(Photo: Courtesy of Euro-Baby.US)

Proponents of “attachment parenting” claim that marsupial-style baby slings make kids feel more secure. I can’t speak for Ezra, but after my experiment with baby-wearing, I know I’m more secure—in my preference for a stroller. While at times convenient, most wraps, slings, and harnesses are nowhere near as comfortable as those beaming mothers on the boxes would have you believe. Most tolerable was the BabyBjörn Synergy ($160 at Giggle, 120 Wooster St., nr. Prince St.; 212-334-5817), which has a genius, spine-saving plastic support panel. Also not bad: the Moby D wrap ($40 at Boing Boing, 204 6th Ave. at Union St., Park Slope; 718-398-0251), which sports a woven panel in the middle so your kid won’t wind up around your knees. The Red Castle carrier (pictured, $69 at Babies R Us) looks great on the box. But the sideward hunch I developed was not so pretty. Then there’s the Ergobaby ($95 at Corduroy Kid, 613 Vanderbilt Ave. nr. Bergen St., Prospect Heights; 718-622-4145), which I was ready to hate after watching the preachy training DVD. But the attachment zealots may be on to something: It’s like getting a hug all the time.

Related:

• Articles by Faye Penn
• Table of Contents: Feb 4, 2008 issue of New York | Subscribe!