Baby wearing? Show me!

[baytosa2013]

Ok ladies lets see those baby carriers!  I mentioned starting a thread to show off our different carriers and post pictures of the LO's in them to get an idea of all the different one's out there.  I figure we can post pros and cons of each as well for anyone still on the fence about baby wearing.


So after watching about 18 you tube videos and reading a bunch blogs I think I finally feel pretty confident in using my new carrier and that it's correct!  I have the Beco Gemini and I love it so far!  I was given a bjorn and it made my back hurt after about 30 mins plus I was really worried about hip dysplasia.  The Gemini is SO MUCH nicer than the Bjorn and I barely feel like I'm even carrying her.  She seems to like it and it's not as hot as the Bjorn.

Pros: Easy to get on, super cute patterns, better support, not too hot, made from organic cotton, you can wear it 4 ways
Cons:Took a little bit to get it tight and set up (could totally be operator error!), a little pricy at $130


    

[dogmama22]

This is a favorite subject of mine! We have the Boba wrap and a Bjorn and Ergo that were given to us gently used. I don't plan to use the Bjorn because of the comfort concerns for babe and I can't use the Ergo yet because we don't have an infant insert. I do love my wrap, though! Here's a picture of one of the first times I wore him with feet out. He liked being wrapped before, but he got hot and uncomfortable quickly. Now he stays cooler much longer with his feet out.

Boba pros:
Comfy
Soft fabric doesn't need broken in
Inexpensive
Boba cons:
Gets hot for mom and baby faster than other options
Takes a few tries to learn to wrap correctly and right
We also went to a BWI meeting recently where I tried on some other options. I really liked the ring sling for it's lightweight/ cool feeling. It's also easy to use while nursing in public and it would be much nicer for me to nurse in a sling rather than the super obvious cover.
Another carrier that I put on my wish list is the Fidella fly tai. I didn't take a picture wearing it, but here's a photo of it holding a smaller baby.

I really liked how adjustable it is so it can be used for quite a while without additional inserts. I think my favorite part was that LO's head was supported without me having to tuck it in completely. I feel like when I wrap, I have to support his head or tuck it and then he gets hot. The fly tai supported his neck nicely so that I could bend over and move freely and still have both hands available. The only con is that it's a bit pricy at about $115, but that's not too bad in carrier world.
Did I mention I enjoy this subject?

[sugarkissed]

Yay! This is also something that I get excited about. I'm admittedly baby wearing obsessed and so excited to have a tiny baby again!

I've tried every type of carrier imaginable but woven wraps are my favorite.

Pros: Super comfy, so versatile (I've used mine as blankets, hammocks and tied DD1 to chairs in restaurants without high chairs), tons of carries, and they are just plain pretty!

Cons: Wraps have a bit of a learning curve and it can be discouraging when you are trying to figure it out. I saw a baby wearing educator and she helped me get the hang of it. They are a lot of fabric to work with and not always cheap! But worth it... In my opinion!



I've also used a ring sling a lot with this LO.

Pros: Quick! Important when you are trying to wrangle a newborn and a toddler! Pretty easy to figure out, and only one layer of fabric so not too hot in the summer months.

Cons: I find that I have to readjust a lot. As baby gets older and heavier I prefer having the weight more dispersed as opposed to one shoulder.

[tiffbot]

Oh yay! I'm a babywearing newb. Didn't do it with DS and now I'm wondering why lol!

So far I've just been rocking the k'tan. It's been a great introduction to babywearing. I also got a BabyHawk-H has tried that out more than me. I'm just super comfortable with the K'tan right now so sticking with that until I keep getting more comfortable with different things!

Took the kiddos down to the lake yesterday afternoon, so double AW as it was also DD's first lake day


pros: super convienient. Easy to put her in, easy to take her out. Portable, I just had it in my purse for the drive down. Easy to clean, just throwing it in the laundry with the rest of their clothes. Comfortable, no tying, no buckling, like I said before, a wonderful introduction to this!

cons: haven't figured out how to breastfeed her in it. Probably more user error. She's a big baby and takes up a lot of space in there haha, so I'm not sure how to get her any lower. 

[baileybaileybne]

I've just started using my ergo 360 and I love it! LO likes to ride along while I'm vacuuming the floors, it's like her dream white noise machine to snuggle down to! She really relaxes to the movement when I'm walking around.
Pros: comfortable, good support for her.
Cons: quite pricey, a little hard to get on at first with the infant insert but works well once you're strapped in.

