What Do You Think/recommend - Moby Wrap, Sling, Etc?

I did not discover the Moby Wrap until my 7th child, and feel like I've missed out for all those others! :) I LOVE it! From the time the baby was days old to nearing toddler stage, it was amazing. Once you've wrapped it a couple of times, it's not difficult at all. My last baby was born in July, so I worried about it getting too hot, but never had that problem. I also love my pouch sling once they are old enough to have better head control (I never really like it much with newborns). I do use a ring sling once they are older-like 1yr+-as I find it easier to adjust to them. If you have basic sewing skills-or have a friend who does-they are all super easy to make at a fraction of the cost! And quite frankly, if you buy about 5 1/2 yrds of a cotton-jersey type fabric with a little stretch and cut it to 22 1/2 inches wide-you have a wrap! With the jersey fabric you don't even have to edge it-just cut it and that's it!

I love the Moby for small babies, but once they hit 12-15 pounds, I no longer find it comfortable. And mine is super hot in the summer. For older babies (over about 4 months) I love, love, love my Ergo. It is amazing. And I still carry my 3.5 year old in it at times (and yes, it is still comfy for that). I would get both, as the Ergo is not great for tiny ones.

H.,
A few thoughts:
1) Infantino was recently sued bc. a baby passed away inside of it. The sling cut off the breathing of the baby & the baby couldn't/wasn't strong enough yet to readjust. I am in my 3rd trimester as well & am hesitant to suggest a sling.
2) The wonderful thing about the wraps is that they center the baby weight on your body. If you are sensitive to your own body alignment you might particularly enjoy this. I found slings difficult for the reason that I felt like my body was out of alignment after a period of wearing the baby in it; I felt like my body was compensating for the uneven weight distribution & that caused further tension in my body.
Personally, I used the Bjorn, the Moby & Ergo with my first. (I was lent a peanut wrap sling & a ring sling & they didn't work for me primarily for the reason above, -alignment of parent & babe - but also bc. I didn't like not being able to see the baby. I also felt like the sling buried the baby & it seemed like it would be difficult for the babe to readjust due to the pressure of the sling. I just didn't feel confident with the sling for baby's mobility. In most wraps, the baby has more ability to adjust it's movements bc. it isn't restricted by the sling. I also felt like the wraps were better for the babe's alignment.). Here's my two cents:

Moby:
Pros: a) body alignment in mother & child b) since the baby was as close to my body as possible, it was the most comfortable & therefore it was easier to carry the baby for a distance. This was a big benefit as the baby grew & I wanted to go for hikes. c) it is really soft & comfortable. d) good for all ages, birth to a few years. d) front & back wearing. e) doesn't splay babe's legs. There are a variety of positions you can use. f) no buckles to malfunction.
Cons: a) takes practice to wrap & time to put on.

Ergo:
Pros: a) it's got a safety latch, so if the buckle malfunctions you have time to fix it without your baby falling out. This is a big plus for me. b) it is really convenient. When I was popping in & out of stores this was the one I used bc. I found wrapping the Moby time consuming. (However, as other posts have noted here if you wrap the Moby once you can keep the Moby on & still pop the babe in & out. I did try this & found that I couldn't get the tightness that I wanted the second time, but maybe I need to practice a little more.) c) It has a baby insert to be used before the baby can splay the legs around Mom. I can't vouch for it bc. I didn't use the Ergo until our daughter was old enough to wrap her legs around me. d) again, awesome for my body alignment.
Cons: a) can't nurse in it inconspicuously.

Bjorn:
Well, you've used one so you know...but for comparative sake...
Pros: a)I found it awesome for convenience, but as the babe got heavier, as noted with other posters, my back was yelling at me. b) great for parent & child posture (provided the babe isn't facing out prematurely)
Cons: a) no safety latch. (I saw a buckle malfunction which has since caused a couple of hospital visits for the babe. It has got me quite nervous about carrier safety. I am trying to see if I can sew a safety latch on to my Bjorn before this babe arrives.) c) no inconspicuous nursing option.

