I’ve joined a babywearing cult. More specifically, the Kinderpack babywearing cult.
Ok, first, let me rewind a little bit to when Max was just a wee baby (HA!). During the newborn to four-month period, my husband and I swore by our Beco Gemini Baby Carrier.
Max hated his swing, never went down in the crib, and unless I was lying next to and/or nursing him, the boy would not nap. The Beco was our GODSEND. I still remember the countless hours that we strapped Max on while bouncing on a yoga ball while playing loud white noise in the background while attempting to eat our lunch/dinner or watch Netflix.
Trust me, if your baby is being exceptionally fussy or refuses to sleep, you will do whatever it takes and this was what worked.
Not to mention that the Beco pretty much saved our lives on our 14-hour international flight.
So, yes, I have always been a HUGE fan of babywearing. Sadly, Max outgrew the Beco a little after he turned a year old and I stopped thinking about babywearing in general.
With the upcoming arrival of Bean, I had to re-evaluate our transportation options. I initially wanted to purchase a double stroller but we had previously invested in an excellent (and expensive) stroller. Plus, I don’t really like maneuvering the single stroller to begin with – let alone a double stroller.
That’s when I started looking into soft structured carriers for toddlers and came across the Kinderpack. The company, Kindercarry, is a small family-owned business started by a stay-at-home mom, based in the US. Each carrier is beautifully handmade by her team of tailors. The carriers range in price from $179-$194 (+$12 shipping) and, depending on the style, come with Koolnit, which is a mesh back panel that promotes air flow. Kinderpacks are also unique in that the back panel is comprised of three panels, creating an exceptionally deep seat for the baby/toddler. This is ideal for the child’s comfort and promotes an M-position carry (where the knees are higher than the bottom) which is the optimal position for a child’s developing hips.
Public Service Announcement (and personal pet-peeve): PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not carry your baby in a Baby Bjorn crotch-dangler. In general, I love Baby Bjorn products but I think it’s a travesty that their carriers are some of the least comfortable (yet most popular) in the market. If your baby has underlying hip issues, it promotes a potentially unhealthy/dangerous position for your baby to be carried in .
Anyway, after I decided I wanted a Kinderpack, the problem was actually scoring one. Kindercarry has indicated that they do not wish to expand for quality control reasons. Thus, they make roughly 150-200 carriers/week in 2-3 prints… with, allegedly, 5K-30K people attempting to purchase. At. The. Same. Exact. Time. The carriers are usually sold out within the first thirty seconds of stocking.
Nevertheless, every week I’ve been trying because the adrenaline rush of actually scoring is ADDICTIVE!
Some general tips to scoring (UPDATED 2/26/2016):
1. Create an account on the website http://mykinderpack.com/
2. Use Google Chrome
3. Enable auto fill for your personal information AND credit card (the site accepts all major CC’s)
During stocking days (Monday-Friday at 1PM EST):
1. Log on to your account on the site
2. Type your CVV number down and then copy it (use CTRL + V to paste when the time comes)
3. Pull up the satellite clock on http://www.time.gov/
4. Go to this page and click on the the corresponding link of the size you want to buy. At exactly 12:59:59 (if the carrier doesn’t immediately show, press CTRL + R until it does)
AND THEN CLICK EVERYTHING AS FAST AS YOU CAN, BLINDLY, WITHOUT THINKING, FASTEST FINGERS WINS!
Note: Officially, Kindercarry says there are no cart holds. However, I have found that there must be a temporary hold of some sort. Most recently, I made a few mistakes when inputting my credit card # (I used Internet Explorer instead of Chrome). Yet, a minute later, I was still able to check out.
I don’t exactly understand how the site works but I do believe that if you are lucky enough to immediately cart without hitting the inventory issues screen, there is a much higher chance of actually purchasing a Kinderpack. This has been the case for me every time I have gotten one.
Since Kinderpacks are incredibly difficult to come by, there is also an active B/S/T (buy/sell/trade) group on Facebook with over 19K members that are constantly exchanging the carriers. The resale value of Kinderpacks can be well above the actual retail price (market value typically ranges from $200-$450). Currently, my “stash” consists of two scored at stockings and one that I purchased at market value for Bean.
“In the Round” in std/std with graphite Koolnit and graphite straps
“Nerd Love” in todd/std with red Koolnit and graphite straps – for Max to grow into!
“Bee Sweet” in inf/std with graphite Koolnit and graphite straps – for when Bean comes 😀
In terms of comfort for the wearer, according to my husband, despite hours of carrying Max, he is quite comfortable and both Max and he are slightly cooler than in the Beco. (My husband has been wearing Max these days since I have a baby bump in the way and Max doesn’t like back carry – yet.) I have noticed that there are fewer red marks on my husband’s shoulders than when he wore Max in the Beco.
