baby carriers, need help!
Rio
I just signed this newsgroup because I want to buy a baby carrier from
mothercare, and since this shop no longer exists in my country (Portugal), I
though people in the UK were probably the best ones to give me some tips in
this.
so I hope you can help me even if you don't know anything about me!! ;)
it's the tomy safari front carrier, in black and interior leopard print.
anyone has one of this? for how long could you use it?
any bad experience with it? it says it also allows a nursing position so i'm
very excited about buying this one... any comments, please??
thanks in advance
Jane McCann
I am also new to this News Group.
In answer to your query, I read a review of this baby carrier in this month's
Mother & Baby magazine.
It says the carrier is suitable from birth to 12 months (up to 21lbs). They
give it a very good review with a 9/10 rating.
Tomy do have a web site which is www.tomy.co.uk.
Hope this helps.
Jane
EDD - 12/01/01
Janner
realize this is not the carrier you were asking about, I thought I'd comment
on mine, anyway, because I absolutely love it. When we bought it, I really
had no idea which one would be best, but this one turns out to be so easy
and simple to use, easy to adjust (both my husband and I use it, so that is
great), and also folds up quite small and fits in my bag. I use it ALL the
time, and love feeling so close to my baby while we are out and about.
Rhonda.
Jenniffer
US?!
* * *
Discourage Inbreeding - Ban Country Music...
Angela Horn
> it's the tomy safari front carrier, in black and interior leopard print.
> anyone has one of this? for how long could you use it?
Hiya - well, it's much better than most of Tomy's other front carriers, but
there are other manufacturers who make things which are more versatile. Not
used this one personally, but a friend has. Yes, the Safari looks good, but
it's not as versatile as some others, like the Baby Trekker (more about this
later!). Baby Bjorn is pretty similar. Any front carrier like the Tomy
Safari or Baby Bjorn puts a lot of strain on your shoulders as the baby
basically hangs from them. This is OK when you have a newborn of one or two
months old, but the Safari is pretty much outgrown by the time your baby is
four or five months, as far as I can tell. Generally manufacturers advise
that you should only carry babies up to about 20lbs in these, as you risk
damaging your back carrying more than that on your front. However, it all
depends on you - if you still feel comfortable, surely there's no need to
stop just because the baby weighs 20lbs!
The manufacturers claim you can nurse in these front carriers, but what they
mean basically is that you can have the baby facing you and semi-undo it to
maneouvre a boob towards baby. You can't do this while walking around, as
you could with a sling, for instance.
Here is my review of baby carriers I've loved and loathed...I'll distinguish
between slings and front carriers, to avoid confusion. Another review of
baby carriers which might be useful, on the Continuum Concept website, is at
www.continuum-concept.org/reading/carriersReview.html
SLINGS
Slings, also called over-the-shoulder slings, are made from a large piece of
fabric, either tied or buckled at the end to create a large loop. You just
stick one arm through this loop, pop it over your head, and the sling sits
on one shoulder. They are simple and based on the sort of slings that
humans have used to carry their babies since ancient times; the ones on the
market have been improved by adding padding to go over mum's shoulder, and
complicated stitching to allow fine adjustment of the baby's position. Here
in the UK they cost from £22 to £35, and most of that goes on the skilled
stitching. They are available in a wide variety of fabrics.
No big companies make them here in the UK - they're all family businesses.
For example: www.betterbabysling.co.uk or www.huggababy.co.uk . In the USA
'Parenting Concepts' make the 'Sling Ezee' & they have info about slings at
http://parentingconcepts.com . In the UK this sling is sold as the 'Sling
Easy' from kll...@mcmail.com . In Ireland, Suantrai slings mail order to
the UK & you can email them on suan...@iol.ie ; they will also make a
sling using your own fabric if you wish.
You can use these slings in loads of positions - cradling newborns in a
hammock, then sitting up facing mum's chest, facing outwards, sitting
sideways on your front, breastfeeding - whilst sitting or walking
round -then, from about 4 months to 2 or 3 years, with baby sitting on your
hip. The sling acts like an extra arm to hold your baby in whatever
position you want. Whether you're into carrying babies or not, from around
6 months old your baby is likely to spend a large part of the day perched on
your hip anyway, so you might as well get a sling to save your posture while
she's up there!
Huggababies are slightly different from many other slings - narrower
shoulder pad, which sits on top of your shoulder rather than wrapping around
the cap of your shoulder. If you look at the photo on the front page of
http://www.babysling.com/ you will see a mother using a sling of the first
sort, and the shoulder pad wraps right around where your deltoid muscle is.
Now look at http://www.huggababy.co.uk/ and you'll see how it sits
differently. Personally I go through phases of preferring each! The
Huggababy is very good if you have sloping shoulders as it does not need to
be 'locked' in place over your shoulder, and will not bunch up. If you have
square shoulders then you may find that it rides up towards your neck and
becomes uncomfortable, whereas slings with a wide shoulder pad can be
'locked' in place by siting the pad over the shoulder and then tightening
them. The Huggababy is harder to adjust than other slings as it's made from
a thick cotton, but on the other hand it is also easier to get the hang of,
will not slip once you've adjusted it to the way you want it, and will stand
a lot of wear. Thinner cotton slings may be more comfortable in hot
weather, but wear out quickly. My first Better Baby Sling started to feel
the strain after a year of constant use, but was still worth having.
