Getting Carried Away

The Sling Mama Revisits Baby Carriers

By Jackie Davidson

They called me the “Sling Mama.” I had tried almost every baby sling on the market, had reviewed slings (see my previous article, “Adventures of a Sling Mama, available on The Nurture Center website)” and had taught other moms how to carry their babies in a sling. My daughter had ridden in the sling on my front, back and side, nursing as she desired, in stores, restaurants, airports, and on hikes through California redwood forests. We enjoyed the comfort of the sling until Jessie was walking, at which point she no longer wanted to ride. My trusty Rosado sling was washed, folded, and awaited the next baby.

Two years, three months later, my son practically flew into the world. He wanted to be carried EVERYWHERE in the sling – no strollers for this guy! My sling was holding out well, but I needed some different carrying options, as my little guy was not only becoming rotund, but quite wiggly and curious. Desperate, I retrieved my Baby Bjorn from the closet just before a two-week trip to Arizona and New Mexico. Scott loved “hanging out” (literally) in the Bjorn, but I soon realized that I needed a carrier that was more supportive for him and distributed his weight better for me.

I set out to find a carrier that was supportive for me and for my baby, that had a waist belt or similar system to take the strain off my shoulders and upper back, that was easy to put on, washable, portable, reasonably priced, preferably would allow the baby to face in or out, and could be worn back or front. Was I asking too much? The great baby carrier search, and the sequel to my first article, was born!

After researching a number of baby carriers, I selected seven for review based on features, ease of use, fabric and price: the Ergo Carrier, the Sutemi Gear Carrier, the Baby Trekker First Journey, the Baby Trekker, the Moby Wrap, the Baby Bundler, and the Hug-a-Bub®.

Keep in mind as you read these reviews that the choice of a baby carrier is highly subjective, and depends a great deal on your lifestyle, physique, personality and preferences, as well as those of your baby. Wrap-style carriers are great if you plan to wear your baby most of the day and want to pop them in or out without undoing the carrier.

Pack-style carriers are great if you want a more conservative- looking wearing method, or the option of being able to take the carrier on and off/change position front to back quickly.

I encourage you to find a way to try several different carriers with your baby to help you determine what is most comfortable and what works best for the two of you. For example, some retail stores, such as The Nurture Center stock several different types of carriers, and allow you to try them on with your baby.

The Sutemi Pack

The Sutemi Pack Carrier (Retail approx. $74.95) is a well-designed carrier, based on the model of the child carriers used in Asia. It offers the widest seat of any of the carriers I tested, and has wide, padded straps to distribute weight for optimal parent comfort, making it ideal for the larger baby or child. The carrier can be used from the time the baby can support his/her head on their own – from about 4 months on. It can be worn in 4 positions: front facing in, hip carry, rear facing in, and nursing. The carrier cannot be used to carry a child facing out, as it is designed to carry a child in a sitting position, with a generous seating area and excellent back support for the child. It comes with a head support for when your child wants to sleep in the carrier. The head support is white fabric that can be scrunched down on the carrier straps when not in use.

The carrier has two pockets: a large one on the front, and a cell phone carrier pocket on the shoulder strap. The carrier is easy to use in both the front and back positions, and rates well in terms of parent comfort in my opinion.

It is, however, a carrier better suited for bigger babies and children. At 5 to 6 months my son’s legs were not quite long enough to seat him comfortably in the carrier due to the width of the seating area, however at 8 or 9 months, he was easily able to bend his legs and be in a natural seating position in the carrier. At 9 months, this carrier was perfect for my son, and both he and I were comfortable during periods of extended wear. Both of us enjoyed the closeness and support of the carrier.

I also found that Scott, who normally prefers facing out, was able to look around in this carrier, and did not seem to mind facing in. Nursing was easier if I slipped a shoulder out of the carrier, slid it around to where my baby was in the appropriate position to nurse, and if I was sitting down.

The Sutemi Gear pack is well-made, and can be machine washed on cold and tumble-dried. I found that the pack washed well, and retained its color without fading (my carrier was black) during the evaluation period.

Another advantage of this carrier is that it comes in sizes to accommodate smaller and larger wearers. The website, sutemigear.com, is informative, well-designed and easily navigable for users who wish to research the carrier to learn more about its use.

A selection of the other carriers reviewed...

• First Journey
• Moby Wrap
• The Baby Bundler
• The Hug-a-Bub ®

There are so many wonderful baby carriers on the market, I wish I had time to try them all and share the results with you. This is merely a sampling of what is available. The choice of a baby carrier really boils down to personal preference.

No matter which carrier you choose, the most important thing is the closeness that you and your child will enjoy as you discover the world together. I hope that this article has given you a starting point as you begin to research baby carriers.

A word of thanks: All baby carriers given to me by the manufacturers for the purposes of evaluation and review were donated to Parenting and Breastfeeding Services at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, CA. We would like to thank all of the manufacturers for their thoughtfulness, generosity, and dedication to baby wearing.

Sutemi Gear would like to thank Jackie Davidson and Nurture Center for their permission to reprint portions of this article. For the complete article please visit: http://www.nurturecenter.com/Newsletters/Summer_2005.pdf