Looking for a SSC - advice please!

[Sophiesworld]

I have been looking into slings for my 5mo DD. I have been using a Close carrier and a Baby Bjorn since she was born. I find the Baby Bjorn more practical because she's quite wriggly so she feels more secure in it and it's also easier to get her in and out when out and about, but it's just not comfortable for her or me for long periods, even though she's small and light (13lbs). When I get her well positioned in the Close carrier I could carry her all day as the weight is so well distributed.

I am looking at soft structured carriers as the next step as they seem to be a good compromise between the two. Important factors to me are:

Easy to get baby in and out and put on/take off
Small and light enough to carry around when not in use
Accessories or pockets so I don't have to carry a bag as well
Can be used around the house as well as out and about - a hip carry option would be good for this

I would also like DH to be able to use it as well - he is large so a front carry wouldn't work but would like it to accommodate a large waist size so he could back carry. I realise I might have to compromise on some of these, but those would be my ideal features.

I have looked at Ergo, Rose & Rebellion, Connecta and Beco and am veering towards Ergo because of the wide range of accessories. However I have read that they don't suit all frames so it is a good idea to try before you buy, and they're expensive so I don't want to risk wasting a lot on one.

Have contacted my local sling library to see what they have that I could try, but and advice or recommendations would be great!

any advice, not and

Which accessories were you thinking of getting sophiesworld? I have an ergo, which I love, it's quick and I can use it for a good few hours walking. I have found though that a lot of the (non Ergo) accessories you can buy will fit all slings anyway, so that may open your options up a bit?

Thanks Phyliss, that's really useful to know. I didn't even know you could get non-Ergo accessories! Who else makes them?

I particularly liked the rucksack that could be attached but also carried separately. Mainly I just don't want to have to carry a separate nappy bag though so any kind of attachable storage big enough for nappy, wipes, spare sleepsuit, purse, keys and phone would be ok.

Thanks loopy - I did wonder if the rucksack thing was a bit too good to be true. Can I ask how the rucksack works if you are front carrying? Does it attach to the front then or do you have the carrier on the front and the rucksack on the back IYSWIM? Just thinking that it would be quite front heavy if you had it all at the front.

Apart from the rucksack, would you recommend the Ergo?

Personally I don't recommend the Ergo, out of all the SSCs. Not because there is anything wrong with them, but because you can get a better carrier for the money. The main reason Ergos are recommended by so many people is because they are marketed heavily and they sell the most - which doesn't necessarily mean they are the best! Out of the four you mention I would vote for the Beco Butterfly.

Plus, if you plan to use it long term, it's likely the Ergo won't get much use past about age 2, 2.5, because the back of it is very short.

I think the Onbag is fab if you want a bag to wear while you are wearing a sling, it's specifically designed for the purpose and you can wear it in various different ways. I had an over the shoulder bag when carrying DS and it was okay but pulled a bit on me (and him) if it was full because the strap was thin.

Funnily enough, I'd agree with bertiebotts, even though I love my ergo, if I was choosing knowing what I know now (how many times do I say that when it comes to baby stuff) I would probably look at a few others. Manduca looks good (and has been recommended on here a few times), you don't need to buy an extra baby insert either, good if you have a 2nd DC. I love the Wompats too...for the hippy side of me, and they are so soft! Or I would look at a Boba...

The Manduca is a good carrier but again won't do toddlers, so depends what you want really :) The Boba is a very good carrier but I don't know what it's like with little ones.

Thanks everyone! I've just heard back from the lady who runs the sling library and they have the following:
Ergo
Boba 3G
Rose & Rebellion
Emeibaby
Action Baby Carrier
Scootababy hip carrier

She's also due to get a Manduca and a Softai shortly so I think I'll wait till those arrive and then go along and try some out.

Any more thoughts and advice gratefully received in the meantime! I'm not too worried about being able to use it from newborn as I'm happy with the Close for that if DD ever starts sleeping enough for us to consider we end up having another DC.

The one you'd get best use of to a bigger age is probably the Boba - it has foot stirrups that you can use to get the leg support for an older child when their legs are too long to really get support from the carrier itself. The old 2g might still be on sale at some places, or there is the new 3g.

The Beco Butterfly has an internal harness to make back carries really easy. It's a love it or hate it thing though - some people love the ease of putting them on your back in it, some hate the extra faffy bits of fabric. It's also narrower than the Ergo/Manduca/Boba etc so doesn't really last as long - they tend to outgrow things width-wise before they grow out of them height-wise.

