Heavy Baby!

[AnaKhouri]

Khan is 7 months old and weighs around 20 pounds. He's a big kid.

The thing is, he's killing my back. He isn't mobile yet so I have to cart him around everywhere. I lift with my knees, try to switch arms, use a stroller when I can. I leave his car seat in the car and carry him outside to it because 20 lb baby + 8 lb car seat is OW.

I already have a repetitive motion deal in my right shoulder and now my left shoulder is starting to feel the same way. At the end of the day my lower and middle back just aches.

Is there anything else I can do to make it easier on myself or should I just suck it up?

[r2cagle]

Wow.. do you have a kiddie toy that he can sit in to be pushed, a wagon, just the stroller? I don't know your house to car setup, but you definitely need to rest the repetitive motions. Anything that you can push or pull safely from car to house to store will work. Let him sit in a walker for when you are busy with chores, and push him from room to room in the walker. I did the same as you with the car seat and would make several trips from car to house. My son has a little red RadioFlyer wagon that I use to pull him or groceries/stuff from the car to the house. And work in some liniment, massages, ibuprofen for the achies. Get creative, just because someone else thinks it's a bad idea doesn't mean it is. If people disagree, offer to let them lug him around for the day!

I hope Khan is gettting lots of floor time... the sooner he starts crawling and trying to learn to walk, the better it is for you! My 4 yr old is almost 50 pounds and he is still wants me to pick him up, 'cept that I'm exactly 62" tall, and he's 46" tall, so he's heavy and awkward. Since he turned 2, most of the time when I hold him has been when I've been sitting down. For horsing around and standing up while holding, that's been Daddy's job.

If you haven't done so already, start teaching him now that just because he cries/fusses/babbles doesn't mean he's going to get picked up and held. My husband scooped up at every burp/smile/whimper, and I'm the one paying because Mommy is the one always around. Now I'm trying to make my child understand, just because he's tired, hungry, fussy, whatever, doesn't mean Mommy can carry and hold you like you want. ::sigh::

Best of luck, think outside the normal 'baby' stuff. Something that you pass by or use everyday may suit your needs in carting the Khan around. Like a big cooler on wheels with the lid removed, and always remember to keep your house/car keys in your pocket at all times!! When you make the goal to carry as little as possible, it's easier to find ways to get that done.

[MaggieTheCat]

Two suggestions for back pain:

One, see a chiropractor. My chiropractors have done wonders for my neck and shoulders. I used to get migraines pretty regularly before I started seeing a chiropractor. I still get headaches, but they're not nearly as bad as they used to be.

Two, try some of this stuff: http://www.amazon.com/TIGER-BALM-LIN.../dp/B00266PFI8
It's basically Tiger Balm in oil form. It's very potent and you can really work it into the skin, and it definitely helps with aches and pains. My husband rubs it into my neck when I get a neck/headache, and into my shoulders after I've been doing bead/chain/clay work for several hours on end and my shoulders get stiff and sore. Helps a lot.