I purchased the New Native Baby Carrier before we had our third child. I had tried the other carriers - the front pack type and one of the larger adjustable slings - with our other two children and I wasn't happy with either one. The front pack killed my shoulders and back and the larger sling I just couldn't ever get on right or get the baby in a comfortable position. So, with our third baby I searched for another alternative. I found New Native Baby and thought I'd give it a try.

I ordered mine in September '02 and at that time (and maybe still now) you have to call the 1-800 number to order - no online ordering. When I called an actual LIVE person answered the phone and was very knowledgeable about the product and helped me pick out the correct size for my body shape & size. He even read a list of colors & sizes of slings that had been returned and those that were seconds in case there was something I could buy at a discount. I ordered the khaki sling and my delivery came right on time. Wonderful experience.

Now, about the sling itself....

I can't say enough about how great it has been for us to use our sling. Here's what we've experienced with our now 8 month old daughter (she weighs 20 lbs)...

PROS:

- Baby can be carried in several positions. If I want her to sleep (or if she's already sleeping) I can put her in the sling in a lying-down position and I guess she feels like she's back in the womb and just dozes off! If she's awake, I slide her into the sling in a sitting position and put her on my hip. If I need to do something like wash dishes or unload the shopping cart, I can swing her around onto my back and know that she's secure.

- Baby in sling easily goes from your body to carseat. It takes a little practice, but once you have it down, you can put the baby in his/her carseat while still in the sling and take the sling off over your head without awakening the baby. Just belt the baby in as you normally would and tuck the sling out of the way of the belts.

- Easy to take with you or wear when not using. The Native Baby Carrier can be folded up and easily put into a diaper bag or purse when not in use. Usually, though, I just wear mine when I know I may need it soon and don't even notice I have it on.

- Washable!

- Comfortable. When my baby was an infant I think I could've gone all day with her in the sling and not had it bother my back. Now, at 20 pounds, any way that I carry her is going to hurt my back if I do it for too long. However, when I use the sling I always make sure that the fabric isn't bunched up on my shoulder, but spread out to more evenly distribute the weight. This helps a lot. My back doesn't hurt at all unless I try to carry her for an hour or more.

CONS:

- Not adjustable. The basic design of the New Native Baby Carrier is what makes it so great, so the fact that it's not adjustable is really not a con for me, but for those of you who might want to be able to have two different sized people use one sling, this may be a factor. When we bought the sling we decided to get the size that fits me since I'd probably use it the most. However, I must say that if I had known how much we'd use it, I would've happily purchased 2 slings - one for me and a larger one for my husband.



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 40
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months