When you live in a city, in a neighborhood with no parking, in a small apartment, and don’t own a car (or in my case, drive) transportation is always an issue. When you have a miniature Agent of Chaos living in your home, it becomes a major priority. Stroller today? Bring the carseat in case we decide to cab home? Bring the Wallaby? The NoJo sling? Any parent knows that Going Out is never just a matter of popping the kid in the carseat, but when public transit’s involved? Fuggedaboudit.
The stroller, for instance, is too big to take on a bus, period. I won’t put other riders through that, and I certainly won’t put myself through it. The Wallaby’s great, but she’s still small enough that she’s inclined to slip out the sides from time to time; in addition, it doesn’t fold or store in any easy way, so it’s hanging on the back of a closet door like a piece of football equipment. The NoJo sling, an inheritance from my sister, feels unstable; I’ve never gotten the hang of it, and using it one day at the computer, the Agent of Chaos slid forward and cracked her head off the desk. No more sling for RocketMom.
The carseat/base is a major pain, because carseat manufacturers assume people actually keep the base in the car—it doesn’t fit on the stroller, and makes a bulky item even bulkier. (We did recently learn that we can buy a little seatbelt clip for $1.99 and cart around ONLY the carseat, which is nice because it fastens to our stroller. Unfortunately, the shipping for said part costs $6, and I can’t bring myself to do that until I can bundle at least one other thing into the order.) Our solution for the carseat was to bungee-cord it to our neat little collapsible EZ Crate, but this doesn’t solve the bigger problem of actually carrying the baby.
Enter the Long Piece Of Cloth
Sleeping, not drunk.
RocketMan, ever the researcher, found the Moby Wrap online, and a week later, we stopped into Natural Resources in the Mission to pick one up. At first blush, it seems like a racket: it’s 16.5-foot-long piece of cloth that sells for $45. Granted, the cloth is soft and breathable and has some stretch to it, and comes in a variety of attractive colors and patterns, but nearly $50 for baby equipment that is essentially a scarf? Right. But being the good consumers we are, we went for it, anyway, figuring we could return it if it seemed impractical or silly.
It’s miraculous.
After a week spent with the Moby Wrap, we’ve coined the phrase “Moby Minute”—the minute that passes between putting the baby in it, during which she fusses and squirms, and the moment when she falls into a deeply comatose state that lasts approximately two hours. It’s amazing. I don’t just wear it to carry her; I wear it for the blessed silence it brings. I’m wearing it now, despite the fact that reaching around her to type is annoying. And she’s got her head nestled against my heart, snoozing away.
Traditional Bullet Points: Upsides
- Light and packable. It IS just cotton cloth, after all, and unlike the Wallaby or even the sling, you can roll it up and stuff it just about anywhere (including into its own stuff sack).
- Far more secure than either the Wallaby or the sling, at least in my opinion, and at least for newborns. I can configure it to be extra-snug or looser, to support her head and even cover her face when I’d like her to be in the dark.
- Versatile. I’ve only tried two of the wraps they suggest in the booklet (the cradle and the newborn hug hold) but they’ve got holds for breastfeeding, facing out, and even for hiking. And for TWINS.
- Machine washable.
- Semi-fashionable. Once I figured out how to wrap it properly, I almost look like I’m wearing a cute, albeit bulky, top.
- Easily adjustable. My husband is tall and thin, and I am most assuredly not, and we don’t have to deal with any straps or buckles to make the wrap fit snugly.
- The AoC loves it.
Downsides
- Takes some practice. It took a few tries for me to figure out the best methods for keeping her head in place, my shoulders stable, the fit snug, etc.
- Getting her into it is a bit of a task, what with the wrapping and the tying, but I’m getting better at it.
- Getting her out of it is not a picnic. I think this is simply because she’s so warm and cozy in there, that no matter if I wait until she’s fully awake and chattering at me, she doesn’t want to come out. So I usually have to deal with some crying after the two hours of Blessed Silence.
And now that I’m an official inductee to the Baby Industrial Complex, I’ve proven it by having two baby product reviews in a row. But don’t worry–a bookshelf/bulletin board and the nursery will be coming in a few weeks. I know you’re shivering with anticipation.
I love my Moby Wrap and have gotten such use out of it in particular when the Peach was about 1 month to five months old. It was the only one for newborns out of all of my sling options!
The other good thing about it is that it can work for backpack and outward facing too as opposed to others and can handle up to 30 lbs or so, which you’ll find out is great in a year or so!
Glad you dig yours too!