Moby

"What the heck's a moby?" is the response I had when I first heard the word. Well, I'm glad you asked, my friends, because it's only the most wonderful invention ever created. At least for us moms.

THIS is a Moby! It's the best baby carrier I've ever tried. I think the word comes from combining "mother" and "baby" - which is basically what the Moby does. 

(And before you read any further, let me assure you that I am NOT a Moby salesman. I don't make any money off of recommending it to you. I simply feel it my duty because I love the thing so much....I got the picture off their website. Mine, however, is not camo. I was really tempted to get an exciting color, but I didn't have the guts to, and my boring side reasserted itself by buying black because it goes with everything. Sigh.)

My mom was a big fan of slings when she had babies, and I tried them with my first 3. I liked them for the infant stage, but once they got a little bigger (and mine got big fast!) they were just too heavy and I couldn't stand the drag on my shoulder. We had a backpack that Robert liked a lot, but it was better for older kids and kind of a pain to put on, especially when the newborn was wailing. (Also, I seem to have misplaced it since the Great Mold Incident of 2010.) One day we were at the zoo, I think, and I saw a lady wearing this weird fabric wrap thing with her tiny newborn tucked inside it. The thing that attracted me to it was that it went over BOTH shoulders instead of one, which looked like it would be a lot more comfortable. I asked her about it, and she told me how much she loved it, and every other person I talked to about it told me how much they loved it, so...when I got pregnant with Elora I was determined to try it.

I ordered it off the moby website - they are not too expensive, about $40 for the basic colors, and then the patterned ones are a little more. It is basically just one long piece of cloth that you wrap over your shoulders and then around your middle to form a baby carrier. (Don't worry, it comes with directions! And its looks a lot more complicated than it is...) Robert had scoffed at the idea of wearing it - he said it wasn't a manly baby carrier, in spite of the fact that I showed him pictures of other men wearing it on the website!

See? Told you...

 But you know how he is about any form of new technology - the moment it arrived, he had to figure out how it worked by putting it on himself! And within about 2 minutes, Elora was fast asleep snuggled up next to him. After that, he was sold on it! I had the same experience. Every time I put her in the thing, no matter how fussy she was before that, she falls fast asleep. I think she just loves the feeling of being tightly held, safe and secure, snuggled up against your body. 

Now I admit, it is not perfect. You can't just slide it on and off - you have to take a minute to wrap or unwrap yourself. And the thing is so long that I always drag the ends on the ground while I'm first putting it on, which is kind of icky. (It IS machine washable though ;-) And you have to be careful to dress the baby - and yourself - pretty cool when you wear it because baby is right up against your skin, which can make you pretty hot.

But I still think the benefits outweigh these minor complaints. I can get SO much done with both my hands free (although after 4 kids, I have gotten pretty good at cooking dinner, doing dishes, and cleaning up with one hand. Several times I have even cooked dinner while nursing! I am so going to win the Mommy Olympics someday...;-). She is held tightly against my body, so I can bend over without worrying about her falling out. I must admit that I haven't tried it yet, but the instruction booklet even came with a few pilates/yoga exercises you can do while wearing the baby! Sounds kind of fun (and removes all my excuses for not exercising!) You can wear it all kinds of ways, even with older babies too.

The point of this whole blog post is: I love my Moby. I definitely think its worth trying. And hey, if you don't want to spend $40 without trying it, you are welcome to come over and try mine! ;-)

P.S. Also, I know of at least one secondhand store that has been known to sell Mobys - it's called Other Mothers. You might be able to find one even cheaper there!