Moby Wrap or Baby Bjorn

Hey N.,

Congrats on baby! I swear by carriers. My little guy is 20 months and I still wear him. He loves it! Personally I've tried both. My opinion is that Bjorn's are great, but as mentioned in a few of the others, a bit tough on baby's hips. Not to mention, I had some back pain with it. I wore a sling for awhile. I swear by the maya wrap (actually sling) They are very handy. You can wear them 5 different ways. It is great if you are breast feeding. Plus, I didn't notice the back strain.

But I actually was doing some research and found a cool way to do the Moby style without the Moby price. I went to Walmart and purchased 5 yards of fabric ( the article recommended 5-6 yards) of jersey T-shirt material. Then I went on Youtube and typed in " how to moby wrap". They give you instructions on how to put it on. Its very easy and LOTS cheaper. I spent $15 dollars on fabric. Those Moby wraps can be quite salty. Fantastic alternative. Very comfortable for both baby and Mama. Although it still wraps between baby's legs, it is more stretchy so there is less pressure on the hip joints. Hope it helps! Enjoy... nothing like bonding with your child by holding them.

First of all I want to commend you on your decision to wear your baby! Research shows that babies who are "worn" cry less, are able to calm self better, develop good postural control, and are exposed (in a very good way) to variety of sensory experiences :)

While I don't have personal experience (yet) with baby wearing, I've being doing a lot of research on the topic. Thought this info may be useful...

here is a site that compares various brands of wraps and slings and tells you which one is meant for newborns or older babies/toddlers, etc:
http://www.peppermint.com

This site tells you how to make your own wrap, and give info to people who are new to baby wearing:
http://www.wearyourbaby.com/

Here is another site that has some basic info on baby wearing including safety tips :)
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/t051100.asp#T051104

here is a site with ring slings/pouches. It has a lot of great video tips (e.g. shifting your baby's weight in the sling:
http://zolowear.com/)

Good luck!

i am going to try a mei tai, which is kind of similar to a moby wrap except without all the complicated twisting and tying. i would go for a moby if i was choosing between the two!

I like baby wraps the best. Check out premiumslings.com

I was like you...I never really had a carrier with my kids, but with my second, I got a baby bjorn and loved it! I felt like my baby was always really safe and secure in it (I started using it when he was a few weeks old). I also bought a slingling for my third (who's now 8 months) and loved it even more (I think the website is slingling.com). It allowed me to carry my baby on my hip (it can accommodate newborns as well, I just hadn't purchased it until my baby was about 4 months) and be hands-free. My son would always fall asleep in it!

My favorite carrier was a sling. I highly recommend one and wish I had gotten it sooner with my son. We had the Bjorn but barely used it. I also got a wrap similar to the Moby and it was too much work to put on, I just wanted something easier I could put over my head and quickly get my baby in. I loved the peanut shell sling, but there are many others on the market. Babies love the closeness they bring and I used mine as a side carrier on my hip until he was a little over a year which was great for traveling and quick trips in the store. Good luck!

Skip the Baby Bjorn! I would recommend some sort of sling for the first few months, and then switch to a more structured carrier when the baby gains head control, such as a Beco or an Ergo. We have a Beco, and it is the best investment we've made with 3 kids!

I used a Snuglie and a Baby Bjorn with my first. Well, I should say I TRIED to use them. I HATED them! HATED! They were both terribly uncomfortable for me to wear and my daughter just seemed to dangle. Her feet would even turn purple if we put her in it for too long. I bought a Moby and a Hotsling to try with our new baby, due in August. I know people that use the Moby and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. My thinking is that the sling will be perfect when the baby is a newborn and the Moby will work better when the baby gets a little bigger. Personally, I would stay away from anything like the Snuglie and Bjorn, at least at first. Also, I don't think the Bjorn can be used with a newborn.

I know this is a late response but I just had to say I absolutely love my Sleepy Wrap. I tried to use the bjorn type with my first baby, but after just a short while my shoulders and back would be killing me. But I am still comfortably carrying my 7 month on in the sleepy wrap. It takes a few times of tying it to get it right, and you tie it tighter than you really think you would. And when it's warm I just have baby wearing nothing but a diaper. And even after wearing it for over an hour my back and shoulders do not hurt.

