i just barely dipped my toe into the babywearing world when my oldest Revan was about 6 months old. and now that we have two littles under 3 years old — it is a dang staple in my daily life!!! especially when i am home with my boys and Corran is teething and will not let me out of his tiny little fingers.

it has always been deeply important to me to provide products and resources that not only make your parenting journey easier, but are damn GOOD products. along with babywearing, we have to talk about safety, and unfortunately i’ve encountered a few companies that do not fit the vibe check — both on your child’s safety or the quality products. we’re talking sleazy business practices, which is 0% okay in my book!!!

the list of babywearing options + products from literally birth to my 30 pound toddler that we’ve been able make the daily grind feel so much more accessible and doable.

HIPPIE JOEY

FROM BIRTH TO 35-40 POUNDS (APPROX)

www.hippiejoey.com | use code BETHANYBOURGOIN10 for 10% off

Hippie Joey was my very first start to babywearing, and i have nothing to say but amazing things for Lawren and her team over at HJ. these carriers are created to hug you + your baby to feel “womb-like” and encourage closeness together!

this is an assisted carrier, created per your exact size — custom created for you every time!!! this cozy hug-like carrier is NOT completely hands free, you will need to keep a hand on baby at all times for your babe’s safety. it is so important that you know any carrier that looks like this will never be a 100% hands free carrier — taking a look at the photos of my boys in our Joeys, you will always see that i have a hand on them!

my fav style is Joey Earth — i LOVE how thick and cozy it is. and while using with my older kiddo, it does have a thicker structure to the fabric. BUT please note at the time that i’m writing this blog post, Hippie Joey is rolling out some higher quality fabrics with some updated colors (which look omg sooo beautiful)

HOPE & PLUM | LARK

FROM 10-45 POUNDS (BABY NEEDS TO BE IN 3-6 MONTH CLOTHES TO START)

www.hopeandplum.co

i love a women-owned brand, a sustainable + accessible business, AND one that is local to me here in MN? Hope & Plum checks all the boxes!!! not to mention the Sienna color is one of my favorite colors ever to exist 😍 like all of these companies mentioned in this blog post — safety is an essential pillar for H&P. i personally love that they call out unethical babywearing practices, marketing, and are intentional about paying their workers a livable wage for their families.

the Lark is one of the most comfortable structured carriers i’ve tried (the list isn’t long, so don’t be too impressed yet). and a big part of that is due to their free Fit Check — i just recently met with Jenn and she helped me adjust just a few minor things in how i was carrying, how to tighten the slack of the carrier effectively. the difference was instant — my back carrying babe’s weight instead of everything on my shoulders.

so love how i can switch easily between a back and front carry, and for both of our boys! the versatility of the Lark is so desirable. it’s so easy to pack and take with me on the go — a structured carrier, yet so soft and foldable to tuck in a bag!!!

QOOKIE GO

FROM 6 MONTHS AND 12 POUNDS AND UP!

www.qookie-baby.com | use code SUPPLY-10 for 10% off

we are loving this hip assisted carrier! think “mama up and down and up and down”, or need to throw baby in a carrier really quickly! please remember that (pretty much) any carrier that is a hip carry, or goes across the body like this is an assisted carrier. you will need to keep a hand on baby at all times for their safety!!!

a little background on Qookie: they are a German-based, family owned company — Anna and Robert literally sent me a carrier from their Go line with the sweetest freaking hand written note!!! the fabric is thick, reinforced especially in the tail in the front with an inner very strong strap, and adjustable in the front, back, and side for smaller little ones (obviously our little Corran).

i specifically reached out to Qookie because i had gotten a message inviting me into a collaboration with a brand that didn’t fit right for me (we’ll chat red flags a little later in this blog post). these folks at Qookie were so kind and so quick to gift me a carrier, and it honestly blew away my expectations!!! we spent about 2 hours at the pumpkin patch this past weekend, and Corran didn’t make a freaking peep the entire time. just snuggled into me, in our beautiful ruby side carrier.

green light companies + red flags

for me, these carriers and specifically brands are green lights — in both their practices, resources + clear boundaries on how to, or how NOT to use their carriers. like Qookie literally mailed me their manual on how to wear, adjust and where to go if i have concerns.

i had a company reach out to me offering a significant collaboration opportunity, and something just didn’t sit right with me. in fact, i reached out to my friend Cassidy @letstalkbabywearing to see if my intuition was on point. and maybe companies come in a range — but i only saw ads and influencers on their page.

the red flags for me was seeing this specific brand marketing their carriers as “hands free” — when in reality, carriers that sit on the hip or on ONE single shoulder are almost always an assisted carrier. this style of baby wearing cannot rely on baby to be completely safe, without a hand on baby at all times.

this brand also stated all over their website about how many thousands of carriers they’ve sent out! and that this carrier was a viral sensation. that may be true, but virality does not speak to the safety of a product. i’ll mention some of these companies that are a NO GO for me, so you know how to identify the brands if they come up in your baby wearing search!!!

• Zoberlo / Trend Mall / Bebe Amour
  • YOUR REAL CARRIER IN THIS STYLE IS HIPPIE JOEY
• Bambora Co
  • A BETTER OPTION FOR YOUR SIDE CARRY IS QOOKIE GO

i have to tell you, i am just a mom finding joy (among the chaos) in wearing and carrying her babies!!! i am not a professional in the babywearing scene. but if you are looking for folks who know what the hell they’re talking about, you’ve gotta check out my friends Cassidy @letstalkbabywearing and Jordan @thebabywearing.ot — they are always my go to gals in the babywearing space. go follow them because they are both just true joys in parenthood and babywearing ❤️

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related blog posts that i think you’ll seriously love —

• a peek inside my DMs: “can i increase my supply at 3/6/9/12 months postpartum?”
• the ultimate guide to using your wearable breast pumps to keep up your milk supply
• why you need to stop thinking of foremilk as “low-fat” and hindmilk as “high in fat”
• pumping but still feel full (and way too irritable)? the boobie emptying checklist that you need

do you have a favorite carrier or one you’re looking to try?
xoxo, Bethany | Certified Lactation Counselor | Your Overproducing Exclusively Pumping Mama