With Father’s Day taking place this past weekend, it got me thinking about what products make my life a little easier as a dad, and what things I would recommend to those of you about to undertake fatherhood for yourself (of course, the same recommendations apply to moms as well). Looking around my own home, it didn’t take long to see there’s a brand that prominently holds a place in nearly every room of my house, and that company is BABYBJÖRN.
Best known for their incredibly functional child carriers, BABYBJÖRN makes a fantastic range of children’s products, all of which apply a remarkable level of innovation to things that at first glance may seem like straightforward items. Bouncers, bibs, plates, spoons – I own BABYBJÖRN and non-BABYBJÖRN versions of each, and let me say immediately that I wish I had opted for the BABYBJÖRN variants from the beginning. They’re just so much better than the non-BABYBJÖRN counterparts, they’ve basically obsoleted them in my house.
If you’re a parent of a young child, here’s a list of the BABYBJÖRN products I use and my experiences with each. Hopefully it will help make your decision a little easier as you hunt for the best baby gear for yourself.
BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Synergy
In recommending BABYBJÖRN, it’s only fitting to start with their child carriers. For parents of newborns, the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Synergy is the single best way to transport your newborn, especially for those of you with a more active lifestyle. Speaking from personal experience, my wife and I both do as much as possible outdoors, and the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Synergy allowed us to get outside almost immediately following the birth of our daughter. Walks, trips to the park with our son, errands – we use the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Synergy pretty much every day for different tasks.
Helping make the BABYBJÖRN so great, the Baby Carrier Synergy builds on the company’s tradition of innovative front carriers, offering an incredible amount of features aimed at ensuring both you and your child’s comfort. From an operator standpoint, carrying your child in the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Synergy is incredibly comfortable, thanks to a lumbar support system for your lower back mated to padded, easily adjustable shoulder straps. It’s a system that does a fantastic job distributing weight evenly across your back and shoulders, and as a result, makes it easy to carry your child hands free for extended periods of time in complete comfort. Helping keep you and your child cool during higher temperatures, the Baby Carrier Synergy is constructed from smooth, breathable 3D mesh fabric. Not only does it do a fantastic job wicking away heat and moisture, it’s also non-toxic, meaning it won’t irritate your baby’s skin (and it’s safe to chew on during the teething phase). Lastly, the Synergy’s unique two piece design makes it easy to get your child in and out of the carrier by yourself.
As for your baby, they benefit from the same fantastic level of comfort you do. The BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Synergy features an ergonomic, physiologically correct design that supports your child’s head, back and hips in a natural crouching position. For younger children, the position faces inward, towards you, and as your child grows and develops the ability to hold up their head, they can then face outward to view their surroundings while on the move. Thanks to its two-piece design, should your child fall asleep while in the BABYBJÖRN, you can easily lay your baby down without waking him or her up. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve resorted to a walk around the neighborhood to soothe our less-than-happy daughter, and the Synergy magically calms her and puts her to sleep.
Features of the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Synergy include:
- Breathable and cool fabric in three colors
The airy, breathable 3D mesh wicks moisture and heat away from you and your baby. The mesh on the inside of the baby carrier is especially soft and feels comfortable against your child’s skin, while gently shaping itself to his or her body. Available in black, marine blue and white. - Provides back stability
The enhanced lumbar support is individually adjusted and provides comfortable back stability. The back support and the wide shoulder straps work together to provide maximum carrying comfort and relieve pressure. - Ergonomic for your child
The baby carrier has an ergonomic design that provides the proper support for your child’s head, back and hips from birth. The head support is adjustable and can be folded down so that the child may be carried facing forward when he or she is a bit older and able to hold up his or her own head. - Adjusts to your baby
Fits babies from 8 pounds and 21 inches up to 26 pounds.
If you’re looking for the perfect child carrier for you newborn or young child, the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Synergy is it. It’s cool, incredibly comfortable for you and your child, and it allows you to get outside and active almost immediately after having a baby. Of all the baby gear I own, the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Synergy may very well be at the top of my must-have baby item list. You can purchase the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Synergy from Amazon.com
BABYBJÖRN Comfort Carrier
Having two young children, my wife and I actually own two baby carriers: the previously discussed BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Synergy, and the BABYBJÖRN Comfort Carrier. Whereas the Synergy is perfect for our younger, smaller daughter, the Comfort Carrier is geared towards larger, slightly older children (more specifically, babies weighing 13 pounds up to toddlers weighing 31 pounds). We actually used the Synergy for our son first, and upgraded him to the Comfort Carrier after our daughter’s arrival. The transition has worked perfectly.
