I, too, wish more retailers offered customer care like that which I’m used to giving.

I wish more retailers would ensure that customers knew how to safely use their purchases.

Compare that to the recent recall of the Beco Butterfly baby carriers. Beco issued a recall after they had “received eight reports of the carrier straps slipping through the shoulder buckles. No injuries have been reported.” (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08253.html)

The Maya Wrap company also recently voluntarily halted ALL sales temporarily while they investigated ONE incident of breakage. (http://www.mayawrap.com/ring.php)

It is important to choose a carrier from a company you feel you can trust, and big conglomerate corporations aren’t necessarily the way to go. I much prefer buying from a company who doesn’t make a child go through a skull fracture before deciding their carrier needs to be recalled.

Every day I sent new parents home with baby carriers like the Maya Wrap, Ergo Baby Carrier, Moby Wrap, Kangaroo Korner Adjustable Pouch, and the BabyHawk carriers. I would never sell someone something with which they did not feel comfortable using, and I make sure that all parents seem to understand how to use the carrier before they leave the store.

You should be sure you know what you are doing when you begin to use a baby carrier. If it feels “wrong” or uncomfortable, get help from a professional, just as you would if your carseat didn’t seem to fit in the car right (80% of car seats are installed incorrectly, fyi).

As for the safety of carriers while walking, I prefer a secure carrier to my arms for one main reason: while walking down stairs, I’d much prefer to have two hands available to catch a possible fall before it happens. A good carrier brings baby’s weight in close to the body so as to keep your center of gravity as near to normal as possible.

And of course, no slippery socks on wood stairs. That’s not a good choice even if you’re NOT carrying baby.