baby carrier choices

Not all mommies are the same shape and size, and pregnancy brings with it added weight that even the thinnest women have to deal with. If you're a plus-sized woman, finding clothes and baby gear that is well suited to your body shape can be an exercise in futility.

Fortunately, when you're looking for decent baby carriers, there are many brands that are designed with extra weight in mind. The important factors in finding baby carriers for plus size moms are security, comfort, and durability.

You don't want a baby carrier that has limited strap sizes or ones that hang so low that baby is going fall below your tummy line. You won't be comfortable and neither will your baby, not to mention that despite the convenience that baby carriers bring, you want to make sure your baby is safe and happy.

Sometimes modern inventions are just super, aren't they? Some things have been great additions, like, well, sliced bread, Velcro, zippers, washing machines, running water, toilets, telephones, and all those kitchen gadgets.

Some of this stuff has only been around for about 50 years, more or less. Some of them have been around longer, but didn't really catch on until complementary technology caught up with it, like light bulbs, phone lines, television, computers, cell phones, and so on.

Just a mere hundred or so years ago, women were using washboards to do their laundry, streets were lit by gas lamps, you put candles in your candelabra and on your Christmas tree, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer hadn't been born yet, you had to wind the phone to use it and the car, too!

Of course, some things were just improvements on things we had, like baby carriers for toddlers and that sliced bread. But, even with the improvements on things like the baby carriers, the last few decades have been explosive with accommodating invention.

Baby carriers for toddlers have so many improvements that are not only convenient, but safer, more comfortable, have all kinds of handy pockets, cool wheels and suspensions, cup holders, and more.

As you look for the right baby carrier for your toddler, give a thought to your matronly ancestors and how far we've come in caring for our little ones, and toss a bit a thanks to those who hav improved our daily lives.

HugaMonkey baby slings are a new twist on an ancient invention. Made from one piece of fabric and super easy to get on and off, you and baby will love our slings!

Halle Berry, Cate Blanchett, Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Courtney Cox, Ethan Hawke, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Sheryl Crow, Julia Roberts. Any of these names sound familiar? The blast of celebrity baby carrier endorsements have been like a snowball rolling down a hill. It gets bigger and bigger.

Why are these celebrities endorsing these baby carriers? Well, if you've ever imagined what a day in the life of a celebrity must be like, imagine one of those days with a baby. Yes, some of them have nannies and such, and they almost have to so they can keep working. When they aren't working, most of these celebrity mommies and daddies are spending their precious time with their kids.

Not only do baby carriers and slings fit an active mommy life perfectly, they are ideal for celebrities that are juggling work, parenting, and paparazzi sightings. Really, these aggressive photo hounds literally lie in wait in bushes, trees, and dumpsters to catch a shot of these famous faces. Can you imagine dealing with all that on top of your normally busy day? Yikes!

The fact is that that baby carriers and slings are an excellent way to have consistent contact and attention between moms, dads, and their babies while doing all sorts of other things. It used to be you'd have to pop your little one into a crib, a highchair, or a playpen only to have to stop what you're doing to attend to baby or spend some quality time with her.

Throughout the centuries, parents have devised different ways to carry around young children. Young Native American babies were placed on cradleboards and carried on their mother's backs. Across Africa and China in the South Pacific and Latin America, babies were and often continue to be carried with belts or swaths of fabric that fasten them to their mothers. Today in the United States? We’re looking to and learning from the past.

Although baby slings may be an invention of the past, present manufacturers have given them new twists. They are more comfortable, more useful, and even cooler than they have ever been in the history of the world! And the best-rated baby slings are those that meet every criterion for good baby carriers.

Imagine yourself with your new baby. Whether it is your first or not, you are so happy to not be pregnant anymore and to have this beautiful, delicate, new person in your life. However, this initial happiness can be quickly dulled by the tremendous amount of time, energy, and care your baby needs.

You may find yourself trying to use one hand as you balance your baby on one hip and attempt to take care of everything with one opposable thumb and four digits. Needless to say, it's an exercise in frustration. Centuries ago, women must have felt your same frustration until one of them came up with the idea of wrapping the baby onto them and freeing up their other hand.

The best-rated baby slings are not just those that are functional, but those that are comfortable. You’ll find as you look around that some are padded for comfort, others wrap in different positions allowing you to find the one that is best for you. Either way, comfort is a must.

If you love, love, love the water and want your baby to love it, too, then a baby carrier made for water is a terrific addition to your baby stuff arsenal. There aren't as many models of water baby carriers, but there's still plenty of styles to choose from.

Just a few things to look for to make sure you're getting the best fit for you and baby.

First, look at its safety ratings. With the recent onslaught of baby carrier recalls, it's more important than ever to make sure you're getting a product that has a good safety record.

Along with this, you want to make sure it looks safe. Take stock of how many straps, buckles, and parts there are. Less is better, because your odds are better that nothing will break. You don't want to be waist high in the water and have baby slip out of the baby carrier into the water.

Second, examine how it's worn to make sure it's going to be comfortable for both you and baby. There aren't many worse things than being wet and uncomfortable combined with a fussy, unhappy baby.

Third, read and follow instructions so you understand all the ins and outs. This goes along with safety and comfort. There might not be anything wrong with the water baby carrier, but if you haven't followed the guidelines, you may be wearing it incorrectly.

Fourth, you also want to do some practice wearings so you can easily and efficiently put it on and get baby in and out without any snafus.

