Best products from r/babywearing

Uhm may not be for you but my daughter was the same way, she is currently 4 months and have been wearing her facing out in a hip seat carrier for about a month now (so since 3 months). Not everyone likes it but once you get used to it it’s great she can face forward and see everything and be perfectly comfortable and supported by the seat. Its not much strain to me or my back either because the seat helps with a lot of her weight. Ima link the carrier on amazon so you can see what I am talking about but yes very much recommend it worked out amazingly for me and her.

amazon hipseat carrier

A used stroller is a great idea (holy crap though it’s still $400 used??). Our experience:

Thought we would baby wear everywhere. I’m also a minimalist + we had a small car, so had all these opinions about baby wearing vs strollers. Well exclusive baby wearing didn’t happen for a lot of reasons!

1. She was born very very small and wraps and carriers felt unsafe and dangerous for a while until she leveled up in chunk
   
   
2. Our daughter didn’t like them anyway until about 2 months!
   
   
3. We live in a big city but also have a car and drive a lot of places. The transfer from a carseat to a wrap/carrier is much more inconvenient than the transfer from a travel system car seat to a stroller. So for example, this mommy newborn class that I went to constantly was only accessible by car. If I were exclusively baby wearing, then I would have to stand outside my car on a steep hill and fiddle to get the wrap on, wake my newborn up to get them into the wrap and settled, then repeat in reverse when we returned to the car (I’ve done this several times. Pro tip: put on your wrap before you sit down to drive). With a travel system car seat, you quietly pop them out and into the stroller and go on your way.
   
   
4. As they get older, you sometimes carry a lot of stuff. Snacks, diapers, water, change of clothes for accidents, wipes, jacket... yes you can carry baby on your front and a backpack on your back, but for me that was pretty uncomfortable after a certain weight. Having a stroller is actually really handy as a “place to hold all that stuff.” A trip to the zoo with a stroller is pretty convenient in my opinion. And again, I’m a minimalist... but you can’t escape from this reality easily.
   
   
5. Eventually, baby gets too big to wear on your front! Then where do you carry your stuff?? I never figured that out because we pretty much just switched to stroller at that point. I’m sure pro-level-baby-wearers have techniques tho.
   
   Side note: our hospital in San Francisco REQUIRED us to have a car seat and leave with baby in the car seat, even if you don’t have a car and plan on taking public transit.
   
   Thought about getting this universal car seat carrier instead of a stroller, instead got this Britax Agile travel system and are very happy with it (and still use the stroller at 2.5 yrs). It’s very slim and un-fiddly and snaps shut/opens effortlessly.

That does look really cozy, I would just worry about the fabric once he can roll, but like you said it won't last long.

I think based on feedback here I'm going to just keep a blanket in my diaper bag, and maybe take the Boppy lounger with me to put on top of the blanket if I'm going somewhere I know he'll be down for a while. If that doesn't work out I've got my eye on something like this as a way to keep him contained. It definitely doesn't look as comfortable, and I certainly wouldn't carry him in it, but for having a clean place to set him down for a bit and not worry about him crawling around and grabbing stuff/random people stepping on him it seems like it would work well.

I recently bought this after my lighter weight fleece baby wearing hoodie broke (zipper busted) and I LOVE it. It’s not the most fashionable clothing item I’ve ever had but who cares? It fits me and hubby, works for front or back carry baby wearing, and is really heavy and warm. I also love the long zipper pull as that was something I struggled with on my other hoodie was trying to reach around baby to do the zipper blindly while trying to hold the seams together so it would zip. This hoodie will last a lot longer too - there’s plenty of room for LO to grow and it will still fit vs my other hoodie was not going to last too much longer. It’s really well made - not cheapy material.

.RooCoat Baby Wearing Hoodie

I got this one: Vlokup Baby Wrap https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DTC7P1C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3X37CbCDAGNYY

It's an "off brand" and not one of the super well known brands, but it works just fine. It's less than $20 too which is why I got it, I've spent so much on wraps already 😅 The fabric isn't stretchy at all like a Moby/boba so it took me a little bit too get used to it but I like it. Baby does too which is the important part

I just got this cover today, and I love it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0159VZBNA/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_j4zLwbDZ44QS1

It's still pretty lightweight, but layered with a little snow suit/bunting, etc it's nice and warm and gives a little extra protection from wind and rain. It'll also be perfect in early spring and fall by itself.

