Newborn carrier for petite mom with back problems and big babies

[nohopewithoutjesus]

Third baby — I haven’t used carriers much for my previous two and instead carried them on my right hip and now have horrible right sided SI joint pain. Trying to be better at baby wearing this time! I have a solly but having to wrap it myself annoys me. Should I get a baby ktan? A ring sling? I’m most concerned with back and shoulder support. My kids are usually around 8-9 lbs at birth. I also have a Tula and Ergo Embrace. Thanks!

 

[roriarnold]

@nohopewithoutjesus I've had two spinal injuries, and have hypermobile joints. First, PT is your friend. Your OB can give you a referral. Second, what has been most important to me is even distribution of weight side to side, and as much weight as possible going on the waistband/hip belt.

I used a Solly when my baby was tiny, switched to a Lillebaby when baby was big enough, and then to an Osprey hiking pack when he was sturdy enough for back carrying. The Osprey is by far the most comfortable for me, but it's not fantastically ergonomic for small babies. I also just got a Tushbaby hip seat, and while it's not perfect, it's waaay better than just carrying him on my hip. It's great for around the house when he wants to be up and down and up and down ad nauseum so I can't put him in the Osprey. Carriers I didn't like included ring slings (uneven distribution of weight), and baby ktan (all the weight is on the shoulders). I also used an old style Ergo once or twice, but ultimately preferred the Lillebaby, partially because the waistband is wider and has a lumbar support pad.

ETA: for fit reference: I'm 5'8", thin, with a long torso. Baby is now 9 months, and 20ish lbs. Born about 7lbs.

 

[nohopewithoutjesus]

@roriarnold Ugh I’m sorry about your back history! I too have hyper mobile joints apparently. Thanks for all the tips - I was hoping baby ktan would be like the solly, I just wouldn’t have to wrap it, but maybe I’ll give solly more of a chance this time since I do have that one already thanks!

 

[roriarnold]

@nohopewithoutjesus Doubly recommend PT then! It's really the only thing to do about the hypermobility, which of course is worse during pregnancy and breastfeeding!

I really wanted to like the ktan, and it was definitely better than a ring sling and faster than the Solly, but it just wasn't as comfy as the Solly or Lillebaby because of the lack of waist support. The Solly gets way faster with practice, and it's comfy to wear even without the baby, so oftentimes I'd just leave it on for the day.

Good luck!

 

[nohopewithoutjesus]

@roriarnold Thanks so much

 

[ghackman]

@nohopewithoutjesus I am small (4'8") and I liked my Tula explore the best!

 

[tylerbiblethumper]

@nohopewithoutjesus Also pretty petite at the moment (5'6" tall, with 28" waist), currently smaller than pre-pregnancy. Baby was born almost 9 pounds.

I used a boba wrap at first but my pelvic floor was really weak because I'm a FTM and had to regain some strength before I was comfortable wearing. I used the wrap weeks 6-8. Then I used an Ergobaby Omni 360 (loved the lumbar pad) until I lost weight and baby gained weight enough to get pelvic floor fatigue.

I started wearing a Happy Baby OG carrier at 6 months and and I wish I had it from the start. It's meant for a smaller frame and is better balanced. Baby is now 7 months and 19 pounds

 

[nohopewithoutjesus]

@tylerbiblethumper Thank you! I’m looking at that one for once baby gets a bit bigger!

 

[chichu3123]

@nohopewithoutjesus I have a large baby, I have a happy baby carrier which most people swear by but with the amount of time my baby wants to be worn it was giving me a lot of back pain. I find the straps too wide in order to strap behind me, and it’s hard to tighten them to the appropriate width when I’m alone which is often when I want to be babywearing. I got into woven wraps because of this, they are the most supportive with how they distribute baby’s weight. But if you’re finding stretchy wraps annoying you might also find woven wraps annoying (though there are a lot of ways to do it). I wouldn’t recommend a ring sling, even though I quite like mine for quick wearing, the weight all on one shoulder is not comfortable for more than a quick run in the store.

 

[nohopewithoutjesus]

@chichu3123 Thank you! What is the woven wrap you have?

 

[chichu3123]

@nohopewithoutjesus I have an Oscha and a didymos! I got the Oscha for being thick and supportive, which it deff is to the extent it’s almost hard to tighten. Then I wanted to try a thinner wrap so I got a didymos.There’s a lot of buy sell trade groups for babywearing on Facebook, if you want to find a used one to see if you like it (and it’d be broken in). But the biggest thing is to pick one you think is pretty! You want to want to wear it lol