Baby wearing is a real phenomenon. I cannot tell you how many times wearing Isabel has saved my life. Before we went on our RTW trip, we needed to find a carrier with a little bit more support and durability since Isabel was going to be in it A LOT.
We did a bunch of research and decided that we wanted to purchase the Ergo baby carrier, only to get to the store for it to be closed. So, we went to the next store but they didn’t sell Ergo’s. Since we were leaving for our RTW trip in the next days, we needed to purchase something as we knew our infant carriers were not going to suit our needs. We talked to the lady and told her the reasons why we wanted the ergo, and she told us that babywearing is different for all people, so the reviews might not be as accurate as you think.. it’s all about the fit of the carrier on your specific body. Enter us trying on a few different models.
After spending some time talking through the different features and feeling the differences in carriers, we chose the lillebaby, and after a few months of traveling with it, we could not be happier with our decision. Specifically we ended up with the Lillebaby Complete Original in the SOHO pattern. This was the only one the store had left, so now having it we might consider the all season or airflow one instead (but can’t be sure because we’ve never tried it).
What we like:
There is both a wide and narrow seat. With the snap (or unsnap)
You can wear it 6 different ways (or 360 degrees as they call it). I actually think you can use it 7 because for newborns you can have there legs curled inside the carrier in the fetal position. So the carrys would be:
- Fetal
- Wide seat facing inward
- Narrow seat facing inward
- Wide seat facing outward
- Narrow seat facing outward
- Hip carry
- Back carry
You could also say that it’s only 5 different carries because the seat difference isn’t really that different, so it’s up to you on how many ways you want to say it can do. If you really want to get technical, you can wear the shoulder straps as an x when front facing which helps us to distribute the weight differently sometimes. So that could be like 11 different ways in total.
The lumbar support. Especially as babies get older and heavier, this has been so nice. It really gives your back that little extra support. Most people only use the lumbar support for the front carries, but I actually really like it with the hip carry too. I find it gives my non-baby hip a little bit extra cushion – even though I look funny wearing it that way.
The back panel. It can be kept down when baby is facing outward, but when they are facing inward you have the option to buckle it up. I believe it’s made for smaller babies who might need extra neck support, but for us it’s been really useful because a lot of the times Isabel needs to nap in the carrier on the go, and she gets so distracted that when we put it up it blocks her view from a lot of things and helps her fall asleep.
The snapping hood. It has been amazing for us to have some sun protection in the blaring sun of southeast asia. Granted, it can definitely get hot in there, so the cold towels have been key. It also has served as an umbrella for us in the rain. And as a shield from distraction to get her to fall asleep. It also has provided me cover when nursing
The shoulder straps are also very comfortable and I’ve never had a red mark where I was wearing. They have enough padding
The waist band is nice and thick providing more support for us, my biggest tip would be to make sure it is tight enough. If it’s too loose you will still feel like you are being strained, but if you have the waist band nice and tight (tighter than you think you need) then wearing baby is a breeze (most of the time 😊)
The front zip pocket has been clutch. Her hair bows, tissues, sunglasses, snacks or whatever it might be have ended up in that thing and it’s nice to not have to worry about it falling out. You could potentially put something in the pocket where the hood goes, but I don’t like to put things there because of the risk of losing them.
Machine washable. Traveling with this thing especially has led to some dirty situations. It’s been on the floor of a bus, used as a hand wipe after a lollipop, carried more sweat than I’d like to admit, and it’s as easy to clean as putting it in the laundry. But still…. It honestly doesn’t need to be cleaned that much. I think we’ve only ever cleaned it once (is that gross? Should I be cleaning it more?) Idk, my motto is if it doesn’t stink and doesn’t look dirty then it doesn’t need a wash.
The newborn insert. It comes with a little strap for smaller babies. We haven’t needed this yet, because Isabel was already 1 and 19lbs when we bought it, but we really liked the fact that we could use it for baby #2 down the road. UPDATE: We used it for Juliana (baby #2) and didn’t really feel like it was necessary. So I wouldn’t say it is really a pro or a con, but I guess it’s nice to have in case.
What we don’t like:
Like many carriers, it is hot in the heat. Most of the time we just deal with it, but we’ve found the best way to combat it is to get a wet towel and place it on the baby’s neck and your neck to keep you both cool.
We would also choose a lighter color next time so that in the hotter months the sun doesn’t absorb into it.
Carrying it around when we’re not wearing it is also a hassle. We wish it came with a bag to bunch it all up because it’s hard to bunch together and carry it around.
Sometimes depending on the seat position, Isabel’s legs get a little rubbed by the carrier. She has never really complained about it, but it doesn’t look great when she comes out. Maybe you aren’t supposed to wear them for as long of periods as we do, but you gotta do what you gotta do when you’re traveling!
I hope this review is helpful for some of you trying to make a baby carrier purchase, I know the stress it can cause!