Papoose/Baby Carrier

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 MattJP 16 Feb 2011
Hi to all you parents!

Our little boy is almost 6 months old and its almost time to introduce him to mountains, once it wamrs up enough.

I was wondering what are the best baby carriers/papoose? Like prams, there seems to be so many.

Can anyone recommened one? I believe Macpac do a good one.

Your thoughts and ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers in advance.
 Glansa 16 Feb 2011
In reply to MattJP:

Along with Macpac I seem to remember the Littlelife and Vaude ones getting good comments on here. We went for the Macpac Vamoose and have found it fantastic. Comfy (for both carrier and carried), adjustable to fit either of us (although if you and your other half are substantially different sizes this may not be possible but we both fit the size 2) and plenty of pack space too. I'd say that it's quite important to spend a while fiddling with all the different adjustments that can be made at home before attempting to use it in anger, especially how and rain covers/hoods go on...

I would also recommend trying to find a second hand one or at least shopping around as much as you can, unless you have money to burn!
 sdmi123 16 Feb 2011
In reply to MattJP:

We dont use proper baby carriers, we use wraps. Long sheets of treated material that you wrap around you and the baby. ( yes just like they do in africa) We buy, sell and trade on what they call baby wearing forums. Well thats what i think. my wife does it all. At first i was not that into it but now i love it as much as her. I think the site is called http://www.naturalmamas.co.uk/
The people on there are really friendly and helpful. Its at least worth a look!

Daniel.
 rusty8850 16 Feb 2011
In reply to MattJP: got a macpac 1. It's great, robust, very comfy and lots of good features. If you want to go in the hills proper you need to make sure you can get a proper rain cover. The macpac 1 is pretty bomb proof and is also good in the wind. I wouldn't be tempted to get the type with the additional storage on the back. Carrying the bairn is enough...well it was with our monster! Carried our first up sciehallion and just stated taking number 2 out, still looks good as new and reckon I will be able to sell it on for nearly what I paid for it. Hope this helps. Enjoy..
OP MattJP 16 Feb 2011
In reply to sdmi123:
> (In reply to MattJP)
>
> We dont use proper baby carriers, we use wraps. Long sheets of treated material that you wrap around you and the baby. ( yes just like they do in africa) We buy, sell and trade on what they call baby wearing forums. Well thats what i think. my wife does it all. At first i was not that into it but now i love it as much as her. I think the site is called http://www.naturalmamas.co.uk/
> The people on there are really friendly and helpful. Its at least worth a look!
>
> Daniel.

Ta for that Daniel. We have a Kari me sling which is very comfortable. However he wont sleep in it and doesnt like being in it for any period of time. So we hope he would be better suited for longer/mountain walks in a rucksac type carrier where he can potentially fall asleep.

Cheers Matt

OP MattJP 16 Feb 2011
In reply to MattJP:

Nick and Rusty,

Thanks for the advise. Thats great and good info to go on from you both. I think we need an excuse to go rucksac shopping and try one with him in it, plus make sure it has a good hood and rain cover.

Ta very much.

Matt
 artif 16 Feb 2011
In reply to MattJP:
We have a rucksack type that is very comfortable (cant remember the make as it's in the loft at the moment).
Be careful with them, especially with the baby sleeping in it, as the baby's head can fall forward and the restraint harness can restrict the airway.
My step brother had to revive his nephew last year after this happened, fortunately he is a lifeguard and fully trained on resuscitation.

TBH 6 months may be a bit young for the rucksack type.
In reply to MattJP: We are a couple of months behind you Matt, so I'm watching this with interest. I like our Carry-Me sling thing but agree it's not ideal for all day walking. It's been too cold to take our nipper up hills yet but I'd imagine when we do a proper backpack carrier will be the way to go.
 Weedyskid 17 Feb 2011
In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

We use a Macpac carrier, its blooming fantastic.

I bought it second hand from another UKC user, and now swear by it. its comfortable like all Macpac bags, once you have it set up. I don't let the wife carry the babe, as she can always calm him down far quicker than i can if he has a screaming fit!

only bit of advice i'd offer is make sure it has a mirror and that the baby is secure inside the carrier. Mirror is good just to check on baby every now and again, but to be honest the wife does all that anyway. just good to look at the faces they pull once in a while.

And make sure that you take baby to try out the carriers, you may find they fit one manufacturer better, but play with them all in the shop before you buy second hand.
 Wonrek 17 Feb 2011
In reply to MattJP: We've got a Vaude Jolly Light which we found very good for both Mom and Dad to use even on a long day out.

We're also looking to sell it if anyone is interested?

http://www.cozymole.co.uk/child-carriers/vaude-jolly-light-child-carrier-20...

