The sun came out today. And by mid-afternoon, you needed tanks and shorts. Again. In January.
I'm not complaining though, because I love sunshine. And I'm not getting the heat fixed in my car because it was going to cost over $1,000. And we haven't found the part to repair our house heater yet either. Sunshine, you're welcome around here... for now. So be nice and give us a break in July or August, will you?
I got a baby carrier for Christmas. It was my gift from our big family exchange. Everyone pools their money into one big pot, then we draw names, and shop for that person with everyone else's money. We used Wishpot.com to suggest gift ideas. I got this baby carrier. My entire family was asking why I need one more baby carrier. Please. I only have two others. Okay, technically four.
Here's photos and reviews of my baby wraps and carriers. I purchased the Moby and Ergo before Jax was born. The cotton wrap was third, then the Beco Gemini, then Olives and Applesauce.
Exhibit A: Moby Wrap in Grey, $30 used
Grey moby wrap, $30 used. Me: thumbs down. Hubby: thumbs up for newborns.
Cons: Fabric was waaayy too stretchy for my liking. As soon as I got him wrapped up, he'd be sagging near my knees in thirty minutes, and coming unwrapped. Extremely hot to wear. Perhaps nice for cold climates, but not south Texas. You have to learn to wrap it, which is challenging for some people. Doesn't support a newborn's head very well unless you have their head completely tucked in to the wrap (see hubby photo above). Even then, their head tends to sink down to the side as they sleep, which isn't particularly safe. I'm not a fan of unsafe positions for newborns (or any babies really, but newborns are the least able to protect themselves or alert you to a problem). The length of any wrap is static. In this case, that's a downside to the moby because it's way too long for most women, which means you have an excess of thick, heavy fabric to wrap extra layers around you, making you even hotter. Perhaps that's why dads like it better, since the long length is a better fit for their larger frames.
Pros: Fabric is a soft stretchy knit. The stretchier your fabric, the sloppier your wrap job will work and still be comfortable. So you can wear it without being good at wrapping. Comes in lots of beautiful colors. Low price, especially second hand. Dads tend to like it better than moms.
There's a ton of better carriers, but "moby wrap" is a name many moms have heard. So they get one. And probably don't like it, due to the volume of them for sale on craigslist for cheap.
Which leads me to the final con: if your name is out there so tons of people try your product, only to discover it doesn't work for them, they give up on baby wearing. So sad.
Thankfully, you can resell it easily because everyone is buying one and everyone
else is selling one. However, you'll sell it for about half of what it
cost new.
Exhibit B: Cotton Gauze wrap in Teal (plain fabric from fabric store), $15 used
Teal cotton gauze wrap. Me: thumbs up for outdoor, summer use. Hubby: thumbs down because he couldn't learn to wrap it himself.
Pros: It worked great this summer while we were camping and Jax was little. Lightweight fabric stays extremely cool even in very hot temperatures. Also dries quickly after being wet. Fabric is available at most fabric stores. As cheap as you can find the fabric, which is really inexpensive. Doesn't even have to be hemmed or serged, because it will fray about 1/4 inch then stay put. Great DIY no-sew wrap. Because it was inexpensive, I didn't mind getting it dirty or covered in lake water and sweat while camping. I would definitely use it again on a similar outing.
Cons: As with any wrap, the length is static. I got a length that fit me better, which meant it was nearly too short for hubby. If we didn't wrap it perfectly, we wouldn't come up with enough length to tie it at the end. You have to learn how to wrap, and you have to do it pretty well, because a non-stretchy fabric will pull and pinch your skin if it's bunched up and sloppy. Takes some time to get in/out of, so better for younger babies who aren't squirmy and wanting to get up/down all the time.
Overall, I liked it a lot and would definitely use it again on a similar trip. I'm not using it anymore at the moment, because it does take longer to put on/off, and Jax is so squirmy it's tough.
Exhibit C: Ergo Baby in Galaxy Grey, $80 used ($110 new)
Ergo Baby in galaxy grey (which I loved, especially with the newborn insert, when Jax was littler. But he's getting too tall for it, and the back support is only coming up to between his waist and shoulders. I don't feel that's high enough to be safe. I kept it in the car, to use while shopping and out-n-about so I didn't have to schlep the carrier back and forth between house and car). So this was the one I was trying to replace with a bigger sized one. Apparently some people have a thing against the Ergo company for trying to sue some other baby carrier companies. I liked the size and shape of it when Jax was a newborn. I liked the color and fabric and fit for my smaller body (a bit small for Benjamin). Straps won't cross behind your back, but can be worn with baby in front or baby in back. When Jax was little, the attached hood was perfect to cover him up for naps or sun protection. He's way too tall for it now. My favorite unique feature is the zippered pocket. It's the perfect size to slide your phone, key, and credit card in if you want to do some shopping or exploring without a handbag.
