BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Original - Black, Classic
by BABYBJÖRN
|
List Price: Our Price: $68.64 You Save: $11.35 (14%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $68.00 (click here) Category: Baby Product See more product details |
|---|
Baby Products Reviews of BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Original - Black, Classic
Customer Review: A great carrier for when they're very young
Summary: 4 Stars
This review is part of a round of reviews of baby carriers my wife wrote, including her takes on the Ergo Baby Carrier Black with Camel Lining (5 stars), the Boba Classic Baby Carrier, Glacier(4 stars), the Infantino Ecosash Baby Carrier, Bloomin Vines, 8-35 Pounds (3 stars), and the Infantino Balance Baby Carrier, Spindles, 8-35 Pounds (2 stars). Here's her general intro:
"I'm 5'5" and around 130 lbs. Husband is 6' and around 170 lbs. Our children seem to grow quickly, both over 15 lbs by 3 months of age, so a good carrier is vital to the health of our backs! There are many features to each carrier that I will try to touch on, and most of them have both pros and cons associated, so I might say one feature is a benefit, but I may also mention its drawbacks, or vice versa. We all have differently tempered and built babes and toddlers, differently shaped bodies, and different needs, so please take these reviews for what they're worth: my humble opinions.
And here's her take on the Bjorn:
"Both DH and I loved this carrier for the newest babies 8-12 lbs.
PROS:
* It holds them close or hanging loosely away depending on what babe likes and how tight you pull the straps.
* Once you become used to the fasteners, it is super-easy and quick to put on and can even be put on with one hand while holding the baby (if pre-clipped in some spots).
* It is easily adjustable from mom to dad sizing.
* The clip in the back on the arm straps keep the carrier from getting looser as you carry.
* The stiff supporting body keeps the wee babes upright and their breathing passages open.
* The face-out position is very simple to configure and can be done without putting the baby down, while still wearing the carrier.
CONS:
* Like I said, we loved this carrier, but really only for babies from 8-10 or 12 pounds (which lasts about a month with my kids) because of the weight put on the shoulders and upper back. DH can use it longer than I can, because he's stronger and larger.
* There is some debate about facing the baby out and the stimulus received, but neither of my children minded much, probably because we mostly took quiet walks around the empty neighborhood, park, or around the house.
* Also, some say it isn't great for hip development to hold babies by their crotches.
Customer Review: Great for fast, lightweight travel with your family
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife and I like to travel and we have discovered that having the Baby Bjorn has made traveling light very easy - a point driven home last month when we did a nine day trip to Venice and Paris. We saw countless other parents struggling to tote strollers up and down over the various canal bridges in Venice, while we simply walked up and over the bridges with my kid sitting on my chest. We didn't use the stroller one time the entire nine days we were abroad, even though we spent 8-12 hour stretches out and about almost every single day.
We would generally keep our daughter facing out (so she could "sightsee" with us), and then when she got tired and wanted to sleep, we turned her in facing me so that she could sleep against my shoulder (or in some cases, we'd just find a nice shady place in a park to sprawl and nap). Otherwise, the only other items I ever had to carry were two to three diapers, a sandwich bag with a few wipes, a sippy cup (all of which fit into my pockets) and my daughter's jacket, which I could roll up and tuck behind the front straps of the carrier. My wife never had to carry anything, and when she's happy, we're all happy! The Baby Bjorn was also extremely useful during the plane flight home; our kid wouldn't sleep in the bulkhead bassinet that the airline provided, but she did great when in the Baby Bjorn. I ended up "wearing" her for six of the nine hours flying home with little trouble.
The Baby Bjorn also works well when you want to take your family to sporting events. Our kid's already been to more than a dozen NBA and major league baseball games - in every instance, she always has a front row seat on my chest. These kinds of family nights out wouldn't be possible with a stroller, but since I'm carrying both the kid and everything she might need on me, my wife is finding that she really likes live sports a lot more than she thought she did.
While a lot of folks talk about how the Baby Bjorn keeps your hands free, I think it's real value lies in the extra mobility it affords and in the extra bonding time it gives the parent carrying the baby with the baby itself. . . and it makes a great eye shade when you want to lie down and nap. I'll be really sorry when our kid gets to be over 25 lbs (probably by the fall) and we can't use this thing any longer.
Customer Review: If You're Large-Chested, Find Something Else
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought the Baby Bjorn mainly to use when I was on maternity leave so I could get some things done. My car seat turned out to be way too heavy to drag around for errands, and some stores don't have buggies or aisles wide enough for strollers. My baby was also one of those who cried pretty much every time she was put down and never slept longer than 30 minutes, and I really needed to find a way to get some laundry and dishes washed every once in a while. I tried a pouch sling, but I returned it after 2 uses - I felt like the baby couldn't breathe - sure enough, that style was recalled a few weeks later for that very problem.
