During lockdown, there’s been a resurgence of parents getting outside with their kids. It’s been great to see a lot of interest in baby carriers as it means even the youngest children are getting out and about. As an “outdoorsy” mum of two, and from my experience of running Little Adventure Shop over the years, I’ve learnt many of the do's and don'ts of using baby carriers. Here are a few little gems of knowledge I’ve learnt about getting the most out of your baby carrier:
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Do get more adventurous with your walking. With a baby carrier, you don’t need to limit your walks to pushchair friendly routes - and by that I mean: styles - no problem, mud - no problem, steep inclines (bit of a puff) but - no problem! You and your young family can suddenly access all those walks that were impossible when you were pushing and dragging a pushchair with you. |
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Do expect your child to love being up high and seeing things from the same height as you and don’t be surprised if you occasionally have your hair yanked like reins!
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Do go for a long walk along a beach. Beach walking in soft sand becomes a whole lot easier when your baby is on your back and not being dragged backwards in their buggy.
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Do wrap your baby up warm, even on a mildly cold day. Your baby will be much more exposed in a baby carrier than a pushchair so, unless it’s a hot day, wrap them up warm. You’ll be a lot warmer than they are with the effort of carrying them!
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Do expect your baby to fall asleep within the first half hour of your walk and they’ll probably flop to one side. Taking a fleece blanket or jumper to shove down the side will help cushion them.
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| ❌ | Do NOT forget to pack the sun roof. On a hot day, your baby will be getting a lot more sun exposure than in a pushchair so make sure you have a baby carrier with the sun roof attached and slather on the sun cream. Most baby carriers have removable sun roofs, so to avoid forgetting it, always store it in the under seat pocket. |
| ❌ | Do NOT think that a baby carrier is the perfect way to get your baby experiencing the ski slopes for the first time (yes we have been asked this!), no matter how competent a skier you are. The serious issue isn’t that you might fall over - it’s the freezing wind chill your baby will experience on your back. |
| ❌ | Do NOT think a baby carrier is a good way to carry your baby on a bike (again, yes we’ve been asked this). You’ll be very top heavy on the bike and if you come off it’s likely that your baby will be underneath you when you hit the floor. |
| ❌ | Do NOT leave your child unattended in the baby carrier when it’s on the floor. The baby carrier will stand up unsupported, but once your baby is strapped in, it becomes top heavy and they’ll easily rock it over with a bit of wriggling. |
And finally...
| 😃 | Do make sure you use it! Don’t let it gather dust in the under-stairs cupboard. A baby carrier is a bit of an investment but it brings with it a whole new world of adventure possibilities for a young family. |