Forty-two with a 4 month old. If you had told me this 5 years ago I would never have believed it. I thought my family was done growing. I had my two kiddos, a girl and a boy, and that was enough. And yet after a divorce, a rebirth, and finding myself madly in love, here I am.

This season of being a mom comes with new challenges and a new perspective. I have found myself more present, and not trying to rush through every stage just to get to the next. I am working on being here now, and I am so full of gratitude to have this experience of having a new baby at this time in my life.

I homeschool my 11 year old daughter and 8 year old son and adding a baby to the mix has forced me to slow down and take a step back. We have taken a break from some activities and participated in less field trips the past 4 months. But this has allowed us to really spend time bonding with our sweet baby boy, and adjusting to our new family dynamic.

When my kiddos were babies, 10 years ago, I swore by using a baby carrier and that one element defined my new motherhood. I carried my babies at home, when we were out, and I rarely used a stroller. I went through my fair share of trial and error to figure out what worked for me in the process. 

I had started with a Moby carrier, but the yards of fabric would drag on the ground if I was trying to put it on while I was out. So I mainly used that one at home when my daughter was a newborn. Then I found the Baby K’tan Carrier. This was my holy grail carrier and I ended up getting 3 of them to rotate. This carrier has two loops of fabric like an infinity scarf which are connected with a smaller loop, and you purchase them in your specific size. You criss cross the loops with the baby in the middle, and this was incredibly easy to put on one handed as well.

Here we are in 2015 in Key West, FL

I carried her through the airport and wore her on the plane ride as well. This version has a mesh cotton fabric so it was very breathable and cool – other than the fact that I chose the color black. She was 4 months here, and side note this is a great time to travel with baby. I was exclusively breastfeeding so we didn’t need to bring any bottles or baby feeding gear.

As she got bigger I used the Ergobaby Original baby carrier which was more structured and she could ride on my back as she got bigger. I was never into facing baby forward because I feel it can be too overstimulating, so these carriers weren’t used for that purpose.  When I had my 2 year old daughter and my son was an infant, this was perfect and I used it all the time. It lasted us until he was about 2 and at that point it was hurting my back too much to continue carrying him. But it was a life saver to use while out and about with two young kiddos.

This time around, it’s 10 years later and baby-wearing is mainstream. There are so many more options for carriers, and I wanted to find the perfect one for my baby boy. One thing that is essential to me is natural fabrics. I do my best to stay away from polyester and acrylic of all kinds especially when they are directly on our bodies. I absolutely love linen and cotton, and blends of both are great as well. 

Other than the fact that polyester can be an endocrine disruptor, it is also a very low frequency fabric, which can lower the frequency of your body as you wear it. Dr. Heidi Yellen did a study on the frequency of fabrics and determined that the frequency of the human body is 100, and cotton has the same frequency of 100. Polyester and acrylic on the other hand have a frequency of 0! Linen comes out on top with the highest frequency of 5,000, along with natural wool which has the same. One caveat is if you wear wool and linen together they will cancel each other out to a frequency of 0. 

So in looking for a quality carrier, the fabric was a high factor on my list, along with comfort, style and quality construction. I loved the look of the Artipoppe carriers and saw many influencer moms using these. This was way out of my price range for my third baby. I also have a few friends who use the Sakura Bloom Carriers and they are another high quality, premium fabric choice but with a high price point. 

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A good friend had a 100% linen Wildbird Aerial Buckle Carrier which she absolutely adored. This was a top contender for me because I loved the quality of the fabric and price point, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the overall style and look of the carrier. 

Another mom friend swore by the Wildbird Aerial Buckle Wrap which is like the soft version of the linen carrier, and more like a soft wrap but with buckles which made it super easy to put on. I liked the idea of this one, but I had saved my Baby K’tan carrier, so I wasn’t in need of a soft wrap.

Baby K’tan 10 years later.

I ended up finding my perfect carrier which was by a new brand, MABĒ. The MABĒ Monarch Buckle Carrier seemed to fit all of my needs. It’s stylish with many cute print options, it comes in a linen cotton blend fabric, and the price point was right on target for me. I chose the black and white checkered carrier and I love how I can share it with my partner and it can be adjusted to fit him just as perfectly as it fits me. The fabric was a little rough at first which is to be expected with a linen cotton blend, and it has gotten softer with each wash.

Overall, I have no regrets. I love this carrier and it has worked perfectly for our needs this time around. The print is fun, and a nod to a Daddy who used to race motocross, and I always get compliments when I’m wearing it out. It is super comfortable and I love how easy it is to put on without assistance. The straps criss cross across your back and it feels very supported. Baby boy is almost 5 months now and while it fits him great, the waistband has started to sag and fold over with the extra weight. If they redesign it, they could reinforce the waistband or make it thicker, and that would solve the issue. 

Another key to baby-wearing in winter, and in New York is a coat that can adequately fit over both of us. After some research I found the absolute perfect coat. It’s an Amazon best-seller, the Orolay Thickened Down Jacket is the perfect baby-wearing coat.

This has been hands down the best winter purchase I’ve made this year. It is an oversized thick goose down coat with zippers on each side which allow you to open it up and expand it to a larger capacity. I normally wear a size small, so I sized up to a medium and can easily wear the baby with the sides fully unzipped. Here we are on a snowy walk last month and we were both toasty warm. This coat has a ridiculous number of zipper pockets and I find that I end up using it as a purse if I am making a quick run into a store. I throw a card/cash in one pocket, my phone in another, keys in another and an extra binkie of course. This has been such a great coat this winter and I am sure that I will be able to wear it just as well next winter with the sides zipped

Baby-wearing is my favorite; you have endless snuggles, a perfect on-the-go nap, and an easy way to soothe and regulate baby. Finding your perfect carrier is easier than ever with so many options out there. I only covered a few of my favorites but there are so many more! So choose your favorite, buckle-up and enjoy the ride with your sweet baby.