what you get on with.

Google your local sling meet/library. You can try different types and get face to face advice. Much easier and better than looking at reviews and you don't have to commit to an expensive carrier before you've tried/hired one out.

No to the Mothercare, especially if you have pre-existing back problems. The others that you describe, and the stretchy wraps mentioned by a pp, would all be good choices. Seconding the suggestion to go to a sling library and try a few.

Thanks for the advice :) much appreciated!

I will avoid the mothercare one and will look for a sling meet ( something I have never heard of!)

This should help you find your closest sling meet.

Re. Sling meets/libraries...do you go to these once your baby is born and try them out?

I found the kari-me one great for my back. Though ds was 10b and so heavy I only used it until he was about 4 months. Used it until about 7 months for dd.

We had a baby bjorn too but was no good for my tits - great for dh though

birchwoods I know people who've gone to sling libraries or sling meets while still pregnant just to get an idea of what's available and to get an idea of the kind of thing they fancy. I've also bumped into people at the sling library near me with teeny tiny new babies who've come to borrow something for a couple of weeks to figure out it they actually like it.

At my local one it's £5 for 2 weeks rental and you can swap halfway through if you're not getting on with something. It means that if you try something and don't like it you're only wasting £5 rather than spending ££££ on something that you don't like and never use.

Thanks Noodie, I will find out where my nearest one is and go along perhaps when I start my mat leave.

Definitely no to mothercare one. Sling libraries are great,so definitely worth going. My favourite is boba and I still carry my 2 year old with it! Worth looking at good second hand carriers if you want to save some £

I went to my first sling meet actually on my due date, I wanted some help learning how to tie a stretchy wrap. Honestly it was the most useful bit of having-a-baby-prep that I did. On our first night home from hospital when she was crying and I didn't know what to do I tied her up in the stretchy, bounced on the pregnancy ball and we both felt much better.

I now help out at my local sling library & sling meet and have made some lovely friends from it.

Here is a directory of sling libs & meets across the UK www.ukslinglibraries.co.uk/