In this review:
Moby Wrap
Ergobaby
Baby Bjorn
Seven Slings
Moby Wrap: Best for the newborn. Best for use at home.
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GOOD
BAD
This is one of my two favorites. In fact, P is currently hanging out in this while I write this blog (cranky pants). This is the best one I've found for a newborn. It's easy to manipulate, it's really not complicated (really, even though it looks it), and it will hold P's head sideways against my chest when he falls asleep rather than flopping around--which he ALWAYS does in carriers. This allows you to keep baby's legs up in the fetal position (aka curled) and as baby gets older his legs can hang down as well. It's also much less bulky than the Ergo and there are a billion different holds. The major drawback in this carrier, in my opinion, is the complete lack of head support for an awake infant. When P is awake, pushing his head against my chest and trapping it there with the fabric will piss him off to no end. He has minimal head control as this point but when he's awake he likes to lean his head back to look at my face as we move around. There is nothing to hold the back of his head up in these instances, so I end up having to hold it up, which completely cancels out the use of the carrier since I don't have free hands that way. Since I'm not going to put him in the carrier to do stuff around the house if he's ALREADY asleep, I end up having to deal with this until he does fall asleep and then doing the things I need to do. It also seems like it will become uncomfortable pretty quickly once baby starts weighing more than an watermelon.
Ergobaby: Best for the infant with head control. Best for use out and about.
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This carrier is great for being out and about for long periods of time. P is comfy in it, it has support for the back of the head so he can look at me and I don't have to hold his head up, and it's VERY sturdy. I LOVE the "hood" on it, because we only go on walks when it's sunny and I don't like the sun hitting him in the face so as soon as he falls asleep I put the hood up (and this is easy to do by yourself) and immediately the sun is out of his face. Favorite. It took a few tries to get a hang of how to operate the Ergo, but it's now super easy. I love that it has a large weight capacity, and can be used on your back too when baby gets bigger. If you have a squirmy baby like mine, though, the infant insert can be a challenge because their butt is supposed to "sit" in the bottom of the insert. P does NOT take this lightly, so he often squirms out of the bottom of the insert and other than for head support I'm not actually sure it's making any difference for him at all. My major qualms with this carrier are few, but important. First, when P DOES fall asleep (which we've already established...he will), his head falls forward and headbutts me in the collar bone because he doesn't have enough head control to let it go slowly. He spends the entire time he's sleeping trying to get comfortable because it's hard for him to turn his head sideways enough to lay correctly on my chest, so he just keeps headbutting me. I hate this, because my chest is boney and it can't possibly feel good. It's also very bulky, so wearing it at home in order to get things done is pretty useless because you can't see what you're doing. Lastly, it's very hot. There are often warnings about infants in carriers overheating, "especially in canvas carriers" so...just be very careful with this is you live in a hot area. Which we are going to moving to in a month.
Baby Bjorn: Best for a quick fix. Best if carrier isn't used often.
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I don't use the baby bjorn. We have one, it was the first carrier I bought, but it doesn't do it for me. I find everything I need is really taken care of by the other two wraps, and this one this isn't that impressive. It's a lot lighter than the Ergo, though, which is a definite plus. It's also much simpler to use than either the Ergo or the Moby, and is much less constrictive. Some issues with this: it's NOT ergonomic. Recently I've read some articles about the dangers of keeping a baby in a carrier like this very often because it allows their legs to fall straight down rather than go around your waist, which is very bad for their hips. I do not have any background to support this, but I'm guessing if you don't use the carrier all day every day this won't make a difference, but if you live in the city and walk everywhere and use it all the time it can harm the baby. It also has the same issue as the Ergo with head support, where it has it for the back of their head but isn't very conducive to baby's forehead when it smacks into your chest. I don't even have a photo of me using it like the others because we simply don't use it. For something you aren't going to use often, which I wouldn't suggest with this, it retails for somewhere around $80 and is a little too expensive (I got mine second hand, never been used for $10 so I'm not that mad).
Seven Slings: Works if you have no boobs.
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I followed the sizing chart for this and picked the size they said I would fit into. I tried to use it when P was 3 weeks old, and was completely unsuccessful. Between the sling, him, and my boobs he was not going into it, and was even harder to get out (like squeezing into a dress that is really just too tight for you). I packaged it up and sent it to my sister in law (who I don't think has used it yet). This is the cheapest sling I've found--as long as you DO NOT pay for the sling!! There is always a coupon somewhere online for a free sling, just pay shipping, which I think is $11.95. Seriously. If you pay for this thing, just go ahead and punch yourself in the face. After I had issues putting it on I googled images of people using it and looked at their website and realized that every single woman was boobless. I...am not. No go. I would imagine this sling would be easy and convenient, though, for around the house especially--IF it fit you right.
Hope any of this helps. I have actual photos of us using the ergo and moby, but it seems P hates life right now so will have to fight will it later!
