Babywearing – Works for Me Wednesday {A Guest Post}
Posted on: May 25, 2011
- In: Life
- 27 Comments
I am super, super excited to have Katie of Hageration guest posting for me this week. We are both UT Alum, who didn’t meet until we had graduated and were living 2,000 miles away from each other {gotta love the internet!}. I’m looking forward to finally {in real life} meeting her, her husband and her adorable little boy this summer.
=================================================
My obsession with baby wearing began innocently enough when I asked a friend what carrier she preferred. She responded by digging out all the carriers they had tried. I left her house with 3 in a bag. Shortly afterwards I was given a Moby, and bought an Ergo off craigslist and just like that we had 5 baby carrying devices.
To say I love baby wearing is an understatement. I adore everything about it from convenience to having my sweet baby nearby! Add to this a kid who has not been a great naper but liked being swaddled a LOT and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a lotta baby wearing.
Here is a run down of the soft baby carriers we’ve used plus a few others I’ve come across in the past 9 months:
Moby wrap
What it is: one long piece of fabric that you tie around your body in different formations and put the baby into pockets created by the folding.
Pros:
-One size fits all
-Very washable
-Easy to pack (we’ve taken in on many trips tucked away in a suitcase)
-Can be configured to many different holds (tummy to tummy, hip, front, etc.)
-Gives newborn benefits of swaddling
-Soft fabric provides a cozy way to carry your newborn nearby
Cons:
-Takes some practice to tie (I almost gave mine away before I had a friend demonstrate and watched a few videos on youtube)
-The stretchy fabric becomes less supportive when baby gets to be 14-16 lbs. (or it did for me)
-It is challenging to put the Moby on in public as the fabric is so long and it drags the ground which might seem fine until your standing outside your car in a dirty parking lot with no way to put it on while your baby screams in his car seat. Or maybe that’s just me
Baby Bjorn
What it is: I’m sure you’ve seen them all over. The people marketing Bjorn are brilliant. It’s the carrier you see where the baby dangles on the front of an adults’ body facing out.
Pros:
-Fairly easy to put on and take off. I’ve heard it’s easy to remove a sleeping baby from the Bjorn and lay them down (unfortunately my baby woke up the minute you stopped moving or unbuckled the straps)
-Due to the above dad’s find them really wearable
-Some babies much prefer front facing position (see photo)
Cons:
-For the price this carrier is very limited as it only holds baby one way (on front of your body)
-I felt it become uncomfortable around 12 lbs. though it is technically able to carry baby up to 20 lbs.
-After trying other carriers I found it to be uncomfortable, period.
Ergo
What it is: Backpack style carrier with padded straps and hip support (waist strap) that can be worn in front back or hip positions.
Pros:
-Multiple carry positions
-Padded straps
-Pocket built into front of carrier (at first I didn’t pay any attention to this but realized it was super helpful to carry my keys and phone while I took a walk or ran to the store for a quick trip).
Cons:
-I found it tricky to convert and put on in the hip position and never used it that way
-The built in pockets and padded straps make it kind of bulky
-Due to bulkiness the Ergo also made me very warm and I live in a moderate climate
-I found it uncomfortable after wearing for more than an hour
-Can be tricky to snap the buckle across your back (and many friends have said their husbands couldn’t get it snapped)
After flirting with all of the above I have found a new love and am ready to give up everything but the Moby and the…
Catbird Baby Pikkolo carrier!!
Why I love it:
– The fabric is lightweight and slim fitting making it the easiest to pack away while traveling and cool while wearing.
-It has the versatility of other carriers and is very easy to change positions. I have often started in a front carry and over time changed to side carry while out and about.
-It is by far the most comfortable of all the carriers I’ve tried
-The 3 straps have two-way adjustment allowing you to get it just how you want it.
-It comes in a few pretty patterns
I hope this helps distinguish between a few of the common carriers and gives you something think about if your in the market for a carrier.
Do you babywear? If so, what’s your favorite carrier?
Visit Kristen at We are THAT Family for more Works for Me Wednesday.
