issue #10: we have to talk about the artipoppe.

If you’ve recently had a baby, or are going to have a baby soon, or have even posted something on the internet about a friend having a baby, I’m sure you’re being served ads for the Artipoppe carrier.  The moment I started telling friends and family I was expecting, I was immediately inundated with ads for it (and the Snoo, and cord blood banking, and the Bumpsuit, and home birth influencers, and prenatal vitamins, and, and, and….).  I was immediately drawn to the un-babyish looking aesthetic of it.  I mean, of course it’s baby-ish, there will be a literal baby in it as you use it.  But, most carriers I had been seeing always have a very utilitarian vibe, and that’s important!  These things need to be functional, so I get it.  But along with my resistance to maternity clothes and anything that says “mama”, I also found myself resisting everything that screamed “this is for a baby”.  The Artipoppe ads had cool looking couples, women with haircuts (and bangs) I could only aspire to in my wildest dreams.  They always appeared to be out on the town doing fun things, and the carrier they donned was made of beautiful fabrics and prints that blended seamlessly with their improbably hip outfits. Knowing absolutely nothing about their function or usability, I was already lusting after one.  And then I saw the price tag!  I mean, I knew having a baby would cost me - both figuratively and literally - but I was honestly aghast at the thought of spending actual hundreds of dollars on a baby carrier.

But alas, after lots of deliberation (and selling our Snoo), we did end up purchasing one. Which begs the questions, was it actually worth it?

Sigh.

Unfortunately, yes. I am bummed out for myself and everyone else admitting to that, but damn is that thing great. 

Although with everything else in parenting (and life) it’s all circumstantial, so there are some caveats here!

First of all, it’s obviously spendy. When I first saw how much those cute Instagram suggested carriers were, I was truly floored.  And honestly still am about some of them - and I work in the fashion industry.  I know about production costs, and material costs, and brand positioning, etc. etc. etc.  But still. These carriers are clearly targeting celebrities, influencers and the uber wealthy, functioning more as a status symbol than useful baby gear. If you’ve ever walked around Fort Greene you would have seen these, seemingly everywhere, noticeable through their prints, shape and of course that logo (personally not into it, but hey, it doesn’t seem to matter).  My husband and I would point them out as we wandered around the neighborhood while I was pregnant.  “Man, those look great” we would comment, debating whether or not we were cool enough to be leopard print people (my time at J. Crew has cemented the refrain “leopard is a neutral” in my brain, but my husband did not agree). We searched tirelessly online for second hand Artipoppe’s, set up eBay and Poshmark alerts, assuming we’d be able to score one used (and hopefully, cheaper) - we felt we couldn’t justify the price tag, and are both big fans of resale and hand me downs, especially when it comes to baby stuff.  For better or worse, we also had to consider whether or not we wanted to be “those people''.  Because at the end of the day, the popularity and recognizability of that carrier meant that people passing could pick it out, they knew the price, and did we want to parade that around?  I have a very clear memory of passing some serious judgment (read: envy) on a fellow coffee shop patron in Cobble Hill once, sporting the $3,600 vicuna and silk Zeitgeist Marron with winter insert. So chic, so cozy, so unreasonably expensive. Anyways, if it’s not in your budget, then clearly it’s not worth it.  But if you can find one for cheap or resale somewhere, go for it, or if you’re like us and have something to sell that you’ve outgrown, again, go for it.

That all said, I do think that it is one of the easier, most attractive, and comfortable ones out there.  Granted, I haven’t tried them all, but after getting the hang of putting it on, it’s a breeze, and taking it off is even easier.  For those moments when we're running out the door or need to do a quick transfer on the street corner, it’s excellent. Huge downside though is that it does require an extra piece for the facing out option, and honestly it’s only a matter of time until we lose it. In fact, it’s a miracle we haven’t yet.  Having to worry about that extra piece (especially when your little one is happiest facing out) is a bit annoying, but also, manageable.

We started with ours in the Babybjorn Mini and that one was wonderful too, for a time.  She outgrew it after a few months, but besides her outgrowing it, as she got bigger it got increasingly uncomfortable.  It’s designed so the weight rests on the shoulders, and after the newborn stage (and depending on how big they are and how fast they gain weight), it really started to take a toll on my upper back.  The Artipoppe is great because it has a super thick panel across the belly/waist that holds a lot of the baby’s weight - so much pressure was taken off the shoulders and placed on the hips with that small change - it’s been much easier to carry her longer distances and walk around the city in comfort.

I know that there are really two types of NYC parents out there, those that pretty much exclusively use a stroller and those that pretty much exclusively use a carrier.  We are the latter, and for us, spending the money here on something that we use twice a day, if not more, and for hours on end, made a lot of sense. Especially living in a place that isn’t *the most* baby friendly. I get that the city wasn’t necessarily designed for strollers, but the lack of elevators in the subway system is truly alarming.  It’s frustrating to have to worry about getting her up and down stairs (even though there is usually one nice person that offers to help), and being cramped on the train is unpleasant enough without also having to navigate a stroller through eye-rolling crowds. Also, driving in the city just isn’t worth it, so tossing a stroller in the back of the car is great for weekends away, but (at least for us) impractical in the day to day. And listen, I know there will be a point when she no longer wants to be in the carrier, and we’ll have to figure out our next move, but for now, it’s been the best way for us to maintain our social lives, continue to explore and enjoy the city, and do it all while she’s with us, opening her eyes to everything NYC can throw at her, and just happy to be along for the ride. Watching her eyes light up and her giant smile as we pass strangers on the streets as we have her strapped in on a new adventure is worth it enough.