Your Mama Loves the Boba Baby Carrier

When my first son hit about 22 pounds, I stopped wearing him. It was simply too uncomfortable, and he no longer fit in the carrier we’d purchased. Now that I’m babywearing more often, I’ve found that my son still enjoys being worn in a ring sling at 12-months-old. However, I’ve also found that I can’t carry him for very long in it without experiencing back and neck pain.

Sleepy Wrap, a company that makes a wonderful stretchy baby wrap that I enjoyed wearing my son in throughout his first year of life, recently launched a new soft baby carrier called the Boba Baby Carrier. They sent me a Boba to evaluate and review.

The Boba Carrier is used for a back and front carry. In both carries, the child must be worn facing the adult. (Many experts feel that babies should not be carried facing away.) Unlike some soft carries, the Boba is not appropriate for a side/hip carry.

My first impression was that the Boba Carrier was extremely easy to use. I was able to glance through instructions and immediately get it on. The waist band is much thicker and softer than other carries I’ve tried on. The shoulder straps are also heavily padded—to the point of being almost too bulky. As soon as I had my son in the carrier, I could tell how well-supported he was and I could feel that his weight was distributed nicely at my hips.

I have back and neck pain regularly, so it’s really important to me to have a baby carrier that doesn’t place strain and weight on my shoulders.

It took a little while for my active and walking baby to get used to being held so close to me in the carrier. Right now, he prefers the front carry to the back carry. The Boba Carrier has a really interesting stirrups feature that allows the child being worn to rest his or her feet comfortable. (No more dangling legs.)

I’ve found it simple and convenient to throw this carrier into my car and use it when I’m not using my stroller. The color options are currently all shades of brown and green. While I love all the colors, particularly the bright green, some moms may be disappointed that they don’t come in a larger variety of color shades.

Pros:

• Organic materials.
• Easy to use.
• Comfortable.
• Cool foot straps that will come in handy as my son grows longer/taller.
• The waist strap has the unintentional side effect of totally hiding love handles. Bonus.
• High back for extra support of the baby/toddler being worn.
• Proper support for the baby/toddler. (Sitting instead of dangling.)
• Easy instructions and FAQ on the Boba website.

Cons:

• Not as portable as a soft wrap/sling. You can’t put it in your purse.
• Eventually it may cause some shoulder straight, but I had to wear it for over an hour to experience that.
• Price may discourage those who don’t use a baby carrier often.
• Can’t be used until 9-12 months.

Overall, if you wear your baby a few times a week, this is a great carrier to transition to once a wrap or sling becomes inadequate for a larger and heavier child. I’m sort of an idiot when it comes to following instructions, and I was extremely happy to find that the Boba Carrier was super easy to use.

Discount Alert

Save 10% off any order at www.bobababycarrier.com with the code “mamareviews” until December 24, 2009.

About the author:  Maria is surrounded by boys. She gets all aflutter when she finds good deals, new episodes of Gossip Girl, and big bold bottles of red wine. Read more from this author.