Toddler Tula - Stitch Pattern

Both of my children have been on the large size their whole lives (generally above 95% for both height and weight). When my youngest was passing the 25lb mark and still 98% for height, I started to think about options for toddler wearing. I read a lot of reviews and ended up looking for a Toddler Tula, based on the great feedback from our local group.

I found a Toddler Tula in a print I liked on the Canadian Babywearing Swap and received it quickly from another lovely mama. I've already reviewed a standard size Tula (http://wrappedupwithyou.blogspot.com/2015/01/tula-standard-size.html), and the attributes for wearing were pretty well the same for the Toddler size, with one notable exception... This carrier was gigantic.

My giant baby was swallowed in the material of this carrier. It was so wide that he didn't come close to fitting in it properly (I know he was too young for it now), and the slightly longer panel did not help with the issues I had previously in making a seat. My 95% two and a half year old fit very comfortably in this carrier, but had no interest in being worn a the time.

I have no action shots of this carrier, because although it was lovely, we did not use it enough to keep it around for long.

Adorable kissing babies in lieu of action shot

The Verdict:
Pros: Affordable, fits larger children, easily obtainable from Canadian shops
Cons: So large - definitely for larger toddlers and preschoolers rather than big babies.
Recommendation: I would recommend this as a SSC for people looking to carry children 15 months +. I now have another carrier with the same dimensions that comfortably fits a huge 19 month old, with room to grow.

Tula Standard Size

Many of the parents in our local babywearing group are fans of the Tula. I've always had my Ergo, so I wasn't sure if I needed to also try the Tula, but finally I broke down and bought one in The Wave pattern from a Canadian shop.

The pattern was a lovely repetition of waves that was a bit reminiscent of Oki on a smaller scale, with a navy blue canvas backing and border. I noticed right away that the waistband was wider and more structured than that of my Ergo.

When I first tried it on for a front carry, my first impression was that it was more comfortable than my Ergo on the shoulders, as the padding is more substantial in the Tula straps. I really appreciated how the fabric molded around my son's body more like a wrap, which made it seem a bit more comfortable and snuggly.

Helping decorate for Poppy's birthday celebrations - by sleeping :)

Where I found the true strength of this carrier was when I tried it for back carries. At first, I put the waist belt in the same spot I was used to using my Ergo, which I found very uncomfortable, as it pulled my pants down. I found by putting the waist belt up higher than I was used to it was much more comfortable, and baby was able to sit up higher and look around better than he had been able to in the Ergo.

I really enjoyed this carrier for outings where it was impractical to wrap and through the Winter under and over our Kindercoat.

I started to find it difficult to use over a coat though, as I had to pull the panel up and over my son after getting him on my back rather than hip scooting him with the carrier (otherwise my coat was a tangled mess). The canvas is a bit grippy, and would often not let him slide easily into the pocket of the seat when used in this manner. It was fine if my husband or someone else was around to help me bounce him down further, but this was inevitably what made me sell this carrier.

Overall, this was a great carrier, but I am not much of a buckles gal to begin with.

A lower back carry and the pattern

The verdict:
Pros: Readily available, easy to use, beautiful patterns, great for back carries, great structured padding
Cons: Straps not crossable, hood detaches (easy to lose for me), canvas is grippy and can make getting a seat difficult
Recommendation: This is a great SSC, and I would recommend it to anyone who was looking for a main carrier for back wearing. For front wearing, I might recommend something with crossable straps, but this is still fairly comfortable.