I-phyeonhae boom! Review and pictures!
Hope this is allowed! I recently posted this on thebabywearer.com per one mama's request. Thought I'd share here because I don't think there is a review of this carrier on here yet. Please feel free to take it down if it's not allowed!
Okay. So I took the plunge and bought the I-phyeonhae. I still have no idea how to pronounce the name of the damn thing. For now, I am referring to it as my “I-phy” (rhymes with wi-fi) but regardless of it’s strange name, I am in love with this carrier. Definitely has my vote as most underrated carrier out there.
I bought mine used on TBW from a sweet mama for $50. I can’t believe all that I got for fifty bucks! It came with the carrier itself, a detachable headrest with Velcro drool pads, a zipper change purse that hooks onto the waist belt and another matching storage thingy (lol really articulate, huh?)- all of which fit into a mesh bag made for washing the carrier in!
The carrier itself- I can already tell this is going to be my go to carrier. I’ll highlight some of the best features. The straps are amazing for me. A little bulkier than I’m used to, but as a MT and RS user the difference in comfort was noticeable. All that cushiness! Yum. I haven’t decided how I feel about the padded waist, but that’s just because I’m not used to it, I’m sure. Also, as DD gets bigger I’m sure I’ll appreciate it more.
The front of the carrier has a panel of fabric that unzips down to a very breathable mesh. When the panel is unzipped you simply roll it down and it velcros to the front of the waistband. Idk about you guys, but this is genius to me. It means I can walk out of visiting my parents house (who somehow manage to make their house FREEZING in the middle of a Charleston summer) with it zipped and warm, and then unzip it for a walk around the neighborhood without overheating. This also makes this carrier good for all seasons (not that Charleston has seasons!)
There is also a napping hood that buckles when you want it out and tucks into a zipper pocket when you don’t want to use it.
There is an internal harness in the carrier which was a big selling point for me. I’m terrified of back carries in SSCs and I thought the harness would make me more comfortable since I can secure DD in the carrier and THEN put her on. The internal harness is really my only disappointment with this carrier. TBH, it’s probably because I’m an overly cautious freak, but I expected it to hold her in more securely. Instead it seems more like a piece of fabric to kind of position her. Still, this was still helpful for me and I DID get her in a back carry without any help (I used the same chair method I do to get her on my back in a MT). I suppose it’s worth noting that my husband doesn’t agree about the harness. I had her on the chair and was lamenting the fact that it wasn’t more secure and he (to prove a point) picked the carrier up by the straps with her in and kind of swung it around. She stayed in place. Still. I digress.
The headrest is pretty cool. The one that I bought is a little warped, but it doesn’t really effect function at all. It actually attaches by the Velcro drool pads. Smart, huh? The only thing is that my DD isn’t big on headrests in general, and being made that way the only way I get the benefit of the drool pads is if I use the headrest. So I would count that as a negative, at least for us.
The change purse is great, albeit a little small. I guess I could fit my keys and a couple bucks in there. Not bad, and I like that it goes right on the waist band. The other matchy thingy will probably never be used by me. I dig the mesh laundry bag. Seems like a smart way to machine wash the carrier without doing any damage.
Sorry this is so long, but since this seems like such an unpopular carrier I wanted to include as much info as possible! All in all, I am REALLY happy with this purchase. It was a great price used, and even new I would say it’s worth the money. I will honestly probably be purchasing another one in a more girly print sometime soon.
And here are some pictures of the carrier and one action shot with me in my PJs. lol
the mesh laundry bag that EVERYTHING fits in
carrier with panel zipped closed (you can see the velcro on the waist band that it attaches to when rolled down)
panel down, mesh out! You can also see the change purse on the waist band (left)
inside view of the carrier and the internal harness
headrest with drool pads
matchy thing I'll never use
annnnd an action shot!
she was a little low in this pic, but a quick adjustment of the straps fixed that. =]
Okay. So I took the plunge and bought the I-phyeonhae. I still have no idea how to pronounce the name of the damn thing. For now, I am referring to it as my “I-phy” (rhymes with wi-fi) but regardless of it’s strange name, I am in love with this carrier. Definitely has my vote as most underrated carrier out there.
I bought mine used on TBW from a sweet mama for $50. I can’t believe all that I got for fifty bucks! It came with the carrier itself, a detachable headrest with Velcro drool pads, a zipper change purse that hooks onto the waist belt and another matching storage thingy (lol really articulate, huh?)- all of which fit into a mesh bag made for washing the carrier in!
The carrier itself- I can already tell this is going to be my go to carrier. I’ll highlight some of the best features. The straps are amazing for me. A little bulkier than I’m used to, but as a MT and RS user the difference in comfort was noticeable. All that cushiness! Yum. I haven’t decided how I feel about the padded waist, but that’s just because I’m not used to it, I’m sure. Also, as DD gets bigger I’m sure I’ll appreciate it more.
The front of the carrier has a panel of fabric that unzips down to a very breathable mesh. When the panel is unzipped you simply roll it down and it velcros to the front of the waistband. Idk about you guys, but this is genius to me. It means I can walk out of visiting my parents house (who somehow manage to make their house FREEZING in the middle of a Charleston summer) with it zipped and warm, and then unzip it for a walk around the neighborhood without overheating. This also makes this carrier good for all seasons (not that Charleston has seasons!)
There is also a napping hood that buckles when you want it out and tucks into a zipper pocket when you don’t want to use it.
There is an internal harness in the carrier which was a big selling point for me. I’m terrified of back carries in SSCs and I thought the harness would make me more comfortable since I can secure DD in the carrier and THEN put her on. The internal harness is really my only disappointment with this carrier. TBH, it’s probably because I’m an overly cautious freak, but I expected it to hold her in more securely. Instead it seems more like a piece of fabric to kind of position her. Still, this was still helpful for me and I DID get her in a back carry without any help (I used the same chair method I do to get her on my back in a MT). I suppose it’s worth noting that my husband doesn’t agree about the harness. I had her on the chair and was lamenting the fact that it wasn’t more secure and he (to prove a point) picked the carrier up by the straps with her in and kind of swung it around. She stayed in place. Still. I digress.
The headrest is pretty cool. The one that I bought is a little warped, but it doesn’t really effect function at all. It actually attaches by the Velcro drool pads. Smart, huh? The only thing is that my DD isn’t big on headrests in general, and being made that way the only way I get the benefit of the drool pads is if I use the headrest. So I would count that as a negative, at least for us.
The change purse is great, albeit a little small. I guess I could fit my keys and a couple bucks in there. Not bad, and I like that it goes right on the waist band. The other matchy thingy will probably never be used by me. I dig the mesh laundry bag. Seems like a smart way to machine wash the carrier without doing any damage.
Sorry this is so long, but since this seems like such an unpopular carrier I wanted to include as much info as possible! All in all, I am REALLY happy with this purchase. It was a great price used, and even new I would say it’s worth the money. I will honestly probably be purchasing another one in a more girly print sometime soon.
And here are some pictures of the carrier and one action shot with me in my PJs. lol
the mesh laundry bag that EVERYTHING fits in
carrier with panel zipped closed (you can see the velcro on the waist band that it attaches to when rolled down)
panel down, mesh out! You can also see the change purse on the waist band (left)
inside view of the carrier and the internal harness
headrest with drool pads
matchy thing I'll never use
annnnd an action shot!
she was a little low in this pic, but a quick adjustment of the straps fixed that. =]