Lalabu Soothe Shirt

This one is LONG overdue. I meant to write it years ago. Alas time got away from me. Like, really. Anyone else ever get caught up in the minutiae of daily living? All of the getting to work on time, the changing diapers and food finding part of life? It’s boring. And no one wants to watch a movie of how many times I actually remember to eat my vegetables but that seems to take up WAY more time than it has any right to.

Anyway, enough excusing. You can always read one of my other rants if you’re feeling whimsical. Now for the TLDR wrap up.

This was my favorite way to transport the kiddo for a good six months. Basically until he got mobile and way too wriggly to just carry around all the time.

I didn’t want a baby wrap when I had a kid. I know they’re all the rage and I know they work. I have nothing against them. But I would watch people mess with those ties and loops and wrap all this material around them and I got all panicky. And I never thought they looked good. It’s totally the shallow, self-centered, egotistical part of my brain that was in control here but I wanted to go on a walk and not be sending the message of, “Hey everybody I’m a parent! I have a baby, look at me!”

So I didn’t buy one. I was tough. I could handle it. I just held him and spent a lot of time sitting on the couch.

Within a month I was searching the internet trying to find any and all options to being stuck holding a fussy infant that wouldn’t let me walk and didn’t want to be put down and was too small for the stroller that we had. But I still didn’t like them. So, I turned to trusty google and started searching for something that could fit my picky attitude.

And that’s where I found the Soothe shirt by Lalabu. It’s pretty simple in concept. A shirt that has a pocket in the front that you can wear your baby in. But it’s also a shirt that LOOKS good by itself. The pocket has a mesh interior so that you don’t overheat and also helps promote skin to skin/kangaroo care. The top of the shirt is a wrap style so it makes nursing easy. It also can function as a bra so you don’t have to fight with a ton of layers when trying to feed a hungry baby. And…. It even has a band around the bottom to help with post-partum healing.

They thought of everything! And several things I hadn’t even considered. But the price was steep. I agonized for a week and just kept holding baby and not doing anything. But after that I couldn’t take it and caved. I ordered it and eagerly waited.

But of course I ordered a small and it was just a smidge uncomfortable. So back it went and I went up a size. Finally, another week later, and two months into parenthood i had my soothe shirt. The day I got it I pulled it out for a much needed walk in the sunshine. It was the dead of winter and we had our first day of sun in months and I needed that vitamin D. But since baby was new I didn’t want to take him out in the cold and just leave him in a carrier. I slipped on the shirt and loved how it felt. It supported all the loose and stretched out parts around my belly without feeling restrictive. It was thin enough to not feel claustrophobic. And when I put my kiddo in it he settled himself around my belly and took a nap. His weight was right where my body was used to carrying him and my arms got a wonderful break! We went outside for twenty minutes or so and he stayed warm and safe the entire time and I was able to walk and move like normal.

Once we were home I took him out and fed him ant it required no outfit changes or total disrobment on my part. I was in heaven. I should have ordered more in other colors but I just used my one. I wore it all that first year even though I couldn’t carry him with it after a few months.

One downside that I noticed was that the zip tie that helped keep the extra flap in place would dig into my side if it wasn’t placed just right. It was a minor annoyance but it wasn’t enough to get me to stop wearing it.

They even make a dad shirt with a pocket in the front. That one doesn’t allow for nursing, obviously. But it’s still pretty cool.

The Soothe shirt will set you back by about $75.00. It’s on the pricier side of things but not out of the park. K’tans run anywhere from $30.00-60.00 and Ergobaby can be anywhere from $40-160. Both of those options go over other clothing and don’t have anything that helps with nursing. And, for me, it takes so long to get a baby in and out of them and are so uncomfortable for me to stay in that I’m spending more time setting up the carrier than actually doing something as opposed to the shirt that I just put on in the morning and take off at night.

For me it was totally worth it and I’ve kept it for future use. And I’ll probably be getting a second one as a backup as well. I’m a total fan. If you want to check them out here is their website. Or just look on Amazon or Google it. They’re awesome.

Has anyone else tried this?