One of the key differences between the two is the addition of a hip belt on the BABYBJÖRN Comfort Carrier, which helps distribute heavier loads to your hips from your back and shoulders. My son weighs about 29 pounds, and the Comfort Carrier does a fantastic job spreading his weight downward, thanks to the hip belt. Ideally, the more weight you can transfer to your hips the better, as your lower half is capable of handling weight significantly better than your top half.
From a construction standpoint, the BABYBJÖRN Comfort Carrier is made from certified 100% organically grown cotton fabric – a material that’s not only comfortable, it’s safe for your baby’s skin and mouth (should they be teething). As with other BABYBJÖRN carriers, your child can face either towards you or away from you, but since it’s geared towards slightly older babies, most will probably prefer facing outward, to enjoy their surroundings. Should your child wish to face in, however, a new wide position for your baby’s legs allows you to adjust the Comfort Carrier accordingly.
Having used the BABYBJÖRN Comfort Carrier on more walks and hikes than I count, I can tell you the Comfort Carrier lives up to its billing. It’s extremely comfortable to use on longer hikes, and the hip belt is a welcome addition, beautifully transferring the weight onto your hips, where you want it. As for my son, he adores it. He loved his original Synergy, and there’s no question he loves to explore even more in the Comfort Carrier. It’s a fantastic addition to the BABYBJÖRN lineup, and it’s the perfect baby carrier for slightly larger, older babies.
Features of the BABYBJÖRN Comfort Carrier include:
- Maximum carrying comfort
Provides optimum weight distribution and lightens your load, thanks to the adjustable waist belt and shoulder straps. Most of the weight is transferred to your hips, so you can carry your little one for longer periods without wearing out your back. - For children up to 2 years
You can use this baby carrier from when your child weighs 13 lbs/6 kg (around 3 months) until he or she weighs at most 31 lbs/14 kg (around 2 years). - Flexible leg positions
For enhanced comfort, your child’s leg position can be varied from normal to wide. As with all our baby carriers, you can choose whether you want to carry your child facing you or facing forward.
You can purchase the BABYBJÖRN Comfort Carrier from Amazon.com
BABYBJÖRN Babysitter Balance Air
Baby bouncers are funny things. I own a total of four, three of which were received as gifts, and the last of which (the BABYBJÖRN Babysitter Balance Air) the lone bouncer I’ve actually purchased. With the first three, my children absolutely hated them, so much so that I genuinely didn’t understand why anyone would use a baby bouncer. But after my wife’s insistence to try the BABYBJÖRN, I gave bouncers a final chance to prove their worth, and the Babysitter Balance Air has demonstrated itself as a far superior version to any other bouncers I’ve encountered.
First and foremost, the BABYBJÖRN Babysitter Balance Air’s bouncing motion is perfect. It takes only a touch to create a fluid, gentle bouncing motion that your child will absolutely adore. At dinner, for example, we had our newborn daughter on the floor situated in the Babysitter Balance Air, and we can use literally one toe to keep her gently bouncing throughout dinner (while she lays there, perfectly content). And because it’s so easy to create the fluid rocking motion, as your child learns to control her movements, they also gain the ability to sooth themselves in the BABYBJÖRN through their own bouncing.
Now that temperatures are warming up, we’ve also had our daughter outside in the BABYBJÖRN Babysitter Balance Air, and it works just as well as outside as it does in. Constructed from an airy, breathable mesh (hence the name Babysitter Balance Air), the BABYBJÖRN is fantastic at making sure your child doesn’t overheat thanks to its excellent air flow and moisture eliminating properties, and it’s durable enough to stay looking like new after numerous washes. Another great feature for outside use is the Babysitter’s three positions (play, rest and sleep), giving your child ability to see what’s around them while awake but easily adjusting when they want to take a rest.
More features of the BABYBJÖRN Babysitter Balance Air include:
- Airy and pleasant mesh fabric available in seven colors
The airy, breathable mesh wicks away moisture and heat. It is easy to keep clean and dries quickly after washing. - Develops motor skills and balance
The calm and natural rocking from the BABYBJÖRN Babysitter Balance Air refines your child’s motor skills and balance. The bouncer is recommended by pediatricians. - Fun for your child
The child’s own movements make the bouncer rock. No batteries are needed. Your child sets the pace, so the experience is fun and soothing at the same time. - Three positions plus transport mode
The BABYBJÖRN Babysitter Balance Air has three positions: play, rest and sleep. It can also be folded into a compact transport mode, making it easy to pack or store when not in use.