Beco Gemini in chocolate brown (which I like a lot, and it still works well. However, it's not as wide across the base, so not as supportive for his body. Also, it's plain dark brown. Benjamin wouldn't let me get the cute print one I wanted (Beco Gemini in Jewel, this print no longer available), because he likes wearing Jax too.
The Beco carrier fits Benjamin really well, while the Ergo is a bit small for him. So he uses it the most, which means I'm constantly readjusting the straps to fit me/him. (I'd like it to be Benjamin's carrier, not mine). I'm also not terribly a fan of the locking safety buckles, because they get stuck going in sometimes, and other times are hard to un-latch (takes two hands). Also, don't buy the teething pads for any carrier. They are worthless. The baby chews on every possible part of the carrier, and the teething pads don't seem to be the spot they chew. And they're kind of ugly. The Beco Gemini is purported to let baby face forward. It works. However, I found out later you're really not supposed to face baby forward in any baby carrier, even the ones designed that way, because it's bad for their hips and can cause displacement or hip trouble later on (I'm assuming if they are worn that way a lot, but the studies don't say how many hours is too much, better to avoid doing it at all).
Since Benjamin mostly uses the Gemini, and the Ergo is getting small, I CLEARLY needed another carrier. Actually, I could still use even one more. I could replace the Beco in the house, and the Ergo in the car, with a girly carrier in the house and a bigger carrier in the car. Right now, I'm schlepping my new one back and forth.
I chose Olives and Applesauce because the straps can go in an X across your back (or be worn other ways), because the body of it is larger and wider to fit Jax's growing size, and because it was cute.
My favorite unique feature about this carrier is the adjustable length side straps. When you're wearing baby on the front, you want the side straps short. When you're wearing baby on the back, you need them long. I've got them kind of in the middle, which means I can buckle the carrier on and off by myself, easily, in either front or back carry. I doubt you could use this carrier for a tiny newborn, but the larger body size is perfect for Jax right now and going forward for quite some time.
The Olives and Applesauce has an interior "pocket" like the Beco Butterfly. If desired, you can clip baby into the soft fabric pocket, so you baby would be attached to the carrier before being attached to the parent. One benefit of this is it makes it easier to transfer baby from parent to parent. However, I prefer to strap the waist strap on first, then plop baby inside, so I never use the pocket.
I have worn this with baby on front, baby on my back, and on my hip, and it works great in any position. One of the pros of this carrier is the wide and tall body, suitable for older children or large / tall babies like my son. I haven't tried it with a newborn, but would imagine it might be a bit large. I love my Ergo with newborn insert for newborn size though, so I'm not really needing this carrier to serve the same purpose.
I also like how large and sturdy the buckles are. There's no safety on the buckles (the Ergo has rubber band safetys, and the Beco Gemini has a buckle with a safety built into the buckle). I wouldn't mind if it had the Ergo style safetys, but it is also fine without them. The buckles are larger than any other SSC I've tried, so they seem sturdy on their own. The smaller buckles on the Beco actually tend to get cock-eyed, so you might think you've latched it, but you haven't - it's just stuck. A half-way latched buckle is NOT safe. Also, the Beco safety buckles require two hands to open. I much prefer a one-handed buckle.
The Olives and Applesauce carrier has an attached hood. I could do without this, since the size of it is designed for larger babies who will refuse to have the hood pulled over their head. Also, the hood is already too short for Jax's height (about 30 inches tall). I figured out a way to fold the hood inside the carrier, and tie the straps of it onto the side buckle/straps so that it stays down and folded inside, rather than flopping all over the place.
There is a small pocket on the front of this carrier, but my favorite pocket is on my Ergo, which zips closed. I wish all my carriers had this feature, as it's the perfect size to slip your keys, cell phone, and credit card into, if you want to shop or hike without a purse. The pocket on this one hardly fits the hood inside, and wouldn't be safe for any valuables as they could just slip out.
The other color I was torn between was Sweet Potato Metamorphosis, a
rusty orange/red base with a bright blue/navy paisley middle. I could
keep this one in the car and the green one in the house, right?
I would also be interested in a Kanga baby carrier, but those are heading into the over $200 price range!
After trying several wraps borrowed from another mom, I decided I'm an SSC girl (soft structured carrier). It means the carrier has structure/shape, which usually includes straps and buckles, but it's also soft, meaning it's not one of those huge things with metal poles that you see men hiking mountains carrying babies in. Wraps were just too hard for me to get on/off, they dragged on the floor, and took too much time getting in and out of. Sometimes Jax is in/out, or up/down because I can't figure out what he wants. Also, I (and babysitters) often put him to sleep in the baby carrier, then transfer him to the crib. So you have to be able to gently get him out of the carrier and into the crib without disturbing him too much. I never got the hang of this with a wrap.
To each his own. And to me, this beautiful new SSC!
