I’ve been asked quite frequently which babywearing device is my favorite.
But truthfully, it depends on the occasion.
On some occasions, my favorite is the Moby wrap.
If I am wearing a baby for a long period of time, I prefer the Moby. If I am wearing a newborn, I prefer the Moby. If I am putting the wrap on at home, I prefer the Moby.
If I am only wearing the baby for a short time, say, during the last few hectic minutes of dinner preperation, I would rather wear something else. If I have to put the wrap on in a public, less than sanitary place, I prefer something else.
(Usually that “something else” is my Maya wrap.)
And here’s why:
The Moby is a 5.5 meter long piece of stretchy 100% cotton. It is wrapped around the body, tied in a knot, and then used to hold a baby, usually in a hug position. Like this:
(Picture courtesy of Mobywrap.com)
When wrapped in that position, this carrier is, hands-down, the most comfortable babywearing device I have tried. The wide straps go across both shoulders and around the hips to evenly distribute the weight. I can carry a baby on a three hour shopping trip without feeling the strain.
And, bonus: The top of the baby’s head is perfectly positioned for constant kissing.
The Moby is easy to clean – completely machine washable and dryable. It comes in a wonderful variety of colors and patterns and you can even get it in organic cotton!
It’s pretty versatile, as well. You can lay smaller babies in a cradle hold:
(Picture courtesy of Mobywrap.com)
You can face older babies outward:
The Moby even makes breastfeeding a worn baby easy and discreet:
Speaking of skin-to-skin, the Moby can also be arranged so that none of the fabric seperates you and your babe, the
Kangaroo hold. This is important, especially for premature babies. It’s called
Kangaroo care.
There was one hold that I felt was missing with the Moby, but it has recently been added to their instruction list: The hip hold! Here’s what it looks like:
I got to take one of my “cons” off the list when I saw this! I’m excited to try it as soon as I get my wrap back from a friend.
All these instructions and more are found
here, on their site, for easy access.
The downfalls of the Moby wrap, and why I sometimes prefer the Maya (or ring sling) are these:
It is a long piece of fabric, and it drags on the floor when I put it on. This doesn’t bother me in the slightest at home, but it’s not something I want to do in a parking lot or at Wal-Mart. Though, as I said before, it is completely machine wash and dryable. You can avoid this drawback by thinking ahead and putting on the Moby at home, driving to your destination, then putting the baby in the wrap. I’ve done this. In fact, I used to go to three grocery stores in a row like this. The Moby is thin and fits nicely beneath a winter jacket. I took Levi Christmas tree shopping in the Moby like that!
It takes a minute to put the Moby on. And 60 seconds can seem like an eternity when you have to put a screaming baby down, or if you have a screaming toddler clawing at your legs while you put on your wrap. In these times, I prefer the Maya, which I can simply slip over my head, and the baby’s head too, while I hold him.
So do I wish I only had the Maya? Definitely not! The Maya (as with all ring slings) only goes over one shoulder. After an hour of babywearing, I am sore! The Maya is not attached around my hips, so when I bend over, the baby swings dangerously. The Moby is snug and secure at all times. Partly because of this snugness, I’m sure, the Moby is also more conducive to long baby naps. And it’s so comfortable, I can lay down and nap while wearing baby, too!
So, in short, I’m glad I have both.
I love the Moby and agree with all your ‘pros and cons’ I wish the Moby was a bit less stretchy–once your baby is over 12-15 pounds, they end up at my knees before I’m done shopping. Humm, maybe I should just have peanut babies instead of rolly pollys.
I have both a maya wrap and a moby and feel pretty much the same way you do. My only other con with the moby is that it gets hot. If Lucy has been born in the fall or winter and not the end of May, I would probably be using it much more. The maya seems to breathe a bit more but I am waiting on arrival of my linen sakura bloom ring sling which will hopefully be even better in that regard.
I just received one of these the other week as a gift! I can’t wait to try it out! Let me tell you, it is very difficult to resist practicing on my cats until Baby gets here. 😀 From what it looks like, you can’t do a back-carrying position with the Moby. Am I right?
.-= Maria D. @ DownrightDomesticity´s last blog ..Use It Up- Wear It Out- Coffee Beans Day 6 =-.
I also really like the moby – mainly for the newborn stage. I have a maya wrap ring sling that I use a lot when baby is 1 yr+. Hoping to try out a good woven wrap for this next baby we’re having.
.-= Hannah´s last blog ..Pot Holder Loom =-.
