When I was packing to come back east for a month of winter fun, my biggest concern was how we were all going to stay warm. My mom stocked up on winter gear for the kids, and I dusted off the winter gear I had stored away. I wasn’t too concerned with the boys in the cold, but the 6 month old baby was a bit of a concern.
The last time I had been in the winter with a baby was with our first-born 5 years ago, and since he was our one and only at the time, we had no reason to have him out in the cold for any extended period of time. But with two active little ones, I knew that I would have to bear the cold with the baby in tow. But how?!
Putting her in the snow in a stroller or car seat seemed like a terrible idea, but baby wearing seemed like a logistical nightmare. Do I wear a jacket then put her in bunting and in the carrier? What if I get hot? How on earth do I comfortably wear a carrier over the winter jacket? Won’t she get super hot in the bunting in the carrier? What if she falls asleep, then I have to unbundle her and hope she stays sleeping?
Do I wear her inside my jacket? How on earth do I do that?
Obviously I turned to the internet for answers. I asked around in some mommy groups on Facebook, and the general consensus was to borrow your husband’s jacket or get a really large jacket you can zip shut around you and baby in the carrier. This seemed like a terrible idea. I thought there has GOT to be a better answer. Someone has to have made something that works for this. And in fact, someone had – Mountain Marsupial.
I found Mountain Marsupial by searching for #winterbabywearing and #babywearingcoat on Instagram and was instantly intrigued. Their coat has a zip in panel that can either zip into the front or back of the jacket depending on if you are front carrying or backpack carrying your little one. The panel extends the coat so that it fits around baby in the carrier.
I love supporting small businesses, especially when those small businesses have smart, high-quality products that solve a real problem, like Mountain Marsupial. I reached out right away and had one sent to my parents’ house so it would be ready and waiting when we arrived.
I have been using it for the past two weeks and honestly, I’m not sure what I would have done without it. It rocks. Per the recommendations of Amy, a former pediatric nurse and the creator of this incredible jacket, I dress my little one in the same amount of layers as myself, put a hat on her and bundle her up in the jacket and we are good to go. Mountain Marsupial created their coat to make going outside with your little one as simple as possible and it does just that. Instead of bundling up a screaming baby I can simply pop her in the carrier, zip the jacket over us and she is good to go. I have had a blast hiking, playing in the snow and enjoying pre-holiday winter fun with my boys with baby safely, warmly and happily in tow.
The Mountain Marsupial coat is designed to be 4 in 1, allowing it to work during pregnancy, after while baby wearing in the front or back, or without a baby at all. The jacket itself, without the zip in panel is incredibly flattering and nice looking. I chose the black which is gorgeous. The fit is perfect when I wear it without baby and it’s the perfect not too short, not too long length. I personally love that it looks great with or without baby which isn’t always the case with ‘before/after’ baby clothing styles. I always hesitate to buy items that promise to work for before/after baby because usually that promise doesn’t hold up – but in this case it absolutely does. I love the coat with or without its baby-wearing capabilities which says a lot. But for pregnant or baby-wearing mamas, this really is a must have item for the winter. The ability to be outside without bundling your baby in a million layers is priceless! (although we did HAVE to put our little one in the biggest, fuzziest head to toe bunting for at least a couple pictures – because, come on, babies in so much snow gear they can’t move is just beyond adorable.)
You can tell that a lot of love, care and thought went into creating and manufacturing these coats, which are made in Colorado – where they know winter well! I was pleasantly surprised by the high quality – which I think is reflected in the fact that I have received compliments on it both with and without baby-wearing in it. Pretty much every mom who sees me baby wear in it asks where I got it and comments on how cool it is and my sister and mother (arguably two of the most judgmental people I know) both commented on what a great looking coat it was before they even knew it could become a baby-wearing coat with one simple zip.
You can find the coats on their website www.mountainmarsupial.com and on Amazon. Right now there is FREE SHIPPING in the US and 15% off with the code MERRY18. And, if you order before December 20th, you can get yours in time for Christmas.
Also rumor has it, there is a rain jacket coming soon! (It almost makes me wish I lived somewhere it wasn’t sunny and 70 MOST of the year. But hey, I’ve always wanted to visit Seattle…
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