sling/carrier for newborn?-certain requirements!

[enimod]

hi i am due my 2nd baby in october and would like a carrier or sling-with my first child i had a traditional carrier the structured 2 in 1 mothercare type- i tried a sling but he had as he had a few problems-i was put off..

1. he would overheat very quickly
2. he sometimes stop breathing
3. i felt like he would fall out- i am quite clumsy.

so i am after a carrier/sling this time round and would like one that has a bit of structure but not be tight or restricting on the baby-must not allow baby to overheat- i must be able to see baby at all times. also i must be able to put it on bymyself. i will be having a caesarin too and breastfeeding. oh- i am really poor too so cant afford anything too expensive- i dont mind what it looks like as long as it does the job. please help me find the right one x

I use a Moby wrap. I know it is not quite what you asked for but I have been very pleased with it. I have found it so much more comftable than the tomy carrier I used with dd1, as it spreads the weight well across the back. I havent had a cs so don't know how it would be in the first few weeks.

I was worried about the length of it, but as it is stretchy you tie it before picking up you baby so it is easy to do on your own. The baby is held very securely so will not fall out even if you bend over. I use an upright position so I can easily see her . It can be quite warm so I wear it over a t shirt and dress dd2 in a sleepsuit with no vest under. This way I can feel if she is getting hot. If it is cold out I use a big cardigan or coat( dh's work well) round both of us. This has the advantage I can easily take it on and off with out disturbing dd.

It has taken a bit of practice but we have got the hang of breastfeeding in it. Which means I can eat my dinner, take dd1 to the potty etc while breastfeeding dd2.

Best of all it is great for settling her, she is peacefully sleeping in it at the moment.

What type of sling did you use with your DC1? Its very concerning that your LO could stop breathing in it as most of the slings I've come across are very specific about how to use them so that this shouldn't happen. I do know that some vendors have stopped selling bag slings because of the problems you have mentioned.

Can you get to a slingmeet? That would be a really good way for you to try different slings out with experienced mothers and no upfront cost - what works for you and your LO will be a very personal choice (when DD was young I couldn't make ring slings work for love nor money, but found a stretchy wrap a god send - but its the other way round for lots of people). Once you've got an idea of what you want, would you look at 2nd hand? natural mamas and UKbabywearingSWAP are both good places to pick up pre-loved slings, and if it doesn't work out for you you can sell it on.

Hope you can find something that works for you this time round

Also meant to say, if you'd rather have something with a bit more shape, you might want to consider a soft structure carrier (SSC) - they're based on Asian Carriers (Mei Tais, which are a square of fabric with a long strap out each corner), but with a bit more shaping and tend to use buckles rather than knots. Superficially they're similar to the BabyBjorn style carriers, but are usually a LOT more supportive for both mum and baby. I tried a couple but didn't get on with them so well - but its each to their own again...

thank you for the responses.
he stopped breathing on a few occasions- not always realted to the carrier but thats why id want to be able to see baby number 2 at all times. i tink theh SSC carriers are more me-i'll have a look into them. thankyou