***poof***
It was a gift from my shower so I did a selfie as a 'look I'm using it!' text message.

[redlipz]

I'm obsessed with Babywearing. I have woven wraps and I have ring slings. I also have 2 mobys that I don't like. I prefer wraps over the ring slings because to me ring slings are restricting on one shoulder but they are good for when I'm doing things around the house and she wants to feed. Wovens feel a lot more natural to me and they have all the sleepy dust with my baby. I also love how pretty they look and how easy it is to loosen up to breastfeed in public and then adjust when done.

[tulips114]

sugarkissed redlipz where do you get those pretty woven wraps?

[baytosa2013]

sugarkissed, redlipz

Those are so pretty! I went for a SSC because the wovens intimidated me both in how to properly use them and price. I know a gal that makes beautiful hand wovens and not only are they a pretty penny but you have to basically sign up to be in a drawing to even get a chance to spend all your money. That kind of scared me off.

[wormgerm]

This is my Sakura Bloom Chambray ring sling in Caramel

I'm biased but I think seeing dads baby wear is hot


Our first beach trip


Pros:
-Easy on and off / easy baby in and out
-Comfy in summer heat
-Fabric feels good against skin
-Wads up fairly small to carry
-Can be used for toddler wearing (35 lb. limit)
-Multiple carrying positions
-One size fits all

Cons:
-Price
-Arrives very stiff so it has to be broken in

[dogmama22]

Jul 17, 2015 6:49:58 GMT -5 baytosa2013 said:

sugarkissed, redlipz

Those are so pretty! I went for a SSC because the wovens intimidated me both in how to properly use them and price. I know a gal that makes beautiful hand wovens and not only are they a pretty penny but you have to basically sign up to be in a drawing to even get a chance to spend all your money. That kind of scared me off.

The cloth diaper world and the babywearing world are both similar like that. You can spend big money and get really wrapped up (ha!) in limited edition items. The LC I met with the other day had great advice. She said just peer into the pit of both, but don't fall over the edge. I thought that was a great way of putting it.

[wormgerm]

This is one from our newborn shoot so excuse the glamour shot-ness, hah!

Solly Baby wrap in gray stripe


Pros:
-Super soft
-Cool in Summer heat
-Very light weight
-Rolls up small in diaper bag

Cons:
-Very long fabric is intimidating to some (H won't try this one yet)
-Wrap style has more layers to deal with for baby in/out
-For babies 25 lb. and under
-One carrying position

[tulips114]

I'm not a very seasoned baby wearer. But here's my little guy in the moby. He has to have his feet out he hates it with his feet in.

[carolyngrace]

Here's my guy in the moby. I kind of hate how it stretches out. A friend is going to give me her woven to try instead.



I also use the Bjorn, which I love for the convenience, but it hurts my back.

[billyhorrible]

We have 6 carriers, so if anyone wants reviews of the ones we're not using right now, let me know. We skipped the moby this time around because it's so warm outside and DH and I are using the BabyHawk and the Pikkolo.

I use the BabyHawk almost all the time, unless I'm out with DH (more on that later).


Pros:

Can be used from birth.
Super cute (because we all know how important that is)
Very easy to put on - DH is jealous of how quickly I can throw this on since it's just a quick tie.
Comfortable
Lightweight - this one doesn't have to be retired no matter how hot out it is.
Can do a high-back carry.
Great for nursing!

Cons:

No sleeping hood.
Long straps are no fun when it's wet outside since they seem to be a magnet for water on the ground.



DH thinks the pattern on the BabyHawk is too girly, so he won't wear it when we're out.  And if we're out together he pretty much always wears the baby (unless I'm nursing).  So he exclusively wears the Pikkolo.



Pros:

Can be used from birth.
Ergonomic and comfortable as the weight bearing is spread between the shoulders, back, and hips.
Can be used for front carries - facing in and facing out, hip carries, and back carries.
Has loops for attaching pacifier
Sleeping hood! Which is great if your little one would rather check out the world than sleep.

Cons:

If you're sharing this with your partner and he's almost a foot taller than you, it takes a little time to adjust back and forth.
Gets warm.

[mrsmonogrammed]

Does anybody have an opinion on what kind of wrap is easiest to nurse in?? I'm interested in finding one to make going out and about easier since she takes so long to eat!

[redlipz]

mrsmonogrammed a ring along is fairly easy to nurse in and you can use the tail as a cover.
At this age, a moby or a stretchy wrap works well for nursing also since they don't have super great head control and you can gently support their head with the wrap.

