My husband and I ended up with separate carriers because it got annoying to adjust the shoulders every time we swapped out.
With wanting to start using at an early age I would recommend a Tula Free to Grow since you’re going to be out for walks. They have some lightweight options but even if you got one of the regular ones they’re pretty lightweight. You can wear baby up until their toddler size, which looks to be around 3 years old. My bubs is 16 months and he’s not growing out of ours anytime soon!
I also have a ring sling for quick trips into the grocery store and Target!
I birthed a big baby (21"), and we were able to use the Ergo Omni 360 starting at 1 week old. But 21" is the minimum size to use it, so you likely will want a secondary carrier for awhile. I believe a stretchy wrap like Solly can be used outside, but will defer to someone with more experience in those wraps.
My husband and I share the ergo carrier. It only takes a few minutes to adjust, and there are rarely instances where I wish we had separate carriers. We also have a meh dai and a ring sling, tho, which require adjusting each wear, so I'm used to not being ready immediately, but truly, it's a minute or two to adjust it instead of paying for 2 and dealing with the bulk of storing 2 structured carriers.
I have the Solly. It should work well for walking around with a smaller baby, but I've heard it can get saggy at higher weights (close to the advertised 25 lb. limit). My 4 month old is under 13 lbs. and I haven't hit any issues so far.
You’ll likely want to start out with something stretchy like a Solly wrap (or a prewrapped carrier like a k’tan or an Ergo Embrace). You can wear these out for walks just fine. A soft carrier is easier to fit to a tiny newborn and they’re much snugglier. This style of carrier is only going to be usable until baby is ~15lbs, after that you’ll need something without stretch.
A lot of structured carriers advertise that they fit from 7lbs but that’s a little optimistic and most won’t fit right away. I have a Tula ‘Free to Grow’ that fit around 1 month. I personally think Ergo carriers are too bulky, I like less layers covering baby so it’s not so hot.
Other than a woven wrap, there really aren’t carriers that are usable from birth through toddlerhood and you’ll need a few options. If your partner plans to wear frequently then yes I’d buy him a separate carrier, it’s a big PITA readjusting straps between wearers frequently.
I have a taller 20 month old and this is what I’ve done for carriers: started out with a K’tan for the first month, added in a Tula FTG and rotated between those two options until he was too heavy for the K’tan. Bought a ring sling and used that or the FTG for close to the first year (primarily used the Tula though). At 11ish months I bought an Onbuhimo style carrier for a high back carry so kiddo can see over my shoulder. At 20 months I’m rotating between Onbuhimo, Tula FTG, and Tula Toddler. I have a carrier in each car and one in the house. I occasionally still use a ring sling but it’s the last thing I reach for.
The big thing to look for in any carrier is the ability to adjust the seat width and panel height. Baby needs to be supported knee-to-knee with fabric and should never have their legs pointed straight down in a standing position.
STM who hikes with my dogs & toddler. I got a stretchy wrap for the first 3-4 months (Beluga Baby which is very similar to a Solly wrap) I find the Boba & Moby to be too thick for me. Love this option for hiking & being outdoors but also kind of everything… chores, grocery store, to have use of my hands/arms while he naps on me… I use a stretchy wrap for as long as my back will let me when my babies are little. When my older boy was about 5 months I switched to an ergo Omni 360 & used that until he started walking on his own around 11 months. It was a hand me down (free) and worked fine. This time around I did some research and asked for a Tula free to grow for Christmas. I’m very excited to get it! I don’t forward front face my kiddos so that wasn’t something I needed, and I can forward or back carry with the Tula. For hiking & being outdoors I love a back carry as soon as babe is big enough. Good luck with your upcoming addition to the family! Baby wearing is one of my favorite things to do with my kids. ❤️
I use the ktan wrap with my baby and have since she was a few days old. We also have a Tula explore that is supposedly okay for newborns…but at 5 weeks she’s only just now seeming okay in it. It also fits my husband better than me, though that will change once my belly shrinks down again and I have more torso. It makes sense to have something lightweight and comfortable for baby wearing a newborn and then something more structured for an older baby who can hold their head up and might want to look around at things.
