olson@fortune.UUCP (02/12/84)
#R:hplabs:-218400:fortune:36200002:000:1086
fortune!olson Feb 11 23:42:00 1984
I agree with Neal Wyse, on both points: Car seats are an absolute
necessity for motorized travel, and snugli type carriers are great
for foot travel. They do have some problems. The main problem is
in situations where you are bending over a lot. This includes such
times as visiting fairs, gardening, etc. In these cases, you usually
wind up with a very sore back.
The other problem is that the baby (referring to young ones, where
they are worn on the front) has no view to speak of.
In our case, we usually carried Kevin in our arms, or on my shoulders
when he was awake, and in the snugli when he was tired.
Incidentally, we made our snugli from a pattern, using the same material
used in 'chamois' shirts. This is a very soft material, and in addition
it is fairly aborbent and breathable, so you don't sweat a lot on hot
days. (I'm not sure where we got the pattern, but it may have been
from Frostline (a kit maker based somewhere in Colorado, I think).)
Dave Olson, Fortune Systems
UUCP: {ihnp4,harpo,ucbvax!amd70}!fortune!olson
ARPA: amd70!fortune!olson@BERKELEYpreece@uicsl.UUCP (02/16/84)
#R:hplabs:-218400:uicsl:22800012:000:1016 uicsl!preece Feb 16 11:54:00 1984 I think most babies have outgrown the front position by six months; by the time they're a year old they're heavy enough to be pretty rough on your posture. Our kids both loved the backpack (the Gerry kind with an aluminum frame). The optional hip belt helps a lot -- it transfers some weight to your hips, instead of your shoulders, and keeps the pack from swinging around too much. In fairness, you shouldn't use snugli generically for front pack carriers. Snugli is the name of one brand (generally very well made and available pretty widely) and presumably a trademark. On strollers, I have noticed that new models of the MaxiTaxi line have shoulder straps as well as a seatbelt. This is very desirable, as kids can be thrown around quite roughly if the stroller stops suddenly (this is much more of a problem with soft seat strollers than with the rigid seat MaxiTaxi). I love the low center of gravity of the MaxiTaxi, but it's not as sturdily built as it might be. scott preece ihnp4!uiucdcs!uicsl!preece