NEW Moby GO!

Moby has recently released a new carrier called the Moby GO!  This is a soft structured carrier (aka SSC or buckle carrier) and is specifically designed for older babies that may not be as comfortable to wear in a Moby Wrap anymore.  I think this is awesome because many people use Moby wraps and some of them have no idea the world of options available to continue to comfortably wear as their child grows.  The Moby GO is likely to reach a wider audience and keep more babies being worn for longer, which I think is an AWESOME thing for everyone!!!

Another thing I think it awesome about Moby's new SSC is the price!  At $79.95, the Moby GO is more affordable than many other carriers on the market making it more appealing to the newer or more casual babywearer.  I believe there are people who are just not able or willing to spend $100+ on a baby carrier, and the Moby GO is more likely get those people that are not convinced babywearing is worth the investment to give it a chance.  And more people babywearing is always a good thing!

Moby GO Closeup

The Moby GO has some great features at an amazing price. 

The Moby GO is a soft structured carrier designed to keep you on the go as your baby grows.  Wide straps that distribute your child's weight and a high body makes this a perfect carrier for older babies and toddlers from 15 - 45 lbs.

• 100% cotton body with should straps that are 97% cotton 3% spandex for added comfort
• Wide shoulder straps with cross-shoulder design
• Ergonomic seat design with a 14.5" seat and a 18" tall body
• Padded leg openings for added comfort
• Removable hoodie-style sleeping hood with storage pocket
• Unique dual foam waist belt that adjusts from 26" to 54"
• Designed to be used for front carrying only

First Impression

I tried the carrier the other day with my two year old and there are a couple of key things that make the Moby GO stand out to me.

The price - As I said earlier, the Moby GO is very affordable.  At $79.95, it competes with many more expensive carriers on the market.

Designed for older babies and toddlers in mind - The Moby GO is designed to be used from 15-45 lbs.  Though the Moby Wrap can be used with a larger baby, most people prefer to stop using it with older babies because it is just not as supportive as other carriers available.  The Moby GO is the perfect option for people that have been using a Moby Wrap and want something more convenient and supportive for their older, more active baby.  That being said, the body of the carrier is TALL and may not fit all babies at 15 lbs.  At 18" tall, it was even tall on my petite 2 year old.

Shoulder straps -  The shoulder straps on the Moby GO have a unique shape to them.  The straps are wide and curved, which makes them surprisingly comfortable.  They are not padded, but the width of them makes the additional padding unnecessary.  The width and slight curve of them distribute the weight more like a wrap and also allows them to sit further out on your shoulder while being crossed in the back, not riding up on your neck like some carriers can do.  Another thing is that the strap fabric has 3% spandex in them, giving them just enough one way stretch to allow the fabric to conform to your body.  The fabric portion on the shoulder straps is MUCH longer than on most SSC.  This means that the straps can only be crossed and prevents the carrier from being able to be worn "backpack" style for a back carry, which is why this is only considered a front carry baby carrier.

The sleeping hood -  The sleeping hood on the Moby GO is cool!  It is a hoodie style hood, not a flat hood like you see on many carriers.  I don't personally use sleeping hoods often, so I don't have any opinion on functionality, but I thought I would mention that it was different.  It is easily rolled up and stored in a front pocket, which I love.  And I really love that the hood can be removed completely!  Some people LOVE sleeping hoods, so I think they are important to have on a carrier.  But I like the fact that people that don't use them ever can just take it off all together.

Storage pocket - I love pockets on carrier and wish more had them.  99% of the time I am carrying my entire house with my in my diaper bag, so it doesn't matter, but it's nice to have the option of throwing a credit card and a camera in my front pocket and traveling light when I am able to.

Waist belt - The waist belt had a few unique things I wanted to mention.  First, there is what I would call a utility strap across the waist belt that you could clip things to, like your phone or keys, though its wide enough that you may have to buy something specific if you want to strap your keys to it.  The second thing that is unique about the waist belt is that there is a flap of fabric that extends underneath the webbing that gives some added comfort and keeps the webbing from touching as much of your body.  I thought the waist belt felt really comfortable and I liked the additional fabric.

Buckle safety - There are safety loops for the shoulder strap buckles.  This is great if you are one of those few lucky people out there that have a toddler that likes to unbuckle carriers.  Most don't do this, so it's not generally an issue.  But if they do, this would stop the shoulder strap from coming completely undone.

