Carrying

When Theo was born we lived on 4th floor without a lift. I knew I needed something to carry him in, because carrying your baby on your arm together with shopping and probably other stuff too is a bit difficult. I was searching around a bit before he was born, and ended up deciding on an elastic sling. This is the one I decided on in the end. It's called Babylonya Tricot Slen, and is a 5 meter long elastic sling. It took a bit getting used to tying it, but I sorted that out pretty quick. Theo was very happy in it until he was about 3 months old. There's a lot of advantages with the sling, as it's very comfy to use, and it works as an extra clothing layer for the baby. I never used it in the summer, but I would expect that particular type to be a bit warm. If I was to get a sling for summeruse I'd probably buy a thinner one.

I would probably have used it longer if it wasn't for buying a Manduca. It can be used from birth to 20 kilos, but is best from 3-4 months (65 cm ish). As Theo wasn't overly keen on lying down in the buggy after 4 months, it was great to have the Manduca to carry him in when he was fed up. We carried him on our tummy to start with, and when he rounded 6 months, I started carrying him more on my back as it's easier for me. Torkjel still carries Theo on his tummy, although he's about 11 kilos now. I love the Manduca. The only thing I'm slightly disappointed with is the sleep hood, as it seems a bit tight. It's also difficult to get it up on my own when he's on my back. This is however my only drawback with the Manduca, and we're still using it daily! The fact that it's got clips makes it slightly easier to use than a Meitai. I've also bought this Meitai called Concerti. This was bought as a substitute for the sleep hood that doesn't work very well with the Manduca. So if I need to carry Theo when he's supposed to fall asleep on my back, I use this one. The main differences between the two is the fact that the Manduca has clips and a waistbelt, very much like a rucksack, whilst the Manduca needs to be tied on. I love both of them, but generally use the Meitai if I'm carrying Theo for a longer amount of time.

Before we bought the Manduca, I also bought another pappoose thingie made by Vaude. It looks very much like a Baby Björn that a lot of people use. You can see it here.  It was ok to use until Theo reached 5-6 kilos, and after that it was just uncomfortable. Probably won't recommend that one unless you only want to use it to get to the shops in and out of the car, and at airports. The sling, Manduca and Meitai does the job for us!