Baby carriers for big men!

wilks2005

Hi All,

Forgive me I am duplicate posting! Apologies if I am posting in the incorrect place.

My wife is due to have our first child in December and I would like to get a baby carrier. I have already decided we would like one that the baby can sit facing in first, then outwards when they are older.

I have looked at various makes, and I am going to take a trip to mothercare/babies r us etc to try them on.

I was just wondering if anyone can recommend any carrier that would fit the larger man! I am 6ft 5" and have a large build, so I concerned that I won't find one that will fit me (and the wife of course!). Any pointers before going trying on every carrier would be really helpful!

Any help much appreciated as always.

Magpie13

Hi, it's a long time since we had a baby so the actual one we had probably isn't made any more but it was a Tommy Tippee one so, if they are still making them, theirs would be worth a look. Hubbie is much taller than me - though not quite your height - and we were both able to use it comfortably.

The main thing is would say it make sure it has lumbar support, ie a thick belt that goes around your waist and distrubutes the weight so the baby isn't effectively hanging round your neck. We started off with one like that and was soooo uncomfortable with even a tiny baby in it - you had to support the baby with your hands all the time which kinda defeated the object and, by the time he was a month or so old, we just couldn't use it and had to get a new one. Hopefully designs will have moved on by now!

The Tommy Tippee one we settled on was great. We carried baby 3 in it for months and it was possible to have her in the sling and push the toddler in a buggy at the same time without feeling your back was about to give way

starbump

The structured baby slings like Baby Bjorn and so on should all have adjustable straps and come in one size only so they should fit both of you. The cloth slings (like wraps and ring slings) generally come in two sizes - if a larger size is available, go for that one as it would fit you better (your wife would just tuck up/in the excess material).

I don't have any problems carrying my babies (and eldest is 2 years old). I think the important thing to do is find a sling that you really like as part of the "comfort" factor comes from your confidence in the sling. Also, if you find baby seems unsecure or your back hurts then you most likely have to adjust the sling to sit better. Honestly, slings are designed to hold your little one securely and comfortably so long as they are correctly clipped or tied or whatever the instructions dictate.

Jo_R_2

I'd go for a wrap sling. Not one of those Tomy/Baby Bjorn affairs but basically a very long length of fabric (stretchy or woven cotton) that you wrap around.

I have a few, my favourite is a Hug-A-Bub as you can see here (I have the black/black one) and OH happily carries baby around in it. I go for the inward-facing carry - I don't really like carrying baby facing outward in a sling - but it is pretty easy to do if you want to! You can also 'sling' them on your back, which takes a bit of courage the first time you do it but is lovely!

Also these are good (in fact any on that page go along the same principle.) I much prefer this kind of baby carrier because to me it feels more 'organic' to have baby right next to you

Katie-Kat-Kins

Jo_R wrote: »

I'd go for a wrap sling. Not one of those Tomy/Baby Bjorn affairs but basically a very long length of fabric (stretchy or woven cotton) that you wrap around.

I have a few, my favourite is a Hug-A-Bub as you can see here (I have the black/black one) and OH happily carries baby around in it. I go for the inward-facing carry - I don't really like carrying baby facing outward in a sling - but it is pretty easy to do if you want to! You can also 'sling' them on your back, which takes a bit of courage the first time you do it but is lovely!

Also these are good (in fact any on that page go along the same principle.) I much prefer this kind of baby carrier because to me it feels more 'organic' to have baby right next to you

I was going to suggest the same for while baby is little. If you plan on carrying baby when it is bigger and more mobile or for very long distances then look at rucksack manufacturers rather than babywear companies. MacPac do an excellent one that will carry a three year old comfortably plus having luggage space. It is very comfortable, but expect some hair pulling!

robin_banks

I'm 6'4 medium build and was easily able to use a baby Bjorn till baby banks was 4 months and he wasn't/isn't small.

teacherandmum

the mothercare own brand 3 ways one (front facing in, front facing out, on back) fitted my husband and i really well. both over 18 stone and hubby over 6 ft 4. good lumber support too. we got a back pack style one when baby got bigger. my be more man-friendly than some of the wrap/fabric ones. (my husband thought they were too feminine for him)

fernliebee

KatP wrote: »

I was going to suggest the same for while baby is little. If you plan on carrying baby when it is bigger and more mobile or for very long distances then look at rucksack manufacturers rather than babywear companies. MacPac do an excellent one that will carry a three year old comfortably plus having luggage space. It is very comfortable, but expect some hair pulling!

The best thing about the wrap sling is you can still comfortably carry older children on your back or hip, as the weight is so well distributed over your back, as long as the shoulder/ back parts are pulled flat iyswim. I can carry 14 month DD OK, though TBH she would rather walk most of the time anyway.

The back pack ones do look great for bigger children too. Especially if you have other things to carry too, as is normally the case.

Personally I would be loathe to buy a baby bjorn style carrier as they look uncomfortable (thin straps) baby is not carried in the contours of your body as we are designed to do, so this suggests it would be less comfy, they don't last as long, are less adaptable and they are very expensive (I have a wrap sling that is just a long length of very cheap fabric.) Obviously that is just my opinion though!

starbump

fernliebee wrote: »

The best thing about the wrap sling is you can still comfortably carry older children on your back or hip, as the weight is so well distributed over your back, as long as the shoulder/ back parts are pulled flat iyswim. I can carry 14 month DD OK, though TBH she would rather walk most of the time anyway.

The back pack ones do look great for bigger children too. Especially if you have other things to carry too, as is normally the case.

Personally I would be loathe to buy a baby bjorn style carrier as they look uncomfortable (thin straps) baby is not carried in the contours of your body as we are designed to do, so this suggests it would be less comfy, they don't last as long, are less adaptable and they are very expensive (I have a wrap sling that is just a long length of very cheap fabric.) Obviously that is just my opinion though!

I carried my eldest while pregnant with my youngest. When the bump started to get in the way of my Baby Bjorn, I switched to my Maya ring sling. So, yes, I agree the cloth slings are more versatile but I wouldn't say either is more or less comfy. I believe it's how you wear them.

bylromarha

Baby Bjorn-easily adjustable for swapping between you and wife, easy to clip in and out, lumbar support for your back and big wide padded straps for comfort.

kindofagilr

I would personally worry that I would fall over while baby is in one if I was carrying it frontwards, I could never wear one.

Each to their own though I know lol