Cx
In reply to Weedyskid: Thanks, that's good advice. I hadn't thought about trying the baby in the shop. If I don't like it, can I swap it for another?
 mark s 17 Feb 2011
In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com: I'm going to a dad in a month and have been looking at these for when she comes climbing.will have a look at the links later.was thinking of trying to get a 2nd hand one
 Monk 17 Feb 2011
In reply to MattJP:

We have a Vaude Jolly Light too. I really like it (and so does my daughter most of the time). It's comfortable to carry and has some decent storage underneath for the essentials.

It's definitely worth trying them out before you buy. We initially bought a Littlelife one, but our daughter is quite petite, and we just couldn't secure her in it even when she was 9 months old. The Vaude ones are fine though.
 Toby_W 17 Feb 2011
In reply to MattJP:

Hi we have the cheaper of the two Macpac ones and it's fabulous. You can fit a fair bit of stuff in the pockets and our little one is very happy in it.
The extra bonus is that this is the first year I've been ice climbing where the bag full of ropes and ice kit hasn't felt heavy at all or even noticable on the walk ins. Baby carriers are great training.

Cheers

Toby
 alj 17 Feb 2011
In reply to MattJP:

Another vote for Macpac. We have the possum (slightly smaller than the vamoose). We had our little one in it from 5 1/2 months - as he was pretty strong (and very heavy) and I couldn't carry him for any distance in the front carrier any more. I'm 5'3 and my husband is 5'11 and it's fine for both of us, it's just a bit fiddly to change with child still in it.

He's now nearly 2 and over 13kg. I can still do a couple of miles with it - but not sure how much longer I'll last.

He's always loved it - will sleep in it (I'm confident that it is designed so that you should have no problems with them sleeping and there is an additional pillow you can get if you want - but I found that just annoyed him). Rain cover and sun shade are both good too and the mirror is brilliant. It has enough room for gear (even climbing shoes too)and is well padded. All round good carrier.

I would look on ebay or similar though as they are extortionate. We got one in perfect nick for about half price.
cb294 17 Feb 2011
Macpac possum. Survived my three kids and the two of my brother, and is still OK. Best carrying system of the ones I tested.

CB

 Gavin 17 Feb 2011
In reply to cb294:

We have the Vaude Jolly Comfort and have been very pleased with it. It fits both me and my wife well and is easy and quick to adjust if we swap mid walk. We both found it fitted better than the Litlelife carriers, which sat the young person very high up (stability issues) and which also seemed to cater for a longer back length (I'm only 5'6 and my wife similar).

Our son seems quite happy in it, and will often just fall asleep. The harness arrangement is such that I can't see a way for his airway to get blocked, so have no concerns about the earlier poster's comments.

We spent quite a bit of time in Gaynor's Ambleside trying the various offerings (they had a good selection of makes and models) and also a knowledgable sales chap who had used the carriers with his children who gave good honest advice.

As with any heavy load carring system (and they do get heavy!), spending time getting one that fits properly is the key and will make the time you have to spend carrying it far more enjoyable.

Gavin
OP MattJP 17 Feb 2011
In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:
> (In reply to Weedyskid) Thanks, that's good advice. I hadn't thought about trying the baby in the shop. If I don't like it, can I swap it for another?

Haha! brilliant! ;D

OP MattJP 17 Feb 2011
In reply to All

Fantastic replies from eveyone here. And some good advice on specifications too and things to look out for!

Thanks very much.

We will go and try our little boy in a few sacs and see how it goes!

Cheers.
 Denni 17 Feb 2011
In reply to MattJP:

Hi mate,
we have a Littlelife Voyager. Older version of this:

http://www.littlelife.co.uk/html/child_carriers/voyager-s2.html

Our daughter has been in it from about 6 months. She was in it every day in all sorts of weather when we toured Europe in our campervan last year.

I'm a stay at home dad and I take her everywhere in it. She loves it, falls asleep easily and for me, it has heaps of storage and the frame and straps are as good as any rucksack I've ever had. Easy to adjust between me and the other half when on the move (Anna is 5ft 10, I'm 6ft 3).

It has been up Snowdon twice, up the Ben, heaps of Wainwrights and her favourite, Cats Bells!

I'd highly recommend it, I was going to get a Macpac but as with the rucksacks, I didn't like the shoulder straps. Picked ours up in mint condition for £60 on fleabay. Only thing I'd recommend as an extra, is the little chin pillow and the sun shade. Don't bother with the waterproof cover, Daisy wears a Bushbaby all in one and doesn't seem to get wet or mind the rain. The rain cover makes her feel quite claustrophobic and actually Isn't all that breathable.

Babbled on enough, whatever you buy, it is a great way to get the kids out and they really seem to love being higher up.

All the best, Den

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