Babybjorn Baby Original Carrier

After Anderson was born we quickly found out that holding him was the only way to keep him relatively calm. This was especially true in the evening — the so-called witching hour. A friend had given us a sling, but Anderson hated it, perhaps because it completely enveloped him so he couldn't see what was going on. So after a few weeks of sore arms we realized that we needed a Baby Bjorn.

We bought the Baby Bjorn Original Baby Carrier, and I think it was a very good choice. With the Baby Bjorn we felt confident that we could keep Anderson calm whenever we travelled. If he started to fuss, we'd just stick him in, and he'd calm down, and very often take a long nap with his head on my chest.

The Baby Bjorn was very useful in my evening walks with Anderson. Laura, like every new mother, needed some time to herself, so every evening I'd strap him into the Baby Bjorn and take a long stroll around the neighborhood. I liked this better than the stroller because it was a lot easier to maneuver around our less-than-ideal sidewalks.

We don't use the Baby Bjorn anymore. It's only designed for babies up to 22 pounds, and Anderson has been over that for more than a month now. He is an unusually large baby (way off the charts in weight), so you will hopefully get a little more use out of it. Also, your newborn has to be at least 8 pounds before you can use the Baby Bjorn.

There is one big draw back to the original Baby Bjorn. The straps put a lot of weight on your shoulders because there is no lumbar support. Laura never really got used to it, and when she did use it, she would find that her back really started to hurt after just a short period of time. If you think this is going to be a problem for you, I recommend the Baby Bjorn Active Carrier. It comes with an integrated lumbar support which will help put more of your baby's weight on your hips.

Finally, please make sure that your read the instructions before you put your baby in the carrier. Too many people put their babies in incorrectly, which can lead to accidents. And nobody wants that. Most importantly, you want to make sure that your babies arms go through the carrier like this, and are not on top of the carrier like this.

November 2, 2006

Babybjorn Baby Original Carrier