A baby carrier is today's essential product. It's second on the list and no, you're not crazy, I've never posted the entire list. If you give away the cow for free, nobody is going to buy the milk. And, truth be told, the list is sort of a work in progress.
The List so far (in no particular order):
1. Place to Sleep
2. Carrier
At first I wondered if a baby carrier is in fact essential. Why can't one just carry her baby in her arms? From my non-mother point of view, a baby carrier seemed like a convenience, a bonus gadget. Realizing that I couldn't rely on my outsider perspective, I asked some new moms about baby carriers. Did they have one? How often did they use it? Is it really essential? Every new mom (without exception) told me that she had a carrier and she used it often. The moms unanimously agreed that carriers are essential. I also started to notice how many baby carriers I see on a daily basis. They're everywhere. I would wager that carriers are used just as much as strollers, if not more.
Why are baby carriers essential? Because there are a lot of activities that require two hands. The carrier keeps the baby warm, cozy and peaceful while the mom can grocery shopping, get a coffee at Starbucks and travel on the subway. You know how I feel about strollers on the subway (more on that here). Carriers, however, are welcome on the subway. And, for apartment dwellers, carriers are far more compact than strollers.
La Stella Blu ($45)
Maya Wrap ($74.95)
Belle ($109.95)
6 comments:
My RSS feed isn't updating with your posts! Good thing I follow on twitter :-).
Anyways, I have several carriers. We got stuck in the Baby Bjorn yesterday. My advice is that you try the carrier for the first time with someone else there with you and access to YouTube. Otherwise, you might get stuck with a crying baby on your chest and what follows is an ordeal involving trying not to crush OR drop the baby while lying on the bed blindly unhooking any straps your fingers can find.
So, we have a Peanut Shell, Baby Bjorn and BabyHawk MeiTai. The BB and MeiTai I bought second hand and the peanut shell was a gift (regifted from my friend who hates it). Our baby is small, probably only about Lb. and almost 2 months old. We've only been successful with the MeiTai but we LOVE IT.
Here is their website http://www.babyhawk.com/. Kind of expensive for a piece of cloth with straps, but it is well worth the $15 I spent at a moms of multiples consignment sale. I use it shopping, going out to eat, at church. Basically, when other mom leave their kid in the infant carrier, I usually sport the MeiTai. Not because I'm too good for the infant carrier, but because I'm weak and I hate lugging it around (and my baby is small, I can't imagine how annoying it is with a big baby).
The Peanut Shell always slides down when I try to use it and well, we got stuck in the BB when I tried to use it for the first time now that I'm confident she's over 8 Lb. I'm going to try it again soon though, when the hubby is home.
I love the MeiTai. My friend loves her Ergo. My other friend made her own with this tutorial http://monkeysewmonkeydo.blogspot.com/search/label/babywearing. And everyone else just mostly uses strollers, swings, and bouncy chairs.
My advice is either go with the MeiTai because it's awesome and you can design your own OR go with whatever you can find secondhand.
I went to a wedding a couple weeks ago where a guest brought her two week old son in a La Stella Blu type holder. He was completely covered and secured like he was in the womb. She was able to eat with a fork and knife and talk using hand gestures without trouble.
At that moment, I made a mental note to put that on the TOP of my "Things to buy when I get pregnant" list.
And as a bonus! To my knowledge, no guests touched that baby without permission!
I love the Moby Wrap. It is so comfortable for Mom and baby. Could not live without it, can use 2 hands freely! I also have the Baby Bjorn Active which is great because it has better back support.
I meant the Baby Bjorn Active has better back support than the regular Baby Bjorn.
Hi Everyone - Thanks for all the great information on baby carriers. And thanks for confirming that it's a "must have" item.
Baby sling are able to provide privacy when breastfeeding or nursing your baby in public. You can nestle the baby deep within the fabric of the sling to ensure privacy while monitoring that the baby’s head is relaxed and not squished upon its chest, which is important to maintain proper breathing.
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