As mentioned before, I plan to review baby carriers and slings over the coming months and the first one I’ve tried out is the Baby Bisou.
Baby Bisou is a US based company that makes modern versions of Mei-Tei’s, a form of Asian baby carriers that have been used for centuries where women carried their babies on their front or back whilst they worked.
This style of carrier is quite popular because it distributes weight evenly over the hips which reduces pressure on your pelvis and back. The wide support also supports correct hip, spine and pelvic development for babies.
The tester: the bambino 11 months and probably around 23-24lb, long, and hyper. Me, 5ft 3 and petite, worried about being in pain with a carrier.
There are 3 positions: Pouch (for younger babies), Backpack, or Kangeroo carry
It’s 100% breathable cotton and machine washable
You can breastfeed in it
Can be used on women with waist 24″ to 44″ waists
Suitable from 3 months to 40lbs
Appearance: They look fantastic and unusual with a really great selection of prints. Even though it feels soft, it’s also structured. You can reverse it for a more ‘dad’ friendly look. You will get a lot of people asking where you got it from even if they don’t have babies! It looks neat when being used due to the lack of straps and ties.
Instructions: Pretty basic but straightforward with an explanation of each of the positions but if you want pictures, visit the site.
Set up: It’s actually quite quick to get in use and unlike the Baby Bjorn for instance, there aren’t a lot of excess straps all over the place. The really comfortable, padded, waistband gets placed above the hip bone and buckled and adjusted for a snug fit. Baby gets placed in facing you with legs straddling (Kangeroo Carry) and you pull the straps over your shoulder whilst still supporting your baby. There are two looped buckles on the strap that you need to reach behind and clip together below the nape of your neck. The first couple of times I did it, it was a bit of an effort but it’s fine after the first few times.
In use: I roadtested it on a thirty minute walk – This is quite a distance considering that in the latter stages of using my Baby Bjorn, I would feel the pain after 10 minutes! The bambino loves having eye contact with me as we walk and we chat and sing, or she flits around or even cranes her head to see what people are doing. I don’t think there is such a thing as weightless with carriers but I thoroughly enjoyed the walk, felt really comfortable carrying her, and even walked back with her after our excursion. Trust me – that’s saying a lot with me!
Baby Bisou’s can only be used with your baby facing you as they feel it is better for reducing pressure on your babies bones and also promotes eye contact and enabling them to take cues from you, say for instance, about strange sounds that they may hear. I had my reservations until I put her in it as I thought she’d want to face out but she loves it. She doesn’t want to get out afterwards and seems to really enjoy the closeness. I can also shield her from sounds or other things that may frighten her.
I find Backpack Carry style difficult but it’s not the fault of the product and more the fact that short of me putting her on it when she’s asleep, the bambino treats it like her changing mat and won’t keep still to allow me to get into position. I’m sure I wouldn’t be the only parent to experience this and I prefer using their suggestion of getting the boyf to help me.
Post use: This is actually of pivotal importance in your choice of carrier – how will your body feel after you’ve used it, whether it’s hours later or the following day. After multiple uses I can confirm that these are a wonder on my back and hips. As a petite person, baby carriers can really take it out of you! There was one day when I was in agony but it turned out to be from being over zealous with my Wii Fitness…look out for my review….
Any negatives: There isn’t anything ‘bad’ about the Baby Bisou. My only struggle with it has actually been with the straps at the nape of my neck. Tip – Make sure that the clips for clipping behind you are at the top of the strap before you put it on as it is quite a reach to try to move it up the strap whilst holding your baby and they do slip down sometimes when it’s being stored.
Price: About the same as a Baby Bjorn but lasts far longer… $125 (approx £63) and you currently get free shipping which makes it a bit of a steal considering where it travels from. Delivery takes roughly 7-10 days. 10% of all profits are donated to charities for children.
Overall: Stylish, well made, unusual, easy to use, but most of all, comfortable, if you’re looking for a carrier with longevity, you can’t go wrong with this. It’s available in several different prints plus it’s also reversible so that dads can use it too.
Verdict: 4.5/5
Available at Baby Bisou
Also consider: Ergo New Generation Baby Carrier
Leave a Reply