WRAPAROUND FRONT CARRIERS
Front carriers have straps that go over both of mum's shoulders, fastening
at the side or the back with buckles or ties. The best ones I've seen are
the 'wraparound' Baby Trekker (www.babytrekker.com) and the Wilkinet
(www.wilkinet.co.uk). These have the advantage that the baby does not simply
dangle from your shoulders - the straps wrap around you so that the baby is
snuggled in close, and is really tied *onto* you. The weight is well
distributed across your back, so you are not pulled forwards as much as with
standard front carriers. They fit women slightly better than men as the
straps wrap around your waist & so it helps if you have some curves, but men
can still use them perfectly well - they just do not get all the benefits of
this sort of carrier. With both carriers, you can wear the baby on your
front facing in, facing out, or on your back facing in. I have both of
these two and prefer the Baby Trekker, but it is twice the price of the
Wilkinet, and less stylish. The Wilkinet looks nicer I think, and folds up
smaller. The advantages of the Baby Trekker are that it fastens with velcro
and clips rather than having to be tied, it is easier (in my opinion) to get
baby in the right position, and you can also wear the baby on your back
facing *outwards* (ie behind you), which we find great for gardening! It
also allows you to give an older child a hands-free piggyback. IN the UK,
you can get the Baby Trekker from Little Green Earthlets
(www.earthlets.co.uk) and it costs around £50 whereas the Wilkinet is under
£30.
STANDARD FRONT CARRIERS
Standard front carriers are the ones you find in high-street shops. The
best example is the Baby Bjorn. They have straps which go over your
shoulders, and the baby can usually be carried facing either inwards or
outwards. They are simple to use, and fit men as well as women.
Tomy and other companies make a variety, eg the Snugli and the Turnaround,
and at risk of being sued I have to say I don't know why they bother with
most of them. Their carriers seem to leave the baby slumped halfway down
mum's front, giving mother a bad back. I don't know anyone who's found them
any use for more than a few months. It's almost like Tomy have really tried
hard to make useless baby carriers ... why, Tomy, why?? These cost from
about £15 to £45. Most allow the baby to face in towards mum's chest, then
to face outwards as the baby gets bigger. Sometimes you can breastfeed with
the baby faced in to your chest, after wriggling around a bit, but you can't
usually breastfeed whilst walking.
I've found both sorts of carriers to be useful, in lots of different
situations:
1. A good front carrier which holds the baby's weight high up on your
chest, such as the Baby Bjorn, or the Wilkinet (hard to get right, but good
when you do) is best for long walks or serious shopping, when you want both
hands free. With slings, you need to have one hand available to steady the
baby sometimes. After the baby reaches about 20lbs, and can hold its head
steady, you shouldn't carry him in a front carrier, according to most
carrier manufacturers, - but then he can go into a backpack for long walks
etc.. Backpacks are absolutely brill and I would recommend getting your
baby into one as soon as he is old enough.
2. Slings are much more versatile and convenient than carriers. I use our
sling around the house a lot. If my baby is grizzly or tired, or I want to
carry him whilst hanging washing out or something, I simply pop the sling on
and plonk him into it. No buckling or strapping in required. He can be in
or out of the sling in a couple of seconds. If he's on my hip and he falls
asleep, I can move him round to my front. Sometimes we take a buggy out,
and if I need to fold up the buggy to go on the bus or train, I can quickly
transfer the baby to the sling. No hassle. I breastfeed in the sling - it
helps to keep him at the correct height without straining my back, and it
means I can get up and make a drink without disturbing him. If he falls
asleep in the sling, it's easy to lay him down and slip out of it myself, if
I need to.
3. Slings hold newborns in a more natural position - cradled on their
backs, as in a hammock - which doesn't put pressure on their spine or hip
joints. The companies which make slings all seem to have numerous
endorsements from physiotherapists, osteopaths, Alexander Technique teachers
and paediatricians to this effect. Front carriers hold the baby bolt
upright, which apparently isn't very natural for newborns.
4. Slings distribute the baby's weight evenly across the parent's back and
one shoulder. As the baby gets bigger and heavier, if it is on your front
then some of the weight is taken directly onto your pelvis, and when the
baby sits on your hip, much of the weight is taken on the hip, with pressure
on the opposite shoulder to balance it. As you vary the baby's position,
you vary the way in which the weight is distributed - so if one shoulder is
tired, you swap baby to the other side, and so on. It's hard to explain
clearly - but I have a deformed back & have always had to be careful about
low-back strain, so this aspect has been important to me. Even when my baby
was tiny, I could feel front carriers pulling me forward and putting strain
on the lower back. The sling is fine - I was using it very regularly until
my first baby was 18 months old, and virtually full-time until he was around
9 months old. Again, the sling people have lots of back specialists who
endorse them.
As you can tell, I'm a convert. All my friends are now given slings now
when they have babies - not flowers or clothes! They do take a bit of
practice, but it's really worth sticking at it.
Best wishes,
--
Angela Horn
Homebirth Reference Site
www.homebirth.org.uk
Rio
positive comments on what we are trying to decide. and here's a hint for
Jenniffer... I don't have these nice stuff in my country either but that
doesn't stop me from looking all around, I use the net and often order
catalogues and then I'll buy what I like from whenever in the world. it may
not be the best way since it can be rather expensive, but I hate to have
limited choices so that's what I do!!
apart from that, I usually love most baby stuff done by the British, for
some reason they think of all the details and they also think in terms of
"style" and colours, which I appreciate.
"Jenniffer" <niffe...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20001205133600...@ng-fe1.aol.com...