I Bought a Tula Baby Carrier

If you know anything about baby wearing you have probably heard of Tula. And, while I like to believe I know plenty about baby wearing, having worn all three of my babies, I had never tried a Tula and really did not know anything about them. Until now. Now, I know..

I started with a Bjorn for my first baby and while I was comfortable using it while my babies were tiny, it started to hurt once they got larger than 15 pounds. Then I tried a wrap. And, I loved the way it felt but wrapping so much fabric can become cumbersome. I have never actually perfected nursing in a wrap either. I still think they are great for newborns, but I do tire of wrapping after awhile. Then I got an Ergobaby Organic carrier. This probably changed my mommy life and was my most used carrier of all. Then, I discovered ring slings and have enjoyed those for completely different reasons. So, when I was pregnant with my third baby I decided to spoil myself and buy a new soft structured carrier. I loved my Ergo but I wanted to try something new.. because, why not?

I researched Tula along with some other brands but I decided against Tula since I was hoping to use my carrier right away with a newborn and no insert. I bought another brand but I ended up returning it after trying it out and not loving it. I decided to go back to Ergo since I knew and loved the brand. I bought the brand new Ergobaby Adapt, their first carrier that can be used for a newborn with no insert. And, it's great. I wrote a review of it here. We've used it every day for three months plus.

But, I kept hearing.. Tula.. you have to try a Tula. And, I was seriously wondering why. Can it really be much better than an Ergo or other baby carriers? According to some fans..yes, but I am not 100% sure yet. I believe the best baby carrier is the one that fits you comfortably, and you can use safely.

I still wanted to try a Tula though. I started shopping around for one and as I saw the array of colors and styles was overwhelmed. How could you even pick one? A typical standard Tula baby carrier retails for around $150. They also make a toddler carrier which a little more, and then they also have wrap conversion carriers which means it is made out of the same fabric as a wrap. Those retail for even more.

Okay, I decided standard baby canvas was for me and as I had fun looking at all the styles. I chose one I wanted and started looking for it. And, then I found out the one I wanted was sold out. I guess this is common in the Tula world, they make a limited amount of prints and then that's it. Of course this adds to the appeal. I got lucky and found someone selling the one I wanted and managed to purchase it for a steal considering they were already going for well over retail. I guess this is what they call a 'score' in the Tula world.

Once I received my Tula I did notice a few immediate differences between a Tula and an Ergo. The seat is wider, the legs are more padded, but the overall panel is a much thinner feeling canvas. I was always under the impression that Tula's were much warmer because of additional fabric, but now I think I may have been wrong. There are other differences as well which I will go into in further blog posts comparing Tula and Ergo.

Tula vs my Original Organic Ergobaby Carrier

In the meantime I have only worn it a little bit. My daughter is too small for the Tula, but a tad too big for the infant insert so we are kind of in between right now. I plan to get lots of use out of this beauty though, and will be interested to see how it compares in comfort to some of my other favorite carriers. Stay tuned for much more comparison to come!