Product review: baby wearing/baby carriers

Zenful Mommy and Sam's Mom both have little ones we "wear." Baby wearing is a wonderful way to bond with your child, while keeping you hands free to GET STUFF DONE. Sam's Mom primarily does baby wearing in grocery stores/errands, and outside walks. Sam also loves to be in the carrier when he's super-fussy; being close, feeling mama's heartbeat seems to calm him. Zenful Mommy is a SAHM and without babycarring, would NOT be able to get cooking/cleaning/laundry and everything else done. We have each tried a myriad of carriers over the last few months, and want to share our favorites with you.

MAYA WRAP

Description: the Maya wrap is a long (6 foot) piece of light-weight fabric, secured with D rings. It is an over-one-shoulder sling wrap and adjusts for newborns to toddlers (up to 35 lbs.) You can hold baby in many different poses, and even breast-feed while wearing baby. It's quite versatle and, depending upon the style you purchase, has padding on the shoulder and a pocket that can hold a diaper, keys, wallet, etc.

Sam's Mom: My Maya wrap is the newer version with a padded shoulder and large zippered pocket.  I really like it.  It took me a bit to get used to the D rings, but I find they are VERY secure (a worry at first) and allow for a total custom fit.  Sam likes the hip hold the best, but also the front hold (if he's fussy.)  When he was smaller we used the cradle hold and he would fall asleep in the carrier.  It was a god-send while we were in Ethiopia!

Zenful Mommy: My Maya wrap is actually a discontinued version and is more like the Hotsling(see below). I LOVE LOVE this sling. I ordered the wrap after my daughter was diagnosed with Reflux at less than a week old and basically had to be kept in an upright position 24 hours a day. This sling was my SAVIOUR and was really easy to use. I was able to order the wrap in a size (S,M,L) which fit my frame perfect! There were buttons if I needed to make it a little tighter or make any slight adjustments. I use this for my 3rd baby now, its great for infants and especially easy to put on as well as to insert the baby or toddler. Toddlers can sit on your hip and see what going on and you can still have free hands. It is also great for nursing and does provide slight coverage.As I mentioned, my Maya Wrap is a version that is no longer available but I absolutely LOVE it and still use it to this day. MY ALL TIME FAV!

HOTSLING

Description: Hotslings are a continuous piece of slightly stretchy fabric, sewn in a circular shape. You fold the fabric in half, and baby fits in between the 2 sides, just like in the Maya Wrap. It's also an over-one-shoulder sling wrap and can be used for newborns to toddlers (up to 35 lbs.) Again, you can hold baby in many different poses.

Sam's Mom: I LOVE LOVE LOVE this wrap! It's the quickest to put on,  requires very little adjustment, and had the smallest learning curve. I find it very convenient for errands, as I just pop him in when we are at the store.  If he wants out (to ride in a cart, etc.)  It's small and compact and can easily fit into the diaper bag.  It is wide, so provides support across my back to take pressure off the shoulder. It also has a padded rail under Sam's legs, so it's more comfortable for him. He is very secure, and I don't have to worry about re-adjusting him while wearing it. I also love all the patterns available. Mine even has a pocket for keys/cash/credit cards. The pocket is too small for a diaper, but I don't miss that space. It's sleek and stylish and is definitely my favorite of all the carriers we tried.

MOBY

Description: The Moby is a long piece (15 feet) of slightly stretchy fabric. It is tied on and has a lot of position options. It's for newborns to toddlers (up to 35 lbs.) It CAN be difficult to get used to at first, and the tying definitely has a learning-curve.

Sam's Mom: There are loads of You-Tube videos to help you out, but at first I needed the help of my husband to get the hang of it. It's also the most difficult to get Sam into/out of. That being said, it is THE MOST COMFORTABLE because it evenly distributes the weight across both shoulders and your entire back. The fabric is wide, so it doesn't dig into your shoulders. It also covers baby more, so is great for the fall. I can fit Sam in it with or without a jacket/coat. For me, this isn't a grocery/errand kind of wrap, because it's just too complicated to get on. However, it's great for long walks/hiking and longer wearing. It is really, really comfortable, I cannot stress that enough. I have been told by many moms that the more I wear/use it , the faster I'll get (tying it on.)

BABY BJORN

Description: the Baby Bjorn is a structured wrap (think: back-pack for baby.)

Zenful Mommy: Our Baby Bjorn is mostly used by my husband as it looks more masculine for him. It is quite pricey but well worth it. I did try it on a weekend trip but found that it hurt my back and was quite difficult to put the baby in because of all of the snaps and hooks. My husband loves carrying my son in this and says that it does not hurt his back or cause any stress. You can carry babies thru toddlers and they can face you or face outward. We have this for a back up and for when we go out with all of the kids and daddy has the baby while I have the girls.

ERGO

Description: The Ergo is a structured carrier, like the Baby Bjorn.

Zenful Mommy : My Ergo was given to me a couple of weeks ago by a mom who I was talking to after school one day. I was telling her how I had to nurse my son in the bathroom at the school. She proceeded to go to her car and bring me the Ergo baby carrier and told me to try it out. I can NOT say enough good things about this carrier. First of all it is super easy to put on and super easy to put a baby in...but the best WOW factor is that you can nurse and snap up a little cover over the baby and no one can see! YIPPEE! This means that I can nurse anywhere and anytime and not feel self conscious at all. I would definitely suggest this if you want something that is easy to use from newborn on up and a MUST if you are going to nurse.

If you have any questions about any of the carriers or about our review in general, please contact us.

Do you have a favorite carrier? We'd love to hear about it!

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