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I have become a baby wearing Mom. I wasn’t when I just had one, I was perfectly happy to just hold her when we went out. But now that I have two babies, going out is impossible without wearing Baby K because I absolutely need both hands to take care of Baby J.
I have been using two things this time around. The Nuroo Pocket shirt and the Happy Baby Wrap. Before I had Baby K and was researching what to buy, I couldn’t find a good review comparing the pocket shirt to a wrap carrier. Now that he is four months old, I feel like I have a good grasp on the pros and cons of each and wanted to share them for anyone out there needing help deciding!
Total disclosure, this post has not been sponsored or paid for by anyone. No collaborations, no endorsements, no paid sponsorship (I’m waiting, guys, call me!). Opinions are completely my own from my two under two experiences. I’ve been wearing Baby K in the shirt since he was a newborn and got the wrap when he was about two months old.
Click on the picture below for a video of me demonstrating both the Nuroo Pocket Shirt and the Happy Baby Wrap…and hear Baby J sing “Let it Go” from Frozen over and over and over, and Baby K spit up on me. Pure cinematic magic!
Nuroo Pocket Shirt Pros and Cons:
PROS:
one: easy, fast, foolproof. You get it “right” every time in a matter of seconds.
two: very secure every time. Your baby is safe and sound, even if you’re flustered and frazzled when you put it on.
three: easy breastfeeding access. All you need to do is position your baby to the side you want, pull out your boob and stick in your nipple. It’s really easy. I have to help him keep the nipple in his mouth at times but overall, I’ve found he just sucks away while I’m doing my thing and then falls asleep.
four: great for multiple stops. It’s so easy to get the baby into this shirt perfectly every time, so getting him in and out isn’t a big hassle.
five: unique. I am stopped CONSTANTLY by people asking about this shirt and telling me how they wished they had something like this when their kids were little and saying, “you’ve got your hands full.” So be prepared to be social!
CONS:
one: heat. This shirt can be hot, especially indoors in the summer. I found it so hot when I was first postpartum in July that it prompted me to buy the Happy Baby Wrap (though I do have an exceptionally hot house in the summer). But wearing it outside is absolutely lovely, and now that it’s a little cooler in the house it’s actually perfect. It’s especially good indoors when shopping, so the heat problem seems to have gone away for me.
two: sizing. I lost a LOT of weight these past four months doing my postpartum weight loss program, so the medium no longer fits. I mean, I can still wear the medium and it works alright, but I find the x-small/small is a much better fit on my body and the baby doesn’t sag down as low. But I definitely needed the medium in the beginning; the small wasn’t even close to fitting me four months ago.
three: muffin top. When you Velcro the belt around your tummy it creates a muffin top. I always find this makes me self conscious, but it’s a necessary evil I guess. The belt that comes with the size small shirt does this a lot for me and it digs in uncomfortably, so I prefer to use the medium belt.
four: baby’s weight. This one I am confused about. Inside the shirt it says the max weight is 15 lbs, but on their website it says 25 lbs…I will update below when I have a response back from the Nuroo people with clarification. If it’s just 15 lbs than I don’t have too much life left in mine. UPDATE: the wonderful Nuroo people have confirmed the shirt is good to 25 lbs–in fact it’s rated to 45 lbs–though at 4-5 months they say babies become more curious about their world and prefer soft carriers.
five: Velcro damage. The Velcro is extremely strong. That’s a good thing because it’s holding your baby. But if it touches anything (baby’s sock, the inside of your jacket, a swaddle blanket…) it will destroy it. DESTROY! So be careful!
Happy Baby Wrap Pros and Cons:
PROS:
one: one size fits all. Even if you lose weight (30 lbs like me!) or gain weight, this wrap is going to fit you. So if you’re planning on doing my postpartum weight loss program you won’t need to worry about getting too small for this and needing another one!
two: breastfeeding. It’s really easy to breastfeed while wearing this wrap. Simply tie it a little looser so your baby sits lower, pull out your boob and done! The only thing is that you’ll need to plan what to wear underneath so that you have access to your breasts from above.
three: cool. The fabric is really soft and breathable, so you won’t overheat wearing it even with something on underneath.
four: versatile outfits. You can wear whatever you want underneath this wrap. You could be naked for skin to skin or you could have your jacket on. You don’t have to sacrifice your personal style to wear this! If you plan to breastfeed see my comment on number 2 above.
five: trendy. Baby wraps are so beautiful and are all over social media. It’s nice to be trendy, and it’s especially nice to feel stylish when you’re in the postpartum frumps.
CONS:
one: not foolproof. I have been using a wrap now for two months and I still don’t get it right every time. Sometimes the baby is too low, meaning I made it too loose, and other times the baby is too high, meaning I made it too tight.
two: hard to keep clean. If you’re out and about while putting on the wrap, it can be difficult to keep the ends from touching the ground. I try to remember to put it on before I go anywhere, but that’s not always possible.
three: shoulder digs. After wearing the baby for a little while the wrap can start digging into the shoulders, especially if I’ve forgotten to widen them before putting the baby in. It’s just another thing I have to remember.
four: breastfeeding. While I said it was a pro how easy it is to breastfeed while wearing a wrap, the fact that you need to remember to wear something with easy boob access is a con. I personally have very few shirts that would allow me to reach in and breastfeed while wearing the wrap.
five: rewrap necessary. The wrap gets looser over time as you are wearing the baby. So if I need to take him out and then put him back in, it is often too loose and I will need to start over and re-wrap. Two uses with one wrap is doable if I tie it tight initially.
So there you have it! I can honestly say that I choose the Nuroo pocket way more than the wrap for now. The convenience of just throwing it on and being able to breastfeed without having to wear a particular shirt underneath is so amazing, and the ease of using it when I need to take the baby in and out is unbeatable. However, I see myself using the wrap more now that he is wanting to be stretched out because I can let his legs go to the sides.
Comment below with any pros and cons that I missed!
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Nuroo Pocket Shirt (I have teal and black in the 3/4 sleeve): Nuroobaby
Happy Baby Wrap in Seafoam: Happy Baby
turquoise toffee 