Which carrier should I get for my baby?
How do you choose among all the different types of cradle carriers? Ring Sling, stretchy or woven Wrap, Mei Tai (meh dai), ergonomic carrier with buckles? What are their differences? Will they all work from newborn? Up to how many kilos will they last? Will I be able to wear my baby on my back? Will I be able to breastfeed comfortably and discreetly? Which one will be cooler for the summer? Which one will be easier and quicker to put on?
If you are looking for a carrier for a newborn baby, read this first: “Newborns in a carrier“.
Watch the video below:
If you have already understood why a cradle carrier (sling) is more suitable than the conventional carriers you will find in shops, then read the following if you are trying to choose among the various types of cradle carriers (pouch, ring sling, wrap, mei tai) you will find on this site.
Note: All of the above apply to Asteraki Slings; we would not say the same for carriers from other manufacturers. For example, breastfeeding in a Ring Sling is not equally easy in a sling with a closed tail, positioning on the back is not equally easy in a Mei Tai with a different angle for the long straps, you cannot use a sling with padding in the burping position or on the back, etc.
Are all types suitable for newborn babies?
Yes! You can use all the types of cradle carriers you will find on this site with your newborn baby. Some are from the very first day, others are from 3.5 kilos! Read more here. You will of course need to follow the positioning rules correctly and to use positions suitable for your baby’s age.
However, certain types (Ring Sling, stretchy Wrap and Mei Tai) are considered more ideal for newborn babies. Newborn babies have particular needs.
The fact that you may often need to change their position (e.g. because the baby got hungry and wants to eat, because you need to burp them, because you need to change their nappy, because they have colic and are relieved in a particular posture) may make you want to avoid a woven Wrap for a newborn baby. It will be very comfortable and very stable, but it will take you quite a lot of time to untie it and tie it again at each change.
Also, a newborn baby must be positioned with great precision, so that their chin does not touch their chest, so that their back is “round” in a natural way, but not so hunched that your baby is forced to spend energy breathing freely. This may make things a little difficult for you if you use a Pouch, especially if you have not achieved exactly the right size for you, because in a Pouch you cannot “tighten”/tension specific points (e.g. to tension only the baby’s back), as you can with the other types. Read also about the distance the baby should have from your body and watch this video about the correct positioning of the newborn baby in a carrier.
Are all types suitable for a long period of time (until my baby grows enough)?
Yes. You will be able to use all the types of cradle carriers you will find on this site until your child reaches at least two or three years old. All Asteraki slings are made in such a way that they withstand heavy weight.
However, depending on your stamina and the frequency/duration with which you wear your baby, with some types (or in some positions) you will feel more comfortable with big and heavy children. Specifically, the Mei Tai and the Wrap (from woven fabric) distribute the weight evenly over many points on your body (using both of your shoulders), which means they offer you greater comfort. Especially if you start babywearing with a baby older than 5-6 months (which means your body did not gradually adapt to lifting weight in the way that Ring Slings and Pouches distribute it), we would suggest you try a Mei Tai or Wrap or KiBi.
In general, if you want to wear your baby on your back, the Mei Tai or the KiBi is an ideal choice (very easy and very comfortable) and the back is always a good option for big children (they like it too, and you will feel comfortable).
The Wrap could potentially be one of the most comfortable types of cradle carrier. However, most of the mums we see on the street wearing a Wrap unfortunately do not wear it correctly (they wear it too loose, with the baby too low or with the fabric flapping like “wings” from their shoulders). This has a big impact on their comfort. Also, to wear your baby on your back with a Wrap, you may need to balance your baby there for quite a while, which may make you feel insecure until you tie your Wrap well. In general, for the Wrap to be as comfortable as it could be, it takes experience and care.
Read more about the age and weight limits here.Are all types safe?
Of course. With all types of cradle carriers you can be 100% sure that your baby is safe and with all of them you will be able to have your hands free.
Keep in mind, however, a small remark: If your baby is older than 5 months and you have been used until now to wearing them in a conventional store-bought carrier (one of those that let the baby’s legs hang stretched down), you may face a problem until your baby learns to sit correctly in the Ring Sling. As you will see in the tips for comfort and safety, your baby must “sit” in the carrier, with the legs open and the knees high. In the Mei Tai and the Wrap, this happens for sure, since your baby is by definition placed in the right position. In the Asteraki Pouch, the curved seam that forms at the point where your baby sits guides the knees high and thus creates a “pocket” for your baby anyway (even when they are legs-out). However, in the Ring Sling, you will have to “create” this pocket yourself, tightening or loosening the appropriate points of your sling. If your baby is used to stretching their legs down, you will need to “teach” them (again) to sit correctly. In some babies this comes naturally, even at an older age, but sometimes, babies who grow up learning to have their legs stretched down have “forgotten” this good habit and you will need to help them re-acquire it!
