BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier One #Review: #WombToWalking

Disclaimer:  I received a BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier One in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own. 

My Kaya is definitely a momma's girl. She's clingy and never wants me to set her down.  Not that I mind too much; it's so amazing having someone love you that much.  It does get inconvenient though when I'm trying to do, well, anything.  And although I must have broken some kind of record for one-handed dish washing, it was definitely time to look into a good baby carrier.  Especially for when we go for walks and whatnot, because she loves to be outside but hates being in a stroller.  There's only so much toting around a 15 pound baby that a momma can handle.

I was ecstatic when I found out that BABYBJÖRN was going to send me their Baby Carrier One in black mesh to review.  

Right out of the box, you can see that it's all compact and folded and lets you know that it would fit right in a diaper bag without taking up too much space.

The BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier ONE claims to be the only baby carrier you'll ever need - with an age range of newborn to three years old, or 8 to 33 pounds.  Now, my babies were both under seven pounds at birth, so we would have had to wait a while to use this.  Especially with Kaya, my under-five-pounder.  But, that is a decent range for one carrier.  

It also is the first BABYBJÖRN carrier with an additional back-carrying option, which I think is great if you have a toddler.  It really grows with your baby, and allows for four different carry positions to make sure that one is all you need, their slogan.  

     -Newborn inward-facing position (with head support)

     -Infant inward-facing position

     -Outward-facing position

     -Back-carrying position

The new buckles on the ONE carrier are probably my favorite thing about this carrier.  It's the easiest carrier to put on without any help, and the buckles are designed to be fasten with one hand - a must when your other hand is being used to support your baby when securing the carrier.

I found them extremely simple, you just press the button and slide it to disengage, and when you are fastening it back on, you just slide it the other way.  There's even a very audible (and satisfying, I must say) "click" that lets you know that it is secure and ready to support your little one.

This next picture shows the back of the carrier.  After sliding it over your head, not unlike a T-shirt, you reach around and buckle the waist belt.  Now, this part was a little weird for me because it sits more on your hips than your waist, but it is padded and very comfortable.  The straps buckle together really easily with the clip and to tighten the belt, you only have to pull the straps until they're snug.  There's even little belt loops in the front to help tuck the ends away so you don't have any dangling straps.  

Next, you can adjust the back yoke (the strap between the shoulder straps) so where the shoulder straps are nice and comfortable and wont slip off.  I really liked this, because as you can see, I have very small shoulders and have a lot of trouble keeping straps on them.  The yoke should sit right under your shoulder blades, and slides along the piping to make sure you can get the right height for it.  This makes sure that baby's weight is evenly distributed over your back, shoulders, and hips.

This instructional video made by BABYBJÖRN really helps to make sure that you are putting the carrier on right, so make sure to watch it and follow the directions for the optimum safety and comfort that it has to offer:

To be completely honest, as comfortable and as versatile as this carrier is, there were a couple of things I didn't like.  For instance, as you can see in the picture below, the baby sits pretty low in the ONE carrier.  My fiance, who wouldn't let me take his picture by the way, thought it was comfortable and that she sat at the perfect height, but maybe it's because I'm so petite.  I felt like I had to bow my back a little to keep her from hitting my knees.  

Another thing that bothered me a little was the head support.  It works great when baby is facing in, but it is supposed to lay flat when folded over for the outward-carrying position and it just didn't do that.  It keep unfolding and hitting my baby girl in the face.  

I did try the back-carrying position as well.  It was so easy to just slide my arm through and turn the carrier to my back!  I was extremely impressed with that, however my little girl was scared to be on my back instead of in my arms so I didn't get a picture.

So my overall impression was that this carrier is definitely a must have for any parent that is on the go a lot.  It's a little pricey, but because you can use it from newborn all the way up to 33 pounds, it's an investment that would definitely pay for itself.  The machine-washable mesh means that you don't have to worry about it getting dirty, and it dries fast.  I wouldn't recommend it for a very petite woman, but otherwise - it has everything you could want in a baby carrier. Find a store near you carrying the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier One.  You can also connect with BABYBJÖRN on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube. Disclaimer:  I received the aforementioned product in order to facilitate an honest review.  No other compensation was received.  As always, all opinions are my own.