Survey: Baby Bjorn, Moby Wrap, Slings....etc... - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[Megan Plunkett]

I second all the advice here. The stretchy wrap was great for super newborn. The ring sling was great once he could hold his head up for the store and now the Boba (like an Ergo) is awesome for older kiddos. He really loves to be in the cart too, but for hiking and things, the Boba with both front and back carries is great.

I just wanted to recommend a brand of ring slings. Rockin Baby Slings not only makes gorgeous slings, but for every one you purchase they send one to a mom in Haiti and teach the moms how to wear it. I think it's incredible for a company to do something like that so I wanted to recommend it! www.rockinbabyslings.com

[is it puppies?]

I loved my sleepy wrap for the newborn stage (easy to tie on in the morning and pop baby in and out all day) and then my daughter was big and strong enough that we went to the boba at about 4 months but still used a wrap (I upgraded to a lightweight woven wrap- a calin blue- for a tropical holiday) and while it wasn't as simple as popping her in and out I did enjoy using it and I know I still could (she's 2 now) but we put it away in favour of the boba. I would try on both the boba and the ergo as they are similar and a lot of people I know have traded their ergos in for bobas. There is something lighter and more comfortable about them is what I understand. If you aren't planning to use it for long (like beyond 15-20lbs) then a sleepywrap might be the way to go, they are clearing out right now all over because boba (the maker) has changed the name. I don't think that you can really comfortably use any of the wraps with stretch beyond 20lbs but they are great for NB.
 

[hansigurumi]

The Moby made DH cry.  Several times.  He had so many problems with getting that thing on and getting baby positioned properly.  We ended up giving it to Goodwill when DS was a couple of months old, as I wasn't too fond of it either.  It made me feel pretty overheated and frumpy to have so many feet of material exuding off of me.  :<

After the crying and the frustration, we ended up using a ring-sling, and I have the same sling (yay!!) that we will use with this little one.  It's such a great little sling, just simple breathable cotton (not too stretchy) with a big tail to use for a little nursing privacy.  

Once DS got a little bigger (around 1 year), I started using the Ergo carrier, and DH got a big backpack from REI.  BTW - I hate the backpack; it's so big and unwieldy on my little frame.  It's funny how men and women like to baby-wear differently!

I may have to go to our local natural baby and birth store and try out the boba.  Good to know that there are other choices out there these days!  The ergo was nice, but a mai tai or some other alternative (like the boba) may be nicer; I used to have some annoying pain in my glutes with the ergo as DS got older.  I wore him regularly until he was 4, so that probably had something to do with it.

I mean, what are the options for wearing a big (>= 4 yo) kid?  Does everyone just end up getting a stroller at that stage?  We used to do a 'walk 1 block, get carried 1 block' thing, but it can get tiring pretty quickly.

[UnderTheOldOakTree]

Originally Posted by hansigurumi 

The Moby made DH cry.  Several times.  He had so many problems with getting that thing on and getting baby positioned properly.  We ended up giving it to Goodwill when DS was a couple of months old, as I wasn't too fond of it either.  It made me feel pretty overheated and frumpy to have so many feet of material exuding off of me.  :<

After the crying and the frustration, we ended up using a ring-sling, and I have the same sling (yay!!) that we will use with this little one.  It's such a great little sling, just simple breathable cotton (not too stretchy) with a big tail to use for a little nursing privacy.  

My DH hated the wrap too but found that he really liked both ring and pocket slings.   I think he would have liked the ergo as well if we had, had it before DS was a year old and getting pretty heavy.

[Babinogi]

The last two posts make me want to ask those moms who baby wear - did you also buy a stroller too? We are now costing strollers (prams as they are called over here in the UK) and are overwhelmed with the different options.  Baby being born in October - will we need stroller right away as the weather will be cold and will we really be jet setting all over with a stroller?

Any thoughts on strollers/carriages/prams?

[pregnova]

We bought our first stroller when ds was just over a year. And it was a cheapo umbrella stroller. We got rid of it when we moved and got another one at around 16 months. We bought cheap again, but found one that could still fold up easy for the bus, and had a basket underneath so I could stuff groceries down there. We got rid of that one at 2 years, and went stroller-less until around 2.5 and went with another cheapo umbrella stroller. lol we got rid of THAT one a month or two later and have been stroller-less ever since. DS walks everywhere now...and we're without a car and have been for most of these past three years. So, it's definitely something that I never felt I needed until he was too heavy for carrying long distances WITH shopping bags. 

