Baby Wearing Products

After reading the “Baby Wearing” article you may have decided to look into baby wearing. But which type of baby wearing product should you buy? Sling? Carrier? What type of sling or carrier? Refer below for some information about baby wearing products.

Choosing Sling Versus Carrier BabyBjorn Carrier Ergobaby Carrier Back Carriers Moby Wrap & Sling Products Family Pictures Decide for Yourself

Choosing Sling Versus Carrier
With our first baby we got a carrier rather than a sling. I didn’t have a specific reason for wanting a carrier over a sling except that I felt it would be easier for me to use and I just liked the idea of clips and hearing a snap to know I had my baby secure. With my second baby I learned that a sling was just as secure although I didn't feel it was as easy to get the baby in and out of so I enjoyed using a carrier on some days and a sling on others depending on why I was carrying my baby.

When deciding whether to get a sling or carrier and then what type of sling or carrier, you’ll want to consider the following factors:

• Is it easy to get baby in and out (especially if baby falls asleep, ideally you’ll want to be able to lay her down without waking her up)?
• How much weight can the carrier or sling hold?
• What holds can you do with the carrier or sling:  front belly to belly, front facing out, side, back?
• Does the carrier or sling adjust to fit different adults?
• Does the carrier or sling have padded support to provide comfort to adult?
• What accessories are available with carrier or sling, like a hood to protect baby’s head?

A sling is usually easier to use when breastfeeding although I recently saw a woman breastfeeding her baby while he was in a BabyBjorn carrier. Slings are usually more versatile than the carriers and may allow you to carry the baby closer to the two year mark. Generally, one sling allows you to carry the baby in multiple positions such as front facing in and out, side, and back.

The BabyBjorn carrier described below, works well to hold the baby in the front carrier position (belly to belly and also facing out) and this carrier will hold the baby up to approximately 25/ 26 pounds. The other carrier, Ergobaby, works well to carry the baby in front carrier position (belly to belly ONLY not facing out) and also the side and the back carrier position and this will carry the baby up to 40 pounds. I wasn’t able to find a carrier that did all of the different carrier positions like most slings can do and thus I ended up buying two carriers.

Some people prefer the comfort of a carrier over a sling and vice versa. The slings usually don't have padding but I found the Moby Wrap sling to be just as comfortable as the BabyBjorn carrier. The only drawback I had with the sling was it was not as easy to get the baby in and out of and so if I planned to only have our baby in it briefly to allow her to fall asleep then I preferred to use the BabyBjorn. On the other hand, I found the sling more "comfy" for a newborn and I enjoyed wearing my baby in it while she took a nap.

You will also want to consider your spouse's opinion when purchasing a baby wearing product. Some men may not want to wear a sling as much as a carrier. Some slings are fitted to the adult carrier, i.e. small, medium, or large so you'll need to take that into account. The Moby Wrap is a one size wrap and easily adjusts to caregiver. There are many, many baby sling and carrier products out there, refer below for some of the products I've tried.
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BabyBjorn Carrier

            Easy In, Easy Out
My sister-in-law recommended the BabyBjorn as she tried a “cheaper” product and it just wasn’t as easy to get the baby in and out. The BabyBjorn is nice because it hooks in on both sides so you can easily get the baby in and out. We went with the BabyBjorn based on this recommendation and loved it.

The Erogobaby carrier, described next, which I bought when my baby was older, had some nice features but was definitely not as easy to get my baby in and out of so I felt fortunate that I had the BabyBjorn when my baby was younger.

We find it is easiest to put on the straps over the adult’s shoulders and hook in the bottom clips. Then lay it out flat say on the adult’s legs and then lay the baby on it, bring up the carrier with baby in it and clip into the side clips. Video demonstration coming soon. Refer to BabyBjorn website for actual instructions.