Putting it simply, if you’re looking for a baby bouncer that actually works and one that your children will absolutely adore, this is it. You can purchase your own BABYBJÖRN Babysitter Balance Air from Amazon.com
BABYBJÖRN Soft Bib
You might be wondering why I’m recommending a bib, as it seems like such a basic baby item, but the BABYBJÖRN Soft Bib addresses the problem no other bib does: dropped food. Sure, bibs protect the upper portion of your children’s clothes, but as any parent known, eating with young kids mean a wealth of dropped food and spilled drinks. So while your children’s clothes stay clean on top, the bottom fares significantly worse.
Ingeniously, the BABYBJÖRN Soft Bib is constructed from a softer plastic that has a lip built into the bottom of it, catching food as it’s dropped and keeping it out of your child’s lap. The lip even catches unexpected drink spills. As a family that eats out on a regular basis, I can’t tell you how many changes of clothes the BABYBJÖRN Soft Bib has saved. It’s simple, but it’s brilliant.
More benefits of the BABYBJÖRN Soft Bib include:
- Easy to keep clean
The BABYBJÖRN Soft Bib is easily rinsed off under running water or cleaned in the dishwasher. - Well-conceived design
The neckband rests nicely and comfortably on the child’s neck. The bib’s size has been tailored to make sure that the spill pocket does not get stuck on the table’s edge. Food remains in the spill pocket no matter how active the baby. The bib also has a practical hole to hang it up by. - Can be used for a long time
Adjustable snap adapts size to fit your growing child perfectly.
You can purchase the BABYBJÖRN Soft Bib directly from Amazon.com
BABYBJÖRN Plate, Spoon and Cup
Last but not least, I couldn’t leave out the BABYBJÖRN plate, spoon and cup. From the moment he was able to sit in his high chair, my son was determined to use a proper plate and utensils to eat his meals, so we began the daunting quest of trying to find eating tools that he could use. Ultimately, the BABYBJÖRN plate, spoon and cup are by fare the best options we found, allowing him to eat things impossible with the other utensils we tried.
The BABYBJÖRN plate, for example, is larger than traditional baby plates, utilizing a three-leaf clover shape that sits firmly on the table, thanks to its rubber base and larger surface area. Because of its size, it’s easy to serve your child multiple food options and keep them separated, and the high sidewalls work perfectly with the BABYBJÖRN spoon to help your child scoop up the food of their choosing. Most importantly, however, is that unlike traditional plates and bowls that have tapered bases, the BABYBJÖRN plates’ wide base stays securely in place when your child bangs on the plate’s rim. Before the BABYBJÖRN plate, nearly every meal ended with my son banging the edge of his bowl or plate and watching food sail across the room. Thanks to the BABYBJÖRN, my son’s food catapulting days are over.
As for the BABYBJÖRN spoon, as already noted, it works in tandem with the high edge of the BABYBJÖRN plate to help scoop up food. It also features a slightly larger design than other baby spoons with a deeper spoon area, allowing your child to scoop things impossible with other baby spoons. The first example that comes to mind is peas. My son loves peas, and the BABYBJÖRN plate and spoon are the only two things I’ve found that allow him to scoop peas with success. He can scoop them easily, and they stay in place as he’s transferring to them to his mouth.
Lastly, my son loves drinking out of normal cup, and the BABYBJÖRN cup has been a fantastic aid at teaching him to drink without a lid. It’s the perfect size for his smaller hands; it features a wider rubber base that does a fantastic job as resisting tipping, and it’s dishwasher/microwave/freezer safe. It’s the perfect compliment the BABYBJÖRN plate and spoon.
Features of the BABYBJÖRN plate, spoon and cup include:
- Well-conceived design
The three-leaf clover shape of the plate helps the child to scoop up food onto the spoon. The spoon is compatible with the plate’s shape and works using either the right or left hand. It has a short handle that is simple for small hands to grip. - Rests firmly on the table
The plate rests firmly on the table and will not tip even if the child bangs on the plate’s rim. The rubber base prevents it from sliding around. - Easy to clean
The BABYBJÖRN Plate and Spoon are dishwasher-safe but can also be washed by hand. You may warm baby’s food on the plate in the microwave oven.
You can pick up the BABYBJÖRN plate from Amazon.com
