Friday, October 28, 2011

Treasured By Pearl: My Baby Carrier

I was out and about today and met some radiant mamas-to-be, and ya’ll know me, I was bursting at the seams to give my advice!  (I think I may have even gone overboard…  Imagine that!)  Anyhow, that got me to thinking that I need to blog about my favorite products, things that make my life easier or that Lydia seems to enjoy, so here it is!  (My A#1 favorite baby innovation is my gDiapers, which I’ve already written about and you can read about here, so I will not be reviewing them again.)

(Also, I think I’ll format this one a little differently than the previous blogs.  I believe I will post as soon as I have one product --or two or three-- reviewed, instead of waiting until I have them all done.  This way, you can have instant gratification and not so much content that it overwhelms you.)
The Baby Carrier.  The thing that struck up my conversations with the future mamas today was the Baby Bjorn.  A lot of mamas you see out and about like strollers, and don’t get me wrong, I think there’s a time and place for them, but I LOVE wearing Lydia!  My carrier is comfortable, user-friendly, super easy to toss in the car, doesn’t take up much room, and I know she is safe and secure b/c she is RIGHT there.  It’s got the closeness of carrying her in my arms, but my back doesn’t hurt after I take her off, and I have free use of both hands!  As afore mentioned, the brand we have is a Baby Bjorn Active. 


This is the third carrying device I’ve used.  The first was a sling (there are many brands – Hot Slings, Jelly Beans, etc.) which was perfect for her when she was newborn.  I had a Jelly Bean (a Target Brand) that I bought for $25 at the children’s consignment store (more on the importance & amazingness of consignment stores later).  The sling carries them very similarly to how they rode in the womb, and though they may look wadded up, it is comfy for them b/c it reminds them of the warm, cramped way life was before they were born.  She quickly outgrew that, though, and that’s saying something b/c she was only 6 lbs. 10 oz. when she came out. 
James with the Bjorn and my sister-in-law, Ashley, with her newborn, in my sling
(Sorry, that's the best pic I have of the sling.)

The second was a Snugli that my friend, Brittany, loaned me.  It was great b/c it folded up nice and compact and was very handy.  It held her a little more comfortably (for me AND her, I’m sure) than the sling, and she faced me (or James) til she could hold her head up on her own, when we turned her around (which she loved!).  When she got a little bigger, however, she got kind of top heavy in the Snugli, and the way this one was designed, you couldn’t wear her facing out so that she WASN’T top heavy.  Plus, there wasn’t too much back support, so even after just a few minutes wearing her, my back hurt. 

The third is the Baby Bjorn.  With the Bjorn and the Snugli, they have to be at least 8 lbs.  I decided on the Bjorn as opposed to something like the ErgoBaby (what I originally wanted) b/c in the Ergo, the baby can’t face out, which when Lydia is awake, she only likes to face out.  She likes to see what’s going on!  Plus, I found the Bjorn at the children’s consignment store for $34!  It has great back support and is easily adjustable, so it’s comfortable for both James and me.  My one complaint about the Bjorn is that it doesn’t fold up nicely like the sling and Snugli did.  I just carry it in one of our reusable bags.  Oh, and it doesn’t have pockets like the Snugli.  Oh well.  Can’t have my cake and eat it, too!

I use the Bjorn every day! 
I had originally wanted an ErgoBaby (new, over $100) b/c of all the great things I have heard about them.  I am glad that we didn’t have the money for one before she was born b/c she wouldn’t have liked it much anyway, and then we would have been out a lot of money!  My suggestion to you is to get a cheap carrier (or start with a sling, like me) and figure out if they prefer facing you or the world.  If they like seeing Mama and Daddy, go with the Ergo!  Check Ebay!  There’re great deals on those things on Ebay.  I’ve only seen one used in all my visits to the consignment stores, but check there, anyway.  However, if they prefer watching the world, there are many other options – my preference is, obviously, the Baby Bjorn Active.  They have another top-of-the-line carrier, called the Baby Bjorn Comfort, which, like the Ergo, has a comfy hip strap that provides extra support.
Here is a webpage that tells about reasons why it’s great to wear your baby.  It talks about convenience, physical development, communication, bonding, safety (I wear her when I go down the steps of our upstairs condo, for example, b/c I have no fear of dropping her, and I can grab the rails) economy, etc. 
Anyhow, that’s my first one!  Look for more to come. 
Mamas: do/did you wear your babies?  Experiences?

1 comment:

Sam Cook said...

I used a Snugli for Aspen when she was little. However, she didn't care for it very much. Then my sister gave me an old backpack carrier and we were in heaven. Aspen could ride on top of the world and see everthing. It was great for us.
Erica was a colicky baby so the Snugli worked better for us. She would be in that thing forever if she could. It allowed me to still accomplish chores and take care of Aspen while it gave her a few moments of contentness. Especially at two in the morning when we were walking the neighborhood. It was the only way I could get anything done and keep her happy. However, as soon as possible I switched her to the backpack because it was easier on my back and I had two free hands and could still lean down to tend to Aspen.