            8 lbs and 21 Inches Up to 25 Pounds
The carrier we got was able to be used from 8 lbs and 21 inches up to 25 lbs (some go up to 26 pounds) although we probably stopped using it when my baby was around six to nine months (around 21 pounds) as he was getting heavy and it wasn’t as comfortable to carry him. We did have the basic model and the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Active or the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Synergy claim to be more comfortable to carry a larger baby or a baby for longer periods of time.

            Carry Front (Belly to Belly or Facing Out)
The BabyBjorn allows you to carry the baby in the front position, either belly to belly or facing out. In general they recommend you carry your child facing you in the baby carrier until he is around 4 months – or until the child’s neck muscles are strong enough to hold up his/her head. My baby loved both of these carry positions.

            Adjust for the Adult Carrier
The BabyBjorn was easy to adjust to fit both me and Erik. It also had lots of padding and back support. When my baby was little I would wear him all day. I did feel some weight on my shoulders but overall it was very comfortable for the amount of time I wore my baby.

            Pro/ Con
The pro for the BabyBjorn is that it is really easy to get the baby in and out of the carrier and allows the front facing out carrier position that an older baby enjoys. The main con to the BabyBjorn is the weight limitation, the 25 pounds and the fact it only has the front carrier position. Another con is that the baby remains in the same position with her legs straddling the centerpiece versus a sling carrier like the Moby Wrap the baby can have her legs tucked up and be able to lay against you like a normal baby hold position.

Refer to the http://www.babybjorn.com/us// for more information on the products or please refer to The MOMMBY Amazon Store - Routine Care - Products for some of the BabyBjorn products.
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Ergobaby Carrier
When my baby turned 14 months I started looking into getting another carrier simply because there were still times when I need to carry him on my hip for an extended period of time. A carrier will help take some weight off of my arm and wrist and also make it easier to continue doing things like pushing the shopping cart or cleaning up around the house.

I bought the Ergobaby Carrier to enable me to carry my older, heavier baby. The Ergobaby carrier was a fairly versatile carrier that would allow me to carry my baby up to 40 pounds. I probably only used the Ergobaby carrier for a few months because by the time my son was around 1 1/2 he wanted to walk everywhere by himself and by 20 months he would push the grocery cart.

Not as Easy In, Easy Out
The Ergobaby carrier is not as easy to get the baby in and out. Erik (an engineer) had to read the directions several times to make sure we hooked up the carrier correctly for the side carry position (I couldn’t figure it out.) Once we figured it out it wasn’t real cumbersome but not as simple as the BabyBjorn or possibly some of the sling types. I don’t think I would have been able to get a sleeping baby in and out of this carrier without waking him.

15 lbs to 40 Pounds (or 7lbs to 15 lbs with Infant Insert)
The Ergobaby carrier can carry the baby when she is 15 lbs to 40 pounds (or 7lbs to 15 lbs with infant insert).  Thus, if you are only able to get one carrier then this would allow you to carry the baby longer than the BabyBjorn since that carrier only went up to approximately 25/ 26 pounds.

         Carry Front (Belly to Belly ONLY, Not Facing Out) and Side and Back
I liked the fact that the Ergobaby carrier allows me to use the side and back positions. Since I was buying the carrier when my baby was 14 months, I planned to use the side carrier position most of the time, and I figured that Erik would like to use the back carrier position. I wasn’t concerned about the fact that my baby couldn’t face out in the front carrier position since at his current age, we wouldn’t need the front carrier position.

If I was getting this when my baby was younger than I would have been disappointed that it didn’t do the front (facing out) carrier position as my baby really enjoyed the front facing carrier position starting around 4 months until 6 or 9 months when we stopped carrying him in the BabyBjorn.

Adjust for the Adult Carrier
Like the BabyBjorn, the Ergobaby was easy to adjust to fit both me and Erik. It also had lots of padding and back support.

