The One Baby Carrier That Saved My Sanity When Dealing With a Crying, Fussy Newborn

The One identifies the single product that in-the-know people, from editors to celebrities, swear by to make their lives better in a “must-tell-everyone” way.

I don’t think I would have survived the first few months of being a new mom without babywearing (i.e. the idea of wearing your baby in some type of carrier). I’ll admit: A baby carrier is not something I thought I needed at all. I didn’t even put it on my registry. They were expensive, and I wasn’t sure if it was worth the investment. But as soon as my baby came along — Brody is his name and he’s a cutie! — it’s the one thing that really saved my sanity. Especially when he was crying. Or when he was fussy. Or when he just… wouldn’t… go… to… sleep.

So, since this saved my life, I feel compelled to spread the word, and there is no better moment to do so than right now, since it’s International Babywearing Week, a multi-day celebration of the benefits of baby wearing.

I tried a few carriers, but the one that really worked the best was Baby Bjorn’s Baby Carrier Mini, which launched this summer. It’s different than other carriers I tried because it’s lighter all around, which translates to a less cumbersome appendage in general and tighter snug from mom to baby. The color-coded snaps made it easy to get on and off, even in the most stressful moments — and trust me, there were a lot of stressful moments (that’s when I needed it most).

Locking him onto my chest in this safe manner soothed him almost instantly, calmed him down and quieted his cries. At the same time, it left me hands-free so I could continue to live my life while he rested/fell asleep on me (and gave my arms a break!). It also was easy to adjust, which proved helpful because my husband and mother used it as well.

Now that my little Mr. B is five months old, I’m still using it, only now I face him out because he is holding his head up on his own. And not to be corny (but let’s face it, if you’re a new mom, corny is the name of the game!), what I love most is that using a baby carrier means getting guaranteed hugs with your baby — and I simply can’t give that up.

Buy It! BABYBJÖRN Multi-Position Mini Baby Carrier, $89.99; buybuybaby.com