I like my moby, but I didn’t wear it NEARLY as much as I did my ring sling (which I think is the same as a maya wrap). The moby was so snug against my body… I felt like neither of us could breathe. It is great for newborns and I’m glad I have it for that reason, but I probably wouldn’t use it beyond that. I do like that you can forward-face though. I have one done that with Savannah once, but I would like to try it again.
I wore my ring sling every day with Savannah – so easy to put on and off, and if we were going to be out more than an hour I would switch with Paul and have him carry her (LOVE daddies wearing their babies!). It worked pretty well, and she could be close against me or turning around.
But my other favorite carrier is my Ergo! It snuggles like the Moby, but 1000 times easier to put on! I can wear that for hours, and I can wear her on my back too. It’s not as good for little babies, but I think I would pack away my Moby in exchange for the Ergo whenever my baby is old enough.
It’s too hot in Atlanta to wear babies at all right now, so now I pretty much just put Savannah in the cart or the stroller. I tried to wear her around the zoo recently and we both about died from heat exhaustion.
You used to be able to do back carrying. They used to have instructions for it on their site. I’m guessing they took it off because it was a bit difficult, dangerous, and required two people to get the baby on right. 🙂 Basically you wrap them like the kangaroo carry, only on your back. Which means you’re doing it bent over with a baby on your back. Hence the need for a second person. 🙂
“And, bonus: The top of the baby’s head is perfectly positioned for constant kissing.”
Hehe. That was one of my favorite bonuses of front-babywearing :-D.
My favorite babywearing accessory has to be my Ergo! It is so versatile, SO comfortable (I once wore Hans for 3 1/2 hours while cleaning the entire house top-to-bottom – my back never got achy and he was happy-as-a-lark). But it just doesn’t cut it for the newborn stage. This go-round I have a Sleepy Wrap! I’m so excited :-). It’s the same premise as a Moby, but supposed to be a stronger fabric that holds its shape better. We’ll see!
.-= Susan´s last blog .. =-.
I bought 6metres of non-stretch cotton and made my own because the husband couldn’t see the point – “Isn’t that what strollers are for? So you don’t have to carry them?”
He didn’t think I was so crazy when we went on a hike and he wasn’t stuck carrying the 20pound squirmer for a couple hours cause she was happily wrapped up on me. I even managed to get him to wear her for 20mins after I twisted my knee.
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Blah Blah Blah =-.
I have the same problem as Karen with my moby type wrap (The ultimate baby wrap, same idea, but instead of typing it has a ring, which makes it easier to tighten) But I still always ended up feeling like my daughter was slipping down when I used it. Maybe it takes more practice, who knows. I have 3 different carriers (This one, the maya and a good old fashioned snuggly) Although I think having three is a bit excessive, I can’t seem to get rid of any and I’ve been dreaming about the Ergo….
I think I need you to come help me when this little man is born though, I never did perfect the maya in the newborn position, i don’t know why…
.-= Jes´s last blog ..CLEANED =-.
oh, and that nursing picture is not nearly as discrete as it can be using that carrier. I literally HAVE walked down the beach nursing my preemie child without even the people with me knowing what I was doing. and without her head looking like it was going to fall off like it does in that picture.
.-= Jes´s last blog ..CLEANED =-.
Looks wonderful. Great reading your post as well.
Thanks.
baby swins are nice addition to your home, it also improves the motor skills of the baby.”*
my baby enjoys playing on the baby swing, baby swings can really make your baby happy -.*
Moby is awesome. I used it with my first sin until he was over a year and now again with my second son. Although it is temperamental to adjust.at first, and i think some of the colors are made with stretchier fabrics, my color (brown) is the perfect stretchiness to wear a baby facing in or out. I totally agree with the planning ahead part, it is next to impossible to put on while sitting. The major.complaint I have with it is when u have it on and remove
The baby for whatever reason, it sags down around your legs, becoming very irritating. But taking it on and off more that a couple times a day is also irritating.
Totally agree about the comfort of wearing a baby, I hike with my kids almost every day and never hVe any soreness from wearing him for hours at a a time. Another bonus is they are pretty affordable!
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I’ve been looking for the hip hold instructions that wrap like the picture you show in your post, but it seems Moby has updated their site to have the hip hold be like the kangaroo, just slid towards the hip. Do you know how to wrap like the picture illustrated? I’m intrigued, and would like to try it for my 8-month-old. Thanks!
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