Prams, strollers, buggies and travel systems
Baby Carriers and slings
Rather than using the wheeled motion of the pram to get your new baby around, there is also the option of the baby carrier where you get to carry the little person.
There are basically two types that you can consider. The first is for babies up to about a year, and the main aim of these baby carriers is to keep your baby nice and close.
The Popular Baby Bjorn Baby Sling
For the early form of baby carrier then often there will be the option of you baby facing you early on and then changing the harness arrangement so that they get to face outwards later on, when they have got bored of looking at you and are focusing on the big world out there.
There are two main criteria to look out for, support of the neck and head and ease of entry and exit whilst still maintaining security. If the thing is too much like a cats cradle to get into then they can be really annoying.
Baby Bjorn produce possibly the most popular models and we had an older, original style in denim. We used it a number of times and it was convenient but we felt that you needed two people to actually use it, because loading the little person in was not very easy. Maybe it is something you get used to but my wife was not keen on using it on her own. I didn't find it too hard and when he was little the sling worked fine. I was a bit concerned about his neck but that always scared me anyway.
Larger chains such as Mothercare also make their won brand of baby carriers and slings.
Mothercare Baby Carrier
The second type is for older children and really is more of an off road solution for if you are going on walks and such like where a pram or push chair would be too restrictive. The little one will be heavier and not so little by this stage so harness and weight distribution are key.
Little Life Baby BackPack
We got one from Little Life, the Little Life Cross Country and it was brilliant. The Little Man loves and spends most of the time giggling away behind me. The frame is a bit bulky so it takes up quite a bit of room in the car. But it is easy to get him in, and then hoisting him on to your back is not too hard. In fact easier to operate on your won than a sling. We made sure that we had one with a reasonable amount of storage which does add to the weight but means that you can carry nappies, extra clothes, food etc for him as well. My wife can then carry a day sack with our stuff in. It does make it quite heavy but no more so than a reasonable size day sack and have done 6 mile walks and not felt the worse for it. Can certainly recommend the Little Life products, the seem well built and thought out.