=================================================
Katie is a former special education teacher and current stay at home mom. She loves Jesus, her husband, son, and lazy dog Ellie. She also enjoys adventures, exploring places on foot, coffee, and fancy grocery stores.
27 Responses to "Babywearing – Works for Me Wednesday {A Guest Post}"
May 25, 2011 at 7:52 am
Yay for being a baby wearing mama! My little guy lived in the moby for almost the first month of his life (we tested it out before he was born on our 10 lb dog), and to avoid having to wrap myself up while out and about, I would do it before getting in the car. After a while, he got too heavy for the moby and we moved to the bjorn for maybe a week and decided that we hated it – at least our backs did. I also loved the ergo, but wish that I had gotten the Ergo sport instead of the organic one because the sport is made of lighter materials and I get hot very quickly. Now that he is walking and over 25 lbs, I usually keep the boboa sling with me. It is super easy to get on and the little guy likes to be in it when we are in a crowd when he cannot freely walk around – he sits on my hip, but can still have my hands free.
(again, stalking you from Katie’s blog)
May 25, 2011 at 11:03 am
Ha Debi we tested the Moby with Ellie (the dog) too and Archer lived in it after I learned to tie it. I still use it every now and then but make sure it’s really really tight first. Agree with you on the Bjorn, it’s such a weird craze since there are so many better options out there. Ooo the Boba was one of the carriers I had my eye on but the local store didn’t carry it and I fell in LOVE with the Catbird the minute I put it on. Thanks for coming over to read!
May 25, 2011 at 9:06 am
I wish I would have read this four years ago when I had my firstborn. hehe! I really wanted to wear my babies but thought the only carriers available were the ones in Target. Just when my boys were too big to carry, I tried the Moby wrap and LOVED it! Great post…I’ll pass it on!
May 25, 2011 at 11:05 am
Jodi I was blessed to have momma friends before me (Sarah and Debi plus others) that explained the ins and outs of carriers to me. Also, baby wearing is pretty big in my church so I got to see a lot of them in real life. You might could still use a backpack style with the littlest ginger if he’d let you, he looks like a pretty busy guy.
May 25, 2011 at 10:23 am
Oh wow! I didn’t realize there were so many options out there. I definitely have always planned to be a baby-wearer, but it didn’t occur to me how many different methods there were for this, haha! Thanks for the tips, Katie! 🙂
May 25, 2011 at 11:06 am
I’m glad this helps once you need it now you know where to get the info, and there are many other comparison charts out there too. I found real life reviews to be super helpful though.
May 25, 2011 at 11:09 am
This is a very helpful post! I never had a babywearing device with my 1st, but I’m certainly going to get one for the second! This post really helps break it down. 😀 Thanks Katie!
May 25, 2011 at 12:56 pm
No problem Alicia and if you have any questions when you’re ready to make the purchase. I’ve tried lots of others too including the Becco, Maya wrap, ring slings, etc. It is a hard decision especially because most are pricy but if you think you’ll use it I would highly recommend the investment and around here most carriers resell well on craigslist.
May 25, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Love the breakdown of all the different carriers. Thank you Katie! I will definitely be referring to this with the next baby.
May 25, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Yay! I’m so glad everyone is loving Katie’s information! As a babywearing mama, I think her review is super helpful having to navigate the carrier world. Always nice having a mama’s opinion on these things!
ah thanks Sarah, you were one of my inspirations! Thanks again for letting me guest post!
May 25, 2011 at 2:12 pm
LOVE that last picture- sooooooooooooo uber-cute of you both!
Thanks Emily! That photo made me realize how big Archer is getting, though he’s long and lean at 29 inches and only 18 pounds haha. I wonder when I’ll have to switch to back and side carrying only?
May 26, 2011 at 1:08 pm
I love my Mei Tai for older babies. With my 4 month old, I’m still digging my ring sling. We have a group here called Idaho Baby Wearers and our local La Leche League group has a baby carrier library that we lend out to interested moms!
Could you please email me info about the baby carrier library? I would love to start one in Seattle!
