I received this product free for review. All opinions remain my own.
When Cub was 7 months old, we went on a family trip to Playa del Carmen. As I normally do when we travel, I brought along our trusty Ergobaby carrier, which was handy in the airport and walking around the resort.
But walking along the beach, and particularly on our daily jaunt over to a more secluded lagoon area that required us to wade through thigh-deep water, I got to wondering: what if I had a carrier that I could get wet? Not that water destroys a structured carrier; but it takes a while to dry and it’s not very comfortable to wear a damp structured carrier, for parent or child.
As luck would have it, I discovered that there is such a thing as a baby carrier that can get wet… The Beachfront Baby Sling. Made out of a mesh sports-type fabric, it can be used like any regular sling (you don’t have to be headed for water) but can also be worn at the water park, the pool, on the beach or even in the shower.
I’ve never worn a sling before, but setting up the sling for carrying was easy thanks to really clear instructions with lots of pictures. Cub is at the absolute weight limit for this sling (around 30 lbs), so I can use a hip carry with him.
Sorry for the selfies… and the lack of water… but, it’s far too cold to hit the water park just yet in Montréal!
Honestly, any carrier used in the hip position for a child as heavy as mine is not infinitely comfortable for long periods of time. (I’m not a fan of the hip carry with our Ergobaby either.) So for a toddler, I would only use the sling at the end of a long day at the beach when walking is no longer an option for him, or perhaps on the stroll home from the water park when he’s all tuckered out.
That being said, I’m pretty psyched to use this sling when I have a second Cub!
I see this sling as a great way to accompany my older child at the water park, wading pool, beach, etc. while carrying a teeny tiny sibling. It gets stiflingly hot in Montreal in the summer, so using this light sling even when not water-bound would be much cooler than my structured carrier.
In our Playa del Carmen hotel room, there was no bathtub, just a massive shower. It was tricky to wash Cub since he couldn’t stand yet on his own, and sitting was still a bit of a tipsy affair. It would’ve been great to wear him into the shower, and I think he would’ve liked it better than being propped up on the shower-stall floor.
The sling is very light and compact, so it might be just what you need when taking baby on his first beach vacation!
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