Random Product Review: Baby Carriers

This might seem kinda random, but I feel like people ask me about baby carriers all the time.

I'm a huge fan of wearing your baby. Henry pretty much spent the entire first year of his life strapped to me with some contraption or another.

Loved. it.

Unfortunately, I rarely wear my girls. It's just tough to have one baby strapped to you and try to pick the other one up. I know lots of twin mamas wear their babies, but I just found it was too cumbersome for me. With that said, my reviews are based mainly on my experiences with Henry.

Bjorn:
I think everyone registers for one of these. And frankly, I think that's the only reason these keep selling...because once you get it home and really start using it, you realize that it's not the greatest. I was given one of these by a friend, and used it a lot in the beginning...until I realized how bad it made my back and shoulders hurt. Remember when you were in high school and you had to carry around that Jansport filled with ridiculously heavy, hard backed American History books? It's like that only on your front...and that's another thing...you can only use it to carry on the front...it doesn't work to carry on your back, so you can really only use it for a short period of time...you just can't comfortably carry a 20 pound baby off your chest...I don't care who you are...

The Bjorn isn't without some pros, though. It snaps on quickly and easily...and it's a bit more "manly" looking...so Andy was happy to wear it without feeling too immasculated. :)

Sling:
I made one of these myself. Bought some super cute fabric, ordered the rings from a specialized sling company, followed directions online. I wasn't a fan. Granted, I have a feeling I must have been wearing it wrong or something, because there are a lot of people who *swear* by slings...I just felt like it always dug into my neck. No matter how I adjusted it, I didn't feel comfortable. The jury is out on this one because I think my issues were more user-error than the sling itself. Needless to say, I have a really cute turqouise and brown sling sitting in the corner of my closet. Bummer.

Moby:
I also made this myself (actually, my mother in law did it for me). A "real" Moby costs about $45...for $3 we got 1.5 yards of jersey (t-shirt) fabric...cut it in half (lengthwise), and sewed the ends together to make one, reeeealllly long piece of fabric. (I think I googled "how to make a moby wrap" and found plenty of instructions...and it took all of 15 minutes). Anyway...Loved, Loved, LOVED it. Henry LIVED in his Moby. It. was. awesome. The fabric distributes the weight of the baby throughout your entire upper body, stretches with your movement, and baby is all cozy and snuggly wrapped up tight. Plus, since it's just T-Shirt fabric, you can throw it in the wash. I *highly* recommend a Moby (real or otherwise).

Apparently, you can tie your Moby in such a way that will allow you to carry twins. Unfortunately, by the time my c-section incision healed enough for me to actually have something tied around my waist, I felt like the girls were a bit big for me to handle having them both wrapped up on me. (I wouldn't have *dreamed* of tying anything around my waist for at least 6 weeks...their combined BIRTH weight was 13 pounds...)

Cons: it is quite a bit of fabric, so it is kinda a lot to carry around with you when not in use. Husbands tend to be less enthusiastic about wearing it (at least mine was). While it does take some practice to get it tied on, it's easy...albeit a bit difficult to do if you are in public and your kid is screaming. :)

Ergo:

(I'm pregnant with the girls in this photo...although I didn't know it was twins yet! I was soooo nauseous!!!)

I never used my Ergo on my kids when they were newborns, so I can't really vouch for that time period. I just went straight to the Moby. But I *adore* my Ergo. I use it regularly when we go for walks (since I don't have a triple stroller, I push 2 and carry Jilly), and I've used it with Henry even recently. It distributes most of the weight onto your HIPS and is super easy to put on...just snap a couple of buckles, and you are done. You wear smaller babes on your front...and bigger kids on the back. Plus, Andy will wear this one too. :)

Cons: It's pricey. You can only buy it online or at fancy baby boutiques. And it's rarely on sale. BUT, (as I'm sure you won't be surprised), I got mine on Craigslist for $50.

***

I think if you wanted to only buy ONE baby carrier, I would suggest the Ergo...and then spend the extra couple of bucks to make yourself a Moby. There's just nothing that can compare to the coziness of a newborn in a Moby...

Twin Carriers?

Yeah they exist. No, I don't own one. I just can't imagine my 5'2" frame comfortably wielding one of these...and they resemble the Bjorn...for two babies...double the misery. Blech.

Have I missed something? What is your favorite carrier?