The Bjorn was a decent alternative, but really wasn't fast, convenient, or well-fitting enough for me. I would probably try something different the next time. I still give it three stars because I think this would be a great carrier for a man, but I couldn't get my husband to use it.
Pros:
1. Well made: very secure, nicely padded, easy to clean
2. Easy to understand & use the clips & fasteners
3. Baby loved it & usually fell asleep in it until she became very alert @ 8-10 weeks, then she enjoyed the view
4. I felt much better about the baby's ability to breathe in this than the pouch sling I had previously.
Cons:
1. Awkward to maneuver baby into
2. Back pain - I pinched a nerve in my back the 2nd time wearing this when the baby was only 10 lbs. and I'm still getting twinges 4 months later. (And I was wearing it properly according to the directions).
3. Because the carrier rides so high on the chest, it is not great for large-busted women. It was ok when the baby was forward-facing. She liked snuggling there, but when I turned her around @ 4 months, it wasn't comfortable for me and I didn't feel she was quite secure enough because my chest was against her butt or back and pushing her out too far from me.
4. Baby occasionally spit up from the pressure of my chest on her tummy (she rarely spit up out of the carrier).
Customer Review: A must have!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the number one best item I purchased before my baby arrived, I cannot imagine what I would do without it! I was blessed with a healthy, beautiful, but somewhat "high needs" daughter. For the first 3 months of her life she has only been happy being held or, for very brief periods sitting in her BabyBjorn baby sitter chair. This carrier is the only thing that allowes me to get anything done around the house. The unexpected benefit of this item was that my baby also suffered from moderate colic for about 3-4 weeks. Every night from 5pm - 10pm her crying was almost incessant. Putting her in her carrier and walking her around the block was the only thing that would sooth her and stop the crying. The bonus is that she invariably falls asleep within 15 minutes of being strapped in. Even now that the colic is gone I still use this item at least once a day and usually much much more.
I had also researched the Moby wrap, but chose this because I thought it looked easier to get baby into and more secure. I was right, once you've done it once or twice, baby can be securely strapped in in less than 2 minutes. And I can still get her out while she's fast asleep without waking her if I'm a little more careful than usual. The other reasons I chose this, after reading several reviews is that it is generously sized. The straps extend quite a bit so it will fit larger framed people, which both my husband and I are. I'm a 5' 10' size 20 mom and it fits me easily, the straps still have a few inches left to be let out if needed.
The only negative I have is that the carrier body is made of rather thick neoprine type material which can get very very hot in summer months. A couple of times I took my baby out becuase she got very red faced and a little over heated, but we have no air conditioning and it only happened twice when it was exceptionally hot.
All in all, I cannot recommend this product highly enough, it has been an absolute life saver for me!
Customer Review: There are a lot of carriers out there - but the Bjorn works for us!
Summary: 5 Stars
I think selecting a carrier was the hardest baby product decision we made, including a three baby bathtub debacle and two swing nightmare ;)! To whit, we own three carriers now, including a catbird baby/pikkolo carrier, mostly for facing inward (this carrier also allows other positions, but the material didn't allow for as comfortable a ride as the bjorn), a sling that was made for us (which I can never get settled correctly on me alone) and this bjorn (which honestly - I bought used at a local baby consignment store).
Our baby has always been hugely curious about the world. He literally chafed at being carried face-in and was constantly trying to turn to look out, as young as just a few weeks old. Several other wonderful carriers don't really allow the facing out position (cough...Ergo...cough) like this one does. Now, to be fair, I can see how our baby is going to grow out of this bjorn by around 8-10 months. But, who cares? We are in bliss now. At 5 months, he will walk around in the bjorn for more than an hour happily looking around and experiencing the world. I can put this on and put him in easily by myself. It's great for walking our dog, going to the mall or a museum, dancing around the house, sitting together for short periods, etc. I don't find that it's super easy to do a lot of tasks with my hands in this, since I have a large infant obstructing my view, but no matter - it's a great time together with him in the bjorn.
So, bottom line, I think you need to know your baby a little to select the right carrier. Do they want to be snuggled in with you all the time, face in? Do they want to look out all the time, even if you might prefer they snuggle facing in with you? I suggest going by a retailer that allows you to try them on, then purchasing the one you want on Amazon or on consignment (if you can find it), where the prices are lower. Once you see what your baby prefers, these carriers will be your new best friend.