Babywearing also makes traveling sooo much easier. We don’t have to worry about finding elevators for the stroller or trying to maneuver through large crowds. We went through the packed streets of Boston during a pride parade with no trouble at all. I love that Max is pretty much at eye-level and we can easily point out things to him that we both see.
Another thing that I absolutely love is that the Kinderpack has a hood which helps support Max’s head when he falls asleep. Our Beco didn’t come with one (only downside) so we always had to have one hand up supporting Max’s head while he was sleeping. And, this may apply only to Max, but he never falls asleep in his stroller. Yet, on our most recent trip, within five minutes of his regular nap time, he promptly passed out in the Kinderpack while snuggled against my husband.
Max napping with the Koolnit hood up
As you can probably tell, we ♥ Kinderpacks in this family and they are my latest obsession!
UPDATE 09/10/16: If there’s one thing I’ve learned, the babywearing market is constantly changing. It is not nearly as difficult to score at stocking these days and the resale market has fallen significantly. The great news is that more people are able to buy it! Wear all the babies. 🙂
UPDATE 05/28/17: It’s been two years since I wrote this review and, thanks to our Kinderpacks, we are still going strong, wearing our three and 1/2 year old and one and 1/2 year old.
In other news, Kindercarry just started a referral program that all customers are eligible for. If you are looking to save some money on your first order, you can use my referral link to receive a coupon for $10.00 off your first Kinderpack. (I will receive a reward point for every dollar you spend via my link, so thanks in advance!)
Do you have or want a Kinderpack? Are there any other carriers that you love?
And if you liked this post, please don’t forget to comment below, subscribe, and spread the love by sharing!
“Max hated his swing, never went down in the crib, and unless I was lying next to and/or nursing him, the boy would not nap. The Beco was our GODSEND. I still remember the countless hours that we strapped Max on while bouncing on a yoga ball while playing loud white noise in the background while attempting to eat our lunch/dinner or watch Netflix.”
This is 100% my life right now…just substitute Ergobaby for Beco!
All I can say is: babywearing FTW!
If your team ever wants to sell a kinderpack, let me know! I’ve heard only great things about them…
Nicole, if you are interested in purchasing a KP, I would highly recommend you check out the FB group – Kinderpack Chatter and B/S/T. The group very actively buys and sells KPs. Also, you can try your luck at a stocking too! (Otherwise, prices will be much higher.)
Thank you so much! I will check that out!
Do the inf/std Bee Sweet’s ever show up in the FB group? They aren’t accepting new members right now and it’s my DISO (though I am a little afraid to find out how much MV is on one!). I’m a midwife and I can’t exactly leave my patients to try and score at stockings 🙂
Hi Katie, I would say inf/std shows up very, very rarely. They are currently restructuring the FB group and promise to open as soon as they can. Let’s just say I paid +$400 for my Bee Sweet… but it’s also my absolute favorite print. Whether or not it’s worth it is a question only you can answer! The only good thing is MV for most KPs seem to be dropping right now due to the summertime lull. Good luck!
So what would u recommend for size I currentlu have a std Tula and I feel like my 18 month 34lb baby is ready for the next size up. Do you think a toddler kindepack will be too big?
Whether or not the toddler KP would be more suitable would depend more on your baby’s height and whether s/he likes to ride arms in or arms out. My son is 21 months, weighs about 26 lbs, and is 33″ tall. We tried the toddler size and the panel really swallowed him up. He also barely fit comfortably knee-to-knee. I see the standard lasting us for quite awhile at this point – especially since he loves to ride with his arms out.
Thanks so much for your tips. By following your advice I was able to score a standard/standard today. After borrowing my sister-in-laws Kinderpack for the past couple months I couldn’t go back. Where did you purchase your drool pads?
Hi Maja, I’m so happy to hear you scored! I buy my drool pads from MyLittleTrendsetters on Etsy. She has great craftsmanship and also does custom orders. I hope you enjoy your KP as much as we do 🙂
I just scored a Kinderpack for my 4 month old thanks to your tips…much appreciated! I’m getting a beautiful print but I am pretty envious of your “In the Round” (my fav!)! There is a ‘Freshly Picked” Warehouse sale coming to my area…so I’m off to read that post now! Thanks again.
Hi Erica, I love hearing when people score! Honestly, I never thought I would have more than one KP (ok, two at most – one for each kiddo) but they are so addictive! You better watch out or you may end up with an In the Round too 😉
And I love Freshly Picked. It looks like they have a new line out for hard soles that I’ll have to check out.
