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I have tried 9 different carriers, 9 different types to find the comfiest, least painful one for my baby and I. I tried wraps, slings, and buckle carriers to get a good feel for what I like. Wildbird is the easiest to put on and the most user friendly. Artipoppe is very easy as well once you get the hang of it. There are many other good and okay carriers but those two are my favorites and let me tell you why.
Different Carriers Comparision
I didn’t baby wear much with my first child, just used the Sakura Bloom Scout on occasion since I was gifted it. With my second baby, I needed to be able to baby wear because chasing a toddler is hard to do when your baby wants to be held or you are on the go. My second didn’t like being worn at first. We did 10 minutes every day for a bit and gradually upped our baby wearing time. This also helped my body get used to it too. In the beginning, my back would hurt tremendously from baby wearing. The more I did it, the less my back started to hurt. I think my body just wasn’t used to working out those specific muscles. I also realized I needed a carrier with more support and that the cross back style was the least painful for me to wear. When I would wear other styles, like the Sakura Bloom Scout, my back would hurt more than the Artipoppe. So I started to wear the Artipoppe more and realized that style was better suited for me. Which got me curious to trying more and see if I could find an even more comfortable carrier.
My only complaint with the Artipoppe is how it can be tricky to get the deep seat, where baby’s bum is over the waistband in a hammock position. If baby wiggles around, they can move and then be sitting on top of the waistband, which then digs into your body.
So I tried a few others like the Babybjorn Baby Carrier Mini which didn’t put my baby in a good position, and I realized I needed waist support. I tried the Lalabu that I borrowed from a friend which just didn’t have enough support, the Babybjorn Harmony which I did like for forward facing for short periods of time but it wasn’t my favorite so I ended up not wearing it very often. I tried a few I purchased off Amazon and didn’t like so returned them. The Wildbird Ring Sling was comfortable too and I wore her in that around the house to get her to sleep if she wanted carried, but I didn’t really use it much out of the house.
My Favorite Baby Carrier: Wildbird Aerial Carrier
I loved the Hippie Joey. It’s a fabric carrier that’s custom to your size and it’s very comfortable and easy to put baby in. It folds up the smallest (like a scarf) and you can bring it anywhere. I ended up being my backup carrier that I kept in my car but my absolute favorite ended up being the Wildbird Aerial Carrier, with Artipoppe being second.
Wildbird’s waistband is built differently. The fabric where baby sits, is made to be coming out of the middle of the waistband, instead of the top of the waistband. This means that baby’s bum is in that hammock position always, without fail. I’ve noticed this distributed the weight of baby differently.
With the Artipoppe, I feel most of baby’s weight around my lower back. With the Wildbird, I feel it in my upper back. I would rather have upper back pain than lower back pain so I’ve found myself wearing Wildbird more!
Wildbird cons
Material on the inside of shoulder straps is a mesh material and not soft against skin, so I have to wear a t-shirt with it. The shoulder straps tend to scrunch towards your neck and you have to readjust a lot. You have to step in and out of the waistband when putting on and taking off, or slide the buckle through the slot each time which isn’t so quick. Artipoppe, you unbuckle and the whole thing is off, no slots to have to put the buckle through.
Artipoppe Cons
Baby can wiggle and tends to sit on top of the waistband instead of over the waistband. It can be tricky to achieve this too. Most of weight is on lower back.
Final Thoughts
Overall, babywearing is such a special time with raising babies and I wish I would’ve done it more with my first! I loved babywearing my second and learned a lot about different carriers and how to get a good fit. Just remember, it takes some time for your body to get used to it, it’s like a good workout. You become a pro pretty quickly and then it’s super easy to pop baby in and out when on the go or just around the house. I can’t recommend it enough but be sure to watch videos on how to do it correctly for both your baby’s safety and your own body’s sake. If you want to start with a great carrier, go with the Wildbird Aerial, it’s the best I’ve tried!
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