HAVA Sling Review & $10 off coupon code

When Katie was a couple months old, I bought the cheapest baby carrier I could find at WalMart with a gift card I had received. It was not terribly comfortable and she didn't absolutely love being in it, but it worked. I didn't use it very often, but when she was 6 months old, I used it for a trip to the mall with my Mom, who was excited to "wear" her granddaughter. :) About half an hour into our walk around the mall, I looked down at Katie's leg, and it was taking on a slightly purple color from the carrier cutting off her circulation! Needless to say, we haven't used it since.

I am definitely not into "attachment parenting," but I can see definite benefits to babywearing. It's good for babies to be close the their moms. I absolutely love snuggling with Katie, and the love is mutual (in fact, as I'm writing this, my big baby is asleep in my lap :o). When Mom wears Baby around, Baby has the opportunity to be part of whatever she's doing. Baby can watch Mom clean or listen to adult conversations, and I think these are great opportunities for babies to learn. Of course, it benefits Mom to be able to have baby close by and safe and still have use of both hands.

I went without a usable infant carrier for a month or two, but then my parents were kind enough to give me the baby sling of my choice as a gift. I researched various options, compared prices all over the web and ended up ordering the HAVA Sling by SlingEZee from Nurtured Family.

I chose the HAVA for several reasons:
::It's not bulky. I wanted a padded sling I could fit in my diaper bag. This is perfect for that!
::It has a zippered pocket in the tail. This is great for the grocery store (stick debit card and list in it and go) or the airport (handy for ID, boarding pass, etc)
::It has a good reputation. Everything I read about it was good!
::It is pretty. I chose the Elle fabric, myself. :)
::It comes with an instructional DVD, a must for a babywearing novice like myself.

Me wearing Katie while my sister-in-law and I did up

apples for baked apples last night at my in-laws' farm.

 

I was beyond thrilled when the package arrived at our house. I watched the DVD within a few minutes of opening the box, and started "wearing" Katie right away. The HAVA definitely did not disappoint. It's very comfortable and I love being able to carry Katie around while having my hands free. I have used it while cleaning, doing some things in the kitchen (carefully...no knives!), at the airport, going for walks, and all sorts of other situations.And, Katie loves it, too. When I wear her, she's on my hip and usually stays as happy as can be, even when I wear her for extended amounts of time. :)

I also really appreciated the customer service at Nurtured Family. They were incredibly great with responding to my emails quickly, and with a low price guarantee and free shipping on orders over $75, I couldn't find a better deal on the internet. As a treat for my readers, Nurtured Family has agreed to give all of you $10 off your purchase of a HAVA from their website from today until February 10! Just enter the coupon code HAVA10 at the checkout to get your discount. You really won't find a better deal for the HAVA, so I would encourage you to take advantage of this offer while you can!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way to write this review. However, this post does contain affiliate links.

Linked to:

• Works for Me Wednesday 
• Things I Love Thursday