Baby Carrying Review
It's been 10 months since Jaeger was born. TEN MONTHS. Long enough for me to finally review baby carriers. Heh.
We have four (really 5, but one of them is similar to another). We have a Baby Bjorn Active wear carrier , a Ring Sling that I sewed myself (instructions at link), an Ultimate Baby Wrap and a green & silk wrap of the same style made for us by the lovely porcinea, and now a Becco baby carrier.
Now, some folks have had great luck with breastfeeding in carriers - Jaeger never let me do it, so, I can't say which carriers are best for that. Kid does not like being a carrier and eating. Nooooo thank you!
We got the Bjorn first. We picked it because it was good until 28 lbs, and midnightstation was very impressed with the strong construction. The one we got has a panel that supports your lower back, and we really liked that.
Now, we both have loved using the Bjorn. Until about 15 lbs, it was by far the best way for us to carry him. We loved the way it supported his head, and loved the way we could have him face outwards once his neck got strong enough. The only thing we really didn't like was how warm it was. Summer baby? Thick foam is baaaaad for sweating. Ugh. It was much better in the winter months, and we loved wearing him. My only other complaint about it is that you can't wear him on your back. Overall we really loved it, until recently, when the weight of him started getting to us.
The ring sling is great for around the house, and stuff. Not for getting stuff done, but if you need to pop out to the store, or down the hall, or what have you, the ring sling is easy on and easy off, especially now that Jaeger sits easily. He never liked laying in it. The ring sling I use basically as an assist ti give me a brea from holding him up.
The UBW style is similar to the Bjorn, but because it was made out of cotton jersey, it's fabulous for traveling (throw it in a bag and it takes up no room) and for emergencies with the stroller - there are days when the kid refuses to be in the stroller and you have been out for hours at that point? Yep, pull this sucker out and all is good. Supposedly you can back wear him and side, but I never got the hang of that. The one porcinea gave us is our "formal wrap" for going out in, due to it's luxe fabrics (silk! velvet! OMG!)! This wrap is super comfortable and easy to transport & clean... but I can't wear him on my back and it's a bit of a chore to get him in and out easily.
OK, the Becco. We didn't buy this one - Peggy bought it, but wasn't using it, and I mentioned to her that I wanted a carrier I could use like a backpack. She gave us hers. At first I did not like it - there is definitely a learning curve with it - a steeper one than any other carrier I've used yet. However, I think it may be the best one of the lot. Made of cotton, it breathes like the UBW. You can use it like the Bjorn - they say you can't wear the child facing out with it, but I have, and he was fine. Best of all, you can wear the baby on your back, which is incredibly comfortable, especially as Jaeger is over 20 pounds. This wrap is rated for children up to *40* pounds, which I think would be useful for family outings. It folds up quite small. And I discovered today while looking at the instructional video for folding the wrap, that you can use it as a bolster for one armed child carrying. Watch the video to see what I mean. It's brilliant.
I'm sold. This is definitely the most versitle of the warps I've used. My only complaint about it, is the steep learning curve, and it's kind of fiddly to get on and off. I think if I had to have only one wrap, I would choose this one. But if I could keep two, I'd choose this one, and the ring sling. This one folds up really small which is great for travel and throwing in the stroller for emergencies - but the ring sling is still best for quick popping in and out, especially before the baby is old enough to really support his head.
Oh yeah, and my baby is 10 months old today. TEN MONTHS! I can't believe it!
N.
We have four (really 5, but one of them is similar to another). We have a Baby Bjorn Active wear carrier , a Ring Sling that I sewed myself (instructions at link), an Ultimate Baby Wrap and a green & silk wrap of the same style made for us by the lovely porcinea, and now a Becco baby carrier.
Now, some folks have had great luck with breastfeeding in carriers - Jaeger never let me do it, so, I can't say which carriers are best for that. Kid does not like being a carrier and eating. Nooooo thank you!
We got the Bjorn first. We picked it because it was good until 28 lbs, and midnightstation was very impressed with the strong construction. The one we got has a panel that supports your lower back, and we really liked that.
Now, we both have loved using the Bjorn. Until about 15 lbs, it was by far the best way for us to carry him. We loved the way it supported his head, and loved the way we could have him face outwards once his neck got strong enough. The only thing we really didn't like was how warm it was. Summer baby? Thick foam is baaaaad for sweating. Ugh. It was much better in the winter months, and we loved wearing him. My only other complaint about it is that you can't wear him on your back. Overall we really loved it, until recently, when the weight of him started getting to us.
The ring sling is great for around the house, and stuff. Not for getting stuff done, but if you need to pop out to the store, or down the hall, or what have you, the ring sling is easy on and easy off, especially now that Jaeger sits easily. He never liked laying in it. The ring sling I use basically as an assist ti give me a brea from holding him up.
The UBW style is similar to the Bjorn, but because it was made out of cotton jersey, it's fabulous for traveling (throw it in a bag and it takes up no room) and for emergencies with the stroller - there are days when the kid refuses to be in the stroller and you have been out for hours at that point? Yep, pull this sucker out and all is good. Supposedly you can back wear him and side, but I never got the hang of that. The one porcinea gave us is our "formal wrap" for going out in, due to it's luxe fabrics (silk! velvet! OMG!)! This wrap is super comfortable and easy to transport & clean... but I can't wear him on my back and it's a bit of a chore to get him in and out easily.
OK, the Becco. We didn't buy this one - Peggy bought it, but wasn't using it, and I mentioned to her that I wanted a carrier I could use like a backpack. She gave us hers. At first I did not like it - there is definitely a learning curve with it - a steeper one than any other carrier I've used yet. However, I think it may be the best one of the lot. Made of cotton, it breathes like the UBW. You can use it like the Bjorn - they say you can't wear the child facing out with it, but I have, and he was fine. Best of all, you can wear the baby on your back, which is incredibly comfortable, especially as Jaeger is over 20 pounds. This wrap is rated for children up to *40* pounds, which I think would be useful for family outings. It folds up quite small. And I discovered today while looking at the instructional video for folding the wrap, that you can use it as a bolster for one armed child carrying. Watch the video to see what I mean. It's brilliant.
I'm sold. This is definitely the most versitle of the warps I've used. My only complaint about it, is the steep learning curve, and it's kind of fiddly to get on and off. I think if I had to have only one wrap, I would choose this one. But if I could keep two, I'd choose this one, and the ring sling. This one folds up really small which is great for travel and throwing in the stroller for emergencies - but the ring sling is still best for quick popping in and out, especially before the baby is old enough to really support his head.
Oh yeah, and my baby is 10 months old today. TEN MONTHS! I can't believe it!
N.