Baby carrier: Keeping the baby close to Mommy

Baby carriers are great baby accessories for mothers who love to carry their baby around while going out or doing household chores. The carrier allows the baby to be carried in a sitting position, either facing toward or away from the mother. The baby feels secured because of the close proximity with his/her mother, and can also see the outside world from a safe spot. Carriers work particularly great in the initial weeks after the baby is born, since neonates virtually live on the mother's breast anyway. Carriers come in various types, such as wrap around, no tie wraps, slings, front-pack carriers, back-pack carriers, and hip carriers.

Wrap around carriers (also known as wrap around slings) consist of a very long piece of fabric that the parent wraps diagonally around himself/ herself. The front pouch holds the baby in either sitting or lying position. The wrap around carrier goes over both shoulders, and hence distributes the weight of the baby evenly over both shoulders. The resulting arrangement is comfortable for the parent, but at the same time pretty complicated when putting the wrap on and tying the ends together.

No-tie wraps are elastic wraps look similar to wrap around carriers but require either very little tying, or none at all. These are good for babies who have grown past their initial months. Even fathers who love carrying their babies around prefer these carriers.

Slings are simplified form of carriers, usually consisting of a long fabric pouch with metal rings on both ends for inserting the shoulder straps. Slings are easy to wear, and can distribute the weight of the baby evenly over the shoulders.

Front-pack carriers have straps that go around the back and over both shoulders. The baby sits upright into the pouch, either facing toward or away from the parent, with the legs sticking out of small slots.

Back-pack carriers are a little complicated, and the correct way of placing the baby inside the carrier is often difficult to understand. Besides, many parents worry about the safety of their baby while inside the carrier, since they cannot reach for the baby quickly if necessary. Still, this is a good option for babies who are older than one year.

Hip-carriers have long straps attached with those, and are good for carrying babies who can sit upright. The baby sits comfortably in the pouch with the legs sticking out through two slots. This type of carrier will become less comfortable for the parent as the baby gains weight though.

Carriers are great accessories for parents who do not want to deprive their baby of attention when they are busy doing housework, or out on a shopping trip. For parents like them, baby carriers are must-have accessories.