Peanut Shell Vs. Moby Wrap or Something Else?

I loved my Moby. It did take a while to put on, but I would just put it on first thing and take baby in and out as I needed. I always put it on before I got in the car so there would be one less thing to worry about when we arrived...Good luck! Two is so much more fun than one!!

I'm not sure about the Peanut Shell, but I tried to use a Hotsling with my son, and neither of us liked it. I kept feeling like he was going to fall out. With my daugther, I have used a Moby, and I love it! It took some getting used to, but I can now get it on really quickly. She is 10 months and 20 lbs, and I can still wear her in it.

If you truly feel the Moby is too much trouble, then I would suggest the Baby K'Tan also. It is a similar style, but no knots to tie. A friend of mine has one and loves it.

If you want something evenly distributed, have you seen the Baby K'Tan? You can wear the baby either one shoulder or both. They come in XS and it shouldn't hurt your back. I'm 5'3" so I'm not too much taller than you and I wear my baby in it between that and the Ergo. I didn't get it until my baby was older. I wish I had it when she was an infant but hopefully her siblings will come soon! :-)

Good luck!

I wore my newborn from day 1 too and I found the Moby wrap to be the best one when he was that tiny. I know it's a pain to put on, but it was more comfortable to wear when doing housework and he seemed more comfortable in it as a newborn. I also have a Hotsling (pretty similar in design to the Peanut Shell, I think) and I used it a ton too, but more on outings because it was so easy, and then all the time when he was old enough to sit up. He loved sitting cross-legged in front of my stomach staring out at the world. So yes, I would go ahead and get a Peanut Shell and keep using the Moby too. Congratulations on your baby! My second is due in 6 weeks and I know the sling will be a lifesaver for having 2 kids.

Hello. I used a Peanut Shell with my second baby and loved it - in fact, we used it until she was well over a year old - you just switch their position and they sit up on your hip. It was very comfortable and a little stretchy and my daughter loved it. I passed it on to my sister in law who had a very large baby and it worked for them just as well. I had some other namebrand sling for my first one, and we have all the other carriers - Baby Bjorn, Ergo, etc. The Peanut Shell was definitely our favorite. Mine was a pretty chocolate brown that worked great with everything and for boys or girls. You might try Craigs list or ebay for a nearly new PS...

Good luck!

Here are previous posts re: slings vs baby carriers. GOOD LUCK! …
1) “I don’t like the Baby Bjorn. – not good for their hips:( It puts all their weight on their crotch and spreads their hips. Plus, they are expensive, only good to about 30 pounds, and can't be worn on your back. If you want the ease of a carrier, get something like the Ergo or MaiTie. The Ergo has been tested to something crazy like 60 or 80 pounds, as if you'd use it that long! lol And you can wear it on the front, side, or back which means as baby gets heavier you can move baby so there isn't strain on your back from carrying on the front. The Moby is great because it's so versatile, but it takes some learning to master all the different ways you can use it! :)
2) “I like the sleepy wrap. www.sleepywrap.com but it might be a little warm in Summer. It isn't as expensive as some of the others! We like the Bjorn okay, too, but I worry about too much pressure on the baby's hips with it. I know the baby has to be 8 lbs. to use it. I'm not familiar with the Moby. Good luck trying to decide!”

3) “With my first baby I had a snugli, actually 2 or 3 different ones and we hated them all. They were tight, binding and constricting. With the second baby, I started working on a usable sling. I used it with her from when she was a newborn until she was 3 1/2. Now with my third baby, I think I've finally worked out all the kinks and its great. She can ride in it laying down, against my belly, on my hip, forward facing and on my back. There are no complicated straps, I can put it on while I'm holding her. She's 2 now and when she is sleepy and we're out, she asks for her sling ride. It was great for discreet public nursing also. I modeled mine after the over the shoulder baby holder, you can see it at www.slingbaby.com. It was very simple to make and way cheaper than they sell them for. If you email me, I'll send you the directions. Good luck whatever you choose, a baby carrier is the way to go. Babies love to be close and secure”

4) “I LOVE my Maya sling. It kept my newborn close, safe and when I wanted, hidden from all those germy hands who just wanted to touch my little one. It was great for anytime use, but especially helpful when we were traveling by plane. There's just something about people and babies, which is great, but doesn't help when you're trying to protect little ones from germs. My sling is super convenient, can be used with many different positions and can be easily traded with daddy. I could go on with many other benefits, but I'll suffice it to say that it was a huge help for me (especially since I have two other small children).”

5) “Skip the Baby Bjorn! I would recommend some sort of sling for the first few months, and then switch to a more structured carrier when the baby gains head control, such as a Beco or an Ergo. We have a Beco, and it is the best investment we've made with 3 kids”

6) “My favorite carrier was a sling. I highly recommend one and wish I had gotten it sooner with my son. We had the Bjorn but barely used it. I also got a wrap similar to the Moby and it was too much work to put on, I just wanted something easier I could put over my head and quickly get my baby in. I loved the peanut shell sling, but there are many others on the market. Babies love the closeness they bring and I used mine as a side carrier on my hip until he was a little over a year which was great for traveling and quick trips in the store.”

7) “I like baby wraps the best. Check out premiumslings.com”

8) “used a Snuglie and a Baby Bjorn with my first. Well, I should say I TRIED to use them. I HATED them! HATED! They were both terribly uncomfortable for me to wear and my daughter just seemed to dangle. Her feet would even turn purple if we put her in it for too long. I bought a Moby and a Hotsling to try with our new baby, due in August. I know people that use the Moby and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. My thinking is that the sling will be perfect when the baby is a newborn and the Moby will work better when the baby gets a little bigger. Personally, I would stay away from anything like the Snuglie and Bjorn, at least at first. Also, I don't think the Bjorn can be used with a newborn”

9) “www.ergobabycarrier.com
Hands down my favorite! Bjorns let them just kind of "hang" by their little crotches. Moby's are great, but the Ergo is a lot more functional. Good luck!”