Getting a best baby carrier for water will be a bonus when it's time to hit the pool, or the local swimming hole and will make summer a fresh new adventure!

Looking for a baby carrier can be simply mindboggling with a plethora of models available. You can find them everywhere these days. There are specialized small companies that have designed their own baby carriers and slings, and there are big companies that have their own line of carriers and backpacks.

You can also go to the big online outlets, like eBay and Amazon, and find baby carriers. In fact, eBay has a practical buying guideline page for choosing baby carriers.

Of course, not all models and styles are available on eBay, but using it to get started and getting a good idea of what's available isn't a bad idea. Baby carriers run the gamut of anything you carry your baby in, so there isn't just one type. Baby carriers include backpacks, slings, front packs, as well as buggies, strollers, and carriers and trailers for bikes.

With so many kinds of baby carriers out there, you may be overwhelmed with your choices. The best thing to do is evaluate your lifestyle.

• Will you be spending more time at home than anywhere else? A sling might be your best bet.


• Are you super active and want to stay that way? A good stroller, buggy, backpack, or bike carrier will best suit your needs depending on the activity you prefer.


• Will you be in and out, off to the store, to the park, the races? Then you might want to get more than one kind.

In fact, most parents have more than one kind of baby carrier so they can adapt when they need to. Finding a good baby carrier on eBay, or just getting some great ideas of what's out there is a efficient way to prepare, or fill any babywearing gaps you might have.

Cotton. It's a pretty wonderful fiber. It's the most used fiber in the world. Most Americans associate cotton with our Southern states, but it is grown all over the planet. It's been spun and turned into fabric for over 7 thousand years in the Middle East, India, Peru, and Mexico.

It's amazing to think that a puffy flower encased in a prickly bur could be so popular for several millennia. Used to make fabric for nearly everything that uses fabric, the story of cotton is about a literal powerhouse.

It needs certain conditions to grow, like frost-free warmth and lots of sun, medium rainfall, and heavy soil. Since there's plenty of that in the mid-ranges of the planet, we are lucky to have ample room to grow the beloved cotton.

Of course, you naturally think of your favorite threadbare comfy cotton t-shirt or jeans when you think of cotton, or all things fabric – but did you know cotton is also used in space suits, tents, coffee filters, candlewicks, paper, twine, bookbinding, medical supplies, and so much more - and they used to make fire hoses out of cotton?

And it's not just for making stuff, the oil and meal is use for food! You can use cottonseed oil just like any other vegetable oil – wonder what they calorie count is. And the meal is used for livestock feed, while the hulls are use as livestock roughage. They even use the tiny little tiny hairs, or lint, for paper or refine it even further for medical and cosmetic uses.

One of the biggest complaints about baby carriers is the extra stress on babywearer backs. Following that is discomfort caused by buckles, rings, extra fabric, and just a general feeling of not fitting right.

The last thing you want or can afford to do is buy two dozen baby carriers to find the comfortable one. Even if you had the time or money to test-drive a different carrier every day until you find the proverbial golden ticket, do you really want to?

One thing we do treasure is comfort. Most people like to feel comfortable with their surroundings, what they're wearing, a topic of discussion, their level of work, their housemates, the chairs and couches they sit in, the beds they sleep in, and in their vehicles.

No matter what you do, whether you're a gardener, salesperson, public speaker, CEO, college student, factory worker, housewife or husband, or a race car driver, you surround yourself with things you're comfortable with and in.

Why shouldn't you want comfort with a baby carrier? Your baby can be a very demanding individual. More stubborn than kudzu, tougher than a hostile audience, changing needs that are faster than a Porsche, louder than a … well, you get the idea.

Babies need your attention, and so does your life. The last thing you want to be plagued with is a uncomfortable, ill-equipped, sigh-provoking baby carrier.

The key? As you look through your baby carrier choices, look carefully at much you'll have to do to secure around you and baby, how it will sit on your body, where the weight will sit and pull, and most importantly how baby's head and body look in it.

There are so many baby slings out there, you may be wondering which one is best. The styles are as varied as the makers, but the intent of each is pretty much the same: to carry baby close to your body and keep your hands free.

While you're perusing all these different baby carriers and slings, you'll find their designs are actually quite different. Most have some kind of buckle, strap, or long flap that can be both good and bad.

You have a good choice of brands, too. Maya, Hotslings, Baby K'tan, New Native, ERGO, Slinglings, Boba, Karma Baby, Mamma's Milk, Mei Tai, and Dr. Sears' baby carriers and slings, and the list goes on and on.

The Good

These are made to be flexible for you and your baby. After you give birth, you'll no doubt have some extra weight, and you will either keep that weight and stay the same size for a while, gain more weight as you struggle to keep your eyes open, or lose the weight.

Your baby will be gaining weight as he or she grows. That is a given. Baby carriers and slings that come with these belts, buckles, and flaps can be adjusted to accommodate growth changes for you and baby. They also allow for people of different sizes to use the same carrier.

The Bad

The main problem with these kinds of baby carriers and slings is, the more parts you have, the higher the odds of something malfunctioning or breaking. There have been recent reports of baby deaths due to these malfunctions, as well as suffocation.

While the makers haven't intentionally developed their products to cause this, the fact is that it's getting attention, and it's creating a blight on all baby carriers and slings. Some brands are more susceptible than others, so as you're shopping, make sure you check their track record of reliability and safety.