Lanae and Baby: Babywearing 103: Carriers

Carriers are structured baby-wearing contraptions.

Pros: The structure of a good carrier balances baby's weight over mama's hips and shoulders, so mama can wear baby comfortably for long stretches of time (hours and hours at a time). The structure of a good carrier places baby in a natural seated position, so that baby's spine and hips are not compressed. (Baby's bum is naturally lower than his knees when in this position.) A good carrier leaves mama completely hands-free, even when baby is nursing. A good carrier provides support (often a hood) to prevent baby's head from bobbing or jerking while asleep. Baby fits comfortably in most carriers from the newborn stage through toddlerhood (and beyond). Carriers are adjustable so that one size fits all adults. Many carriers come with instructional DVDs, which make learning how to use the carrier easy.

Cons: Carriers are more expensive than slings or wraps. Some carriers are only designed for baby to be facing in, not out. Some modern carriers are not designed for babies under four months (when they cannot hold their head up on their own). You can usually buy an "infant insert" for use during the early months, but these inserts aren't consistently easy to use.

Note: The popular Baby Bjorn and other similarly styled carriers do not provide most of the benefits listed above and are actually bad for mama's back, baby's back, baby's hips, and baby's genital area. When purchasing a carrier, it is important to make sure the carrier is structured so that baby is sitting in the carrier (not dangling unsupported), such that baby's bum is lower than baby's knees.

Variations: The waist band and shoulder straps of modern carriers connect with buckles. The waist band and shoulder straps of Asian back carriers connect with tied sashes.

Recommendations: For a modern carrier, the Ergo Baby Carrier (aptly named because it is designed to be ergonomically correct) consistently rates higher than all other carriers. For a less gear-like look, try the Beco Baby Carrier, which is currently rated second highest on www.DiaperPin.com. For an Asian back carrier, try the Kozy Carrier. The Ergo can be worn on the front (facing in), on the hip, and on the back. The Beco can be worn on the front (facing in) and on the back. The Kozy can be worn on the front (facing in and facing out), on the hip, and on the back.

I wore my baby in an Ergo Baby Carrier on and off from the time my baby was about six weeks old until. From birth until about 10 months, we used the Moby Wrap as our go-to carrier. But at 10 months I switched to the Ergo because my baby was gaining weight rapidly and I felt the Ergo provided the best support for my back. To be honest, my baby disliked the Ergo for the first week or two of constant usage because he was used to being worn facing out. But he soon adjusted and loves it now. In fact, I think he has said the word "Ergo" this week more than any other word!

Front Carry