BabyBjorn Miracle Carrier?

[JimbosJetSet]

Just wondering if anyone has any experience of this carrier? I have always understood BBs to be generally rubbish but I'm looking for a carrier to put my heavy baby (17lb) outward facing in. He doesn't like being inwards facing in my Ergo and is getting too heavy for the Bushbaby Cocoon.

Thank you!

Anyone?

I only know the same as you, baby bjorns aren't good. Do you have a local sling library where you can experiment?

Outward isn't generally advised as it isn't the best position for your baby or you and most carrier instructions don't recommend it - it would feel a lot heavier for you too. If he doesn't like inwards facing, have you tried him on your back in the Ergo so he can still see over your shoulder?

Thank you. DS is just shy of 4 months old so I don't think he is old enough to go on my back yet? I know having him outward facing means he feels a lot heavier, in my Bushbaby at least, that's why I was wondering if the BB is any good. I didn't realise that position isn't good for the baby though?

I've heard the same the outward facing. I thought they could go on back when tiny, if you have the know how and confidence. In fact I saw a less than 4 month old on a back only the other day thinking about it. Don't know what carrier. It was brown and pretty dull looking

My DS would not tolerate inward facing from about 5m to 9m. We absolutely rely on slings and I wasn't yet happy with back carries, so we got a Beco Gemini which was/is fab. Great toddler carrier, too.

You can wear on your back from birth, if you are confident enough and the carrier is not too big. Never used an Ergo but I think that is from birth - check the instructions and see what they say though!

I prefer wraps to buckles and I started wearing DS3 on my back from about 12 weeks, but started practising from about 6 weeks (he didn't like it at first but soon got used to it).

I think a sling meet would be a great idea - you could try different slings and get some help from more experienced wearers.

I think the thing about outward facing is that the baby isn't in the 'normal' position - think about baby monkeys holding their mums, with their legs round their mums' bodies and leaning into them, both on the front and on the back. That is what you should aim for - better for their hip development, emotional support and much better for your back, as they are cuddling you and not hanging off you.

If he's heavy then outward facing probably won't be comfortable for you anyway - places a lot of strain on your shoulders. It also places strain on the baby's hips and if they feel overwhelmed they can't "escape" from all the stimulation.

If he can sit up with support then he'd be alright on your back in pretty much any carrier, if not then you need something which supports the head well.

Another alternative would be to put him in a hip carry or even a semi-hip carry - this is what I used to do. (With a stretchy wrap rather than an Ergo, but it could work I think) One (baby's) arm in, one arm out, and make your shoulder strap tighter on the arm-in side, make it slightly looser on the arm-out side and shift the carrier around your body so that it's still supported by both shoulder straps, but the baby is slightly to one side and able to look out sideways (but also cuddle in against your chest if they want a sleep or it all gets too much)

It does place more strain on one side of your body than the other but if you remember to swap sides (e.g. when you stop to feed or go to the toilet or stop for lunch, get in and out of car, etc) then the overall effect isn't too bad, and you can still use both arms (unlike with a proper hip carry which can make this awkward). This is pretty much what I did constantly between the happy-to-be-inward phase and the stage where I got a structured carrier to go on my back at 13 months.

Ok thanks guys, great information. I will experiment putting him on my back/hip/side with my beloved Ergo rather than buying another sling then!

I used my hotsling (pouch) more than anything at this time as it sits on the side and they can see out much better. Was fab and still use it now with my 19month old as she sits on my hip in it.

The Ergo is advertised as being able to do hip carries, but it's not that great in practice. Give it a go but if you like the position of the hip carry then you might want to look into something like a pouch sling or ring sling for this in-between stage as they're actually designed for hip carrying so support you better.

As I said I've only done the semi-sideways front carry with a stretchy wrap but it would presumably work with an Ergo. It might be an issue having the straps different lengths as it's really designed for them both to support evenly, but no harm in trying it out when you're at home to see if it feels secure :)

Thanks Bertie!