I think it’s obvious why us humans are given (on average) 40 weeks to have a baby. It’ll take that long to decide which baby carrier to buy!! M would say, “Serious, mommy?” and I’d say, “Yes, I am very serious, for reals!!!” I thought the diapers and the strollers would be overwhelming. Get yourself into a baby carrier forum (yes, there is such a thing and this place is BUSY!) and you’d be aching for two dosage of migraine meds.
Growing up I had a piece of cloth, usually made from Batik, that I would wrap around my sister (we’re 10 years apart). That thing was a pain. One end tucks under the piece that goes around your shoulder and if you don’t do it right (some women are really good at it but the then 10-year-old me wasn’t), the wrap will come loose. You’ll never drop the baby (at least I never did), but you’d find yourself redoing the “tie” many times and going hands-free seemed impossible. On top of that, it wasn’t very comfortable. The shoulder where the “tie” is will eventually hurt and the weight wasn’t evenly distributed. If my parents intentions were to punish me while carrying my sister then missions accomplished!
When M was a baby I went through two carriers. Both were BabyBjorn-ish and both I did not like because they both hurt my back. Now, in the process of finding a replacement, I am faced with: stretchy or stiffer, knit or woven, loose or fitted, soft or scratchier, ring or ringless, solids or patterned fabric, baby’s age, and more. Choosing a baby carrier seems more confusing than buying a car!!!!!
To get the process going I eliminated all the ring ones. This is just a more clever version of the Indonesian tying system that I used. Then I got stuck withthe full blown wrapping, the little bit in between, and the structured type (just buckle ‘em in). Since I have no intention of carrying my kid around after he/she is one it doesn’t matter if the carrier will last me until he/she is 35 lbs. There is no way I’d be hauling a 20 lb-er for more than 15 minutes!!! So here are a few of my favorites (the patterns are going to make it really difficult to choose!!!):
- Storchenwiege wrap: It’s organic, woven, lovely colors, and shorter in size
- Moby/Sleepy Wrap: A wrap style and both seems quite snug for baby, seems hard tho
- Mei Tai/Eden: The only thing hubby said he’d wear and seems quicker and easier than above
- Beco/Pikkolo: It’s structured so the easiest of them all
Some Videos:
I love the wrap idea but I’m a bit intimidated by it. I’m just trying to picture myself, in a parking lot, trying to put my wrap on. Picture me in the rain or terrible Missouri winter OR tripping over the wrap while running into the store with M and baby — eek! I think I am liking the Mai Tei idea since baby can also nurse (somehow) although the Beco/Pikkolo is more familiar to me. Based on the make, Storchenwiege and Beco would be my top pick. The first is made in Germany and the second is by a mom in the U.S.A. With the economy the way it is, it’d make perfect sense to purchase a Beco. For tonight (and this is the longest I’ve spent on this) this is enough thinking and researching. I’m carriered out!!!!