May 27, 2011 at 11:01 am
Loved this post!
We started with the Bjourn. It was fine except it didn’t support his head very well in the early weeks. I loved baby wearing, and was determined to find a better solution. So we tried the Sleepy Wrap (much like the Moby Wrap). I absolutely loved it. From about 8 weeks to about 3.5 months I used it all the time. It helped us get through some rough napping patches and I was able to learn my boy’s cues so much easier! My back thanked me too. 😉
Now, I still want to do some baby wearing, especially when we are out and about (I loathe strollers). But the Bjourn kills my back now that we’re over the 12 lb mark. I love how the Bjourn lets me face him out though. That’s been really nice. It works for now (14 lbs) for quick grocery runs, but if I needed it for longer periods of time it just won’t do.
I think I’m going to look into the Pikkolo. Seems interesting! What’s the longest you’ve carried in it? I love the ability to put him on your hip. Hmm…
May 27, 2011 at 11:39 am
I don’t know what the Pikkolo is like, hopefully Katie can info us on it. I had a handmade mei tai I bought off ebay, that was absolutely wonderful. I wore it for hours {literally} walking all through different cities with my girls. I’d say after about 2 hours it became uncomfortable, but that was more to their weight {and time} rather than the carrier itself.
Sarah-this carrier markets to be similar to a Mei Tai with buckles and Catbird makes a Mei Tai style but I’m sure your ebay option was much better priced and just as good.
Leigh Ann-I don’t really like strollers either, especially in Seattle because many stores and markets are already crowded. Plus, they take up so much room in the car. We bought a used McClaren I like but I still mostly use the carrier.
Archer was in the Pikkolo off and on (including over a mile of walking) for about 4 hours when we took a trip a few weekends ago and I was good. He’s about 18.5 lbs. I feel like when he gets too heavy for front carrying the back option will be awesome, and I love the hip carry is great around the house and when the front carrying gets uncomfortable. I know ring slings are great for hip carry too!
May 27, 2011 at 1:33 pm
My moby is one of the only pieces of gear I bought for my 4th baby. LOVE it. Although it did take me an hour to figure the thing out for the first time!
That baby bjorn tshirt is awesome!
I just pulled the Moby out today and reminisced about old times of new born carrying….so wonderful!
I also tried it as hip carry and it was great but again tricky to figure out the tying and getting it just right so it wouldn’t stretch out over time.
Isn’t it so funny? We had photos of us using the Bjorn but when I saw that I had to use it : )
May 31, 2011 at 2:02 pm
I got a Beco Gemini for Christmas and I love it. It’s similar to the pikkolo in that you can wear them front facing in or out, plus on the back and the hip. It’s super comfortable and I can wear Hudson for a long time in it. It is kind of pricey, but even if I had to buy it myself, I’d still say it was worth it because it gets so much use already, and Hudson is only my first!
it is very similar I looked at that one first but the store in my neighborhood only had the pikkolo. We just bought it a few weeks ago and already feel the money spent was worth it!
May 31, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Thanks for a great post! I, too, love babywearing! I’ve run the gamut from ring slings, pouches, wraps, and the Ergo (I’ve also tried Snuglis and various ABCs). It’s a teeny bit of an obsession, my husband would tell you! My favorites are definitely a wrap for the newborn stage, and the Ergo from then on out! But every style does have it’s different benefits – I always encourage those who are new to babywearing to not give up until they figure out what works for them! The attachment and convenience that babywearing provides is awesome!
[…] Carriers can get expensive, so ask your mama friends what worked for them. Also, check out Katie’s review of different baby carriers she has tried […]
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
May 25, 2011 at 7:50 am
I love baby wearing! I can’t imagine getting through cooking meals, shopping, etc. when they are little with out it! I have really only tried the Bjorn as it was the first one I found. I agree it can get uncomfortable after a while, but I just put up with it for the convenience. Thanks so much for the overview! It was very helpful!
May 25, 2011 at 11:07 am
You gotta go with what you have when you need it! I agree nothing would have gotten done around here (not even naps) without some kind of carrier.