Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I had a miserable time babywearing baby #1 in both a Moby and a hand-me-down Bjorn because of pre-existing mid-back pain, so with baby #2, I picked up an Ergobaby and this Infantino, determined to make something work. I was shocked when the Ergobaby, a full $100 more expensive, was beaten out by the dirt-cheap Infantino Mei Tai. I've realized that a lot of these shell carriers really work only if you have no chest and no tummy, which is pretty unrealistic for postpartum moms. Some of them don't really work on short moms either. I'm a size 20, 5'2", with a short torso and a large chest. If that sounds like you, then you probably also can't make some of the long/sleek carriers work because of their length and their reliance on your having no breasts where they want to position the baby inside the carrier. Quick thoughts on the four we tried: Moby: Way too hot, way too much unnecessary material, always felt as if the baby was about to pitch out. Upside? Husband looks like a Jedi wearing a baby. Does work for a newborn and for plus-sizers, but I hated wearing it. I worried endlessly that the baby would suffocate and usually needed a hand to support the baby anyway. Old-school Bjorn: Husband loved it for him once baby #1 was old enough to face out, but it killed my back and spread baby's legs awkwardly. Doesn't work on a newborn either. Bonus? Has survived a solid hundred machine washes. Ergobaby with newborn insert: I actually laughed at myself in the mirror when it tried this on. It looks super sleek on thin models, but on me, it was a lumpy, misshapen mess, especially with the baby in the insert. It's a maze of uncomfortable straps meant for much taller women, and it'd work for a newborn in the insert only if you have relatively small breasts, otherwise baby will be pushed far away from you, unsafely. The newborn pillow seat also sat right where my tummy is and will likely be while she's, you know, still a newborn, which also pushed out the whole contraption away from my body. Gorgeous material, though (I had the camel before I sent it back), and the pocket was awesome, but the hood that you can't detach that has to be stuffed into the pocket was a puzzling drawback for a $125 carrier. Ironically, it'd probably work great on a man. Infantino Mei Tai: The mei tai's become my go-to for my newborn. It does put more pressure on the lower back and much less on the upper back, so I don't think I could wear it more than a few hours, but that's a few hours more than I could wear anything else. The fact that you can tie the waist strap and the cross strap at different heights and lengths basically means that this thing is customizable on the fly with very little trouble, can be easily switched between parents without readjustment, and conforms to different body types and sizes. The cross strap, for example, can go around the middle of my newborn and hold her in close over my chest regardless of my size with no danger of her tipping out the top or sides. While I can't see myself being able to breastfeed in it (just too awkward), a small bottle did work. I have found that it requires adjustment as baby sinks a little bit over time and the cross strap inches upward, but that's not really a problem. Also, the padded shoulder straps are comfy but wind up not lying flat on my chest, so those could use some tweaking. The soft material does pick up a lot of cat hair, but my kid peed on it the first time I wore it (naturally), and it machine-washed just fine. I'd love to add a pocket to it at some point. Wish it came in more styles because it's cheap enough that I'd like to have several in different looks. Verdict: You don't always get what you pay for by going with the expensive brands. Sometimes the cheap but traditional style really does work better in messy real life vs. idyllic photo shoots.