I use a woven when I'm out and only lower her. Sometimes I'll use a nursing cover and other times I don't.

[shahoi]

Jul 17, 2015 4:32:34 GMT -5 tulips114 said:

sugarkissed redlipz where do you get those pretty woven wraps?

+1 on wanting to know! I'm digging this style. All I have is a K'tan and I think it's much too hot to take O out in this heat wrapped in one.

[redlipz]

@tulips they are everywhere. You can find them on etsy to begin with. The one I'm wearing on the picture is from Germany.

baytosa2013 oh yeah! A lot of handwovens usually can only be bought if you win a draw, same with wrap conversions. I have seen a costum wrap conversion Tula go for $1,550. Yes I said one thousand five hundred and fifty.
It's a crazy Babywearing world.

[sugarkissed]

baytosa2013, shahoi, tulips114, I bought one of mine online (I only know of Canadian sites to recommend though!) and another from a FSOT group on Facebook. The used ones are almost better than brand new when you are a beginner as they are already broken in.

[billyhorrible]

Jul 17, 2015 10:19:33 GMT -5 mrsmonogrammed said:

Does anybody have an opinion on what kind of wrap is easiest to nurse in?? I'm interested in finding one to make going out and about easier since she takes so long to eat!

Personally I like SSCs/mei tais for nursing because they're so easy to lower into position. I always had a really hard time nursing in the moby.

Also, this time around I'm a pro at carrier nursing, but as a FTM I really didn't get the hang of it until he was 4 months old and had pretty stable head/neck control.

[littlemissgrump]

We have 2 K'tans, an Ergo work infant insert, and a Moby.

I don't prefer the Moby because of the length of the fabric.

I haven't worn LO yet but here is an AW of my H with brand new Dash in the K'tan.

[tiffbot]

Jul 17, 2015 10:39:08 GMT -5 redlipz said:

@tulips they are everywhere. You can find them on etsy to begin with. The one I'm wearing on the picture is from Germany.

baytosa2013 oh yeah! A lot of handwovens usually can only be bought if you win a draw, same with wrap conversions. I have seen a costum wrap conversion Tula go for $1,550. Yes I said one thousand five hundred and fifty.
It's a crazy Babywearing world.

Oh my word. I think I almost gave H a heart attack when I told him about $700 used ones that I've seen, let alone over twice that!

[mrskblack11]

Sooooo I've become obsessed with baby wearing. J doesn't like to be put down for very long to wearing him is he only way for me to eat breakfast or clean up around the house.

Right now I have been using a moby.

I bought my first woven and am just waiting now for it to arrive it's a Pavo Aquaria Salt Water Taffy Atlantic. www.pavoform.com/nostalgia/aquaria-atlantic

Here is J in the moby. He loves looking around. I finally figured out how to nurse him in it. He eventually passes out in it.
*poof*

[redlipz]

@mrsblack11 Pavos are so buttery once break it in. You'll love it. Just remember not to wash it in a detergent with optical brighteners and if you put it in the dryer remember not to dry it all the way.

[dogmama22]

That Pavo is so pretty mrskblack11! Also, your LO looks so grown up holding his head like that. Our tiny squishes are growing too fast already!

[mcp6286]

sugarkissed you look adorable wearing a baby...I can see why you love it!

This thread is making me excited to try baby wearing tomorrow! I've had mine sitting in the crib because LO was too small to use it without the infant insert and I didn't want to buy it for just a few weeks. Got the thumbs up today that she's big enough! And I think she'll like it cuz she's super nosy...always turning her head and looking around so she doesn't miss anything

[dogmama22]

Jul 17, 2015 19:44:29 GMT -5 @bubbs119 said:

I'm interested in the ring slings. Not sure wher to start - suggestions?

Search on Facebook and see if you can find a Babywearing International group near you. If so, you can go to a meeting and try on all different carriers and see what you like and ask questions. If not, I'm no help in picking a RS.

[baytosa2013]

mrskblack11

That wrap is so pretty! Maybe I'll try one when I feel a little more confident baby wearing. I'm planning to go to a baby wearing meet up here in town and maybe I'll be able to check one out for a week or two to try it before buying!

[sugarkissed]

Awww, thanks mcp6286! I accessorize with wraps instead of nice clothing... because I spent all of my money on said wraps and can't afford new clothes. Haha.

[mrsmonogrammed]

You ladies inspired me and I bought a boba last night. When I got home to try it out with DD she really seemed to love it! And by that I mean she fell asleep;) which is really all you can ask of a baby carrier, no?

Excited to put it to actual use soon!