Looking for a cool baby carrier for the heat

“I went for a half-hour walk with the baby in the sling and we got all sweaty!” says the mum who’s just come back from a midday walk on a summer’s day. It’s absolutely certain that if she’d walked for half an hour with the baby in her arms she’d have come back drenched in sweat — she’d have started sweating within the first couple of minutes.

There’s no point comparing babywearing to sitting on the sofa with the baby in a bouncer, or to walking while pushing the baby in a stroller. In an Asteraki, the baby is in your arms, right up against you. That alone is what makes you feel warm. The fabric or the type of carrier you choose will make only a small difference.

If the baby were sitting in a little seat, it would have exactly the same coverage

No carrier comes with built-in air conditioning. Even if it were made from the most gossamer-thin fabric in the world, after half an hour walking in the sun you’d still be sweating. Many parents tell us they feel warmer carrying the baby in their arms (with no fabric) than with the baby in an Asteraki, because when they hold the baby in their arms they’re making an effort, and that’s what makes them sweat. Whereas when they wear the baby they’re more relaxed, more comfortable and, in the end, they feel less warm.

Also, every time you go out for a walk with your baby in your arms, you’ll notice that you both get sweaty on the tummy and the chest. It’s not your back that’s sweaty — it’s the spot where the two of you are touching.

The weight of the fabric being used plays a smaller role, and a bigger role is played by:
– how you wear it (tight against you or looser? with the baby’s arms out of the carrier and the support up to the armpits, or covered up to the shoulders?)
– the position you choose (in front of you, on the hip or on the back? with how many layers of fabric wrapped around you and the baby? — if you’re using a wrap, there are positions where only a single layer provides the support, and others where the fabric is wrapped around you several times)

A baby in an Asteraki mei tai carrier at the seaside in summer

– how comfortable you feel with the carrier you’re wearing (you might be wearing a feather-light, cool ring sling, but if you’re used to the comfort of a mei tai you may be tense and on edge the whole time, tending to hold onto the baby, and so you’ll sweat and feel warmer)
– how long it takes you to put it on (you might find that a sling or a mei tai goes on in seconds, whereas your wrap may take you minutes to tie correctly)
– what you’re doing while wearing your baby (obviously, a midday walk carrying the shopping in a heatwave is one thing, and a relaxed afternoon stroll by the sea is quite another)

Summer carriers

If, after all the above, you still believe that a lighter carrier will make a difference for you and that the fabric plays a role in how warm you and the baby feel, take a look at the options below:

Carriers made from soft and cool fabric — light, soft and cool, yet very durable and supportive.

Carriers buckle carriers that have breathable mesh fabric on the back, to keep things cooler.

Carriers buckle carriers, designed especially for the water, with breathable fabric that dries instantly and wicks away moisture and sweat. See just how light the fabric is in this little video.

Carriers buckle carriers made from lightweight fabric, unlined, designed to be as feather-light as possible.

Ring slings designed especially for the water, or ring slings made from the lightest seersucker fabric.

Carriers with bamboo in their composition — extremely soft and cool.

Which fabric for a sling?

All Asteraki slings are made from thin fabrics. Our woven wraps, for example, have nothing in common with the heavy “German” (sic) woven wraps. They’re made for the Greek climate and are worn all year round (including summer) with the same comfort. They’re 100% cotton and really are feather-light.

An Asteraki ring sling in thin, summery fabric, 100% cotton, with a two-year-old toddler.

The “summer/seersucker” fabrics are also ideal for the Greek summer — very cool fabrics with a perfect fit and great support. If you generally like linen and wear linen clothes, then linen is also a good choice. Finally, there are some who prefer the familiar, “smooth” feel of, say, a baby’s cot sheet, so they choose one of the “plain cottons”.

And since how warm you feel can sometimes be a psychological thing too, you might simply choose based on colour. With very few exceptions of fabrics described in their listings as “wintery”, all the fabrics in the Asteraki collection are thin and suitable for our summer.

Note: It’s obvious that the heavier a fabric is, the more comfortably you’ll feel the weight — just as, if you were carrying something wrapped in a blanket against you, it would be more comfortable than carrying it wrapped in a sheet. But the difference you’d feel in comfort would clearly be smaller than the difference you’d feel in the heat, and it’s certainly not worth walking around with blankets in Greece.

Which fabric for a mei tai?

Baby with arms out, just as they’d sit in a little chair, mum’s hands free

All Asteraki mei tais are 100% cotton. That said, the fabrics in the soft and cool category, as well as the organic cotton fabrics (in the Design Fabrics tab), are significantly thinner than the rest. Given everything we said above, choosing a thinner fabric won’t make a huge difference to how warm you feel anyway. Imagine you were wearing your baby and there was a big hole, a gap, in the back of the carrier. Do you think it would feel any cooler? No — because it’s the contact between you, the “skin to skin”, that creates the warmth.

You’re more likely to feel less warm by choosing a position with less contact (for example, on your back or on your hip) and placing the baby with their arms out. After all, your Asteraki adjusts effortlessly to any height, supporting the baby either up to the neck or up to the armpits. So, as long as it supports their head, your baby can have greater freedom of movement, if they prefer.

A baby in an ergonomic carrier, in thin cotton fabric, with arms out

If you already use an Asteraki sling, try the Asterakia made from fabric designed especially for the water!

See more: Asterakia designed especially for the water

Asterakia are made in Greece, for our own weather!

See more: With your baby in summer

Have a lovely summer! Happy babywearing!