Newbie sling user, large baby, advice??

[fraser82]

Hi, I would love to start using a sling to carry my 5 month 17lb baby, I have a traditional carrier that is now painful to use.

Id like one he can nod-off in, a lot of the pics i have seen seem quite unsupported in older positions.

Im also wondering if ill get much wear out of it, since my baby is no longer a new born??

Any advice greatly appreciated!

I like my ergo. I am still using it with dd1 who is now 3 years and have recently started using it with dd2 who is 6 months and I find two big and heavy on my front in a stretchy wrap . It has a hood which supports their head when sleeping. I can get them on my back on my own and the front carry is more comfortable than with the tomme carrier I have.

Oh, the world is your oyster when it comes to slings with a five-month-old. And yes, you should get plenty of use out of it and if it does grow too small you can sell it on and buy a bigger one.

You should find this site helpful to find out about the types available.

When my DS was that age I liked the Sleepy Nico SSC - it fastens with buckles and is very quick and easy to put on, and JoeySling and Babyhawk mei tais. But there are plenty of other good makes. Daisy Chain mei tais, which come with sleep hoods, are well worth looking at.

my faves atm are my storchenwiege woven wrap, and my toddlerhawk

i used them both with ds2 until i was too pregnant (when he was about 15 months) and am currently loving them all over again with ds3 who is 5 months

I love my woven wraps and still use them with dd who will be 3 next week when she gets tired - they have the most versatility but a mei-tai or ssc would also be very good and last a good while.

Oh, wow, welcome to the world of baby carrying :-)
It's a minefield cos there's so many carriers around, and so many differences in opinion....
If you want to hear my favourites were for my 5 month old, they were the stretchy wrap (which is essentially a long, stretchy piece of material) and also a variety of soft structured carriers (probably more like a traditional carrier - they have buckles, and shoulder/waist straps)
But you probably don't want to hear my favourites, because it's just another voice among the many! I'd suggest checking out: www.slingmeet.co.uk/baby_sling_guide.html where it tells you the difference between the types of carrier around, or www.b2boutique.co.uk/help.html, which tells you some of the carriers and which may be best for your situation.
However, the best way for you to decide would probably be to find somewhere near you where you can try a few carriers out, and speak to other mums in person. The sling meet website should be helpful for this.
I run a breastfeeding support group - we lend out carriers - and from feedback, it's really worthwhile to try before you buy! I would never have bought a wrap without someone showing me how to use it, and I'm so glad I did. :-)