10) “My opinion is that Bjorn's are great, but as mentioned in a few of the others, a bit tough on baby's hips. Not to mention, I had some back pain with it. I wore a sling for awhile. I swear by the maya wrap (actually sling) They are very handy. You can wear them 5 different ways. It is great if you are breast feeding. Plus, I didn't notice the back strain.
But I actually was doing some research and found a cool way to do the Moby style without the Moby price. I went to Walmart and purchased 5 yards of fabric ( the article recommended 5-6 yards) of jersey T-shirt material. Then I went on Youtube and typed in " how to moby wrap". They give you instructions on how to put it on. Its very easy and LOTS cheaper. I spent $15 dollars on fabric. Those Moby wraps can be quite salty. Fantastic alternative. Very comfortable for both baby and Mama. Although it still wraps between baby's legs, it is more stretchy so there is less pressure on the hip joints. Hope it helps! Enjoy... nothing like bonding with your child by holding them.”
11) “here is a site that compares various brands of wraps and slings and tells you which one is meant for newborns or older babies/toddlers, etc:
http://www.peppermint.com
This site tells you how to make your own wrap, and give info to people who are new to baby wearing:
http://www.wearyourbaby.com/
Here is another site that has some basic info on baby wearing including safety tips :)
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/t051100.asp#T051104
here is a site with ring slings/pouches. It has a lot of great video tips (e.g. shifting your baby's weight in the sling:
http://zolowear.com/)

Hi, I like you Love my Ergo and Moby wrap, and used both for my first and second son, and I also agree w/ you that the Ergo is better w/ older babies and sometimes the Moby is inconvienient, I did not have a peanut shell but I borrowed a New Native sling that I LOVED, it can be a shell for a new born or a sleeping baby but can also help hold a bigger baby as he sits in the pocket of the sling and stick his head out, I would go to the store w/ my toddler in the cart and infant in the sling w/ my arm around the outside of the sling to keep baby safe and push the cart and have one arm free to shop- I was so proud of myself the first time I did it. The new native comes in small, med, and large and maybe b/c of your small frame you need a small, but I used the med, It is also easy to just throw in the washing machine. The sling is never as comfortable as the Moby or any wrap that distributes the weight over the whole back, but for shorter trips is much easier to use
good luck

I have a Moby, an Ergo, and a hotsling, which is similar to a peanut shell- both the pouch style. I really liked the Hotsling for how easy it is, but it gets uncomfortable after an hour or two, and especially as baby gets bigger. It's definitely much easier than the moby, and is nice and cozy for small babies. Your arm doesn't feel fully functional though the way it does in a Moby. I liked having both- the pouch sling for quick in and out trips to stores and such, and the moby for longer time periods b/c I thought it was more comfortable. Another option is a mei tai. It fits like an Ergo, but feels more secure. I think a mei tai is easier to get on and off also, but don't know how many months it is comfortable for, I just used one once when mine was smaller.

You can check online and see if there is a babywearing group in your area. We have one through Yahoo groups and I believe also through meetup.com. You can usually go to meetings and try out other peoples' and maybe find deals on used ones too. Just google (your city) babywearers or something like that.

A note about the infantino slingrider- It is very unsafe. I have read articles about the baby's chin being forced downward and they can't breathe, and there isn't good air ciculation in them. There have been some deaths where the infant suffocated because they couldn't shift their weight and keep thier airways open, and mom didn't even know even though she was wearing the baby.

Just wanted to echo that there is an infant insert for the Ergo that bundles them up well and makes it newborn sized. I loved it for the first month or two - I could nurse her easily without anyone knowing, and she was snuggly warm and wrapped up close to me. The Ergo is the only carrier I've used - I bought a pattern for a sling but made it out of fleece so it'd be warm (my LO was born in Dec) and that made it so bulky as to be unusable. For #2 I'll make a sling out of cotton and use the Ergo.

H.

my sister has a baby K'Tan and I wore nephew in it and loved it. Wished I had it with my daughter. It has an extra part that you can tie around your waist and baby to make it more supportive. Easy to put on. Make sure you don't get a size that's too big b.c it is cotton and will stretch a little.

Have you tried the newborn insert for the Ergo? Many friends have used it and loved it.

I used a Slingling pocket sling when mine was newborn. I thought is was great until she had a little more head control. You order based on the mother's size, and even thought I am quite busty, I found it really comfortable and secure to wear. I even fell down once (sprained my ankle) while she was sleeping in it and she never even woke up. My only complaint is that some fabrics are stretchier than others so you get a different fit.

Once she was older, we went to a Moby...best $35 I spent on a piece of baby gear.

There are infant inserts that you can use with your ergo to make your infant secure. If you are not interested in that, then a peanut shell is a good idea. Although there will be fabric between you and the baby, unlike the ergo. The Moby has a slight learning curve, but once you get it, it's pretty easy to put on. You can also pre-tie it and leave it on and just pop your baby in and out. With both the ergo and moby you can nurse your baby, but not so for the peanut shell.
There is a Babywearing meeting at Blossom Birth on Monday at 2:30pm (which I run) and a Babywearing International meeting this Tuesday at the Sports Basement in Sunnyvale at 10am (which I will be also be at). You can drop by, ask questions, talk to other moms and try out different carriers. HTH!

Newborn insert for the Ergo. Works perfectly, snug as a bug. : )