Are you pregnant or about to lose (or gain) weight?
Avoid the Pouch. You need to keep in mind that when you choose a Pouch it is like choosing, let’s say, a pair of trousers. For it to fit you well and for you to feel comfortable, it must be the right size. If you are pregnant you will have to guess which size will fit you after you give birth (and when you will want to wear it). As with your trousers, if it fits you at your pregnancy weight, it will be big for you when you lose it. All the other types (Ring Sling, Mei Tai, Wrap) adjust infinitely, you will have no problem and you do not need to measure yourself or know your size. (note: read about choosing the size of the Ring Sling, it is mainly a matter of how it will look and not of whether it will fit you).
Will you share the carrier with someone else (e.g. will dad or grandma wear it too)?
Do not choose the Pouch. It will be sewn to your measurements, to fit you! Just as you do not wear the same trouser size as the baby’s dad, you will not wear the same Pouch size either, even if you are generally roughly the same height.
All the other types (Ring Sling, Mei Tai, Wrap, KiBi) adjust infinitely, and you will both be able to wear them comfortably.
Do you breastfeed your baby?
In all Asteraki carriers you will be able to breastfeed your baby. However, depending on your dimensions, your habits and your baby’s age, you may find some types more suitable than others.
For example, you will not be able to “loosen” or “tighten” the Pouch in order to bring the baby into the right position for breastfeeding. If you are lucky and the position in which the baby lies is the one that suits you (depending e.g. on the size of your chest), then you will have no problem. But avoid the Pouch if breastfeeding with the baby in the carrier is something you will need often. On the contrary, in the Ring Sling, you will be able to bring the baby exactly into the position that suits you, bringing the baby’s head closer or further from your body, separately from their legs, separately from their back, etc. The Asteraki Ring Sling is considered ideal for breastfeeding in public, because in addition to the comfort it offers you, you could also, using the tail, achieve discretion.
In the Mei Tai, the KiBi and the wrap tai you can also comfortably, easily and discreetly breastfeed your baby, in an upright position. This will not be a problem at all for the baby, who can breastfeed comfortably in this position. It is not the position they teach us in maternity clinics and that is why you should assess whether you are willing to try something new. Many babies, however (e.g. with reflux, or when the mum has an oversupply of milk), breastfeed much better in the upright position than lying down, and quite a few mums breastfeed in the upright position even with a Ring Sling.
In the Wrap you could breastfeed and adjust the fabric so as to bring the baby into the position you want, but this is something that takes quite a bit of experience (both with breastfeeding and with the Wrap). Usually, correct positioning (whether with stretchy or with firm fabric) takes quite a lot of time until you get it right, and that is why we would say not to consider the Wrap the best choice if your baby breastfeeds often.
read also:“Breastfeeding a baby in a cradle carrier”
How quickly will you put it on?
This is probably a matter for each babywearer. However, many conclude that the Ring Sling and the Pouch are the ones that need the least time to put on. (The Mei Tai needs the least time to learn). But also watch the video below, which may surprise you:
In general the Wrap is the one that will take you the most time to put on. There are, however, quite a few parents who find this tying interesting and are continually looking for different tying methods and ways to tie their Wrap. The wrap-tai has the wide straps of the Wrap but is more ready-to-go, like the Mei Tai, and is somewhere in between in the time it takes.
Do you want to use it mainly in the summer?
Read this article first: A baby in a carrier in the summer.
The Wrap will be the first one we would tell you to avoid if the heat bothers you or if you plan to be out a lot with your baby under the sun. Even a very thin Wrap wraps around your body several times and indeed without “margin”, meaning you will be in very close contact with your baby. This makes it quite warm.
You may also find the Mei Tai relatively warm, because it is made by definition from heavier fabrics and that is how it should be anyway! Of course, the Mei Tai usually leaves the sides open (unlike the Wrap) and this makes it a cooler choice. Also, one of the ways to offset the heat that you and your baby will feel is to wear them on your back (if your baby is at an age where this is allowed). The back is always cooler.
In general, though, the coolest choice in terms of fabric is a Ring Sling, which could be sewn from thin, cool fabrics, such as soft linens or thin cottons.
But you should keep in mind that what warms you most when you wear your baby is the close contact you have, and that you will feel this heat even if you hold your baby in your arms. Read about the heat you feel using a carrier for your baby, about choosing fabrics with this in mind, and also about using the carrier at the sea.
Do you want to use it a lot on your back so as to be free in front?
As already mentioned above, the ideal choice is a Mei Tai or a KiBi. It is very easy to wear your baby on your back, it is very quick and very safe!
