How do you manage to put a baby in a back carry on your own? Help?

[InTheBoonies]

DD does not like being in a sling much! But will tolerate being carried on my back. At present I have a wrap sling which I can only use when somebody is there to help me put DD in.

Any suggestions on what slings might be easier for me to get her in on my own, I can not manage a 'santa toss' move with DD, she doesn't seem to be in securely when I do this. Do I need a more structured sling? She is 6 months and 20 lbs.

Thanks.

If you something you can fasten around your waist first it means you can start with her on your hip and kind of shoogle her around to your back under your arm. Then pull up sling and secure. I have done this with various SSCs, I'd guess a MT would work too, I have never used a wrap so cant help with that..

Thanks, I have the je porte mon bebe stretchy wrap at the moment. I might try a soft structured one, I can't get her to stay still or co-operate at all with the wrap sling.

Is there often a certain amount of crying when a baby goes into a sling etc? I find DD cries for at least 5 mins when I put her on my back, I feel like she doesn't really enjoy being in the sling. I had imagined her to really enjoy the sling but she definitely tolerates it, maybe this will improve with more use?

Agreed, an ssc should be a bit easier. I can get 7 month old DS in quite happily using the hip scoot. It's easier in front of a mirror.

If you want to persevere with wrapping maybe practice with a teddy so you are more confident on what you're doing? Or try getting some help at a sling meet?

Hip scoot is certainly the easiest technique at first, then I found leaning forward and shoving ds round my waist to my back worked well

that is how my sister does it. I have an ergo and used to sit on the bed, sit baby behind me and do the straps up.

Mai Tei!

DS is nearly 13 months now and we moved on from a Moby at 6 months.

First few times with the Mai Tei back carry I knelt on the floor with plenty of cushions behind me but after that it was really easy to sling him round onto my back and tie him in!

I think by about attempt 3 DS was starting to understand what we were doing so he was calmer and the same applied to me

I've a beco butterfly which I bought specifically because its so easy to do a back carry. You can see how on youtube. I can still carry my 18mo in a front carry which is also easy in / easy out. SSCs are great! You may find though that the straps need readjustment when you go between front and back carries, especially if you've big norks.

I got mine from slumber-roo.co.uk and definitely recommend them- great service and advice.

Beco butterfly back carry m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Tpzlg2c2aCw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DTpzlg2c2aCw&gl=GB

Have a look at the Facebook page slings and things FSOT - they will tell you in there it's for the sling obsessed

I use an SSC (manduca) and santa-toss my 7mo onto my back, then just slip straps over my arms, job done! DS loves the toss.

Did I read right that you're currently using a stretchy wrap for back carries, though? Apols if I got that wrong, and I don't mean to scaremonger, but apparently that's not very safe...

We have a baby hawk mei tai which I find easy to back carry my 14 month old.

Tie it at waist first, then hip scoot her round and tie up the straps. I wrap too and can just about manage a back carry on my own with a woven wrap but it doesn't feel as secure as the baby hawk so I tend to stick with that for back carries.

Thank you for the replies, I am going to buy a new sling! I will see if I can hire a beco and a mei tai from a local library as a starting point.

My stretchy wrap is in theory safe for a back carry according to the makers, it feels safe enough when someone puts her in for me. But when it's just me it's basically impossible to get her in. She is heavy, wriggles a lot as doesn't want to go in and it's would be really embarrassing to have to try and get her in if we had walked to a baby class or something! Oh to be as good at it as the women in your link orchidee .

The beco butterfly is super-easy, honestly. I wanted something quick and easy to use outdoors e.g. going to and from the car hence going for a SSC (i previously used a ring sling which was fine for short carries up to and beyond 12m, and DS was 91st centile). I liked mei-tais for use indoors but long straps and wet pavements... Anyway I think one of the youtube vids shows this, but in the beco butterfly you can pop the baby in a front carry with one if the two front buckles already fastened. It takes seconds to get them in or out. I can get my 18mo into or out of a back carry on my own when we're outdoors. I've been using the carrier over a year now and it's great. If your local slingmeet people don't have one, slumber roo hire them and sell ex-hires at a discount. I think they hire each sling about 3/4 times before selling them off and if you hire one and decide to keep it, you also get a discount even if you were the first to hire it.

I have just got a beco Gemini and got DS into back carry first time, it was fairly easy, he also really likes the hip carry, def try some out if you can as different people prefer different things

Also, naturalmamas and slingmeet have websites that can give good advice on baby carriers.

I have a Mai Tai sling that I got from daisybabyshop.co.uk/mei-tai-slings/ and it helps if you lie the sling slightly propped up on a sofa or chair with the pattern faced down and lie the baby on the sling, then sit down as close as you can to your baby and tie the waist straps around your waist and then bring the shoulder straps up and over your shoulders. They've got a pretty helpful blog thats got a good 'front carry' section too, really helped me a lot.

Stretchy slings aren't really supportive enough to do back carries with, it's possible, but not that safe.

Definitely try with a Mei Tai or SSC, and do it ASAP :) IME if you leave it much past 6 months they don't instinctively trust you any more and tend to panic when on your back but not securely tied on which isn't very helpful. If you get them used to it when they're little, they're usually fine.

Sometimes sling makers will stretch the truth on the kind of carries their sling will do - I think the Ergo markets itself as being able to do hip carries?? When in practice it's awkward and uncomfortable to do one with that kind of sling.

I superman her with a woven - tucked into trousers/tights for a good seat.