When my youngest was born, back before I had a paunch, I used to wear flannel shirts, and sometimes I would tuck just the front in and set her in my shirt straddling my belly, with her feet sticking out the sides. It was an improvised carrier that worked fairly well till she was about 15 months old. Then I started carrying her on my shoulders when I needed to. There was one occasion where I was in a field of grass that was just over my head. I put her up top and she helped me navigate to the river we were headed for. I think she was between 3 and 4 then. It isn't a terribly secure method, but it works if you are careful enough. I would carry her in my arms a lot when we would go places like the shopping mall and it was too much walking, but my arms would ache something fierce after a time.