Tips and Tricks

My 5 top tips for using an onbuhimo

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Since my daughter outgrew our Manduca carrier when she was about two years old, I have used an onbuhimo to carry her. I have found this carrier to be very comfortable for both of us. It has a wider seat for my daughter to support her long legs better and I’m happy that there is no waistband that digs into my tummy.  

Onbuhimo’s are great for carrying your toddler or young child on your back. And because onbuhimo carriers do not have a waistband, it is an ideal carrier for anyone who is pregnant and would still like to carry their older child.

However, sometimes it can be a bit tricky to get a comfortable fit for your onbuhimo. These tips below should help:

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My 5 top tips for using a ring sling

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Ring slings are my favourite type of carrier! They are great from newborn up until you don’t want to carry your baby on your hip anymore. It can be a bit tricky in the beginning to learn how to use a ring sling, but once you know what you are doing it is one of the quickest carriers to put on!

I certainly didn’t fall head over heal in love with it right from the start. First, I started off using my ring sling like a hammock, instead of my baby being upright (this was early days for me, and I did not know what I was doing!). A few months later I went to my local Babywearing group and they showed me how to wear my baby safely in the ring sling. But for some reason it wasn’t comfortable, and I quickly gave up. Another couple of months later, I tried the ring sling again and this time my daughter was big enough to be carried on my hip. This was way more comfortable for me and from then on, I loved using the ring sling for short carries around the house, while cooking dinner or while going shopping.

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My 5 top tips for using a meh dai

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I have loved using a meh dai for quite some time when my daughter was little. This is such a great carrier if you want the snug feeling of a woven wrap, but also want some of the structure of a buckle carrier. A meh dai can really give you something from both worlds! If you have used a stretchy wrap with your baby and are used to wrapping already, a meh dai might be the perfect progression for you.

Meh dais can be used from newborn babies until toddler. Some meh dais have adjustable back panels to be able to grow with your baby, but you can also get meh dais in different sizes to either fit a baby or a toddler. A meh dai will fit any caregiver and does not need to be adjusted between caregivers. Front and back carries are the most common type of carriers being used with a meh dai.

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My 5 top tips for a woven wrap

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Woven wraps are the most versatile carrier there is and can be used from newborn up until toddler. It doesn’t matter what body type your baby or you are, a woven wrap will always fit. They fit around your baby nice and snug and you can use them for any kind of carry (front, back, side).

However, most parents I meet shy away from woven wraps and quickly put them in the too hard basket. Even parents who have used a stretchy wrap during the first months – and therefore have mastered wrapping techniques -, often want to continue with a soft structured carrier. Assuming, that a soft structured carrier will give better support.

Hopefully, my tips will help to take away some fears you may have and encourage you to have a go at wrapping your baby!

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My 5 top tips for using a soft structured carrier

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Soft structured carriers (or buckle carriers) are the most used type of carrier. This is not surprising. Soft structured carriers are easy to use as you only need to close a few clips and tighten a couple of straps and off you go.

What makes things tricky though are all those different options that are out on the market and are growing by the day! When choosing a carrier, it is not just about the print on the fabric, but also about all kinds of different extra features that can make life easier – or not.

Here are my 5 top tips (plus one bonus tip) for using a soft structured carrier:

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My 5 top tips for using a Stretchy Wrap

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I love using stretchy wraps – especially for tiny little newborns! I have used a stretchy wrap with my own daughter during the first 5 months. I have also been recommending them to many soon-to-be parents.

Stretchy wraps fit every body-type and every baby, which makes this wrap very versatile! In my post about stretchy wraps I talk more about what a stretchy wrap is and what to look out for. I have also created a quick demonstration for tying a stretchy wrap which you can watch here. In this post however, I want to share a few tips and tricks, which will make using a stretchy wrap easier and more comfortable.

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Why is it better to try before buying a Soft Structured Carrier?

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One of the reasons, why I am so passionate about volunteering at my local babywearing library (Babywearing Nelson) is that a babywearing library gives everyone the opportunity to try different carriers.

Especially in New Zealand there are not many walk-in stores which sell a wide range of carriers. So even, if you do have a store close by, they may only be able to have a small number of carriers available to try.

I personally started using a soft structured carrier (buckle carrier) quite late, when my daughter was about 8 months old already. Other carriers had worked fine for us so far, but we were about to head to Europe to visit our families in Germany and wanted to take a “easy to use” carrier with us, that even the grandparents could use if they wanted to. I was so glad we were able to try various carriers at the library and hire one of them for our overseas trip (check out this post if you would like to get some tips and tricks for babywearing when on holiday). The Manduca carrier was the one that worked best for us at the time. We even ended up buying one as my husband and I both really liked it.

For us, the Manduca carrier was a great fit, but since then I have helped many parents try out different soft structured carriers at the library and lots of them have preferred other carriers.

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How can you carry your baby? – Part 3: Back Carry

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It seems like the answer to this question should be straight forward. There are only so many ways how you can carry your baby: front carry, hip carry, and back carry. Those are the three basic carrying positions. But who is each carrying position best for and which carrier can you use?

This post is the third part of a three-part-series about carrying positions. Each post will give you an overview of the featured carrying position and some tips and tricks. You can find the first part of the series here and the second part here.

In the last part of this series, I would like to introduce you to the back carry. Now that my girl is nearly four years old, I am only ever carrying her on my back – not that I do carry her much anymore. I started back carrying her when she was about 8 months old. At that time, it was mainly when I wanted to cook dinner and she would have been in the way on my front. Later I enjoyed carrying her on my back, when being out on walks. This was much easier on my back and she had the advantage of seeing what I was seeing.

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How can you carry your baby? – Part 2: Hip Carry

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It seems like the answer to this question should be straight forward. There are only so many ways how you can carry your baby: front carry, hip carry, and back carry. Those are the three basic carrying positions. But who is each carrying position best for and which carrier can you use?

This post is the second part of a three-part-series about carrying positions. Each post will give you an overview of the featured carrying position and some tips and tricks. You can find the first part of the series here.

In the second part of this series, I would like to introduce you to the hip carry. I started carrying my daughter on the hip when she was about 5 or 6 months old. I’ve had a beautiful ring sling gifted to me before her birth and tried to use it when she was little. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the sling to be comfortable for myself. A few months later I tried again and suddenly it was nice and comfortable. The ring sling was the only carrier I used to carry my girl on the hip, and I did so until she was about one year old. In the last few months, I mainly used a hip carry for quick up and downs at home.

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How can you carry your baby? – Part 1: Front Carry

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It seems like the answer to this question should be straight forward. There are only so many ways how you can carry your baby: front carry, hip carry and back carry. Those are the three basic carrying positions. But who is each carrying position best for and which carrier can you use?

This post is the first part of a three-part-series about carrying positions. Each post will give you an overview of the featured carrying position and some tips and tricks.

In this first part it is all about the front carry. I have loved carrying my girl on the front and my husband even more so. I eventually moved her to my hip, so she could see better. And then on to my back, which was easier on my own back and gave me the space on my front to do things. My husband however, kept on carrying our girl on his front though even when she was a toddler as he loved the connection that he could have with her.

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