KarriMeBub Soft Structured Carrier
by Karen
(Melbourne, VIC, Australia)
This is the first Soft Structured Carrier (SSC) that I have ever made (I've only made two so far). I had decided to make it after trying out my sister's Ergo carrier and found that it was really supportive and comfortable and perfect except for the fact that the height of the Ergo body was not tall enough for a back arching bubs.
I made this SSC from scratch. It has been made similar to the Ergo but with the height/width and hood of my own KarriMeBub brand Mei Tai (which I've made but not marketed/sold much).
I used a soft but medium weight denim fabric for the body and shoulder straps and a cotton oriental fabric for the lining of the body and the hood.
One layer of dense foam from a camping mat was used for the padding in the waist and some softer (but not too soft) foam for the shoulder strap padding. On hind sight, a slightly denser foam for the shoulders (but not as dense as the camping mat) could probably have been used. I would have loved to try using memory foam but unfortunately for me, it doesn't seem to be as readily available here.
I made the pocket with a side zip but decided to use the oriental fabric for the depth of the pocket to break up the denim a bit and to give it a bit more colour!
Finally to finish it off, I ironed on a motif that says "Baby on Board" for a laugh as well as a help to hopefully prevent people from bumping into bubs and I, especially when I have baby on my back (which seemed to occur quite a fair bit!).
This SSC turned out better than I had expected (my sister has also been eyeing it and has been asking me to make one for her too!).
The next SSC I make, I will try making the shoulder straps curved instead of straight to see if that adds extra comfort.
Best thing is that my 8.5 month old loves it and with the big roomy hood up, sleeps very comfortably in it too.