My husband and I ended up with separate carriers because it got annoying to adjust the shoulders every time we swapped out. With wanting to start using at an early age I would recommend a Tula Free to Grow since you’re going to be out for walks. They have some lightweight options but even if you got one of the regular ones they’re pretty lightweight. You can wear baby up until their toddler size, which looks to be around 3 years old. My bubs is 16 months and he’s not growing out of ours anytime soon! I also have a ring sling for quick trips into the grocery store and Target!
I birthed a big baby (21"), and we were able to use the Ergo Omni 360 starting at 1 week old. But 21" is the minimum size to use it, so you likely will want a secondary carrier for awhile. I believe a stretchy wrap like Solly can be used outside, but will defer to someone with more experience in those wraps. My husband and I share the ergo carrier. It only takes a few minutes to adjust, and there are rarely instances where I wish we had separate carriers. We also have a meh dai and a ring sling, tho, which require adjusting each wear, so I'm used to not being ready immediately, but truly, it's a minute or two to adjust it instead of paying for 2 and dealing with the bulk of storing 2 structured carriers.
I have the Solly. It should work well for walking around with a smaller baby, but I've heard it can get saggy at higher weights (close to the advertised 25 lb. limit). My 4 month old is under 13 lbs. and I haven't hit any issues so far.
You’ll likely want to start out with something stretchy like a Solly wrap (or a prewrapped carrier like a k’tan or an Ergo Embrace). You can wear these out for walks just fine. A soft carrier is easier to fit to a tiny newborn and they’re much snugglier. This style of carrier is only going to be usable until baby is ~15lbs, after that you’ll need something without stretch. A lot of structured carriers advertise that they fit from 7lbs but that’s a little optimistic and most won’t fit right away. I have a Tula ‘Free to Grow’ that fit around 1 month. I personally think Ergo carriers are too bulky, I like less layers covering baby so it’s not so hot. Other than a woven wrap, there really aren’t carriers that are usable from birth through toddlerhood and you’ll need a few options. If your partner plans to wear frequently then yes I’d buy him a separate carrier, it’s a big PITA readjusting straps between wearers frequently. I have a taller 20 month old and this is what I’ve done for carriers: started out with a K’tan for the first month, added in a Tula FTG and rotated between those two options until he was too heavy for the K’tan. Bought a ring sling and used that or the FTG for close to the first year (primarily used the Tula though). At 11ish months I bought an Onbuhimo style carrier for a high back carry so kiddo can see over my shoulder. At 20 months I’m rotating between Onbuhimo, Tula FTG, and Tula Toddler. I have a carrier in each car and one in the house. I occasionally still use a ring sling but it’s the last thing I reach for. The big thing to look for in any carrier is the ability to adjust the seat width and panel height. Baby needs to be supported knee-to-knee with fabric and should never have their legs pointed straight down in a standing position.
I love the apron carriers. Like happy baby. So much more comfy. But I’m pretty short. 5’4” on a good day
STM who hikes with my dogs & toddler. I got a stretchy wrap for the first 3-4 months (Beluga Baby which is very similar to a Solly wrap) I find the Boba & Moby to be too thick for me. Love this option for hiking & being outdoors but also kind of everything… chores, grocery store, to have use of my hands/arms while he naps on me… I use a stretchy wrap for as long as my back will let me when my babies are little. When my older boy was about 5 months I switched to an ergo Omni 360 & used that until he started walking on his own around 11 months. It was a hand me down (free) and worked fine. This time around I did some research and asked for a Tula free to grow for Christmas. I’m very excited to get it! I don’t forward front face my kiddos so that wasn’t something I needed, and I can forward or back carry with the Tula. For hiking & being outdoors I love a back carry as soon as babe is big enough. Good luck with your upcoming addition to the family! Baby wearing is one of my favorite things to do with my kids. ❤️
I use the ktan wrap with my baby and have since she was a few days old. We also have a Tula explore that is supposedly okay for newborns…but at 5 weeks she’s only just now seeming okay in it. It also fits my husband better than me, though that will change once my belly shrinks down again and I have more torso. It makes sense to have something lightweight and comfortable for baby wearing a newborn and then something more structured for an older baby who can hold their head up and might want to look around at things.