How to reintroduce baby carrier to 2 y/o?

S

spingle

New member
The last time my daughter sat in a baby carrier was several months/pounds ago. She’s since become an independent walker, though she’s still well under the weight limit for carrier use.

However, we’re about to travel by plane, and I’ve never taken her through an airport/on a plane without wearing her. It made lugging all of our crap and keeping her safe and entertained so much easier. I’m extremely wary of just letting her walk, and we’d prefer not to take a stroller as it’s one more item to check and there will be one at our destination anyway.

Does anyone have experience reintroducing the carrier to a toddler? Or thoughts on which positions work best?
 
@spingle You might want to ask this over on r/babywearing.

For a toddler id recommended back carry. Depending on what carrier you have, it may still fit your kiddo and it may support back carrying.

If not and you want something different, I like an onbuhimo or a meh dai for back carry. Lenny Lamb has nice versions of both of these carrier types.
 
@spingle We actually did this over the summer with our 3 year old. We used our ergobaby carrier in the backpack position and specifically called it a piggy back ride to make her more interested (and it worked). I don’t think it would have worked long term but the novelty/short period of time worked. For reference, the last time she has done any baby wearing was when she was like 5 months old, we just never wore her. We borrowed the ergobaby from a friend
 
@spingle Have you tried a carrier geared more towards older kids? We use the tushbaby, and I’ve also seen the Gooseket for some the big less bulky. We've used the tushbaby in the airport for my 20 month old multiple times and it works well (we don’t even bring a stroller with us) - it keeps my hands pretty free and I can easily put him down and pick him back up when were waiting at the gate, etc.
 
@spingle Would one of those backpack carriers work? Our son was never much of a fan of the baby carriers but liked being able to look around from higher up with the backpack carrier. Plus they're more comfortable to walk with as the kid gets heavier.
 
@spingle I just stuck my kiddo in it and she was thrilled to see it again. We did front facing front carry. She screamed bloody murder when I tried back carry
 
@spingle My experience is toddlers love back carry! They get to see everything and be close to us.

Definitely start reintroducing it now though. Maybe go to the mall and test it. Let her walk for a bit and when she is tired, get her on your back.

While at the airport, I strongly recommend letting walk and play around. Burning some of that energy is really useful before boarding.

Also, TSA probably won’t let you go through security while wearing her and they will make her walk through the metal detector, so practice up and downs a lot.

My favourite carrier is the Tula Standard. Up to 45lbs, fits on a lot of parents body. I would not bring a hiking backpack because it does not fill well in the overhead bin and is super inconvenient.

If your daughter is 99th percentile, check the Tula toddler but it is big. My 50lbs+ 4yo son still fits in the Tula Toddler.
 
@andujartyler They have always allowed & encouraged me to leave my son in the carrier when going through security! It was a lifesaver! We do have TSA precheck, so no clue if that matters, but they just waved me right through both kinds of machines with him on! At multiple airports.
 
@andujartyler Wow! I guess it has been a few years for us, but my son is only 5, so it hasn't been THAT long! They actually stopped me from removing him and told me to keep going!
 
@spingle Highly recommend the Gooseket! I fold it up and carry it everywhere with me. My guy hated all baby carries, but actually doesn't mind this one now that he's 2.

My guy wants to be surgically implanted in my hip, so this works well for us. He would never tolerate a front or back carry because he wants to see my face and be able to look out. So it all depends on how your daughter likes to be carried.
 
@spingle I back and front carry her now. She doesn’t struggle with either. Front is easier in situations where she’s uncomfortable. It’s not as comfortable for me. But she’s happy and safe
 
@spingle I stopped baby wearing my kiddo at around 12 months because he was too heavy for me and I preferred the comfort of a stroller. But we just did a Christmas light event on a battle ship (no strollers allowed). My 2.5 year old walked the whole time, but I ended up bringing our carrier just in case. He kind of melted down when it was time to leave, but when I pulled out the baby carrier he thought it was hilarious and hopped right in and smiled the whole way back.

I think the novelty of it (he’s only seen baby brother in the carrier) provided entertainment to him. Just an anecdote!

I tried it on at home before the event, and he had the same reaction (thinking it was fun / funny!)
 
@spingle I’d just try putting her in it for a short walk before you and see how she reacts. I did this will my son when he was 22 months old and even though it’d been a while, he still loved the carrier. So we used it to navigate the airport on a domestic flight. At 30lbs though, while he loved it, my back did not.

We recently flew again at 26 months old and I just let him walk and honestly, he did awesome. He’s never been a runner though and is very good at staying close.
 
@spingle I would do a practice run at the grocery store or something. Definitely back carry. I would just matter of fact say “guess what! you’re going to ride in the back carrier today!” I still carry my almost three year old all the time. It’s great! I have a toddler Tula. I start in a front carry loose and send one of my arm over and one under the straps which makes it a safe loop and spin her under my armpit then fix the straps and adjust. Unpack is the same thing loosen, put one strap over and one under your arms then rotate the whole thing bringing babe under the armpit.
 
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