I just recently bought this off of Amazon and LOVE it:
Bebamour Universal Hoodie All Season Carrier Cover for Baby Carrier (Dark Grey) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078NJLX4T/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_6Dd9BbFZBE6VR

It covers the carrier and clips to both the carrier's straps and around your waist so you can then put a jacket over yourself. I used it while wearing my daughter at an event all day last weekend and it was perfect, especially for the price. It also has a hood for extra cold days or to encourage her to nap, AND it can be used over a stroller too to basically create a warm pocket for her to sit in. I loved that it was multi-purpose and that I didn't need to zip something into an existing coat. Not sure if that's what you're looking for, but this one has my vote! :)

Blue Lizard Australian SUNSCREEN SPF 30+, Baby, SPF 30+, 8.75-Ounces https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AU15E0/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_HqSMxbGMFE1A6

This stuff is the shit. No burns and my derm said it is the best. I used it before 6 months old.

The Infantino Mei Tai is pretty affordable, and I find it to be really comfortable and easy to use. You can do front, back, or hip carries with it and it's fairly easy to put on.

Here's a link, although it's not exactly the same as the one I have: Infantino Sash Wrap and Tie Baby Carrier https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0185AH1F8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Fp3Fyb5527VPM

I’ve never heard that but it’s interesting and I hope someone has an answer for you! If it doesn’t work out maybe you can use something like this?

We got the stroller that the carseat can just snap into. Our 1MO only likes the stroller if you're willing to really zig-zag a lot and make it pretty bouncy. This one

We are about to get a Ring Sling, because holy hell, the Moby wrap is hot AF. The moby should come with a warning that it's only comfortable if the air temp is less than 80. Even better probably 70.

I would absolutely not get a $900 stroller, unless you're very wealthy and just want it. But if that's the case, I'd probably rather have the overly expensive Snoo Smart Sleeper than an overly expensive stroller, since sleep is gonna be the thing you aren't getting enough of.

On top of what everyone else is saying re: backpack, I also recommend wearing a small crossbody purse to just contain your phone, wallet, keys, lip balm, metrocard, etc. That way, you don't need to remove your backpack to get to the important stuff.

I use a Fjallraven backpack. Some are pricey (over $60) but they are waterproof! Plus, mine hangs perfectly on the stroller if I'm using it.

This Infantino “wrap” is amazing. It pulls on like a t-shirt, is easy to use, intuitive, & cheap! And it stands up to use ... I’ve used it newborn - huge 5 month old with no issues. infantino wrap

I use YakTrax, but you've already mentioned that you use crampons. Other than that, I just take greater care with for placement when wearing my little one while outside.

We put a floppy sun hat on my son when he was tiny and he didn't mind at all! iPlay makes great ones, we've used them since the start and LO still uses them now that he's 3 :)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07767MNHJ/

Depends on if his big bro was carrying a backpack with our water bottles and snacks or not. If he was carrying his little backpack then I just wore it empty, sometimes just clicked around my waist and I let it flap down, sometimes had it empty in “backpack” mode.

If I had a big backpack that meant I was carrying him on my front anyway so I’d either keep it in place if I thought he’d need to get back in soon but if we were in a flat away from cliffs area and he was awake and wanting to run is stuff it in the backpack!

Also for winter I recommend a blanket/cover type thing... that way baby stays warm! I used this one and it worked just fine!

Bebamour Universal Hoodie All Season Carrier Cover for Baby Carrier (Dark Purple) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0159VZBNA?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

So, this is a new one and the description says it doesn't need a separate infant insert. She's 10lbs at the moment.

It's here... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B3VDLV9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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I was debating a towel or something to boost her though. Maybe I'll try that. I didn't know about the M shape for legs, but her back def looks wrong, so it's good to have confirmation. Thanks :)

I’ve heard several people say that the jolly jumper carrier cover works well. jolly jumper amazon

I've seen friends with the jacket extender, there are also baby-wearing specific jackets. We used layers on us both. I would put my kid in his snowsuit/bunting (with legs) and layers underneath and then cover it with this cover. I wore my jacket zipped up and put the carrier on over that. It's not my favorite way though and I think having a big jacket to go around us both would probably be more comfy.

It's the bebamour carrier cover -- here's a link https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0159VZBNA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1482165108&sr=8-1&keywords=bebamour+baby+carrier+cover&pi=SY200_QL40