Centuries old design. Modern comfort and convenience

I became a mother in July 2002. My son is very much a "hold me" baby and I knew that a sling and/or front-pack carrier would be in my future. I tried several brands of carrier with my son: Baby Bjorn, Snugli, Over The Shoulder Baby Holder and Maya Wrap.

The good:

My favorite by far is the Maya Wrap. It beat the others for comfort with its non-padded, 100% cotton material. I found both my son and I would sweat with the other carriers. Especially in the summer. Also, now that it is cooler, I can easily pull a coat over both my baby and me when he's riding in the sling.

I purchased an extra large sling so both my husband (who is built like a linebacker) and I (more of a medium build) could wear our baby without having to purchase two holders and it's working out nicely.

I also love how easy it is to take the sling with us on trips. It fits right in the diaper bag, and for certain excursions, I don't even bother with our very bulky stroller - I just put our son in the wrap and we're off.

It is so easy to carry in different positions. My son's favorite is upright, facing me. When he's hungry, and we're in a public place, I can nurse him discreetly in the Maya Wrap. I just drape the tail end of the wrap over my son's head for privacy. I have even been able to nurse him while walking around hands free, but that takes a bit of practice.

The not so good (a couple of minor complaints about the Maya Wrap):

--- While now I find it VERY easy to use, it DID take some time to get used to using it. I HIGHLY recommend watching the instructional video. Or, if you don't want to purchase the video, you can watch it online for free at http://www.mayawrap.com/video/videomw.shtml

--- The fabric around the metal ring takes a long time to dry after it gets washed because it's all bunched up

Tip for the frugally minded:

The slings retail at http://www.mayawrap.com for $39.95. However, if you don't care what pattern you get, and you don't mind getting a sling that is "gently used" then you can get them from the same source for only $26.95 That's what I paid for mine and I have been very very happy with it.

UPDATE 7/7/2006
I can hardly believe the little boy I wrote about in this review is now 4 years old, and that I now have two more children. I wanted to report that my trusty Maya Wrap, has now been use for over 4 years, working as well as it when I first got it.