Personally, I've got my Moby washed & ready for babe. (I'm due in 4 weeks). Same goes for the Ergo...& I'm trying to figure out a safety latch for the Bjorn. If you can find space & $ for both, they are both helpful.
Hope it helps. Happy baby/toddler wearing
K.

I have three boys ages 4, 2 1/2 and 3 months. I have a Moby Wrap and an Ergo. I LOVE my Moby!!! Really great for the little ones (keeps their head close to your body so it's not swinging around when you bend over, and it's great for nursing!). It's as close as you can come to being pregnant again. lol My 3 month old is teething and right now it is the only way he is able to fall asleep. I love my Ergo for when the kiddos get a bit bigger and you still need to strap them onto your back to keep track of them! When my older two were younger (they are 17 months apart), I put my oldest son on my back in the Ergo, and the infant was on my front in the Moby. People though I was crazy, but it worked out great, and my back didn't hurt because I was balanced! Good luck, and I hope you find the perfect baby carrier for YOU and baby!

Love the Maya Wrap! You can google it to find out more about it.

www.wearyourbaby.com is a site dedicated to baby wearing and they list all the common carrier types and how to use them. They also show you what carrier type and method is best depending on your activity or your child's age. There are step by step videos and pictures explaining how to use the different carriers too. The best part is they list several patterns for making your own carrier at a much lower cost. I used the "No-Sew" pattern for a "Moby type wrap" and love it!!

I like wraps so much better because they are more comfortable for me and hold the baby more snuggly than a sling. I was always afraid my baby would fall out of a sling whenever I moved on leaned over. Wraps are more versitile as they can be used in multiple different carry methods, for different sized children, on different sized adults, or they can be used a blanket or rolled up and stuffed in a diaper bag very easily. You can also nurse without having to remove the baby from the carrier. I have even wrapped one end of wrap around my energetic little boy's middle and used it as a a leash when we where at a theme park. I used a very light weave gauze that my child can see and breathe through, so I do not worry as much about wrapping a baby in mine as I would a thick commercial carrier.

Good Luck

I Love my Moby Wrap. Once you use it a couple of times or just practice, it is just as easy to put on and take off as the snaps and buttons of some of the other carriers. They can nurse in it, sleep in it, and all hands free. Wear it front ways, sideways, like a sling. For me, and I have a really bad back, the Moby was like wearing a T-Shirt. Really comfy :)

You shouldn't ask for suggestions on this. Go to the store or babies r us and ask if you could try it out if you can rebox it up neatly to see what works best for you. What might work great for someone else might not for you. Don't ask someone else, go find out for yourself or your going to waist money. You can also try out your friends to see if it works for you.

I have a 3,4 year olds and just had a baby. I got a moby wrap as a gift and I love it! It's a lot softer and cozier than the baby bjorn. I use it when I need to keep my hands free (taking the big kids to the childrens museum or park. My baby is 3months now and she still sleeps in it sometimes when I am on the go. I didn't use it much when she was a tiny baby, donut took her a bit to get used to it, but I would recommend it. There is also a fun fleece vest made to go over baby carriers called a peekaru, i thinkbyhevwebsite is togetherbe.com? Good lick with the new baby! Welcome to the "club":mothers of three! It's great!

I LOVED the moby wrap. My girls are 14.5 months apart and my littlest lived in the moby wrap for the first 3 months of her life. You can taken them in and out pretty easily once you learn the wrap. She went to her sister's Little Gym classes, we went shopping, to the park, on walks. The best part is that the weight is centered.

Both my kids (one at 4 months and one at 2 months) went on vacations with us and traveled the city in the moby wrap. I HIGHLY recommend one!!!

I use a variety of carriers depending on the activity. I love the "pop-ability" factor of the sling for shopping, but the wrap is much more secure for things like gardening or for long walks.

I'd get both.

I have to say I am a bit prejudiced since I carry Moby Wraps and slings in my store (Little for Now) but I would say at least get the Moby Wrap. I took my baby hiking in the Moby Wrap when she was 2 weeks old. I was able to nurse her without anyone knowing and she was comfy and cozy despite the mountain air.