With all Asteraki carriers you will be able to wear the baby on your back (especially if you are interested in doing it for a short time). However, you will not be able to do it with a Ring Sling or Pouch if your baby is younger than 6.5 months, and you will not be able to do it with a Wrap without needing at some point to “balance” your baby on your back until you tie it (so it requires experience or someone to help you the first few times).
If you do not have much experience, the Mei Tai is the safest and easiest choice for back carries.
Do you have another child under 2.5 years old?
We know (from personal experience) what it is like to have children with a small age difference between them and how useful it is to have your hands free to attend to your older child while keeping your baby content! With all types you will be able to have free hands and to have ensured that your baby is safe on you.
However, if you need, let’s say, to bend down often (e.g. to change the older child), you may feel a Mei Tai to be more stable. (Parents often feel the need to hold the baby’s head when they bend down using a Ring Sling or Pouch, whereas in the Mei Tai, the baby’s head rests safely on the rounded top part). A Wrap may offer you the same comfort in bending, if your baby accepts having their head covered with fabric on one side.
On the other hand, if your small baby breastfeeds and you want to chase after the older one (or help them with something, continue toilet training, etc. without interrupting your breastfeeding), you will need something quick and comfortable for breastfeeding, so think of a Ring Sling or a Mei Tai.
Do you learn easily?
This is a key question! Not all types have the same requirements in learning time. For example, for the Ring Sling, you will need a little time at first to become familiar with it, to practice and to learn the basic rules of using it. It is definitely something worth the effort and you will find that once you have learned it, it is one of the quickest and easiest carriers to put on.
On the other hand, the Mei Tai is so simple that you will put it on immediately, as soon as you take it in your hands. The points you need to watch out for are minimal and it is almost impossible to make a mistake with the Mei Tai! Even the most “clumsy” find the Mei Tai very easy from the start.
The Pouch is easy (no tying, no tail), but the basic positioning rules apply here too and it is not equally simple to get them right! Often, some parents put on their Pouch and think: “Oh, if only I could have the baby a little closer to me!” (or a little higher, a little lower, with a slightly straighter back, etc.). What makes the Pouch easy (the fact that you do not need to learn to adjust it) is also its most basic limitation (you cannot adjust it!).
The Wrap has simple rules to learn, as long as you follow them! You must not be afraid to tighten it as much as needed; on the contrary, it is important to understand which points you must tension and which points to leave looser. This takes experience (even though from the very first time you will manage to wear your baby with the Wrap, it will take you a little while until you do it in the best way). It also takes a little more time to tie and you may find its great length awkward to handle.
See below a relevant post from our facebook page:Do you like the idea of having your baby on you even if they are not crying on their own?
This point relates to what was mentioned in the previous question, the time you will need with each type to wear your baby. If, for example, you want to take the baby and go to the supermarket (where you will carry shopping and stay for over an hour), then we suggest a Mei Tai (or a Wrap if you have tied it from home). If, on the contrary, you want to wear your baby indoors because they are crying, but take them out as soon as they calm down and pick them up again later when you pop out to the kiosk and put them down again as soon as you return, and so on, then you will find the process quicker with a Ring Sling or a Pouch.
Think also about what you would like to do if your baby falls asleep while you are wearing them, that is, whether you plan to continue wearing them or whether you want to leave them in their bed to continue their sleep. With a Ring Sling you will be able to do this very easily (and many parents tell us they use the sling to put their children to sleep), even though with all types it is feasible!
Do you have twins?
If you plan to wear one baby and have the other in the stroller, or if you have help (e.g. you wear one baby and your partner wears the other), then the above questions and answers apply to your case too and should cover you. If, however, you want to wear both of your babies at the same time, then choosing the right type depends on their age and their weight. With two Ring Slings or two Pouches (or a combination of these two types) you could wear both of your babies at the same time in front of you. In fact, with two Ring Slings you could even breastfeed your twin babies together (and have free hands too)!
However, this is not something you will be able to do comfortably for a long time (consider that the weight is now double)! The problem is that using a Mei Tai, you cannot easily have two babies together on the same side. But you can wear one on your back and the other in front (and this is something much more comfortable than the version of one baby on each side). See also a mum with triplets and the ways she uses to wear her babies.
Which one do you like visually?
As much as it is not a “logical” argument, which type you like visually plays a very big role in your choice! If you do not like it you will not wear it! Do not forget that if all goes well you will be using your sling daily, with all your clothes, wherever you go with your baby. They often tell us: “if I leave the house without my sling I feel that I have forgotten something important”! Take this into account too!
Note: If you do not like the tail of the Ring Sling, you can easily hide it!
Of course, you can always come and try it in person, either at one of our meetings, or after an appointment. Sometimes the “feeling” that something gives you says much more than all the arguments in the world!
We hope the above helps you choose. Whatever your choice, we wish you enjoy your Asteraki!
