Infantino Baby Carrier

My husband and I received tons of gifts at our baby shower, which I promptly came home and put away in closets. As a result, I forgot about one gift, the Infantino Smartrider Carrier, until yesterday. Yesterday I tried the carrier out, and my baby and I were both wonderfully happy!

This carrier is comfortable, yet sturdy enough to provide sufficient support for my newborn. I am a college student, and have had to bring my baby to school several times this summer when going to register, meet with professors, and pick up books. The first time we tried the stroller and found that staying on paved walkways meant taking the long way everywhere. The second time I just carried him, which worked okay, except my arm felt like it was going to fall off by the time I got where I was going, and I had a hard time getting things out of my bag with only one hand free. Yesterday, I put the baby in the carrier, and we went happily walking through campus together.

The greatest thing about the carrier is that it holds the baby tight against my chest, so that he can hear my heart beat, but I can still look down and see his beautiful wide-eyed expressions. My baby's favorite place to fall asleep is with his head on my chest, so this has been a great way to get things done while helping to get him to sleep at the same time. Another thing I have found convenient is that it can be worn comfortably while sitting down. Often in the mornings, when I am working at my home computer, my baby is fussy and wants to be held. I feel bad not holding him, but it is much harder to type with only one hand. The past two days I have strapped him into the carrier and sat down at the computer to type. Within a few minutes, he is sound asleep. Then, I undo the straps, which are easy to use, and lay him down to sleep in his bassinet right near me. It has made life so much nicer, and I know he is happy too!

Before my husband and I had the baby, we had spent time looking at various baby carriers when we registered for baby gifts. My husband had insisted on registering for the $80 Baby Bjorn, which I thought was too expensive and uncomfortable, but I let him get his way. Thankfully, we did not get the carrier on our registry, but this one instead, and I am so grateful! Luckily my husband loves it too!

It is comfortable on my shoulders, does not put much pressure on my back, allows my baby to sleep snugly against my chest, and will let him ride facing forward once he gets older.

Infantino brand baby carriers retail from around $14.99 to about $49.99. The one we have is the most expensive model, but it seems like the other models would probably work just as well, although the cheapest models do not allow for forwards-facing riding too. Since I have not tried a bunch of different brands, I can't really say that this is absolutely the best brand of baby carrier, but I can say that it does exactly what a carrier is supposed to do for about half the price of the more expensive Baby Bjorn. Whether you choose to buy an Infantino carrier or another brand, I definitely recommend buying a carrier, because it has absolutely simplified life with a newborn!