            Pro/ Con
The pro for the Ergobaby carrier is that it allowed the side and back carrier positions and would carry an older baby up to 40 pounds. The con was that the Ergobaby wasn’t as easy to get baby in and out and it doesn’t allow you to carry the baby front facing out.

Accessories
As stated above, if you want to carry an infant (7lbs – 15 lbs) then you need to buy the infant insert. Similar to the BabyBjorn accessory products you can buy sucking pads and also a weather cover. In addition, you can buy a front pouch, or a back pack all of which can attach to the carrier. A nice accessory that actually comes with the carrier is a light hood and a pocket.

For more information on Ergobaby products, please refer to this link to its website:  http://www.ergobabycarrier.com or please refer to The MOMMBY Amazon Store - Routine Care - Products for some of the Ergobaby products.
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Back Carriers
The Ergobaby carrier can be used to carry the baby on your back. I haven’t tried this position yet. The Infantino can do a front and back carrier position.

There are other heavy duty back carriers such as those made by Kelty and Chicco. We briefly considered getting one but we decided we didn’t do enough hiking to warrant purchasing a hiking back carrier. The picture at the top of this article was a back carrier we borrowed from a friend when we went hiking in Colorado. It was a really nice carrier.
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Moby Wrap & Sling Products
I tried a Moby Wrap sling product before we were discharged from the hospital after the birth of my daughter. I loved it immediately. It seemed so comfy for both of us.

Not as Easy In, Easy Out
I do not find the Moby Wrap as easy to get the baby in and out of as the BabyBjorn although I've only been using it for a few weeks. If you are going to use the wrap while shopping it may be easiest to put the wrap on before you leave the house.

Up to 35 Pounds
A great feature of the Moby Wrap is that it can carry a baby up to 35 pounds. My 2 1/2 year old is only 27 pounds so technically I could carry him in the wrap. I haven't tried this as I don't want him to realize I could carry him in something that I use to carry his baby sister in.

Carry Front (Belly to Belly and Facing Out) and Side and Back
Another great feature of the Moby Wrap is that it is extremely versatile and will allow you to carry your baby in multiple positions. For a newborn, I especially liked the "Newborn Hug Hold." As the baby gets older you can try other holds such as having the baby face out, do a side or back hold. I'm also planning to try to use the breastfeeding hold to allow my baby to breastfeed while in the wrap.

Adjust for the Adult Carrier
This sling product is one size and easily adjusts to each caregiver.

Pro/ Con
The pro of this product is that it is extremely versatile and allows you to hold the baby in multiple holds. I really like this product to use for the first few weeks as I enjoyed carrying my baby in the "Newborn Hug Hold." Some people feel this carrier is more comfortable than carrier products. The main con is for me the product was not as easy to get my baby in and out of like a carrier such as the BabyBjorn.

Accessories
I am not aware of additional accessories associated with the Moby Wrap.

For more information on Moby Wrap products, please refer to this link to its website: http://www.mobywrap.com/. Some other sling products are through Hotslings, Infantino, Balboa Baby. Please refer to The MOMMBY Amazon Store - Routine Care - Products for some of the sling products.
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Family Pictures
Even though I wore my son in the BabyBjorn carrier every day for the first two months, there are not many pictures of me and him. Here are some carrier pictures of our son with Daddy. Also, refer to a recent picture of me wearing my daughter in the Moby wrap.

Daddy and Baby Doing Chores (BabyBjorn)		Daddy and Baby on Beach

This reminds me of “Mini-Me” in the Austin Powers movie.	Ergobaby Side Carry	Back Carrier - Hiking in Colorado

Moby Wrap	My Sleeping Pumpkin

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Decide for Yourself
Overall, depending on what you read some research suggests that slings are better and other suggests carriers are better. My belief as with most things written at this site, is that whatever works best for you is the best option. I enjoyed both the carrier and the sling products. The most important thing is to find what you prefer to help you carry and bond with your baby. Enjoy baby wearing!
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Last updated: November 2010; January 2010