Lotus – would love your feedback. My daughter is 8 months old and around 18 lbs and 30 inches in height. I am 5ft and 2 inches tall and thanks to the pregnancy weight that is still lingering on the heavier side. Would you recommend an infant size Kinderpack or a standard size? Im figuring out what makes most sense incase I also decide to have another baby since I probably wont be able to wear my daughter once she gets heavier.let me know your thoughts.
I would definitely recommend the infant/standard for you.
Your daughter will juuust be able to fit into the standard at this time. But she can still ride in an infant, comfortably, for quite some time. And if you plan to have a second baby, you will definitely get more wear out of it.
Also, you never know. You may love it so much you end up with multiple KP’s like me. One for each kid and for the hubby too!
I hope so too!! Thanks for all your help. Hope all is well 🙂
Lotus – when ( age/weight/height) did you transition Max from the infant carrier to standard? I managed to score one today 🙂 The other prints are sooooo tempting that now i want to but another one 🙂
Pallavi, congrats on scoring!! Woodland Whimsy is an adorable print. I didn’t come across KPs until recently so I never had to transition from an infant to standard. I initially bought a toddler size for Max when he was 18 months and exactly 32″ and, even though it was their minimum size recommendation, it was still too big.
And like I said, it’s hard to stop at only 1 KP!!!
Very addictive! Do you prefer the koolnit to the full panel?
I actually do prefer the koolnit. It’s really a personal thing, but I prefer the look. And I appreciate that it seems to keep the baby cooler. To be fair, I haven’t given full panels a fair chance yet. I’m hanging on to a standard full panel for when Alexa can fit 🙂
Now, I HAVE to ask – how many KPs do you have in your treasure box? Mine just arrived last evening and im dying to try it out today.
Also, on another note – what advice would you give on when to move an infant from a nanny to a day care/montessori? Trying to figure out what is the right balance between keeping her at home where she gets 100% attention vs she is bored at home and needs the stimulation from other kids.
Oh boy, you did not just ask me about my stash 😉 I’m sure every KP addict loves to share! So I’ve been trying to keep my stash at a maximum of 5. Two infants (one for my husband, one for me), two standards (ditto), and one toddler (only my husband wears my son.) My prints are Bee Sweet and Daydream. My husband’s prints are Zombies 2, Riptide (our only full panel, yet to be worn), and Slate. I basically hang on to a print until I see something I like more – ha! But we might be happy with this set for awhile. Please let me know how you like yours!
As for daycare, I truly believe you have to look at each individual child. Some kids are far more ready than others to start at an early age. I enrolled Max at exactly 26 months. I felt comfortable with this because he has never exhibited stranger anxiety and appeared pretty independent. He also had a basic level of communication which, for me, was a must.
Keep in mind that some nannies are better than others. If the nanny can provide sufficient enrichment and stimulation, e.g., set up playdates, go to the park, go to classes, plan activities to do at home, etc. then you might not even need daycare. Our nanny is not like that. So Max reached a point where he clearly showed signs that he needed more enrichment vs. nurturing and I think we started him in daycare at the perfect time.
I also have Max set up in a 1/2 day program only. So it’s a great balance for our family in that he gets socialization time but also home time.
On the other hand, he has a classmate that after two months finally stopped crying everyday for the entire day. I don’t believe that child is ready at all. He still looks pretty miserable whenever I go to pick Max up. You know your child best. If you feel like it’s time, you are probably right 🙂
Love your collection! I tried the KP today and Arya fell asleep in 5 mins! But I think im not wearing it correctly…since
my shoulders & back hurt a bit any video that you like best for front/back carry? Also, did you get the curved KP snap drool pads?
Thanks as always 🙂
Check out this Kindercarry page for a few instructional videos.
The KP is incredibly adjustable so you just have to find your sweet spot! Some general pointers: Keep the waistband level – for front carries, I like to have it at my natural waist. Make sure baby has a nice deep seat by pushing up on their feet to create an M shape. (Baby’s butt should be hanging over the waistband and not sitting on the band.) Also, it helps if the strap that goes across your back isn’t too high up. My husband is the one who back carries so I don’t have any personal pointers there yet!
I always buy straight suck pads but that’s purely an aesthetic preference. Curved suckpads aren’t really necessary but they do cover more of the strap. Go with what you think looks best 🙂
thanks – will check it out. Our issue has been that the ‘across’ strap is scraping against our neck…so we are obviously doing something wrong. Also, do you do standard straps or plus size? My husband is 5ft 9 inches and chest size L .
Hello- I wanted to thank you for your tips on scoring during a stocking. I was able to get a Force Friends and had been waiting for the restock! Super excited to wear my LO in next week.