N.--
Congrats on the upcoming birth of your second child.

I am a relatively new mom - my scooter-butt is 16 months old. But I wanted to respond on your question.

I used a friend of mine's Baby bjorn. I LOVED THIS THING!!. I would recommend it to anyone as a must. I've already decided that if/when I have baby number 2, my first purchase will be the baby bjorn.

Good luck!

S.

First, don't get the Baby Bjorn. It's a crotch carrier and they are HORRIBLE for their hips:( It puts all their weight on their crotch and spreads their hips. Plus, they are expensive, only good to about 30 pounds, and can't be worn on your back. If you want the ease of a carrier, get something like the Ergo or MaiTie. The Ergo has been tested to something crazy like 60 or 80 pounds, as if you'd use it that long! lol And you can wear it on the front, side, or back which means as baby gets heavier you can move baby so there isn't strain on your back from carrying on the front.

The Moby is great because it's so versatile, but it takes some learning to master all the different ways you can use it! :)

I used a baby nojo wrap that I got from babies r us. I still have it and am going to more then likely use it for my next baby too but I also want to make my own Moby Wrap. All you need to do is go to a fabric store, pick out the type of fabric you want (60 inch width will give you either a double thickness wrap or TWO for the price of one, cut it down the center) and wrap just like a Moby. I've heard of moms that as soon as they buy the fabric they have put it on right there in the store. You can also hem the edges if you want.

I have a wrap from gypsy mama/wrapsody that I never got to use because my daughter was and is too huge! google them to find their website and see if you can find the one that you can use in the shower/water. It would be great for the summer. If you are interested I would be totally willing to send it to you in the mail for free. It is just sitting in a drawer in my house!

I LOVE my Maya sling. It kept my newborn close, safe and when I wanted, hidden from all those germy hands who just wanted to touch my little one. It was great for anytime use, but especially helpful when we were travelling by plane. There's just something about people and babies, which is great, but doesn't help when you're trying to protect little ones from germs. My sling is super convenient, can be used with many different positions and can be easily traded with daddy. I could go on with many other benefits, but I'll suffice it to say that it was a huge help for me (especially since I have two other small children). Good luck and congratulations!

www.ergobabycarrier.com
Hands down my favorite! Bjorns let them just kind of "hang" by their little crotches. Moby's are great, but the Ergo is a lot more functional.
Good luck!

Some friends of ours gave us a Baby Bjorn before our son was born almost three years ago. I think it turned out to be too long for me. It fit my husband perfectly because he has such a long torso. However, whenever I used it, I felt like my son's head was always in my face (at least, as he got older). Plus, I was afraid I might bump him into things like grocery store carts and whatever. I wish I had tried other carriers because I think that if I'd found one I really liked, I would have used it more often than the Bjorn. The Bjorn is comfortable, but I felt like I needed help sometimes to get it one. A friend of mine makes her own wraps and carriers and sells them on-line. You can check her website out at http://www.meilawrap.com/. Hope that helps!

I like the sleepy wrap. www.sleepywrap.com but it might be a little warm in Summer. It isn't as expensive as some of the others! We like the Bjorn okay, too, but I worry about too much pressure on the baby's hips with it. I know the baby has to be 8 lbs. to use it. I'm not familiar with the Moby. Good luck trying to decide!

With my first baby I had a snugli, actually 2 or 3 different ones and we hated them all. They were tight, binding and constricting. With the second baby, I started working on a usable sling. I used it with her from when she was a newborn until she was 3 1/2. Now with my third baby, I think I've finally worked out all the kinks and its great. She can ride in it laying down, against my belly, on my hip, forward facing and on my back. There are no complicated straps, I can put it on while I'm holding her. She's 2 now and when she is sleepy and we're out, she asks for her sling ride. It was great for discreet public nursing also. I modeled mine after the over the shoulder baby holder, you can see it at www.slingbaby.com. It was very simple to make and way cheaper than they sell them for. If you email me, I'll send you the directions. Good luck whatever you choose, a baby carrier is the way to go. Babies love to be close and secure.