Baby Carriers in Equatorial Climates

 One of the reasons we had the Moby Wrap giveaway was because it never got used.  My sister-in-law recommended it to me and I really wanted to use it with Sky, since baby-wearing is highly recommended as a bonding technique after adoption.  We ended up missing our window to use it because we didn't have it with us in Kansas and never thought to have our friends send it out to us, and then it was just too hot to use here on Kwaj.
  So, you may be thinking right now, if you don't use a Moby Wrap, what do you use for baby carrying?  A good question, since we do a lot of it here.  Fire is just getting big enough to sit in a bike seat but he still gets strapped on when we go most places.  We did the same with Sky.  It's just easier, here where we don't have cars.
  Our go-to baby carrier is a Snugli.  We were given two when we adopted Sky and they just happened to work out perfectly for us.  D in particular wore Sky in the older, used Snugli we were gifted with:

Chillin' with Daddy on the chopper


 And helping him cook


We use a newer version of the Snugli with Fire and we still love it.  It's light-weight, breaths well, adjusts quickly, and is easy for one person to put on and take off.  You can wear the baby facing towards you or away from you and it's easy on your shoulders and back.  The one downside to this is that eventually, your child will grow out of it like Sky did. 
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2014 Update
After baby-wearing for almost 4 years, I'm still a big fan of the ultralight versions of baby carriers.  With Water, I'm using an Infantino brand carrier and it still works great.  Like the Snugli, I love that I can put it on and take it off one-handed and it's easy to get Water in and out of.  It can be a little hard on my lower back if I'm wearing him for long periods of time but the straps on this carrier are actually more padded than my previous ones, which is a plus.



D has upgraded to the Baby Bjorn carrier.  This one is really popular out here with other families as well.  It has more shoulder and back padding as well as more back support, which is why D chose it.  We also use this one when we take the kids to the beach.  The front of the carrier is mostly mesh so it washes and dries easily.  The Infantino carrier also washes well but since the Baby Bjorn is made of higher quality material, it stands up better to salt water and the wear that comes with washing it out.




   What carrier do you use?  Do you have any that have really worked, or not worked, for you?

Comments

  1. Snuglis and the like aren't generally recommended because they put too much pressure on the baby's crotch and can cause hip and leg problems with extended use. Mei Tai's are a good choice, but many people complain about the lack of padding in the shoulders and leg area, which make it uncomfortable for both parent and baby after a while. A good alternative would be a more ergonomic buckled carrier, like an Ergo, Beco, Tula, etc. They even have toddler sized carriers that are good for kids up to 45 pounds.

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    1. Hi Jane,
      Thanks for the comment. Yes, we always noticed how Teshie's legs seemed pretty splayed out in the Snugli (it was never a problem with Ciela because she alway had great muscle tone and didn't start riding it in until she was 1). We never used the Snugli for long periods of time- I think the longest would be for naps when Teshie just couldn't be put down. We've looked at getting an Ergo but I would worry that the extra padding would be too hot here. If we're ever looking to buy a new one, we'll consider an Ergo though.

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  2. This is a great review! We have used the baby bjorn because it's quick and easy for us. And really, that's what we were recommended to get based on our friends and family. Now, having been in the mom-world a bit longer, I would have liked to try a wrap.

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    1. We did have a Moby wrap and I tried it a few times. Besides being too hot for Kwaj, it was a lot of fabric to deal with while trying to hold a baby. I think if you did it a lot, it might get easier but I never liked the way the tail dragged on the ground while you were wrapping it. We did also try the Mai-Tie carrier, which is kind of combination of a regular carrier and a wrap but I didn't like how tight I had to tie it around my waist (mama-chub!) to get it to stay up.
      Thanks for stopping by!

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