Does anyone have any good suggestions on a baby carrier that does not hurt your shoulders and has good back support? I have a 3 1/2 mo old who loves to be held. I'm looking for one that he can face forward in since he seems to like to see the world :) A bonus would be one that eventually I could do a back carry with. I need something easy - tried a Moby when he was newborn, just couldn't get it - too much material. I want something easy on & off, lightweight preferred as we live in FL & it gets HOT. I have a soon to be 4yr old and when I take them both shopping or somewhere where I don't necessarily need the stroller, I would rather carry him, but I can't carry him and hold the other ones hand - I need free hands! I would like something thats easy to stash in the stroller or bag too. Right now I have a Jeep carrier which I love, but it hurts my shoulders after awhile and I have to add support under him to take the weight off. Thanks in advance! BTW, I know they all can be expensive, but let me know if there are any less expensive ones out there ;)
I agree about the Ergo. I've used the Bjorn, the Target style Bjorn, hotsling, Infantino baby sling, Moby and Ergo...and the Ergo was the easiest and BEST optioin for a baby carrier!
My favorite is the Ergo. Unfortunately the baby can't face outward in that one. I thought my son would have a problem with that because he loved being in his baby bjorn carrier, but he didn't seem to mind at all. I gave up the baby bjorn carrier when he hit 20 lbs because it was killing my back. He now weighs almost 30 (2 years old) and I can still carry him on my back in the ergo without shoulder pain. Sometimes my legs hurt from carrying around the extra weight, but I guess that is reasonable given that he is 1/3 of my weight.
Ditto ergo. Neither of my children mind not facing out. I carry my 17 month old in it regularly and even carry my three year old in it from time to time.
No back or shoulder pain, even when lugging 34 pound kid through Ikea.
Sometimes my hips hips hurt a little but nothing terrible.
I've used hotsling, moby, and bjorn and Ergo was my favorite. You may be able to find a less expensive off brand, if money is a concern.
I also love the Beco Gemini. Baby can face out, face in, go on hip, go on back. My baby doesn't like the stroller and I wore him for the entire time I was in Disney World and my back never hurt.
A soft-structured carrier is probably your best bet for back support.
I used my mei tai, which I loved (easy to use and machine washable), up till DS was 20# (he was a tall skinny kid, so I did this till he was 16m), but for anything past that would've been too much on my back.
The http://www.thebabywearer.com/ is a great source for info, and has reviews, too.
I second the Ergo. I love, love, love our Ergo. My daughter is 3 and close to 40 pounds and I can still carry her on my back with ease, although we don't use it as often now (I'm 6 months preggers).
I had a friend who sold me on the Ergo and then she purchased a Boba when her son was a toddler... she was so disappointed in how quickly the Boba fell apart.
Initially I used a Bjorn Active because my daughter could face out. She quickly outgrew it and my back was screaming everytime I wore it. Also, the more I learned about the potential issues from forward-facing carriers, that's when I looked into the Ergo. There are concerns with the curvature of the spine and hip issues. I'm expecting #2 in late August and am giving away my Bjorn and plan to use the Ergo exclusively. I also used the Chicco version (prior to the Bjorn) and a Zolowear sling.
Haven't tried the Ergo so can't weigh in on that...but I love the Beco Gemini.
So versatile!
try the baby k-tan. it didn't work for me, but it is really easy to use, and allows a number of carrying positions, including forward facing.
