advice on the perfect back carrier

[nicewarmslippers]

I have a wonderful kari-me (wrap sling) I used with dd untill she was 2. However I found it hard to put her on the back on my own. I now have a 3 month old and want to get a back soft carrier I can put him on (not yet but when h eis stronger). Any advice?

i love my mei tais. have a cwtshi and a babyhawk, both of which are fab. and also you can use them for newborn onwards if necessary AND on your front if you want, so versatile

ergo always comes highly recommended too, but can only be used on back

Can highly recommend the Beco carrier for front and back carries for little babies and bigger toddlers.

The Calyx is brilliant. Definitely my favourite for back carries because it is so easy to put on single-handed. But it's great on the front as well.
Suitable from 3-4 months, I think, and well into the toddler stage.

Ergo

Much as I dislike their recent shenanigans, it is a great carrier - I has my 30lb, 3yr DS in it for several hours a few weeks ago. We have used it since he was little.

Another vote for babyhawk here. Really easy to get on the back.

I ordered a custom cwtshi but unfortunately she's unable to make it at the moment for some reason. I was really looking forward to trying it out. Are they really more comfy?

MeiTais are great - still routinely carrying my 2.6 yr old in my Toddlerhawk (larger version of BabyHawk)or TaiTasi with no problems, and easily get DS on my back on my own (even easier now he'll climb on on his own).

Great thing about MeiTais is that they are so versatile and easy to swap between people.

I had an Ergo and found it much harder to put on than a MT

cmot - DS's toddlerhawk arrived today. Got XL straps so I could do different ties, and from my little experiment earlier it looks like it will be more comfy than the babyhawk (he felt like he was able to lean back too far in it!)

Really looking forward to trying it properly tomorrow

Superbunny - what recent shenanigans?

Chairmum - which patterns did you go for ? I have XL straps on both mine, and it gives you much more flexibility with the carries - now DS is huge I do a twist on my front, and lexi at the back, and theres still plenty to tie, even for DH (pics on my profile of him carrying).
When I moved up from a standard size FBS meitai I felt much more secure

cmot:

Main Fabric: Butterfly Effusion Ivory
Reverse Fabric: Cocoa Pucci Circles
On cherry straps, with pockets on both sides. Thankfully now I'm selling them it was wholesale, so it was a bit cheaper, and my smaller one can go as my new "hire" sling as I sold my old one to someone who really liked it (preferred it to all my new stock!)

DH chose the circles pattern which I'm not sure about - its pretty bright, but I love the butterflies

I'm just glad DS stopped putting on weight so quickly as I want to keep carrying him!

That sounds lovely - I really like the cherry straps, but have been unable to justify getting one. Esp with the superbright Mythical Horses TaiTasi - which is DS's favoured sling

IateTheWholeSelectionBox,

Not superbunny here but apparently Ergo don't let sling dealers stock other SSCs. It has to be Ergo exclusively.

Also they were a little 'precious' about some dealers dying the Ergos at customers' requests.

I think they're a bit boring to look at and very overpriced. I don't dispute they're a good carrier but there are plenty of others.

Yes, what moomin said. I think if I were buying a carrier now, I would not get an ergo, since there are others with very similar designs (which was something Ergo were upset about) and in nicer patterns but mine is a really good sling and I love it. I used it everyday for years. I bought it before there were many other choices though so you may be able to get something as good elsewhere. Good luck.

Ah well, I got mine second hand. Having said that, DP uses it more than I do and he finds the buckles of the shoulder straps dig into his armpits so we're looking again ... [sigh]

The meitai you describe sounds great cmot

Sorry for hijack, nicewarmslippers . I love the KariMe too, but agree it is difficult to back carry without help.

That's why I like the Calyx so much. It has an internal seat so the baby can't slip out while you're putting it on your back.

I just put the carrier, with baby buckled in, on a chair or sofa, sit in front and slide my arms in.

I think the latest Becos have internal seats too, but I haven't tried one.

I had a kozy carrier (mei tai) which I loved. Used it from 4mo I found it really easy to put her on my back although to the onlooker I think I appeared to be doing some kind of baby-tossing sport...

The straps did dig into my neck a bit after long periods of wearing her but from the website it looks like newer ones have more padding. I gave it back to my sister for her 3rd baby (they last ) when my dd was 11mo have mourned for it ever since. She's 19mo and I would definitely start carrying her again if I came across one cheap enough!

IAte... the Yamo isn't quite as padded as the Ergo but otherwise similar. (I find Ergo marginally more supportive but not a lot in it) The difference is the buckles are adjustable both ways up, so you can move the buckles up and down the shoulder straps to a position where they won't dig into the armpits.