When I was pregnant with my second baby, I got a lot of helpful advice about how to manage two kids. One thing that kept coming up was the importance of baby wearing.  Everyone said I’d need my hands free for playing with my 4-year-old, especially if I was brave enough to take both girls to the park.  Plus, keeping my newborn close to my chest was a great way to protect her from germy little fingers at birthday parties or preschool.

Sound advice, I was sure, but I didn’t feel confident about my baby wearing skills. With Viv, I’d used a Baby Bjorn during the early months, but it killed my back.  At around 5 months, we graduated to the Ergo, and that worked well for us, but I could never make the infant insert fit properly.  So what to do for the first 5 months?  I know wraps and slings are really popular and newborn-friendly, but I find them so confusing and not at all foolproof.  I attended an actual workshop where an instructor demonstrated the Moby, Boba and Solly wraps, but by the time I got home, I’d forgotten everything.  Sleep deprivation and complicated instructions do not always mix!  Yes, some mamas love their wraps, but they just make me NERVOUS.  I needed another option.

Then, a stroke of luck.  Infantino reached out to me and asked if I’d like to try out their new Unison carrier, which is specially designed to work with brand new babies (8 to 25 pounds).  The Unison seemed to be a hybrid – soft and snuggly like a wrap, but with the ease of a more structured carrier.  I figured I’d give it a try.  I watched this handy instructional video and then I got in gear.

Even for the instructionally challenged, this carrier is easy to strap on correctly.  Like, super easy.  It’s also simple to adjust, and you can still tighten or loosen it as a final step–you don’t have to start all over like you might with a wrap.  Getting the baby inside is quick and painless–no squishing and smushing.  She seemed to relax right away, and so did I.

The first thing I noticed was how comfortable the Infantino carrier is.  They definitely got something right ergonomically.  Granted my baby is only 10 pounds right now, but I was able to wear her for several hours with no back pain at all, and this is from a mom who had two herniated discs 18 months back.

Though the baby’s legs do hang from leg holes, it does not feel like she is dangling.  It’s more like she’s sitting in comfie chair.  The best part is that the seat width is narrow enough to accomodate a newborn’s body size, so she’s not stretched into an awkward position.  I had not seen that feature in a structured carrier before.  There’s also an option for head support–flip it up for newborns, or down for older babies.  And the carrier body is very secure.  The baby’s not going to fall out.  For all of these reasons, I feel like my newborn is totally safe and comfortable in the Infantino Unison.

More things I’m loving about baby wearing in the Infantino Unison Newborn Carrier:

– I can navigate terrain my stroller can’t handle, like beaches and lawns (who brings their 3 week old to the beach?  Um, I did…)

– It’s useful in the house too, freeing my hands for chores, or blogging!

– You can even sneak in a pedicure (shhhhh….)

– When I wear her, the baby hides my postpartum pooch

– Something about being that close to my body makes baby fall almost instantly to sleep, and stay asleep

– It’s machine washable, which I tested after a monster poop blow-out

– It’s an amazing price point, less than half the cost of the Ergo

– The closeness with baby–I love kissing the top of her head, feeling her tiny hands grab my sides, and smelling her baby goodness

Some final tips: I would advise having a hat to protect the top of baby’s head from the sun.  And if you want to nurse without fully removing the carrier, you’ll need easy access clothing, but I was able to manage it with just one side unbuckled and a low cut tee.

Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll answer them right here.  Baby wearing for the win!