A Few of our Favorite Children's Books

We're always looking for good books to check out at the library...

here are a few of our favorites!

All Things Baby---Wear That Baby!

After having three kids, I've had my fair share of trying out things for a baby, so I thought it would be fun to review some of my favorites!

My first post is about baby carriers.  I love "wearing" my babies!  It's so convenient to have my hands free to do other things, but still be able to hug and have my little precious bundle right up next to me.  And you don't have to worry what your older children are doing to that poor little baby either!
I have tried quite a few different ones, but I'll stick to my three favorites: the Moby Wrap, Ergo, and the Miracle Baby Bjorn.

The Moby Wrap is fantastic when the baby is small...it basically swaddles them to you.  All of my kids loved this when they were little.  It's super comfortable to wear for extended periods of time, easy to wash, fairly simple to get baby in and out of, and you can walk and sit with the baby in this carrier. 

Now for the cons: it's slightly complicated to don...but gets much easier with practice; you need a clean floorspace to be able to put it on...having the fabric ends dragging in the ground in the parking lot is kind of gross.  

The manufacture says it's good until the baby is 35 lbs...and I'd say thats a bit of a stretch...literally.  After about 20-25lbs the fabric starts to stretch a bit, especially if they've been in it for a while, and you have to readjust the baby (beyond 25 lbs, it can start to get a bit uncomfortable). 

But for $40, I'd definitely recommend moms getting one of these for when baby is little!

The Ergo Baby Carrier is awesome...especially for babies as they grow into young toddlers! The weight of the baby doesn't ride directly on your shoulders, as the belt around your back handles a good portion of the weight.  The shoulder straps are very cushioned, and the baby can ride in front, on your side, or even on your back.  It's almost like they have their own cradle seat to sit in while hugging mom.  It's easier to get on/off than the Moby Wrap, but you have to be able to easily reach behind your head to do so!  It takes a bit of practice before you get good at it, but it's super handy. 

I love having a pocket in the front to keep that extra pacifier or keys while on a walk!

Now for the cons: This is not my favorite carrier for new babies...even though they make a newborn insert.  I'd say it's best for older than 4 months.  It's not real easy to sit down with the baby in, but it is great for shopping trips or long walks.  The head cover is still a bit of a mystery to me...none of my babies have liked the cover and it's not waterproof so in the rain they still get wet.  It's a bit pricier at $120, but still defiantly worth it since you can use it for years...up to 45 lbs!

The Miracle Baby Bjorn is so much different than the original Baby Bjorn.  Anyone who has worn the original for any period of time knows how much your back and shoulders ache with the old style. The Miracle is designed much differently, I'm thankful to say.  The picture below shows the new harness, which is much more comfortable to wear and super easy to adjust.  It has an ergonomic waist belt, similar to the Ergo Carrier, and it does a great job distributing the weight. It is by far the easiest to get the baby in and out of, and it has an awesome new feature that lets you easily unlatch the baby portion and lay a sleeping baby down without having to take the whole thing off of mom!  

I love that baby can ride both forward and rear facing...keeping in mind that facing mom is preferred for extended periods of time to promote good hip development.  I put my baby in this straight from the hospital with no problems, and both baby and I loved it! One other feature that I love is that you can buy a cover...basically a coat for the baby bjorn that has a hood and keeps the baby toasty warm and dry, even on a cold walk!

The Cons for the Miracle Baby Bjorn are very few.  It's hard to sit down with the baby is in the carrier, and if you're wearing a heavy baby...your shoulders may start to ache after a couple of hours. The only other con is the price...it's the most expensive at $180...but I do love this carrier!

All of these carriers are great buys, and I use and love them all for different options and stages of life! 

I hope this is helpful for you as you decide what is right for you and your baby!