10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Must have!
Date of Review: Dec 13, 2007
The Bottom Line: This is a must have item for new parents.
Baby Bjorn has become synonymous with baby-wearing, or carrying the baby on your person. We interchanged between a Baby Bjorn and a cloth wrap for our son, and it was clear that he definitely preferred the Bjorn. He could see better, move his hands and legs freely, and generally felt less encumbered in the Baby Bjorn. It was reasonably comfortable for me, although it did start giving me lower back pain as the baby passed the 6-month mark and got heavier.
The biggest pro obviously is convenience for the parents (we went for walks, we did a lot of day-to-day stuff without having to whip out his stroller each time) and comfort and closeness for the baby. I didn't attempt to nurse him while he was in the Baby Bjorn but I can imagine that it would be challenging! For tiny babies, strollers are less convenient than being carried by their parents---they feel safer and can see and interact better when being carried in something like a Baby Bjorn. In fact, my son didn't really like his stroller until he was about 8 months old.
Although the Bjorn is meant for babies up to 22 lbs., I'm not sure how this would be accomplished. We pretty much gave up around 16 lbs. because the Bjorn (or at least this particular model) distributes the weight so unevenly, with most of it being borne by your back. If you have a weak back (for many new moms, weak abs equal a weaker back than usual), this can really become an issue. Also, although it has many belts that can be loosened and tightened as needed, it's not enough to make the Bjorn comfortable for a larger, chubbier baby. I sometimes found red marks on my son's legs after taking him out of the Bjorn by the time he was 6 months old.
Another great convenience I should mention is that it's machine washable...our lil guy loved to chew and drool on the fabric that folds down in the front around the top...it usually looked pretty gross after a long walk, so it was great to be able to throw it in the wash!
BTW, if the two parents are very different heights, you may need 2 Baby Bjorns, one for each parent so that you're not constantly having to adjust all the belts to fit.
BabyAge
