Baby Wearing: Carriers I Love

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Parenthood is a crazy experience where you suddenly become deeply familiar, of not expertly, with things that you never even knew existed prior to your child’s existence. Baby wearing is one of those things. If you told me 8 months ago I would be a able to wrangle a 20 pound wiggle worm into a fro facing carrier and check for proper hip placement all in the the 90 seconds he’ll give me I wouldn’t have believed you.

I have become a huge fan of baby wearing over these past months. When my son was just several weeks old putting him in a wrap and layering us both in my puffer jacket to walk around our neighborhood was one of the only ways to settle him for a nap. Now I take a carrier with me when we are out because he inevitably tires of his stroller and it’s just easier and more fun to have him on me.

After trying several types of carriers and a variety of brands, these are my favorites…

Baby Wrap

A baby wrap is an extra long piece of fabric that is wrapped around the wearer's body to create a secure and comfortable pouch for the baby. When you first use it you’ll think the fabric is excessive, but trust me there is a method to this madness. You can wear a wrap on the front, back, or hip but I only did front carry with my boy facing me. I actually made my first wrap out of jersey fabric I had on hand but it was too thick and warm so I bought a lighter weight one from Ergobaby once I know I wanted to use wraps.

A wrap may seem intimidating to tie at first but after a few practices (there are so many videos online) it become second nature. I started using a wrap from week one and loved it while Sami was smaller with very little neck control. As soon as he could hold his own neck I would use my other carriers far more.

Ring Sling

A ring sling is what I consider the simplest carrier (in theory). It is one long pieces of woven fabric with two rings at one end. Its worn in a simple loop and the rings are used to adjust so you create a secure pouch for the baby. I love how lightweight and easy (with practice) it is to put on and get Sami comfortable. It’s also easy to get him down which has become more of a priority as he’s started moving and wants to be independent at a moments notice! This is my go to carrier in the house when he’s feeling a little clingy. I love to wear it when I’m in the kitchen (with the extra fabric tucked away for safety) and Sami loves watching what I am doining.

Wildbird linen ring sling

Soft Structured Carriers

I have tried a few structured carriers, some I have sold and two that I still use a love: the Ergobaby Embrace amd the Ergobaby Aerloom. I use structured carriers when I am out of the house for longer errands (target runs, park visits, grocery shopping, etc.). As Sami has gotten bigger I’ve wanted more support ans structure to avoid back pain so we graduated from the Embrace to the Aerloom and I love it so much. It has a variety of carry positions, including front facing in, front facing our, and back carry. I prefer a soft structured carrier over more structured ones for my comfort and ease of use. I have found the more structured complex carriers with too many adjustment buckles cumbersome to use.

All in all, babywearing is a part of my life I never knew I’d have so many opinions on but here we are! It’s wonderful wearing my baby, letting him see the world from my perspective, and holding him close while having my hands free.

The last thing I want to mention is that it’s important to babywear properly and ensure you child is safe and comfortable. I’ve learned a lot about hip health for Sami and my own ergonomics by exploring the babywearing subreddit r/babywearing. There you can get loads of carrier recommendations and even post photos for “fit checks.”

Let me know if you have questions below and I can share my experience or thoughts! I am by no means an expert but my friend, Farai, totally is so check out her blog too!