Can anyone actually get baby in backpack position themselves??

[outofplace_christian]

I have the Tula explore carrier and have been using it a lot ever since my baby was about 5.5 months and could sit upright and I could use the backpack position. However I cannot for the life of me figure out how to put her in by myself. I’ve looked at the manual and watched the video, but I can’t find a way to pull her leg around and through while still holding her securely. I have pretty good shoulder mobility so I don’t think that’s an issue.

I wear her inward facing front for errands, but for longer outings, it is much more comfortable to carry her on my back. I’d love to be able to go hiking, apple picking, etc just the two of us.

I am only 5’2 and my 7 month old is large—92 percentile for length and about 20 lbs. I’m also on the wide/heavy side not having lost all my pregnancy weight gain yet.

Any tips on how to get her in there? Have you been able to? Is it even possible?

 

[dananglingson]

@outofplace_christian I put the waistband on and get baby situated on my front, then scoot him around to the back THEN get the shoulder straps on. I also really like my onbuhimo and I put that on by either throwing baby over my shoulder or sitting him on the counter and putting it on backpack style

 

[kryslyne]

@outofplace_christian A superman toss with an onbuhimo was surprisingly easy to figure out after a few YT tutorials.

 

[musore]

@outofplace_christian Videos:

Superman:

Hip scoot:

Walk like an Egyptian:

I prefer Superman at the moment but I learned back carry with a woven so that could be part of it. I find walk like an Egyptian overly complicated but some people love it - it’s big highlight being it’s very secure, everything stays strapped all the time.

 

[damacri]

@musore Yep we do a Superman toss and it works well! I tend to do it over a couch just in case, but haven’t had an issue with LO falling or anything.

 

[harteazio]

@outofplace_christian try doing it with baby on the bed in position and leaning backwards to grab him

 

[straykat]

@outofplace_christian I start with baby on my hip, then scoot him around under my arm and onto my back. Lean forward, keep one hand on baby’s back, and put on the first shoulder strap. Switch hands that are holding baby, now my opposite hand is holding him over the carrier and I pull on the other shoulder strap. It’s definitely hard with younger babies who don’t understand to stay still and not throw themselves backwards but all my kids have been used to the process by about 9 months!

 

[outofplace_christian]

@straykat There’s no way I could fit my baby under my arm. I’m just so confused by the anatomy of this maneuver

 

[alora]

@outofplace_christian Letstalkbabywearing on instagram has lots of videos and tutorials of this! I was using this method with my 3year old until recently, and she is in the 96th percentile. You’ve got this!

 

[straykat]

@outofplace_christian Think of like, a freestyle (swimming) stroke lol. If baby is on my right hip, I hold him in place with my left hand and bring my right arm up and over him like I’m swimming, then wrap my right arm around him “backwards” and continue shifting him until he’s on my back

 

[richgsr7]

@outofplace_christian

 

[christian_violet]

@outofplace_christian I put the carrier waistband on with the panel in the front, like I'm going to wear her on the front. Then hold both straps in my right hand, don't put shoulders in yet. Then scoot the carrier with baby in it around my left hip onto my back, THEN put the shoulder straps on. I started doing it that way when she was 6 months and it still works for me now that she's almost 3 and 48 lbs.

 

[grace2018]

@outofplace_christian Ok - to start when baby was really little (6 months to 12 months or so), if I didn’t have help I would set my carrier flat on a bed or trunk of a car, lay baby on top of it with his legs through the correct things and then lean back and clip the carrier + baby onto me then make any necessary adjustments. Only caveat is to go REALLY slow because once I stood up to slow and my baby banged his head on my back and was upset. I’m not particularly flexible so lots of other peoples solutions didn’t seem feasible!!!

Since 12 months or so he’s much better at clinging to me and not flopping so I now put the carrier on just around my waist, rotate it 90 degrees and put baby in it in my hip. Then I’m able to reach the opposite sides arm back into the arm strap and slowly rotate baby to my back and put the other strap over the remaining shoulder. For context, all of this was with happy baby carriers (both OG and onbuhimo)

 

[rohan89]

@grace2018 I would do the same thing with my Lillebaby. Set up the carrier, lay the baby on it and get them as arranged as possible, and then lean back like I was doing the limbo. I would buckle the waistband and slip my arms in the straps and then make adjustments when we were vertical.

It worked well at home, but I was never able to back carry in public because I couldn’t get it setup on the go. oh well!

 

[divinemarissa]

@outofplace_christian We have almost always Superman tossed with our Tula. There have been a couple of times I hip scoot but I spin the whole carrier. I start with it on my hip, put her on the same hip, bring up the back, hold straps in hand on her side, grab leg around back with other hand, bounce her to the back. You do need to have the waistband a little loose to start with and then tighten to do this

 

[seblades]

@outofplace_christian I've recently started tandem wearing my twins with the TwinGo. To get the back baby into position, I start with him on my right hip with my right hand on his back. I loosen the left strap almost all the way, lean to the left and reach to get my left arm in the strap. Then I tighten the strap as I'm scooting the baby from my hip to my back. Eventually, I reach a point where I can't keep a hand on him anymore and that's when I lean more forward and put my right hand through the right strap.

TwinGo has a pretty useful tutorial . Obvs, ignore all the bits about putting the carrier together and getting the second baby in place.

 

[vikidul]

@outofplace_christian Here's how I mastered hip scoot (with a different carrier though): I practiced without the carrier! I'd get the baby in front of me, shift him to the hip, then to my back, then onto the other side, then back in front.

Doing such circles allowed me to figure out what's secure and comfortable for me, without getting tangled in straps. Bonus: my baby thought it was the most hilarious game ever.

 

[stacymom2son]

@vikidul This!!!

 

[jojo2]

@outofplace_christian I don't have a tula explore but an ergo omni 360 and a lennylamb lennygo and I kinda hold baby securely but don't do the shoulder straps exactly as described. I scoot him around to my back and then make the arms work.

Could you try practicing while seated on a couch or bed? Since the waistband is high it can be turned around while seated and then you aren't scared of dropping baby and you can figure out a way to sort the arm holes out that works for you

 

[guinin]

@outofplace_christian Yeah no problem. We do a hipscoot.

Assume we’re scooting over your right side. Put baby in on your front/side. Hold the straps with your left hand, close together close to baby’s head. Scoot baby to your right side. Put your right arm through the strap it is supposed to go through, but not all the way, probably up to your elbow. Than use that right hand to replace your left hand and hold both straps.

Now with your left hand scoot twist the waistband while with your right hand you pull baby and the straps to your back. While doing this your arm right will slide more securely into right strap. When baby is twisted all the way on your back you can slip your left arm through the left strap and let it go with your right hand.

Key is really holding those straps together close to baby’s head. That way you don’t have to support baby and baby can’t slip out. If you hold it properly you can even lean baby backwards (don’t worry, they think it’s fun) and they’ll stay securely in the panel.