I think I'll end up buying a nicer stroller this go around once the little one is close to year old...just because I need lots of space in one for groceries, and we kept having to buy strollers once we passed that year mark. 

[UnderTheOldOakTree]

We ended up with three strollers for DS.  The first was a standard Graco travel system stroller.  We used it maybe 3 time and didn't keep it very long since I mostly wore DS when he was little.  Once he hit about 4 months old a family member gave us their used jogging stroller which we LOVED.  I'm pretty tall and it's the only stroller we've had that hasn't involved me bent over trying to push it. We also like that if we go somewhere without nice paved paths it works pretty much anywhere without issue.  We also have one really cheap umbrella stroller which  has been great for vacations when our car is otherwise really full, but it's never seen all that much use.  If I had to choose 1 I'd go with the jogging stroller.

[Vegan Princess]

I always like a stroller for long walks to store all my gear, even if I'm wearing baby. Plus I love to walk to the grocery store, etc. and not have to carry a baby and grcoeries home. I still use a stroller fairly often, even though DD is 3.5, bc she walks super slow and I'd never get anywhere otherwise.

We too had 3 strollers. I kept a snap and go in my car in the beginning - light and easy to snap the car seat onto. We also bought a BOB that we used for all our walks from our house and when we were going somewhere not completely flat. It was heavy though so I never just kept it in my car for every day, quick use. Once she outgrew the bucket seat, we got an umbrella stroller to keep in the car. 

When DD was about a yr old we sold our BOB and got a Phil & Ted's Explorer. It's their sporty stroller - a bit similar to a BOB, but it doesn't push as well. But you can put a 2nd seat on it. I just ordered the 2nd seat a day ago. 

Cindy

[springmum]

We had 2. 

A BOB b/c I really wanted to get some exercise. It's huge, but moves so easily (with one arm) and was great for when I got back into running. Even now if I really just want to get a good long walk in and don't want DS to ride his bike I can convince him to ride it in for a while. (It has the carseat adapter for when baby is smaller)

The BOB was too big for malls etc (and although I was usually babywearing, like others have mentioned, having a place to put groceries, x-mas shopping bags, diaper bag etc was great. Also I found DS went through a stage where he actually didn't want to be worn all that much) SO we got a bugaboo bee b/c we could turn the seat to face us (it also has a carseat adapter) Both were $$, but we got a lot of use out of them and will with this baby too (even with all the babwearing I did and will do - we are out and about a lot!)

I found many days DS was back and forth between being worn and being in the stroller, it was nice to have both options b/c I really wanted to meet his needs for space or comfort when he needed it.

[Vegan Princess]

Thanks for bringing up the forward facing issue Springmum! That was my biggest complaint about having a BOB. I really wished baby could face me!! She could in the car seat, but not otherwise. I really wanted to get an Uppa Baby Vista for that reason (and the basket is HUGE). You can also put a 2nd seat on it. I suppose i still sort of want one. But there is no way DH will let me sell the Phil & Teds and get yet another stroller. LOL. He already thought I was crazy for selling the BOB and getting the Phil & Ted. But DD was never comfy in the BOB. I think our seat was defective - but we thought all BOB's were like that. The P&T isn't nearly as easy to push as a single stroller so we've been bummed. Of course we also thought we'd have #2 a lot sooner, so that was the main reason we switched (and bc the seat was more comfy). But it does push well with the 2nd seat - it changes the center of gravity. So I'm looking forward to that. 

Cindy

[gozal]

Another vote for both a good carrier and a good stroller. Definitely not an either/or for me. I had a high needs baby so I held/wore him almost constantly in the house - my back and arms needed the break of strolling him outside. Ultimately we ended up using both our carriers and our stroller relatively little, but I think we would have gotten much more use out of our a carrier had I found the right one(s) sooner. I had a pocket sling that didn't fit me well and that DS wasn't crazy about for the newborn period - this time I want to try a wrap. By the time I discovered the Ergo, he was a bit older and I used it mostly out of the house. There were certainly situations in which I was super grateful to have the Ergo or vice versa, the stroller. Our stroller wasn't great (Peg Perego Aria) - I chose it mostly based on the ability to fold with one hand and price point - but it didn't matter much because we didn't need it that much (you know, except when we did!). I am investing more thought this time because I have a feeling with twins, we'll be using both more and for longer. To answer a PP, we rarely needed to carry/stroll DS past age 3 and I don't think ever at age 4 so it was not an issue. (We live in th 'burbs, bleh.) But again, with the twins, our mileage may vary this time!