wear all the babies: a baby carrier edit

My favorite part of that first year of life, more than the first words, the first time they crawl, breast feeding, or bath time is hands down, without a doubt: baby wearing.

Baby wearing has been such an important part of my life for the past five years. It has stopped tantrums in its tracks, provided a nap when otherwise a nap wouldn’t of happened, kept me and baby warm and cozy during long winter walks, allowed me to cook a tasty dinner during the ever present witching hour, and kept both me and baby together and safe walking through crowded and overwhelming places. We have gone through numerous airports and hiked through many National Parks all while wearing a baby. Or two. The babies always seem happiest and safest when they are close to me and I will never turn down a moment to hold them now while I still can.

It’s a part of motherhood that I will cherish the most when I look back at these days.

When it comes to buying a baby carrier for your baby, not all are created equal! There are some wonderful affordable options out there. And then there are also some unaffordable ones as well as some uncomfortable ones for you and baby. So its important to do your research and shop around. Lucky for you, I have done a lot of investigating in the world of baby carriers from birth to age one and I have come up with my top choices as seen here:

ring sling // wrap style // soft carrier // structured carrier

Before I get started, just to let you know this is not sponsored and no one is paying me to say this. These are my own thoughts and opinions based on five years of practice and trial and error!

The wrap style is great for those first three months when baby is so tiny and especially early on when baby doesn’t even know how to unfold his/her legs, I have tried other styles but the fabric that Solly Baby uses is hands down my favorite in terms of softness, reliability, and the beautiful neutral prints and colors.

I love to start there as a newborn and then move to the ring sling after a few weeks. There are a few great ring sling options out there but I love Wildbird both for their selection of prints and the durability of the linen fabric. You can also get their ring slings in a modal fabric, but its very lightweight and slinky that I have found once baby gets past 15lbs or so, its not as comfortable. But the linen is perfection and this has become my go-to baby shower gift.

For a more structured but still soft newborn option, Ergo recently came out with the Ergo Embrace. I got this one for the first time for the twins and I absolutely love it. It’s a great transition between a soft wrap and a structured carrier. Ergo is hands down the best brand in terms of keeping your back and your baby comfortable. There are other popular brands (who I won’t name on here but feel free to message me privately on Instagram), in which the baby’s legs just dangle without any hip support for them making baby uncomfortable and thus uncomfortable for you. Ergo supports baby’s hips in a perfect 90 degree angle.

We also have and love the Ergo 360 which is even more structured than the Ergo Embrace and will last far into toddlerhood. This is also a good “dad carrier.” My husband has always preferred this over the ring sling or the solly baby. Just put on the shoulder straps like a book bag and click into place… makes more sense to him!