He is SO HEAVY!
Moms View Message Board: Parenting Discussion: Archive July-December 2005:
He is SO HEAVY!
Connor is 27.5 lbs now and I simply can't carry him around anymore. My back is killing me. When did you stop "carrying" around your babies?
How can I help my back? I'm going to do a heating pad tonight, so that should help. I'm afraid of chiropractors...I visited too many of them when I was ski racing and fell often. There's something about the "crackling" of bone that gives me the creeps.
I see other kids his age and they aren't nearly as heavy. I think he's just heavy boned or something. It's not like he eats a lot or has baby wrinkles still??
I'm sure by the time my kids were 27 pounds, I wasn't carrying them as much anymore, or only for short periods of time.
Ok, so I'm hearing boys tend to be bigger....
DD reached 27 lbs or so when she was around 6 months old, so I was still carrying her around. I'm not sure if there is much you can do! Take a hot bath and just try to lift correctly with your legs. Keep an umbrella stroller with you. They are fast and easy and pull it out whenever you have the chance to go somewhere. I loved mine. I HTH a little.
BTW-My DD was always tall for her age. She ate like a bird too. She still does and then every few days she eats a ton and DH and I look at each other amazed when she eats 3 pieces of pizza and 2 salads! It all works out!
Stop carrying him!!! He can walk, just hold his hand!
Take care of your back, Heidi, because it has to last you your entire life.
You can try lying on your back and pulling your knees up to your chest and stretching it out. And if you do core strengthening exercises, they will help support your back. Get one of those Balance Balls, those are great for stretching and for doing low-impact crunches.
Whatever you do, start doing it properly in regards to your back. Once it's *really* messed up, it's messed up for life. BTDT............ 
I quit carrying them when it got to be too much for me. It was different with each kid. If you still need to carry him, get a sling, you can toss it over a hip and it will help distribute the weight. But he will learn to hold your hand and it will be good.
My son was in the 95th% for size at that age. At the time, I was pregnant with DD. Needless to say, I had to stop carrying him. He walked and I held his hand OR he rode in the stroller.
FWIW, he's currently 9 yrs. and of average size for his age.
Kaitlyn is 31 pounds and I still carry her occasionally. Mostly when we're out for long periods of time because we don't use a stroller anymore.
My DS is almost 4 and he is 35 pounds. He's way to heavy for me to carry. We use a stroller at the mall when he doesn't cooperate by holding hands.
Umbrella strollers are great. He likes to ride.
That's the thing...I can't let him walk into/out of stores because once I let him walk, he wants to wander all of the time and he'll only walk where *he* wants to walk. He throws fits at least 5 times a day over this.
And, it's not while we go somewhere necessarily. He just wants to be held while at home for some reason. I think he just misses it. But, you're right, I can't do it anymore...it just kills me.
I try to use the umbrella stroller more. He hates it, but at least it keeps him contained!
Funny, but I never carried Matthew around. I broke my tail bone years ago so my back is easily irritated so I just avoided carrying him. At home he crawled or walked, we taught going up the stairs early and when we are out I use a stroller. If you want to save your back because you need to carry him try a sling. If you get the child positioned properly there will be no pressure on your back. You carry them on your hip as you normally would but the sling supports the weight.
The traditional baby carriers like the Born (sp?) where the child is held in front are not so good when they get to any substantial weight.
Good luck!
My dd is so small, I can't imagine having a big kid Natalie and I have been working on being out and about and her walking and holding my hand. After about 2 fits she got the picture that when we're out she holds my hand or I carry her. She WANTS to walk, so that's a consequence for her. She holds my hand well now, but we went out for the sole purpose of working on this. You can't do it when you really have things to get done because you're so hurried you can't stick with it.
We still use our stroller, like our travel system stroller, and I love it! I think we will be using that until she outweighs the thing, which will be forever since she's small! (only 22 lbs.) I don't have an umbrella, but you're right, at least he will be contained! I let her walk as much as possible, but if we're doing something where I need extra hands and she might get away from me, I just use my stroller. I try to let her walk as much as possible though, because it's good practice for her.
You may have to go through the fits until he realizes you're not giving in..uggh! Good luck and take care of your back!!!
I think you may just have to suffer through the fits. My ds was 27 lbs at 14 months and I know I carried him for a while past that but I had to stop when I was pregnant with the youngest. He hated it and loved to wander off. He just had to learn and he made sure I knew how unhappy he was about it. Good luck. I think you may need it!
Karen and Tink are right - stop carrying him. If he throws fits, stand and wait, and then keep going.
I had a child who wandered, and I couldn't keep bending down to hold his hand because I was carrying a baby, so I got one of those harness and leash things for children. Now I think they come with a wristband for the child and the mom (which doesn't look so much like you are putting your child on a leash like an animal), so you don't have to bend down, and you can hold the leash tight so that he can't get far from you. Never mind what people think - until he gets over having fits and wandering, it will keep him safe and save your back.
Or, take the umbrella stroller with you every time and tell him - if you don't stay with me you go in the stroller. And again, if he has fits, he has fits. No child ever wound up in the ER because of having a fit - unlike the child who wanders and gets hit by something or has something fall on him.
All children, at whatever age, try things to control their lives and their moms - the trick is to not let them, by whatever non-harmful means necessary. If it doesn't work, they fairly quickly stop trying, especially when the method you use is inconvenient to the child.
Oh, and all this hospital and being sick stuff is probably making him feel very insecure. So you will probably have to hold him a lot more often - but when you are sitting down and it isn't straining your back.
I agree with Ginny, he's been sick, he's been in the hospital twice, he is probably feeling a tad insecure right now, and by all means, hold him WHILE YOU ARE SITTING. LOL I've always been a firm believer in lots of physical affection anyway though, and when kids are sick or confused or frightened, those mommy hugs work wonders. However, don't try to hold him and carry him around. Sit on the couch, let him crawl up on your lap and cuddle the daylights out of him! LOL
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