Baby carriers are all about trial and error; with our first child my husband and I bought a Baby Bjorn - we loved it! We both liked using it and I only found it uncomfortable when my son was on the higher end of the weight limit and we were walking for several hours. When the baby was small he could cuddle facing us and when he was bigger he loved facing out and looking around. My only problem was that when I sat down if the baby was facing me his legs were squashed and I would have to take him out. This was inconvenient when he was small and when he was asleep.

Two years later when Madeleine was born I still had my handy Bjorn and used it faithfully. It is amazing how much time can be saved when you do not have to drag a huge stroller in and out of a vehicle and you can shove the carrier into a diaper bag or large purse! Plus, I could actually shop. When the baby was sitting or sleeping in the stroller every time I stopped to look she would get restless or wake up! Grocery shopping was alot easier too - once again my babies loved motion. A shopping cart and stroller are nearly impossible to maneuver and physically draining (take it from me!) and the baby would wake up every time the cart would stop when she was in the infant seat. But I still had the same issues with the Bjorn; uncomfortable to baby when I was sitting and hard on the back when baby got to be heavier.

Baby #3 arrived in January; I decided to purchase a New Native Baby Sling. Amazing  - at first! My husband could not wear it because this sling it is sized to your body and unless you and your spouse are similar in size it's not going to work. My son loved the sling when he was small; when he was very little he loved being cradled next to me and up to 4/5 months he liked sitting up in the sling but since then he has rebelled! He really dislikes the sling - he seems to find it confining and likes having more freedom to move his arms and legs. Also, the sling is really hard on the shoulders if you carry baby around for a couple of hours. I am really glad my husband convinced me to also purchase a new Baby Bjorn. Sebastian loves it! He still will sleep facing me in it and he gets so excited looking out; he's 9 months old and a bit on the chunky side but the Bjorn works well and the two problems I had are no longer problems. With three kids I do not get to sit as often so that takes care of the cramped baby legs and the Bjorn seems to not hurt my back as much this time - either they have updated the carrier or my back has become numb to the pain!

Hi again, it's November 2006 and my baby is 22 months old! Sebastian is also quite the hefty boy and loves being carried still. My shoulders and lower back could no longer take the Baby Bjorn and it was beginning to bother my husband as well. I found a new product that I love and felt the need to share the information... I've been doing some research on carrier's that more evenly distribute a baby's weight; especially on larger babies and toddlers and I came across Mei Tai's. These are soft (aka Cloth) carriers that originated in Asian countries. There are many different brands of Mei Tai's and I've read alot about people making/sewing their own. Since I am not a great seamstress and and have very little time I did what I do best... I read many many reviews on The Baby Wearer website (this is a great resource for parents and child care-givers who love baby carriers) and decided to purchase my Mei Tai from the Baby Hawk website; the fabrics are stunning (your initial reaction to the price can be too!) but the price is comparable to Baby Bjorn and I have to say the Mei Tai is amazing! I have absolutely no shoulder or back pain and I have carried my son around Disney World, the mall, the grocery store, etc. The weight is distributed very well and the support is great; your baby can face you on the front or be carried on your back. Both options are great and the weight limit on the Baby Hawk Mei Tai is 40 lbs! Although I cannot see carrying around a 40 lb child - but to each his own :)

Thanks for Reading!

Mary