I have several slings and wraps as well as mei tais. Any of them are more comfortable than the Bjorn. The Bjorn is awful for my back. As you point out, the Moby Wrap and slings allow for nursing privacy. You'll love having your hands free to tend to the other kids (I take my nieces and nephew to the park with my baby in the mei tai or wrap).

For running in and out of stores, I just pop the Moby Wrap on at the first stop. Then I can slide my baby out and put her back in the car seat when we leave. The Moby Wrap is thin enough that I can just leave it on and slide her back in at the next stop.

I love my Mai Tai Free Hand carrier the best out of all of the ones I bought. My little guy is 1 and we still use it. If you are in Colorado I would recommend looking at http://www.oursweetbeginnings.com/about.html she has a class I went to on baby carrying that let you try on the different carriers to see what worked best for you. I also really enjoyed the Baby K'tan because it was not as complicated as the Moby Wrap. I never could get that thing tied right it never felt secure. The Ergo we just don't use as often it's bulky and our little guy just really is more comfortable in the Mai Tai Free Hand. I love it it rolls up in the diaper bag is two sided so my husband doesn't feel weird wearing it and for walks we pair with the peekaru. Good luck!

I started using the Moby with my second. It was the first carrier I'd ever tried and my husband and I fell in love with babywearing. It really kept us sane, because our daughter didn't like the cradle hold and only took naps if we had her in this. I have a HotSling too, but I never felt comfortable using it. I always felt like my baby had her chin to her chest and so I was very paranoid and checking on her constantly (which you should do, but I couldn't do anything else). I never felt like I ever had her in correctly either. You definitely need to see what's best for you. Everyone's different, but I highly suggest checking out http://www.thebabywearer.com for more info. All the info is overwhelming at first, but the forum is great and everyone's very helpful. Also check out their FSOT (for sale or trade) forum where you can buy and try different carriers and if they don't work for you, just sell them back on FSOT. You can also find out if there's a babywearing group by you or a mom who has what you're looking for who will let you try it out. Good luck and congrats on your 3rd!!

I have a moby wrap, a hotsling (pouch style) and an ergo. I have also worn a baby bjorn, a mei tai, and an infantino sling rider. I thought the baby bjorn was horribly uncomfortable even for like 12 or 15 lbs, and the infantino is very unsafe. I have read articles about the baby's chin being forced downward and they can't breathe and some babies have died. Don't get one that is that style. The hotsling I really liked for how easy it is, but it gets uncomfortable after a couple hours, especially as baby gets bigger, and one arm isn't fully functional. (Hotslings and peanut shells are pretty similar I think, have heard good things about the peanut shell too.) The moby is great and comfy, but difficult to put on, not for your run into a store real quick kind of trips. The ergo is great for longer periods of time, and is comfortable for many more months than the pouch style. It's similar to a baby bjorn but constructed to be easier to wear so it doesn't hurt. Same with the mei tai. I think a mei tai is easier to get on and off also, but don't know how many months it is comfortable for, I just used it once when he was smaller. I have heard the maya wrap is wonderful too. Check online and see if there is a babywearing group in your area. We have one through Yahoo groups and I believe also through meetup.com. You can usually go to meetings and try out other peoples' and maybe find deals on used ones too. Just google denver babywearers or something like that.

Initially I started with a bjorn, but quickly found that after 12 lbs my shoulder were to sore. I made my self a ring sling when the baby was small, but he quickly got to heavy for me to carry around and there was a lot of fabric, not great when it got hot out. Finally I settled upon a Ergo which I loved using with son #1.

But now with baby #2 I found that the Beco Butterfly 2, Baby Carrier is my favorite by far. Very easy to use, thin and less bulky then the Ergo and such pretty patterns. It is very pricy but totally worth it.

she took the words right out of my mouth, if you can find a reasonable deal, i would get both as well. they could be good and work in different ways and for different reasons, and either could be very helpful in certain situations.