Ok, so the title sounds worse than it is. My son, the infamous Tinkleberry of SDMB fame, is now 5 1/2 months old. We have basically given up on the stroller for lots of reasons and have been using a front carrier. Its great. He falls asleep in it, loves it, and is really happy whenever he sees it. The problem is he is now long enough that his not so little feeling feet hang right at crotch level on me. I’m pretty sure this is his way of preventing siblings, but it is really limiting me on how far I can walk with him. So I’m thinking about a backpack carrier. He’s holding his head up pretty well, almost sitting up entirely on his own, so I think its time. Any recommendations? Or any to avoid? Let me know, thanks.
He probably just wants to get on America’s Funniest Home Videos*, which seems to rely on crotch shots. He just doesn’t know when anyone is taping, so he kicks you there every chance he gets.
- I know because MilliCal has an unholy obsession with this show, and watches it every chance she gets.
First of all, I would not put hard shoes on the babe’s feet! Socks and then nice warm slippers/booties to keep his toes warm should be sufficient for him, and help to soften the blows.
If you are able to find a back pack carrier with a good head support I would say go for it, otherwise I might hold off for another couple of months. It seems that you could either find (depending on your location) or rig up some kind of head support, I am thinking of a “U” shaped roll of material to support the back of the head and to keep it from lolling from side to side. Oh, and once you get him on your back, say goodbye to your hair! (experience speaking)
(How to say this discretely…ummm, sports oriented protection for the time being…??? :o )
We have a backpack carrier made by Kelty which is wonderful. Kelty is mostly known for making backpacking equipment, so they know how to do comfortable straps and get the weight distribution right. Also, it is very adjustable so my 5’5" wife and me (6’2") can both wear it comfortably with some easy adjustment. It was a little pricey, but I fully expect to be using it for years.
Ahh, wait till you start wrestling / tickling. Then you can add beeing kneed in the nose, poked in the eye, elbowed, etc etc. Great stuff. I wouldn’t trade it for the world… 
The most beautiful sound in the world, bar none, is the happy laughter of your own child.
In the meantime, I strongly suggest you avoid rigid shoes untill 18-24 months or so. Bare feet, or soft leather shoes like Robeez are the way to go. You want them to develop muscle and ligament strength in their foot and ankle. Rigid, supporting shoes prevent sufficient development, and can leave a child with weakened ankles and less balancing ability, making them more vulnerable to sprains/injurry later on. Plus soft shoes really don’t hurt when you get kicked. Trust me on this one, I’ve been there. Often.
Regarding backpack carriers, I second the suggestion to wait till your kid is a bit older / bigger. Some guidlines I have seen are wait till: they can stand up / pull themselves up (at least sit up comfortably by themselves) or around/at/over 12 mos, depending on size. I used one with great success for the summer when my son was 9 to 12 months old, but he’s a very big, sturdy boy (>97percentile height, 90th weight). He loved being so high, and the motion of my stride was very soothing. If you get one make sure it has:
-ability to adjust child’s head height to your own head height, so they can look over your shoulders.
-wide, padded belly band. You should have about 60% of the weight on the belly band, 40% on the shoulders.
-ability to adjust shoulder straps and belly bad positionning to match your torso lenght. The belly band should rest on your hip bones.
-chest strap to keep the shoulder straps together and prevent digging into your arm pits.
-availability of an shade/awning over the child’d head to protect from the sun / weather.
I loved the backpack carrier, and I’m sad my son is already too big for his. It was so much better than a stroller: you could go tons of places unaccessible by stroller: stairs, hills, soft grass, narrow dirt paths, etc.
Kick him in the crotch a few times and see how he likes it.
My sister was a huge fan of Native Baby Carriers.
I also found a review site for baby carriers. Hope you find what works for you.
We need a new thread, similar to the “sequential threads” series, in which we note particularly appropriate thread titles and authors.
(Does your current carrier come with a “footrest” attachment that would act as a barrier to his heel drumming?)
Oedipus (sp?) complex.
Wait 'til he hits Junior High.
You’re doomed.
And you wonder why I only ever have him in socks…
I keep telling you to pull the damn thing up. Sure, his head ends up being close to your chin, but then the kicks aren’t nearly as bad.
Luckily, he did really well in the trial-run of the back carrier today. No head bobble, no slumping. Sadly, though, much mommy hair pulling.
Ah, Baby Claus. What did we ever do without him?
I think he wants to be an only child. 
Wait until he’s three and starts headbutting you in the crotch. Ah, the innocent peals of infant mirth as Daddy rolls on the floor blaspheming feebly between gasps for air.
Put him in facing outward, if you can. Our Baby Bjorn allows for that.
Well, this seems to be an unavoidable fatherhood experience :eek:
Papa Zappa got smacked in the crotch by Moon Unit once. He was lying on his back, and his dear daughter, age two, walked up and took a two-fisted swing directly downward. Penis did not ensure. Screams of pain did. I’m thinking feet would have been easier but I’m not, erm, qualified to make such a judgement.
As a matter of fact, we didn’t have any additional kids. So I guess it worked!
Nor did it ensue. Duh. That seems to be one of those words that just wants to have an extra letter in it - I tried to type “ensure” in the correction, too :smack:
</duh>
I hate when you come to a thread and all your comments have been taken.
Only child comment, also taken.
thinks
How about big foam baby clown shoes to soften the kicks?
Hmm … Big Foam Baby Clown Shoes?
Band name!
The back of the nipper’s head across the bridge of the nose is always good for a few yucks, too, with the added bonus that Mummy can play as well.
That would be perfect, if they had a big foam baby.
I would recommend some fine plastic products made by the Bike corporation, if you get my drift.
Well we ended up buying the Snugli Cross Terrain Carrier. This thing is awesome. We went to the zoo today and he loved it. He can see stuff, he’s up nice and high and it carries everything one would need for a day out with Tink. And it’s nice and comfy. Now he just kicks at my kidneys.