The Ramalama Infant Carrier

Looking for a stylish and comfortable baby carrier? Well, the Ramalama Infant Carrier seems to fit the bill nicely. This carrier is for older babies, capable of supporting their own heads, and holds children up to 44 pounds! Made and designed in Australia, this carrier puts most of your child's weight on your hips where its most comfortable. The only complaint I have is that by putting the child to your side, your limiting the use of one of your arms. Of course, this might not be such a big deal, because that hand is still technically free.

Shearling Papoose

If you are looking for something more stylish than the Baby Bjorn, the Shearling Papoose might be a good option. This natural shearling papoose has bridle leather trim and swede lining. The st4raps are adjustable, and the shearling shoulder pads have a removable elasticized suede wrist strap. It's good for up to 22 pounds.

Lillébaby EuroTote

I had thought that I'd be taking Andy everywhere I went when he was a baby. Unfortunately I was pretty overwhelmed after giving birth and didn't leave the house much for those first few months. But if you have a happy baby who likes to be out and about, the Lillébaby EuroTote would be ideal for you. This versatile design allows you to keep him snug in the carrier while moving him from a car seat to a stroller to hanging from your shoulder. You can also put it down and open it up as a mat for your baby to play on or keep the bottom up so it works as a blanket. And it has two covers for year round use. You can use it from 8 lbs to 3 years of age.

Carrier Cover by Brooks Pond

With cooler weather coming for much of the country, it might be time to think about products like this Carrier Cover. The carrier cover will keep your baby warm and cozy in a variety of popular infant carriers including the Baby Bjorn. Its made out of heavyweight fleece, and has an integrated collar and hood. For the parents there are pockets to keep your hands warm and an interior zip pouch for your wallet and keys. And the whole thing is adjustable to keep pace with your growing baby. We didn't have to use our Baby Bjorn in the winter, as Andy had grown out of it by then. However, I always worried about keeping him warm enough in the carrier, and a cover like this would've been perfect!

PortaMEe Hip Carrier

Andy outgrew most carriers by the time he was six months old, so I've had to carry him the old fashioned way since then, on my hip. As he's just started walking this week and is 15 months old, you can probably imagine how strong my arms have gotten! I wish I had known about the PortaMEe Hip Carrier a long time ago as this would have been perfect for me. For the baby that has outgrown the front carrier, this one looks easy to use and perfect for a baby who loves to be carried. It has a gel-padded shoulder strap, other adjustable straps to accomodate both parents, and a place for your cell phone, keys, and wallet. You can also buy a bottle pocket and hooded cape as accessories. This carrier is good for a baby up to three years old and is available in pink and blue.

Karma Baby

I've mentioned before that Andy never liked a sling much. I regret not trying harder, but he was such a screamer that I took his lead often and didn't push much. I really like the slings over at Karma Baby though. They have a ton of great fabrics to choose from. Some are reversible, and there's also fleece and organic ones too. Some of my favorite fabrics include Starry Night, Sweet Ema, Dreamland, and Ara. I really suggest that you all try a sling if you haven't already. They can be great for the baby. I definitely plan on trying harder to use one when I have another!

Review: Walking Wings

I must say, the first time I saw Walking Wings, I wasn't super interested. I'd never seen anything like them, and I didn't really know what to think. When Upspring, the company who makes this product, offered us one for review, I jumped at the chance to try them as I wanted to understand them better. And I must say I'm glad I did.

Continue reading: "Review: Walking Wings"

Pique Floral Baby Slings

I've said before that I was never able to get Andy to enjoy a sling. I do wish I could have, it seems like a nice way for a newborn to sleep while you get stuff done. And later as a way to stay close. I love the new Baby Slings at Craftsbury Kids. They are such amazing prints; I just love black and white combinations! They have plenty of fabric in case you ever need to cover up, and they work for up to 35 lbs.

PortaMEe

I already wrote about the carrier we used with Anderson, the Baby Bjorn. I thought it was a great carrier, but the big problem we had was that Anderson was just too big for it! We had to stop using it after Andy was 6 months old. The PortaMEe solves that problem! It doesn't list any maximum supported weight, but I would imagine that your shoulder and back will probably let you know when its too much. Best of all, its designed with an ingenious lumbar support to help take the weight off your shoulders (a problem that plagues the Original Baby Bjorn). So, this carrier will last you a lot longer, but that's not all! It has pockets all over the place for diapers, bottles, cell phones and keys. You could leave your diaper bag at home when you take your child out in this carrier. And to keep things tidy, a matching tote is included.

via Mommies With Style.

Catbird Baby Slings

I was never able to really carry Andy in a sling or carrier. He hated our sling when he was young, and then he gained weight so fast that I never tried much again. I may try again when I have my second as I really love the idea of carrying one's baby. I've just found some really great carriers at Catbird Baby, Inc. The way you wear your baby seems a little more intuitive to me than other slings, probably because they have straps, but they are more like slings in that there are a few different positions you can put your baby in. They have a bunch of different fun fabrics you can choose from, and each is reversible as well. One side is more colorful (probably for the moms), and the other side is more of a muted color, which would work for dads who want to carry their baby but don't want to be wearing fuchsia.

Didymos Sling

I never really got into baby slings. I love the idea, but Andy hated them when he was first born, and I unfortunately never got the chance to try them again. Now that he's so big and heavy, I've lost interest and figure I'll try again with my next child. But here is one that I think it neat looking and very practical. The Didymos Sling has 11 different positions you can carry your child, is suitable for all sizes of baby, and I think it's much more attractive than some I've seen. It is available in three colors: blue, grey, and red. Printed instructions also come with it, so you won't be stuck wondering what the 11 positions are!

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.

Stretch Cotton Invisibly Adjustable BabyPouch

It looks like celebrity babies like the slings better than my son. If you want to wear the same one as some famous moms, consider the Stretch Cotton Invisibly Adjustable BabyPouch. It's adjustable so both parents can wear it (I know you just wish your husband would wear something like this), has leg padding for toddlers and can also be used by infants. Angelina Jolie, Kate Hudson, Brooke Sheilds and Rachel Weisz are just some of the women who have used this sling. Comes in three colors: black, blue, and khaki.