It is the funky prints of the Boba 3g (they do offer plainer versions too) which initially attracted me to this carrier. I was turning heads in town this morning and lost count of the number of positive comments we had as Isaac was fast asleep the entire time.
The Boba 3g, unlike the Boba classic/2g is suitable from birth and unlike lots of Soft Structured Carriers it does not require an additionally insert to make it suitable for a newborn. The Boba 3g is suitable for babies from 7.5lb and it is recommended that those below this weigh use the Boba wrap instead. In order to make the carrier suitable for a newborn baby you need to snap the waistband to the body of the carrier using the poppers on both, then rethreading the webbing to reverse the buckles. I have to admit this did take some time and is one reason I possibly wouldn’t want to only take on sling with me to use for either the toddler or the baby as it did take some time for me to do it correctly. When Isaac is bigger and the newborn setting isn’t required I can see that I would be able to carry either child quite comfortably. I also kept the sleep hood tucked away and this provided an excellent padded head rest/neck support.
When I used this carrier with Henry I found it fitted him comfortably in a front carry as the body of the carrier is up to 3inches bigger than other SSC’s and this is important for me as I have a “leaner” or stunt man in training. However, I do find the instructions for a back carry quite confusing and difficult to master. This is the one negative of the instructions as for the other carries I find them to be some of the best I have used, clear photographs, simple and easy to follow. When I use the recommended back carry instructions I find the body of the carrier does get stuck under his bottom but when I used more traditional methods (such as I would use with a mei tai) I find it does come up nice and high on his back. The addition of the foot straps (unique to Boba carriers) is excellent as it means that when the carrier itself is no longer knee to knee that the child is still benefiting from the same ‘m’ positioning.
The Boba 3g is a full buckle carrier that is suitable for anyone with a waist belt between 25” and 58” and fits adults between 5ft and 6’ 3”. I am a UK Size 10 and am 5’10. I found I did need to have the straps on their smallest setting (20”) but when I used the chest strap it did make it feel much more secure. Although the straps are stitched into the body of the carrier (so not crossable) the chest strap is easy to use as it is on runners on the shoulder straps. This means you can position it where it is comfortable for you and I found it easy to use. The shoulder straps have dual adjustable buckles which meant I could achieve just the right support although I did find that they rubbed slightly at the top of my arms but this was eased when I left the ecxess webbing unfolded rather than using the elastic to fold it away.
One feature that I particularly liked is the bag strap holder. These ingenious little poppers stop your handbag or change bag from slipping off your shoulders, which when I’m using a sling do find happens a lot. You simple open the popper and put your bag strap between the fabric and close. There are holders on both shoulder straps so you can use a ruck sack if you wish . I use an Onbag (www.onbag.co.uk) and the purse holder worked when I wore the bag both ruck sack and messenger style. I did occasioanlly get confused between the poppers for the sleep hood and the purse holder but this was only minor and I soon realised what I was doing wrong. Boba also make a coordinating bag which is designed to work with the Boba 3g carrier but it isn’t necessary for the purse holder to work.
Overall I enjoyed my experience of the Boba 3g and hope to use it more, especially as Isaac gets bigger and I can switch between the child I wear more easily. I can see why this sling is so popular in the library. Also the www.bobafamily.com website is so detailed and provides excellent support which helps convince me that this carrier is definitely worth the money.
Disclosure: I’m a Boba Ambassador. I participate in Boba events and online conversations, and receive thank you gifts for my participation, but all opinions and experiences expressed are my own.