I am planning to buy a baby carrier for my new-born. I do not have much knowledge about this, and I searched on the internet and found some comments saying that baby bjorns are not very good for the baby, and only certain kinds of baby carriers are good enough. I saw some parents using the cloth baby carriers (carriers made of cloth only, not as hard as baby bjorns). Do you have any recommendations which kind of baby carriers I should buy and where I can find it?
Hi there, I have to agree that Baby Björns are really not very good, cheaply made and rather uncomfortable. I was given a carrying cloth "Didymos" as a handmedown gift from a friend. My Swiss husband laughed at it and said "no one in Switzerland uses that".. I was quite sad and hurt by this but turns out they are VERY popular here and the first time our midwife showed us how to tie it, he was ecstatic about it. Now he wears it every day and enjoys the looks women give him and the "Jöööö how cute" The best thing about a carrying cloth, you can tie it however you like and there are many videos on the net "how to". A word of advice though... buy one which is long enough... at least 5 meters long. The first one I had was a little over 3 and there aren't too many options with one that short.
I also agree with the Bjons. I bought the 'sleepy wrap' it was excellent for my newborn, especially for just getting things done around the house in that early stage and they can sleep upright on you or cradled, my baby always settled in it. I had to order it online but it was delivered very quickly and the price is not so bad either. The only draw back is getting used to wrapping yourself without dragging it on the floor- still not mastered that one!
My little one is just approaching 6 months and i am looking at getting an Ergo carrier, Im hoping it will be alot faster to put on and the baby is getting heavier so i think I need something more sturdy.
Well thats my opinion but there are loads out there, the choice is boggling, good luck
we spent a lot of time reviewing products for our little fella, and after speaking to a few in-the-know peeps we settled on the Ergo Baby.
having now used it for a year, we can highly recommend their products.
The Ergo baby is very comfortable for both the baby and the pack horse (mummy/daddy). The carrier can be supplemented with a good range of accessories and it is easily machine washable. (very handy if your little bundle is as messy as ours was). They also offer organic, softer cotton which is a nice touch too.
cheers
Nic
and .... as for the cloth baby carriers.... they were kinda fun in the "parenting course" at the hospital, but realistically I (as a daddy) found them to be an absolute p.i.t.a. Mummy's may differ in their opinion.
When my daughter was small we used a Kari-me wrap, then a mei-tai and also a ring sling. If you think you will be carrying your baby most of the time, then I recommend having a couple of slings/carriers. We always used the ring sling in conjunction with the other carriers. That way we could easily hand her over from one person to the other, which was great when travelling and out and about. The ring sling was also invaluable for around the house and for breastfeeding. The way we used it also changed. She went from lying down in it to sitting up, and then to sitting on our hips in it when she was a toddler.
When she was one we got an Ergo and used it until she was three. If I'd known about them earlier I would have got one when she was a tiny baby. As it was, it was great for carrying her on my front, and then later on my back. It's very easy to use, and my husband loved it, too. It's also easily adjusted for use by different people. It also lasts very well. We used ours solidly for two years and it is now being used by a friend.
If you want to check out all the different kinds of slings/carriers (and there are more than you can dream of!) have a look at www.babywearing.com This site has different forums for people to ask questions and also user reviews.
I carried a lot of babies as a maternity nurse and a very important thing to me is that the carrier supports my back. Of course it has to be comfortable and supportive for the baby too, especially if you want to carry your newborn baby.
I find Tricot.Slen from babylonia.be very good. It comes with a manual how to wrap it around you in different ways and it didn't take a long time to learn how to do it. It's suitable for babies from 2.5 to 18 kg and you can wash it.
I got it from babyhut.net
Hope that helps. Good luck with carrying your baby!
I use a baby bjorn daily for my almost 8 month old. I find them the easier than a sling and you can face the baby forwards (3m+). The Ergo feels like a small baby can easily slip through or fall out the top. They are better if your baby is bigger/heavier I guess, mine are on the bottom of the chart.
I would recommend buying second hand and trying them both out. Both are machine washable. Some people I know have shelled out for a baby bjorn top priced model and then only used it only a couple of times.
We had a Baby Bjoern Active from birth and I loved the fact that Baby's head was so well supported etc. She was very happy in it.
Us, however less as it really strained our backs and as soon as she was close to 3 months we had to give it up as it became too much.
I then tested both the Ergo and the Beco and Beco won 100%
It is great as it distributed the weight on your shoulders and hips and also, you can carry an older baby (6 months plus) on your back, which my little one loved)
Unlike the Ergo, you completely strap up the Beco and afterwards put baby in, which I found much easier than trying to hold a baby in place whilst in the meantime trying to fasten shoulder clips.
I guess what I am also driving at, and you will notice this from the multiple answers here, is that it is also a matter of likes/dislikes for yourself.