Now that I have pointed out some of the unique or cool features about the Moby GO, I'll list my personal opinions of the pros and cons of this carrier.

Pros

• Price: $79.95 is super affordable for a carrier of this quality
• Designed for older babies when they have outgrown other carriers.  18" body make this ideal for toddlers and will easily fit through the babywearing years.
• Uniquely designed shoulder straps are extra wide and comfortable.  I also loved that they didn't have the added bulk of the padding.  It really felt nice across my back.
• Fabric feels soft right out of the box.
• Removable sleeping hood with storage pocket.
• Utility strap on waist belt to hook phone or keys.
• Safety strap for shoulder straps to keep the carrier from coming off if your toddler figures out how to unbuckle the carrier!

Cons

• Designed for older babies and can not be used with infants or petite/younger babies.  18" body is a very tall carrier that will only fit once a baby is a certain size.  Some babies will not be big enough at 15 lbs.
• Can only be used to do front carries.  The way the straps are designed does not allow them to be worn "backpack" style, so the straps can only be worn crossed.  This would not be a con for me personally since I usually wear even my toddler on my front, but some people only like wearing their bigger babies and toddlers on their back and find it uncomfortable to do a front carrier with a larger, older baby.
• May be too big for really petite wearers.  The carrier itself is wide and taller than many carriers since it is designed for older babies.  The added fabric on the waist may also make it harder for someone really petite to get the waist comfortable.  But the waist is supposed to adjust to 25" and since the carrier should be worn lower than your natural waist, even people with tiny waists may still be able to wear it comfortably.
• Some people may not like the safety strap for the shoulder buckles since it adds an extra step in buckling.  But it's not really a con since it keeps babies safe! :)
• These carries are made in Thailand which could be an issue for people that prefer to by US made products.  Part of having a carrier of this quality available at this low of a price is that it has to be manufactured outside the US.  US made carriers can not be made with this many features and be anywhere near this price point.  Action Baby Carriers are an amazing brand that is also super affordable, but their low cost is only possible due to their super simple design and lack of extras.  This same carrier would cost much, much more if it was made in the USA.

My Experience

I was excited to try the Moby GO out, so I used it the other day to put my 2 year old down for her nap while we visited with friends.  The first thing I noticed was the fit.  The carrier was TALL!  My two year old was definitely big enough, but I am not sure at what age she would have fit in this carrier.  18" is far taller than many standard baby carriers, but is not unusual for a toddler carrier.  That is why the carrier is recommended to be used from 15-45 lbs, but it may not fit all babies right at 15 lbs.  My chunky babies hit 15 lbs very early and they would have be far too short to use this carrier at that weight.

While adjusting the carrier, it was immediately obvious to me that I loved how the straps fit.  I had been concerned about the fact that there was no padding in the shoulder straps, but it actually felt really nice.  The straps fit smoothly crossed across my back and lay nicely across each other where they crossed because there was no padding making them bulky.  The width of them felt really nice on my shoulders and they felt almost like they were hugging my shoulders.  It wasn't until later that I learned there was a small amount of spandex in the strap fabric, but I think that added to the fit of the straps and is likely the reason they hugged my shoulders the way they did.

I only got to wear my daughter for about 25 minutes and am hoping I have the opportunity to wear her longer at some point soon and give the carrier a real test.  But for the time I wore her, it was really comfortable.  I am used to wearing my toddler on my front so I can nurse her when I am putting her to sleep, so for me that was not an issue.  I promise to update this as soon as I have more info, but overall I was really impressed.  Moby has come out with a really great carrier that is well made out of quality materials and kept it super affordable even though they could have easily charged much more for this product if they had wanted to.

Remember...

Your opinion is the only opinion that matters!  I should add this to the end of all my reviews!

I just wanted to add that even though I like this carrier, and I think it is a great addition to the market, it's not going to be the ideal carrier for everyone.  My friend who exclusively back carries can even try this carrier to see if she likes it.  So I tried to be as thorough as I could to give you as much information as I can to help you decide if this carrier could work for you.  But like I have said many times before, everybody and ever body is different.  What works for one may not work at all for another.  The only way to know for sure if a carrier will work is to try it.  But if you know you have a super petite baby or like doing back carries, this should be enough information to rule the Moby GO out in your mind.  But if you like wearing your toddler on your front like I do (yes, even some seasoned babywearers just prefer it), then you might be as impressed with this carrier as I am :)