help dont know what to get??

[barbie1984]

Hi I had a wilkinet with my ds and found it really fiddly and hard to tie tight enough! Im not due till October but have started researching earlier this time. I want something that both me and my husband can use. Im open to all suggestions, something that doesnt take ages to get baby in and out of. My ds will be 3 so want to have my hands free on walks etc. Im going to be breastfeeding so something I can do that in would be good. Quite like the look of the u.go in mamas and papas looks like moby, kari me but I can actually go and have a look before I buy? Any help appreciated xx

Always recommend Kari-me. Loved it so much. Always got lovely comments about it from strangers. Found it easy to use once I'd watched a video on YouTube showing how to tie it. Also I have a really bad back and had SPD in pregnancy but still found this comfy to baby-wear. Infact I prefered to baby-wear rather than carry him in my arms. Whereabouts are you? If you're near me you could try mine on and practice with it if you want?

Also we got it in navy blue and my DH was more than happy to use it. Infact he hogged our DS when using the Kari-Me!!

Hey thanks have had another look today and definately swinging more to a wrap/pouch. I live in Northampton. Just found a wrap that looks interesting baby k-tan like a wrap but not as much wrapping has anyone used heard about these? x

I've not heard of that brand but you should find this site helpful for information about different types.

The only trouble with the k-tan is that all the weight is on you shoulders whereas a Kari-me is spread across upper and lower back, shoulders and hips. My concern would be that once your baby is 4 months old it would be too uncomfortable to baby-wear. Of course it's down to personal choice but I found once the Kari-me was on there wasn't much excess material and neither I nor ds got too warm in it.

I'm in Wetherby so I think it'll be too much of a trek just to look at it.

The main thing is that whatever you decide your happy with your choice.

ooh, I could get all evalgelical about slings! I've happily used: Kari-me, Didymos and Mayasling. All basically long bits of fabric (except Maya's got 2 rings to fasten). I thing these wrap ones are better for baby support (esp it's back - see didymos.de for loads of stuff from chiropractors etc).

DO you have a SureStart Children's centre near you? Ours have Kari-me's to hire for £5 (cost about £40). I think Kari-me great for early months, but when child too heavy for this (3 months +?) I'd move onto a didymos - same thing but linen not stretchy fabric. (I found Kari-me hurt my back when baby got heavier). I've been carrying my todder round in a maya-sling as its quicker to drop him in and out of.

I think best advice for slings is that you need a different sling at different time, just like prams and buggies.

People who use slings instead of prams (like me) do tend to get evangelica about them cos the experience of baby-carrying is so wonderful (they also tend to have big families its so much fun!) so if you put your posting up in your local notice board, you'd probably get local enthusiasts volunteering to let you try theirs.

I've also thought of starting a 'sling workshop/exchange' locally as there must be loads of people with slings slung somewhere about who could exchange/sell them.

Thanks for your replies, I have gone off the k-tan as you have to order a size and want my husband to be able to use it too. Have come across this website, www.niuniulondon.com they sell them on ebay cheaper and have fallen in love with the designs, going to go for a light stretch wrap so should hopefully last a bit longer than a really stretchy one but a bit more give for newborn. What do you think? x

Someone asked about this brand on www.naturalmamas.co.uk (which is a very slingy place) recently and no one had used one, so I think they must be a very new product. That doesn't mean they aren't any good but it does mean it might be difficult to sell on.

A Trageschule-trained babywearing consultant told me she thought the best makes of stretchy wrap were the Hoppediz and Wrapsody stretchies, btw.