Today Sarah Gilbert and I set forth as secret shoppers at Kidfest NW - an extravaganza of baby toys, blow-up-jumping castles, and chiropractor booths. We spent a considerable amount of our time in the convention center with Shelly Aldrich (pictured at right). She's the creator of the Baby Bundler, a lovely wrap-style cotton baby carrier.

Unbeknownst to Shelly, Sarah and I are bloggers (we never revealed our Blogging Baby identities to anyone we chatted with at the expo). After testing the bundlers all day, and taking home one each, we did the following tandem review.

larissa (7:33:19 PM): I liked the baby bundler more than I expected to. But it wasn't exactly revolutionary. Or maybe it was when Shelly first invented it 16 years ago. Today it's similar to the Moby Wrap and the Ultimate Baby Wrap. BUT, I liked the way she tied it better than the other ones I've tried. Shelly seemed to have a different, better way of making it secure. Sebastian was able to sleep in it for quite a while, even though there was so much interesting stuff going on around us.
sarah (7:34:06 PM): Yeah, whether it's technique or just better preparation, Truman felt more secure than in my

homemade version. Plus, $20 cheaper than other commercial slings doesn't hurt.
sarah (7:35:05 PM): I mean, it's just a piece of fabric when you come right down to it. It's hard for me to justify $60-79 for that.
larissa (7:35:52 PM): I agree. It's a very long piece of fabric, with a nice finished edge, but there's not a lot of engineering to it. The fabric Shelly chose for the Baby Bundler, though, is soft and the perfect amount of stretchy vs. sturdy.
sarah (7:36:25 PM): Yep. And from there, you either like the colors, or you don't. I liked these - a nice mix of basics and brights.
larissa (7:37:03 PM): I liked them too. Since Martin chose ours, I have basic black. But I really liked the deep turquoise you chose. It was classy but a strong color.
sarah (7:37:29 PM): Yeah, and it coordinates with all my orange shirts.
larissa (7:37:38 PM): And your hair.

And that's the extent of it. An elegantly simple product, done well, in nice colors. We both really liked the Baby Bundler and thought it was secure, and I will add it seems plenty long enough for any size baby or mama, and Sarah used it while nursing and it was quite comfortable for Truman and discreet. You can order one online for $44.95US $7 shipping, and Shelly will ship internationally for an additional shipping fee. And something I always especially appreciate - you can pay with PayPal.