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(More customer reviews)I've owned and used a lot of baby carriers.A LOT.Here's the list:
Woven wrap (Storchenwiege)
Stretchy wrap (Moby)
Mei Tai (Kozy Karrier)
Ring sling (Kangaroo Korner)
Fleece Pouch (Kangaroo Korner)
Soft Structured Carrier (Baby Bjorn and Ergo)
While I found a useful niche for all of these carriers, my "desert island" baby carrier was the Ergo.If I could only have one, the Ergo would be it.That being said, baby-wearing a matter of personal choice, and each of the carriers listed above has its fanatics.I can only speak to my experiences and preferences.
*Now let's talk about the Boba itself in more detail.
The first thing to note is that it's not for babies without head control so don't put this on your baby shower registry and expect to use it with your newborn.The literature that comes with the Boba says that it is for toddlers 15lbs and up. Honestly, I'm not sure why it specifies "toddlers."For one thing, not many toddlers weigh as little as 15lbs.My two babies hit the 15lb mark between 3-6 months, which seems like the right age for starting to use this carrier, as they are starting to be too heavy to wear comfortably in other, less supportive carriers, and in addition, they have good head control.Plus, I'm sure that a couple of the babies shown in the carrier in the pamphlet that comes with the Boba are in the 6-9 month range.So why say "toddlers"?I'll chalk that up to one of life's little mysteries.
*So how does the Boba relate to other types of baby carriers?
As noted above, you won't be using this for an infant without head control.If you want a carrier for a newborn, you can use any of the other carriers I listed at the to of this review besides the Boba and Ergo.So let's say your baby has head control and you'd like to compare it to the others.A stretchy wrap is probably out of the running, because guess what: they're stretchy!As baby gets heavier and heavier, they stretch more and more.The stretchy wrap is great for the wee ones, but around that 15lb mark, you start wanting another carrier.You can use a woven wrap FOREVER.You can carry adults in them if need be.Some people love 'em.I found them to be a bit of a hassle.They are pretty long, and if you're tying it outside, it's going to get on the ground.This creates obvious problems if the ground is wet and/or grimy.I gave those the good ole college try, but ended up not really liking them.A pouch, ring sling, or baby bjorn could also be used with your 15lb+ kid, but all of these carriers spread the weight of the baby over your upper back/shoulders.The heavier baby gets, the less comfortable this is.A mei tai is remarkably similar to the Boba and Ergo.I liked my mei tai.It has the versatility to use a "high shoulder carry" which is fun for little ones, if you want to wear them on your back and have them see over your shoulder.But the straps on the one I had weren't padded, and I ended up preferring the Ergo.Which brings us nicely to the comparison of the Boba to the Ergo.
*Boba vs Ergo
Okay, so they're basically the same.The possible carries are the same.The waist straps and shoulder straps appear to be the same dimensions with the same padding.What I will discuss now is the nitty gritty little differences.The piece of fabric that holds baby is more padded in the Ergo.On the Boba, this piece of fabric is a bit taller, about 2".The sleeping hood (you will probably use this very infrequently, especially as your baby gets older) gets stuffed into a little pocket in the Ergo.For the Boba, it wraps up into a roll.The Ergo has a zipper pocket on the back which is big enough to hold an extra diaper and some baby wipes as well as your keys and money or credit cards (it's approximately 8"w x 6"h x 2"d). The Boba does not have this pocket.The Ergo also has a "belt" that is stitched into the waist in a few intervals.If you don't want to use this, it's not noticeable.But!If you do want to use it, you can get something called the "Ergo Front Pouch" which will velcro over one of the belt sections.This expands your extra stuff carrying capacity significantly.I had this pouch and loved it.These belt loops are absent from the Boba, so this would not be an option.In other words, with the Ergo, you can get away without carrying a diaper bag. With the Boba, you're going to need to carry one, and carrying a diaper bag with a baby strapped to you in this carrier will not be particularly comfortable.Along these lines, the Ergo has been around for a while now, and they've got a lot of accessories designed to attach to it in different ways.It even markets itself as being able to carry a newborn (with a special attachment), but to be honest, I wouldn't.It's not designed for that.Get a pouch for your newborn.The "big" difference between the Boba and the Ergo are the "foot straps."These seem completely useless to me.It's a good thing they make them detachable.If your baby's butt is positioned correctly in the carrier, he or she will already be in the "flexed abducted (froglike)" position with or without these foot straps.The only thing I can see your child doing with these foot straps is using them to get OUT of the froglike position by using them as leverage to try to stand up while being carried!Human beings have been carrying babies in their arms or in carriers for millennia without "foot straps."
*Conclusion
As I mentioned above, of all the baby carriers I owned, if I could only pick one baby carrier to have, it would be the Ergo.In fact, my kids are 4 and 5 now, and while all the other carriers have been sold off or passed along, the only one I still have is my Ergo.I hardly ever use it, but I know that I could if I wanted to (let's say for a long hike) and it would also be the most comfortable option.The Boba, being essentially the same as the Ergo when it comes down to function and use, is a good carrier.It is comfortable, and you can use it for as long as you wish to carry your child.I've seen kids that appear to be 8 years old or older in Ergos.Personally, I prefer the Ergo to the Boba.What it comes down to is that I like the extra storage capacity of the Ergo.Besides the things I mentioned above, the main difference between the Boba and Ergo are the color choices of the carriers.Perhaps you really like the colors that the Boba is offered in, and that decides it for you.If so, as I said, it's a good carrier, and I think you'll be happy with it.Make baby's other parent carry the diaper bag.One more thing: if fashion is your main concern, you might also like to look at the fabric choices for the Beco Baby Carrier, which is another that is basically the same as the Ergo.
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Boba Classic Baby CarrierProduct Description: Boba is a Soft Structured baby carrier (SSC) that is intended for toddlers 15 pounds and up. Boba has a few extra inches of height to keep your center of gravity closer to your body and support your little one's back. The innovative thing about the Boba carrier is that there are foot straps attached to the waist belt for the child's feet to sit in enabling a healthy sitting position for the child. The footstraps not only give little tired legs a rest, but support the legs in a flexed abducted (froglike) position which naturally tilts the pelvis, fills out the hip sockets, and aligns the spine
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