Can't live without it!

I bought the New Native carrier when I was pregnant with my second daughter. I had used a homemade sling with my older daughter and really liked it, but it was a bit big, so I was looking forward to buying one sized for me! I bought the New Native Carrier from a woman in my town who sells a lot of baby products out of her home. She measured me and though I wanted to buy the small, she insisted that when I began nursing, I would not be able to get the baby into the sling over enlarged chest! (I am 5'4" and 130 lbs). So, I bought the medium. She was right about the sizing!

I started using the carrier to bring my 3 year old home from school while I was 9 months pregnant. She wanted to be carried but I couldn't possibly! But, the half-mile walk was a bit much for her. I was trying to get her used to giving up the stroller, and the New Native Carrier really helped. I would keep it in the folder position, get her seated comfortably, and switch her to my back. She felt secure and with the wide sling wrapped around me, I felt comfortable, too. Pretty amazing!

As soon as my new baby was about 3 weeks old, I began to put her into the New Native Carrier as well. When she was that small, I would put the Carrier on the bed and open it, the I would position the baby with her butt on the seam. Then I would lean over the bed and put the sling over my head and arm - voila! Just as easy as snapping on the Baby Bjorn! She would be so snuggled up - like a little cocoon! Again, the wide sling made it very comfortable. Some people said they never saw her out of it! She hated the stroller until she was about 5 months old, so I could not have lived without the New Native. And, occasionally her big sister would still want to climb into it for a cuddle or a rest. Though the sling is sized for me, my 6 foot tall husband has carried the children in it as well. He does say it feels too small, but it still works O.K..

Also, I could nurse the baby in there without anyone noticing - EVEN WALKING. No need to carry around an extra blanket, or a nursing cover-up. I could just pull up the extra fabric and let her latch on. With an older child and busy schedule, this was SO useful.

Now that the baby is over a year old, I still keep the sling with me at all times. Sometimes I fold it, and she sits hip-style. Though, when it is like this, I do wish it were an inch shorter. The woman who sold it to me suggested I put a double stitch along the top (opposite from the existing seam) to shorten it. I also still put her into it open and she sits cross-legged in there. Now that she is bigger, it is a thousand times more comfortable than the Baby Bjorn. I love the Bjorn but it is just too uncomfortable for carrying an older child. The New Native is wide enough to be comfortable with a bigger child.

As you can tell, I DEFINITELY got my $35 out of this carrier! I love the denim (sometimes I forget it is on - good thing it goes with any outfit!), I can pop the little one in there anytime, I think it helped making her big sister feel cozy when the new baby had arrived, and it was brilliant for the early days of frequent nursing.