The Best Piece of Baby Gear I Ever Bought

Hey guys! Hope everyone has had an excellent summer, our's is winding down over here. And for the first time in a very long time, "Back to School" actually means something. My son is starting preschool in three days. *silent crying* I honestly cannot believe this is already happening. And let me tell you, I did not realize how much we like to travel during the school year. And now we can't/ are extremely limited. We used to go home (seven-hour drive) for almost two weeks in the fall. Well. That won't be happening this year. We'll see everyone at Thanksgiving, I guess!

Anyway, to the real point of this blog post. The best piece of baby gear I ever bought? Hmmmmm. Is it a rocker? A stroller? Maybe one of those jumping gym thingies? No! Probably one of the most researched and reviewed baby products (outside strollers and car seats) is the personal baby carrier. And I happen to have a lot of experience with those things.

Where I've Been

For those of you that don't know, I have two kids, ages four and one. Both of my children are leaches (in the nicest way possible). They have always been extremely attached to me since birth. I have always wound up carrying them. My son (4) would still love being carried, but that's not happening. My daughter (1) has only just started walking, and if we are on any schedule, that's also not happening. Ok, one-year-olds are slow. Like sloths. And I get it. She's not used to the walking, yet. But, really, I can't hold her hand in the parking lot or expect her to walk the entire zoo as my son can. It's just not realistic.

When I had my son, I bought a Moby Wrap (they only made the one model at the time), And he loved that thing. Until it was time for the looking around and wanting to engage in the outside world. Like four months old? And to boot, it was not an easy thing to get on and off. It's complicated and requires wrapping and tying and looping, not a time saver. And once you take the baby out, you need to roll it back up, and it trails on the floor and gets messy. So, after about four months we were done with it.

I eventually bought a sling. It was more of a giveaway type of thing, but I got it. It was a simple piece of double lined fabric that was designed for hip carry. This is it. While that was a nice change, my son quickly outgrew it. I loved that it was light and easy to use, but after about two months he was too big to fit, and it wasn't adjustable. By then, he was walking, and we settled on the stroller.

Then, my daughter came. She was the game changer, alright? My son was the most relaxed baby, and his sister was his polar opposite. In her defense, she had quite a few medical problems and issues we didn't understand, but she liked to be held all the time. She's still like that. She's not a snuggler, she just wants to be in your arms. I tried the wrap with her, and she hated it. Even as a newborn she was such a mover and the wrap was way too confining for her. I would tie it up, slip her in, and within ten minutes that thing was loose, and she was sagging. It wasn't going to work.

I bought this Infantino carrier. It seemed to be a good solution. It was a front carry and easy to get her in and out, and she could face in and sleep on my chest or out and face the world. This thing killed my back. And once she was in it, I could do nothing else. Does anyone else have that problem with front carriers? Or is it just me? Going shopping with her attached to my front was a nightmare. So much stuff got pulled off shelves, I bumped her into things (yes, I know!) and she still cried while she was in it. There didn't seem to be a solution.

Trying Something New (Again)

We decided to go on a family vacation to Chicago. My husband and I lived there for a few years, and our son was born there. We wanted to go back and have a good time. We were going to be relying heavily on walking, the train, and the "L" during our visit. And we knew our stroller would be annoying. We'd done the whole stroller thing when we lived there with our son and public transportation sucks with those things.

I reached out to a friend of mine who has four kids. I knew she would have good advice. She suggested getting a ring sling. I told her I enjoyed the sling I had, but my daughter was already too big for it. The great thing about a ring sling is that it's adjustable. She suggested Wildbird, but it was a little out of my price range. I wanted a double so that I could use it for a long time. So I went to Amazon. This is what I found.

The Results

Let me tell you, I love this thing! I'm so mad I didn't get one sooner because it's fantastic. It's perfect for side carrying (which my daughter loves), and you can also use it as a front carry. It took me a few tries to figure out how to use it, but once I got it down it was cake. We did all of Chicago with her in that thing, and she never complained once. It didn't bother my back, was easy to get on and off and didn't require any tying or wrapping. When my daughter would get tired, I'd shift her to the front, adjust the sling, and she would fall asleep just like that. If she woke up, I could just as quickly modify it to hip carry.

The wonderful thing is you can use it for a very long time! Mine comes with a weight limit of 35 pounds, I mean that's crazy! I could carry her into toddler age if I wanted to, and my back wouldn't scream at me.


Seriously, if you are trying to decide what kind of carrier to get for your baby, the search is over. This is by far the best piece of baby gear I ever bought. I promise you will not be disappointed with this product. You can buy one at full price, like my friend, or search online on stores like Amazon or eBay to get a better deal. Of all the carriers I've bought, this one has been the best. I love it and still use it with my youngest.