s/o Tulas: Toddler carrier people

[Deleted]

How often and how long do you carry your toddler? for what kind of activities? I'm trying to figure out how much longer I'll want to use a carrier.

All this Tula talk makes me really want to have one.  On the other hand, my 19 lb 11.5 month old is still perfectly comfortable in the Ergo, which I use almost daily for going for a walk or going shopping.  I imagine she'll be walking by the time she outgrows the Ergo.  Will I need a toddler carrier? Why will she not just walk? (This is probably stupid question...) or will she/I be more comfortable with a stroller?  DD likes a stroller because she can look around more, and DH likes the stroller too, but I prefer the carrier for simplicity.  I have this fantasy of going on hikes with DD on my back, but realistically, we do that maybe once a year.

[Brie]

Apr 19, 2014 9:54:38 GMT -5 @starry said:

Toddlers love to walk but not normally in a linear fashion where you want to go. Like dd will run around a store grabbing stuff.

Yes. Also C refuses to hold hands, which is not exactly safe in public.

The toddler carrier is great for the zoo, because he can see the animals better than he can in a stroller. I also use it when I need to run errands to places that don't have carts and a stroller would be a PITA, or for walking the dog. (leash plus stroller wheels doesn't work).

[dcn]

I actually use my ergo around the house a lot.. He wants to be held all the time so he can see what I'm doing. I need two hands so into the ergo he goes.

For shopping he sits in the cart, outings like a farmers market we do the ergo. He's not a huge fan of the stroller unless it is moving. The mall etc we do a stroller but if I'm alone it is a quick trip bc he wants to get out and walk. Or I do the ergo. For hikes we have a deuter backpack that he likes.

[Deleted]

Well, with a new baby, she gets the carrier and he gets the stroller, generally. When he's particularly pissed off to leave someplace fun, sometimes I can swap that to get out without a fit. In most situations, I'd rather have him walk or in a stroller than on me - he's not that heavy, but it's enough to tire me out after a while..

In other words... I LOVE wearing my baby, but that ship has sailed. He's almost 3.

[Deleted]

As others have said - the zoo is a big one. Also, I like a carrier for quick trips in when hauling the stroller out is a bigger PITA than it's worth - the post office, the bank, etc. Also - airports!

[matildasun]

I hate bringing a stroller crowded places, so I wear my toddler anywhere a stroller would be used.   We live in a very walkable neighborhood , so we travel on foot a lot. My daughter scoots, but my son hasn't quite figured it out yet, so we wear him. We also travel by bike frequently, and use a carrier at our destination, because it wouldn't be practical to bring a stroller on the bike.

[niq]

I remember being in one of those backpack carriers, which must have been at age 3 or 4. I think my parents used it for crowd situations: parades, etc.

[meltoine]

I wore DS1 everyday while I walked the dogs until he was 20mo. We moved then and by the time we got back into a regular routine of walking them I was pregnant and wearing him was too much, but if onto for that I could have continued for several for more months.

I also wore him if we were out somewhere and he got tired, like a picnic or fair or amusement park.

[arch01]

DS is 28m and he is in the Ergo about once a week. I wouldn't consider using it at the zoo because he likes to be up front and nose on the glass, but we have yet to take a stroller to the mall or shopping elsewhere. He'll be in the Ergo as long as possible.

[curbsideprophet]

DH wore DD a couple of weeks ago, she is 2.5. He does not wear her much anymore and I sort of stop wearing her as my pregnancy got farther along. I am hoping to wear her more after the baby is born.

[celiacmom]

My son is 27 months old and I wear him daily. We have never owned a stroller so I can't answer that part. He loves to walk and does so often but gets tired and wants to be held so into the carrier he goes. He refuses to go on my back sadly but will go on my husbands.

[Deleted]

I hadn't thought about the zoo! DD has yet to go to the zoo, and I can imagine the carrier winning over the stroller. It's also a good point that a carrier is great for travel. I wouldn't have survived some of the trips we took without the Ergo.

[ginkgoleaf]

Crowded places, like the farmers market or the airport. My DS still likes to be carried a lot but I just can't do it for long without some help from a carrier - he's almost 40lbs. Also he has juvenile arthritis and sometimes his joints are hurting (mostly affects his ankles and knees).

[Deleted]

Both my grocery store and Target have twin seat carts. Pregnancy also has a way of killing toddler wearing - that's when I quit with DS and I just never got back into it (his habits had changed, as had mine).

[fromage]

DS will be 3 in June and still gets worn for things like the farmer's market, airport, stores too small to fit a stroller and not toddler friendly. The baby definitely is the one I wear primarily now, but I love having a toddler carrier for when I need it.