Who needs a Bjorn when the Snugli will do the job...

First of all the photo that is attached to this review is ancient. The Snugli does not look that bad anymore. The one we have the Navy Pin Whale style that is currently on the Evenflo website in the the "New" Comfort Vent carrier.

It's a basic no frills carrier, that criss crosses in the back. You basically slip it over your head, adjust the 2 straps at the bottom to your comfort level when your baby is in the carrier the first time and then you're done.

As a new mom of 3 month old beautiful baby girl, I had done a lot of research into carriers and slings when pregnant. Intially I wanted a sling but when I tried my baby in one she screamed like no tomorrow and wasn't having any of it. She hates any positions that are cradle holds and/or sideways and since her first week has demanded being held upright so can see the world. She also dislikes having her arms and legs be squished in any way shape or form so a sling isn't faring too well. Maybe when she gets older we'll try again with a hip hold position when she has better head mobility but for now, it's not happening.

Initially I thought all Snugli's were the same. This is so not the case. My best friend lent me her Snugli and I *think*, though I am not positive, that it is one of their front and back carriers. Either way it's definitely not the same as this one. The other one has narrow straps attached to wider straps with over 4-6 different snaps and clips that you have to adjust and tightening them in the back while attempting to clip between your shoulders on your own is brutal. And you have to constantly adjust these shoulder pads that keep slipping and are virtually useless. Even the lower back strap that's supposed to be for added support I didn't notice. There were just too many straps and it drove me crazy.

Anyhow I lamely wore that one several times and then I decided because it was an old model, I went to check out the newer ones to see if they would work any better. So I picked up this Comfort Vent one in Sears at around $40 Canadian because I just could not justify spending $200 on a Bjorn for an item that my child would grow out of sooner than later.

The first time I wore her in this model I was floored at the difference a simple criss cross in the back makes. For starters it made me stand straight up thus improving my hunched over baby carrying posture and I was still comfortable. Though the shoulders aren't padded, the straps are wide and are very comfortable. The one huge difference between this model and the other Snugli model is the area around where the baby's head is. The older one had these longer straps that you had to clip to your shoulder straps and no padding between the straps, so everytime my baby moved her head over, her cheeks would scrape against the straps and it would scratch her, let alone the damage it could have done to her eyes. That was terrible. This one has a nicely padded area covering the clips so all her face touches is the padded material.

I take her everywhere in this, so much so that we are starting to regret buying a stroller because this is so much easier when you're walking around a mall or out for a walk in the city running errands. She loves being in it as she gets to see everything that we see and her arms and legs aren't constricted in it. And because she's snuggled up next to me, did I mention that it's an almost instant nap machine as she always takes a nap when she's in it.

She's currently 15 lbs and I honestly do not have a single problem carrying her weight in this so I was surprised when reading some of the reviews that people are having such excruciating pain.

I think what consumers need to remember when it comes to carriers is that what works for one person isn't necessarily going to work for another. We all have different body types and different babies with different weight proportions. I thought a sling would be perfect but it wasn't. Luckily this works like a charm. I am tall at 5'11 and it fits me great.

I also think that carriers aren't necessarily meant to worn for long hauls so if you're aiming for an 12 hour day with one, I can't imagine any of them not causing some form of shoulder pain or back pain. Eventually you're going to get tired from carrying the weight. Usually she is in this for 2-3 hours at a time if we're out, with a break for a feed and a change after that. I also can't quite understand how any parent can say empty the dishwasher or do chores like fold laundry when wearing their baby in a carrier. If there are some secret positions that don't allow the baby to be upside down or you constantly having to hold their head when bending over, I'd love to hear them.

The one if only drawback I can think of to this is that it would be good to have some extra body room in the carrier because I can't see her fitting in this when she's 26 lbs. That and when I have her in her winter jacket, it's super tight so I think for winter I am going to invest in a carrier cover.

And just in comparison to the Bjorn, I recently was at the doctors office when I saw a woman wearing one and I looked at it from every single angle and couldn't tell a single difference from the Snugli vs the Bjorn she had on. But it could have been that Bjorn model.

Would I recommend this? Absolutely. For the price and time frame you're using it for, it's a great buy.