Carrier or sling

I'm hoping to get some advice from all of you on this. I have a Baby Bjorn Air. I like the breathable fabric and the way baby can look out to the world. However as he's become heavier my back aches after carrying him for a while (he's 6 mos old). I am in the process of finding another carrier/ sling which I can carry my baby till he turns into a toddler with more comfort. I'm considering an Ergo carrier or something like Mayawrap or Mobywrap type of sling. Something with a cooler fabric so Bjorn active is out of the question. Can you share your experience?

Oh I just realize someone has also reactived the thread re slings :) More ideas are welcome!

i have all the slings and carriers you can imagine. i and my helper prefer the slings like mayawrap. my hubbie of course didn't want to use anything like that so he used the baby bjorn. we also bought a combi thing but have not even used it once. however i have been told and after close examamination felt the baby bjorn are not so good for the baby's crotch area so we are now using the slings only. my bb is now 16mths.

That's what people told me - Bjorn style carrier gives pressure to baby's crotch area, so I always tend to lift him up a bit with my arms to ease the weight.


The reason why I chose Bjorn at the beginning was also because I can't imagine hubbie using a mayawrap. He still likes the Bjorn a lot but I guess I'll have to switch to something else myself...

I have a Maya wrap and Ergo carrier and I use the Maya wrap more. It is much faster to get in and out, and easy to breastfeed in.


My baby is 10 months old and I use the Ergo carrier if I plan a longer walk, because my active baby will not be able to wriggle the fastenings loose like in the sling, and it's nice to be able to use both sides - the Maya wrap can be used on both sides but it is not easy to swap between the two. I would imagine the back carry is also more comfortable. But I do not find the Ergo front carrier very comfortable on my upper back/neck, which is the position which is most convenient for using buses/taxis. So it depends on what situation you are going to be using it most in.


Regarding cool for the summer, I think a Maya wrap type sling is your best bet, because in the side carry position (most convenient after 7 or 8 months) less of the baby's body is actually touching yours or covered by fabric.


And much as I am in favour of babies being cuddled, don't spend too much time outdoors in the summer with a baby strapped to your body. Whatever fabric, it still means sweaty body against sweaty body. Make your outdoor trips short, or take a lightweight stroller so you can put baby down sometimes and let both of you get some breeze to your skin!

When they get bigger, a baby backpack is a nice idea. Baby can look around and some find it more comfy.