Ok so I’m going to cheat a little bit on this one. I’m actually going to share three products I love. But I’m counting it as the one product I couldn’t live without because they are three of the same type of item. Drum roll…baby carriers!

My son is a year old now and when I reflect on that first year of his life, I truly think my baby carriers were some of the most important things I owned. During some of the harder seasons, they made things a bit more manageable. So let me tell you why I love baby wearing in general and then I’ll share my three favorite carriers.

Baby Wearing Helped Calm a Fussy Baby

My son went through a phase for several weeks where he was so unhappy from the hours of about 5 until bedtime which was often around 8/8:30 at that point. This meant for about 3 hours, he was just cranky. I will not go so far as to say he was colicky because he COULD be calmed in those hours but it was just a challenge. He wanted to be held and moving at all times. Without my wrap and mini carrier that I used in the newborn days I’m just not sure how we would’ve managed. They allowed me to keep him snug where he wanted to be (on me) without breaking my back as I held and rocked him.

Baby Wearing Helped me Get Stuff Done

With a baby that doesn’t want to be put down for 3 hours at a time, doing anything during those hours would have been seemingly impossible without my carriers. There would never have been dinner, or if there was I certainly wouldn’t have had any hands to eat and forget about any cleaning up. And of course during the day we used the carriers too when he was getting close to nap time but I had laundry to switch. Or when we had grown bored of our toys and needed a walk around the house for a change of scenery, it was baby carriers to the rescue. Having your hands free as a mom is invaluable!

Baby Wearing Allowed for Longer Naps

My little guy was a cat napper for quite some time. Once he outgrew his initial sleepiness around two weeks, he pretty much never napped longer than 30-40 minutes until he was about 6 months old. UNLESS he was being held. This is so so common with infants. They sleep so much better when they’re snuggled up with their favorite person. And while I loved a good contact nap where I could binge Gilmore Girls while he napped on my chest, that just wasn’t feasible all the time. So the carrier gave me a way for him to have some longer naps, without keeping me “nap trapped”.

Baby Wearing Made Outings Easier

It can feel like a lot to get out and about as a new mom. And when you have a whole bunch of gear to lug with you like a big clunky stroller and diaper bag and the baby in their bucket seat it just feels like too much sometimes. Or when you need to grocery shop but the baby seat in the cart leaves no room for groceries! Enter the baby carrier. This let us do some sightseeing with visiting guests at a location that didn’t allow strollers. It allowed baby to nap while we were out to eat or at church. And it gave me the freedom to move back to in person grocery shopping after months of grocery pickup.

My Favorite Carriers

Solly Wrap-

This one is so perfect for those early newborn days. It is so soft, the fabric has great stretch to get a good fit and keeps baby feeling so snuggly! It can be a learning curve to be comfortable wrapping it but just practice and you’ll get the hang of it!

Baby Bjorn Mini

This is a more structured carrier but still great for the newborn phase. It is so simple to put on and even though it is a structured carrier, it is still soft and comfortable for both mom and baby.

Tula Explore

I didn’t use this as much when my son was a newborn- though it does fit a little one! I just preferred the other two when he was so tiny but once he had better head control and was just overall a bit “sturdier” this one has been great! It’s the only one I’ve used forward facing and when we’re out for long periods of time it definitely comes in handy! It’s comfortable for him, isn’t hard on my back and is simple to get on and feel secure.

So as you’re filling those registries, don’t forget to add one (or three) baby carriers! Your future self will thank you!