The Manduca you can cross the straps over your back in a front carry, and fasten them at the sides - no reaching behind your head to fasten a clip up, and I find it comfier than wearing it like a backwards rucksack. The Ergo you can at a push, but you have to reach around and fasten them behind your back. The Boba and Beco you can't at all. Manduca has an integral insert for a newborn, Boba 3g can be adjusted from newborn, and for Ergo you can buy an insert for use from newborn but I don't really rate it, especially not for a spring/summer baby as it is hot.

Different shaped SSCs suit different shaped people very differently. If you do get a chance to try out via a sling meet or sling library it could save you a lot of money compared to buying the 'wrong' one.

Lastly, I've seen quite a few fake Ergos and Becos on Ebay and elsewhere - be careful of anything that looks too good to be true.

YY, I love the Boba.

Ooo, just had a look at the Boba 3G and I like that too! The Boba Pack looks good too although i wonder if it would have the same problems as the Ergo rucksack?

I hope there's a clear favourite once I try them - otherwise it's going to be very hard to choose. It's good to know there are lots of universal accessories so I don't need to let that influence my decision.

So would you say that the Boba is the only one suitable for older children? What age roughly would the Manduca work up to?

I like the idea of being able to cross the straps - I can imagine this would make wearing more comfortable although obviously will need to try it to see if that's the case. The only drawbacks I can see of the Boba are that it lacks this feature and also the option to do a hip carry.

Tula also go up to a larger size, you buy and addition thing to pop on the sling.

As far as I know the boba is ok from baby size (I nearly chose it because of that), not sure what size manduca goes up to.

The thing that I have found however that it is a bit addictive and if you really enjoy carrying your LO one sling may not be enough. I was trying to find a sling that would carry my baby and my toddler (not at the same time obviously)...you could buy one that fits until 18 months or so, then look again at toddler sizes (there are loads of those too). By the time your DC1 is a toddler you may have another baby anyway, so at that point you may fancy two slings. Either way they seem to re-sale really well so you could sell you first sling and get a toddler hawk or a rose and rebellion toddler size, there are loads more in a bigger size to look at...

What Phyllisdiller said - it is very hard to find one buckle carrier that will do birth-preschooler well. Some will do it at a push, but it is usually compromised at both ends of that age range.

The most versatile sling for carrying all ages is a woven wrap - I'd happily use the same wrap to carry my newborn and then my nearly 4 year old. I have never tried a buckle carrier or mei tai I'd use for them both, and I have tried a lot. I carry my 2.5 year old in a toddler/preschool size carrier if we use buckles. At a push I could use a standard size one, but we're both comfier with something that fits him better.

(My only not-quite-agree with Phyllis is on the toddlerhawk - it is no wider than the babyhawk so not really great for bigger kids. Rose and Rebellion's preschool carrier is great for 2.5 years + though)

I've carried 2 children a lot for the last 4 years and never needed to do a hip carry with a buckle carrier. But I guess I've always had the option with a woven wrap or ring sling, although in practice I find a high back carry with a wrap where they can see over my shoulder to chat to me much better for us.

The Manduca is good until around 2....depending on the size of the child. It might be a bit under 2, it might be 2.5. From about 20-24 months there will be better fitting carriers out there, although it will still work. I wouldn't choose it for either of my two - my 2.5 year old is quite big for his age and the same weight as my nearly 4 year old, but I could use it for either at a push. It is wider and more supportive than say the Connecta, or Babyhawk/Toddlerhawk, or standard/toddler size Rose and Rebellion.

I keep meaning to take a load of pics of different aged children in different carriers and put them on my sling library facebook page / website.....should really get around to this! May need to bribe them with biscuits though.

Hip carries tend to be quite unwieldy and uncomfortable in a two shoulder carrier - saying it's possible is a bit of a gimmick, really. If you want a carrier for hip carries then you really want to look at a ring sling or pouch.

The Manduca expands to 41cm tall, the Boba is 41.9cm. For reference, the toddler Patapum is 40.6cm, and my 50th centile-for-height 3 year old has utterly outgrown it, it comes up to his hips and wouldn't be safe at all. At a guess the last time I carried him in it he was about 2 and a half, maybe 3/4? It would be well worth comparing width as well if you can find figures online.

Hi, I have a Manduca which I really like. I can still carry my 18mo on my front. it was starting to get a bit uncomfy with the reverse back pack so I have just started to cross the straps on my back and it's much comfier. I haven't unzipped the extra panel yet so it should last a good while longer yet.

Thank you for all your detailed replies - they're really helpful. I won't worry too much about hip carrying then if it's not very practical anyway.

It sounds like I should realistically be looking for something that will last us until she is around 2 and then expect to look for something else, although the Boba may be suitable right through.

Bertie thanks for giving those measurements. I will try and check out some of the others to compare. They don't seem to vary much though - do the extra centimetres make a big difference?