Which sling to carry 18mo toddler on back?

[ThePetiteMummy]

We currently use a Littlelife carrier for dd, which dh carries her in when we go on dog walks etc. We're going on holiday soon, and the Littlelife will obviously be too bulky to take on a plane, so I was considering getting a sling for dh to carry her on his back. She can walk really well now, but obviously it won't convenient for her to walk everywhere.

I like the look of the Beco slings. Has anyone used these? Any other recommendations? She's quite petite, weighing only 9.4kg, and is 75cm tall, if that's relevant. Not looking to spend a fortune, as only for occasional use.

We had a Baby bjorn for when she was tiny, but I never found this very comfortable to wear (I'm very small), and also I have since read that they're not the best type. We'd like another dc at some point, so a sling we can later use for a newborn would be good!

ukbabywearingswap is a yahoo group. Other than that I know of Natural Mamas and The Green Parent, both of which are forums which have a for sale or trade section.

Thanks Bertie, I'll check those out before I order anything!

Yes, £90 is a lot! I got mine almost new and boxed on ebay for about £50 I think.

Thanks RitaMorgan, now I really am jealous .

Blinking Ergo. I've just watched lots of YouTube videos of people managing to get their DC's onto their backs, and all w/o a big fuss. I'm going to try it tomorrow!

How old is your dc Achtung? I think I started trying to get ds on my back with the R&R from about 9 months and never managed it comfortably I'm not familiar with the Ergo so don't know if it is the same - I tried putting him on my hip and shuffling him round into the carrier but couldn't manage it. I could fling him onto my back (superman toss) but couldn't then keep hold of him and get the carrier up over him. My only success was lying ds on the carrier on a bed and then sitting and leaning back onto him - very impractical! Maybe the problem was that he was too little to help me at all, so I had to have a firm hold of him at all times? There must be a way as other people seem to manaage

I think age is a big factor. Didn't even attempt back carries alone until DS must have been past 13 months.

With the hip thing think not of trying to move them around, but of trying to get your arm in front of their head. Then very easy to shuffle into place as your arms aren't as twisted. Patapum is easier than Ergo, admittedly, because the leg straps help keep them in place in the carrier.

Thanks Rita and Bertie. DS is 13 months old, I'm not sure how helpful he'll be though !

I might start to use it to collect him from the CM - he could pop him in it when I leave, and I'm pretty sure that I could get him out of it by myself (sitting on the sofa?).

Oops, she.

Yes very easy to get them out of it by sitting them on a sofa etc to take the weight off and then undoing straps.

Just thought I'd update to say that I went for the new Boba carrier in the end, the 3G, as it seemed to tick all the boxes, and I've been really happy with it! It seems to adjust smaller on the waist than some of the other brands, which has turned out to be a good thing, as I find I have to have the waist strap higher and tighter than I expected. I also like that fact that it has little elastic loops to tidy away any flapping pieces of strap - very me! Dd seems really happy in it, pops her thumb straight in when she's in it. Since we now have 2 dogs, this means dh can take care of them when we're out for a walk, without the added burden of carrying dd as well!