If you can wait to buy it, maybe the best option would be to use a try service like the one on www.sonnenkind.ch and then choose when baby is there?
(They send you 2 carriers, and if you buy one then the trial period is free, if not you pay something for it and send both back) Given how expensive the carriers are, this is an option I would reccommend
I've been a happy user of cloth baby carrier from Didymos ( http://www.dydimos.ch/ ). Love the way you can tie the sling in several ways and accommodate the baby from newborn to 3 years old - well, provided you fancy carrying 17 kilos around :-).
Since we are now inbetween babies, you can borrow mine if you are interested. I have the reddish/violett Indio type... size 6 or 7 (cannot remember now, but it is long enough for my 1.87 husband). The DVD with usage instructions is I am sure also somewhere around.
i love, love, love our beco carrier! still use it with our 17-month old. when she was smaller, i also used the moby wrap. i also have a maya ring sling which can be nice for carrying her on my hip or back at the airport. so many carrier options, but bjorn is definitely not one i was ever interested in.
thanks jetset, do you think the beco carrier or the sling is more suitable for newborns? Where can I find a beco carrier, is there any shop that sells it? On the website I see it is sold in the US, and shipping cost is so expensive.
This sounds like marketing and hype. As for how good various types of carriers may or may not be for baby, read the information below. These "new" to many of us, but in reality very old, designs are very chic these days and look very trendy. However, please not that there are doubts as to their safety in use. I am not saying that they are evil or wrong, I just don't think that one should make these decisions based on random internet reviews, when it seems obvious that many people are trying to distance themselves from "modern society" or add that extra retro touch to their existence. Remember that the websites that strongly advocate these sort of carriers are likely to sell them or are users of them. And we all know that we all want to be the smartest, cleverest, best informed consumers, which can make people fiercely loyal to a particular product, regardless of the facts.
Now, I will admit that this information comes from a seller of these carriers. However the information link contains warning information that is from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
I have a sister-in-law that has used a Baby Björn for both of her children, up until the point where they could walk. It was sometimes the only way she could get them to relax. The support system is very good and supports all of the parts of an infants body.
Try and find reviews from people who used the item in question and then went on to try something else, but still recommend the original item in certain circumstances. These will tend to be the most useful and reliable reviews. This goes for all products. This is even more true if the reviewer has used or is currently using something that you are using or is in a similar situation as yourself.
I am a big fan of the Baby Björn, and most importantly, so is my son. He loves being carried in it, has a close to adult view, and my hands are free. He is now 8.5 months and I use it every day, even though I am pregnant with number 3.
I think the Bjorn is extremely well designed to distribute the baby's weight evenly - I have had no back problems using it (which I have had in the past / during my last pregnancy).
Finally, purely a personal taste point, but I do find that whilst the slings look great on 22 year old hippy mother types, they don't suit everyone ... but a secondary consideration!
Although others may disagree - if you carry your son outwards be aware, there have been reports of testicle bruising on the baby due to the design of the carrier.
Carrying your baby is a lot of fun for all, also a good way for the father to bond with the child. I started taking out our son for daily evening walks at the tender age of 12 days, giving my wife some well deserved quiet time.
Something to keep in mind - one size does not fit all. It is impossible for a structured baby carrier to fit the size range from newborn to toddler. If you can handle the tying, something like Didymos or Sleepywrap will fit the little ones the best. Ergo or Manduca are not ideal for newborns. You can always change to a structured carrier later. Even if you get multiple carriers, they are still much cheaper than a good baby car.
We currently use the Boba carrier, but it is designed for use starting around 8 months to 1 year.
We also have the Ergo carrier. We have a special insert for newborns. Our little one is three months and it has been great so far. I also have a Didymos wrap on loan from a friend. I really like it as well, especially when the baby was very small, but the Ergo is more comfortable when you need to carry her for a long time. Also, with the infant insert you can use just the Ergo carrier and don't need to switch models when your child gets older.
we received our beco carrier as a gift. i know there's a second hand shop in schaffhausen that sells them. however, if you go to the beco website, they list where you can go to get them. if you have a way to get things online from the u.s., that'd be a cheaper option. i think it was 200 CHF here and only like $120 in the u.s. they have a newborn insert that allows you to use it from 7 lbs on.
regarding the sling safety, i'd say it's a matter of using them CORRECTLY. many people don't and THAT's where the safety problems become an issue. read the handbooks and watch a few youtube video and you should be able to use any carrier safely.
oh, and i think the moby wrap is more suitable for newborns. my daughter LOVED being in it. i can see why. she was all cuddled in there like she was still in the womb. so convenient and easy. she always fell asleep and i could go about cleaning and doing as i liked. definitely youtube the different carriers and see which ones you think look the most comfortable/suitable for your lifestyle.