Baby-wearing

Before Luke was born, I hadn't given much thought to 'baby-wearing.' Naively I had no idea there was a quasi-religious movement concerned with using baby carriers. We bought a structured carrier and a pushchair (AKA stroller) and thought we would use either depending on convenience.

As we travelled and lived with Luke we discovered the ease of baby-wearing outside the home and bought a Maya wrap and most recently a Mei Tai. So here are my opinions of the carriers we have used so far - I have included the pushchair as I am all about practicality rather than philosophy. 

Pushchair (Graco Metrolite - HK$1500)

- pluses - lightweight, great shade hood, folds down small enough for car-boots etc.

- negatives - wheels already bent ??durability

- uses - long walks when baby very small - great for sleeping on the go

Maya-wrap (from La Leche League - HK$500)

- pluses - lightweight, versatile/adaptable to different ages/stages e.g. newborn - used cuddle/cradle carry and at 6 months - use hip carry, easy to breastfeed discretely

- negatives - definite learning curve and husband doesn't feel confident wearing

- uses - 1-2 hour walks, breastfeeding in public, airports

Structured Carrier (from Sweden - will edit to add the name when I can get into the baby's room without waking him - cost HK$1000)

- pluses - ease of use, most useful once Luke had head control - months 3-6, forward facing possible

- negatives - not great for our backs as Luke got heavier, much less comfortable than Maya-wrap

- uses - short trips e.g. supermarket 'pop-outs'

Mei-Tai (from China - actually has clips - only cost HK$59!) 

- pluses - husband will wear it, folds down to nothing

- negatives - only just bought it - will edit once we've more experience

- uses - we bought it for trip to Vietnam - we'll see how it goes