I recently purchased a new baby carrier. I had been researching online different styles and brands and spent a lot of time asking other moms what their favorites were. I have used a Moby Wrap for many months and have really enjoyed using it but decided that it was time to venture into the world of soft structured carriers rather than wraps. I have never personally been a fan of slings (ring slings or otherwise) and neither me nor my little one cared for them (even though I do have 2 sling type carriers that I’m now looking to most likely sell).
My specific needs right now include more “toddler” wearing rather than babywearing. My 15 month old is 25 lbs 9 oz and 82 cm long, and I intend on wearing him for a while to come. He’s not a fan of strollers and to be honest, I’m happy without using a stroller, too. I’m also 20 weeks pregnant and looking to continue wearing him throughout the rest of my pregnancy, and then wearing him AND new baby after #2 is born — so a carrier that can be used for either infants or toddlers is necessary.
With those things in mind, I set out to find the carrier that best fit my specific needs. I looked around on Facebook, asked other mamas on Twitter, and searched blogs, websites, and forums for advice. I have to say, the Ergo carrier was probably most often mentioned. But I decided not to go with it. After viewing this chart that compares many different baby carriers — including the Ergo, the Boba, and others — I decided to go with the Boba. Boba sells both a wrap and a carrier, but seeing as I already have a wrap, I went with the carrier.
This is not my personal picture. This is taken from the Boba website.
Some of my favorite things about the Boba carrier include:
- Fits babies from newborn to 45 pounds. Truly one of the most versatile carriers on the market.
- Can easily convert to fit newborns without a newborn insert like other carriers need; easily accomodates toddlers right out of the box.
- Lightweight and compact.
- Is SO easy to switch between people carrying the baby — only takes a minute to switch from Mom to Dad!
- Can be used for a front or back carry. Both are easy to do.
- Not to mention there are cute prints and colors, which is an added bonus!
This carrier runs about $125, which is completely average for a good carrier — and I put emphasis on good. Don’t waste your money on a cheap carrier. With time you will definitely notice that you need to have a quality carrier if you plan on using it frequently and these carriers have great support for both mom AND baby. We brought ours along on vacation up to Cape Cod — and we DID NOT bring a stroller with us! The ONLY thing we used was our Boba carrier and it was perfect. Even one cloudy morning around nap time where nap was NOT happening — I threw on my Boba carrier, stuck the baby in it, and walked on the beach for a while. He passed out happily and took a 2 hour nap!
This carrier also DOES NOT SUPPORT forward facing babywearing. I’m against forward facing babywearing and all of the research I have done supports that, also. Refer to this article for some reasons, and also, see here. I’m only going to link to some research on the subject, and not actually discuss, seeing as how this is a review of a product. But to make it clear, the Boba carrier specifically states in their instructions and on their website that this carrier does not support that type of carry.
Now even with a 2nd baby on the way, we have decided that we will NOT be purchasing a double stroller or any other strollers. We will be using our baby carriers primarily — it is the best way to keep both mom and baby happy and this Boba carrier is so excellent, we may be purchasing a 2nd one so both little ones can be worn in one!
Wearing my sleep 15 month old on the beach on vacation.
[This is NOT a sponsored post and I was in no way compensated for this review. These are completely my own opinions based on a purchase that I made.]
Daisiey and Buggy 