Moby Wrap & GO Review and Giveaway!

My first introduction to babywearing was in the aisles of Target.

Yep, the one store that sucks me in so badly and eats the money out of my wallet like a tazmanian devil of cute scarves, jewelry, and random homegoods.

At the time, I was pregnant with little man and shopping for a bathtub.  A friend had recently told me of a duck tub that was apparently amazing, so I headed over to the baby aisles with a few gift cards and checked it out.  As I tried to find the bathtubs, I happened upon several Infantino carriers and a Moby wrap.  I'd never heard of babywearing before, and never seen either of these products.  But I wasn't really feeling the duck tub, so I grabbed a Moby wrap and took it home to give it a try.

Throughout the first few months of little man's life, I realized just how great of an investment the Moby wrap was.  I used that thing all.the.time.  Little man was fussy and didn't want to nap?  Moby wrap.  I needed to make dinner?  Moby wrap.  Going to the grocery store?  Moby wrap.  Our floors needed to be vacuumed? Moby wrap.  Seriously, I used it at least every other day and would have used it more if it weren't in the wash so often from little man being the spit-up king!  (*For fellow mamas of babies who spit up constantly- this wrap is extremely easy to wash!)

So, when the Moby company asked me to review their wrap and also their new Moby GO carrier on the blog, I was really excited to share this product with my readers.

The Moby wrap is a great way to wear your new babe (from 8-35 pounds) right from the start.  It keeps your little one close to you but allows you the luxury of doing things like eating a meal with two hands, and can be a huge lifesaver for your back when you're rocking and shushing your child in circles around your kitchen island for 2 hours.  Noooo, I've never done that before... :)

The Moby GO is Moby's brand new carrier made for babies from 15-45 pounds.  The GO is a soft structured carrier, putting it in the same grouping as the Ergo and the Boba carrier I've discussed previously, so I'll make a few comparisons to those carriers throughout the review.

But, before I get ahead of myself, let's start with the Moby wrap!

As I mentioned, the Moby wrap is for babies from 8-35 pounds.  Basically, it's a reeeeeeeally long piece of fabric, that you wrap around your body and your child to keep them secure and you comfortable.  Because the fabric is long and somewhat wide, it takes a few minutes to get it on and baby in, especially in the beginning when you're new to babywearing.  (The Moby wrap comes with an instruction guide and has helpful videos of how to wrap on their website.)  One way I got around awkwardly spending ten minutes wrapping little man up in the Moby in a parking lot in the beginning was to put on the wrap before I left the house, wear it in the car, and then just pop him in when we were at our destination.

The upside of all that fabric is that it very much evenly distributes your child's weight over your full shoulders and back, lending to an immensely comfortable carry.  Carrying your baby in a wrap can be one of the most comfortable carries available, in my opinion.  Also, as you can see from my photo below, your baby is extremely secure as they are wrapped in three layers of fabric.  Just like her big brother, little lady loves the comfort being cuddled or worn right up on my chest, and falls asleep almost instantly when I wrap her in our Moby wrap.

While Moby does report you can wear your babe up to 35 pounds in the wrap, I find the material to be a bit too stretchy for my comfort level at the higher end of that weight range.  For the same reasons, I won't do a back carry in the Moby, only front carries, although I do know people who will back carry in the Moby.  

As a new mama, this was a really easy transition into the art of babywearing.  Easy instructions, simple to use once you get the hang of it, really comfortable for both you and your baby.  And- as opposed to other wraps I own- it's pretty darn affordable, at only right under $50 for the Moby wrap.  All in all this is an excellent choice to get you started wearing your baby in comfort and style.  

Now, let's talk Moby GO.

The Moby GO is Moby's newest addition to the babywearing world.  As mentioned above, the Moby GO is a soft structured carrier (or SSC), which puts it in the same class as a Boba or Ergo carrier.  But- to me- it has a much more hybrid feel.  Because of the construction and design of the carrier, the GO feels much more like a wrap than a SSC.  The Moby GO has the same general characteristics of a SSC from the front- ergnomic seat for baby (from 15-45 lbs for the GO's weight capacity), supportive waist strap, and zippered pocket with nap hood.

*Of note, the nap hood in the GO does not snap onto the shoulder straps like other SSC's on the market.  However, I mainly use the nap hood during the floppy head newborn stage, and at the lower end of the GO's weight limit- 15 lbs- I don't typically use the nap hood any more anyway.  But that is personal preference and you may find your needs are different than mine.  The GO also does not have an extra pocket for a phone or wallet, either.

However, when you look at the back of the Moby GO, it's a totally different type of carrier.

Let's pretend we don't see my bed head, thanks!  :)

As you can see on my picture above, the Moby GO's straps cross over the back, eliminating the need for the "chest strap" you'll see on most other SSC's.  This is the one feature of the GO that completely sets it apart and- in my opinion- puts it right up in the running with some of the SSC's I love.  Wearing the GO was a completely different feel to me than wearing other SSC's.  I love the security and comfort of a SSC, and the GO has all of that plus an added level of comfort by feeling like you were only wearing your Moby wrap.  I found the GO to be an excellent mix or hybrid of a SSC and a wrap and was super comfortable.

I will say this though- the GO did take me quite a bit longer to get on initially than my other carriers.  Because of the crossbody straps, there is a bit more maneuvering to get yourself and baby in.  However, I think the added minute or two of getting your baby in is completely worth the comfort of the carry once you're set and ready to go.

After spending some time with little man (who is 30 lbs) in the GO, I find it to be a great addition to my babywearing gear.  And- at the price point of $80- it is a really affordable option.  The GO is $45 less than the Boba carrier I own and a total of $55 less than the organic Ergo in my collection as well, so it is quite a bit cheaper than some of the other SSC's on the market.  There are a few less bells and whistles like no purse strap on the GO- although I have figured out a way to clip my wristlet on the waist strap!  But, again, for the price I think it's an excellent carrier for someone who doesn't have a ton of cash lying around to spend on expensive carriers yet still wants the quality and comfort of a SSC.  

So here's the most exciting bit...

Moby wants to give one of my lucky readers their own Moby Wrap!

I've added in a rafflecopter below for you to enter to win your choice of any of the wraps on the Moby website store!  As always, if you have any questions, please email me at thenaptownorganizer at gmail dot com! 

***Because of the interest of you lovely readers, Moby has decided to also give one lucky TNO reader a Moby GO!  That means one person will win a wrap and another person will win a GO!  How awesome is that???  I've added an extra day to the giveaway to be sure everyone can get all their entries in, now get to entering!!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway