Now I Know What A Pregnant Woman Feels Like ...

I work at home and my mate works outside the home, so I'm a bit of a house-husband ... and that means, at the moment, having our 3-month-old son at home with me during the day.

I love it -- infants Liam's age sleep a lot during the day. When he's awake, we have a swing, a "Johnny Jump-Up," an infant gymnasium and other entertainment. But I also need to move around the house and do things, and he likes to be with me, so an infant carrier is an absolute necessity.

I'll be honest here: I bought the Infantino Double Duty Soft Carrier because it was the cheapest carrier I came across. I'm pleased with it, though, and don't think that I made a bad decision.

The baby can face the parent or face away. Early on, until he could control the movement of his head, Liam always faced me. We went to the zoo, for walks, and other outings and I found the carrier infinitely preferably to lugging around a car seat/carrier or holding him in my arms at all times ... but oh, my aching back. I certainly have an appreciation for what my mate went through lugging him around for nine months!

Now, he usually faces outward. He hangs out with me when I am doing housework, or when I need to leave the house for any reason. He seems to especially love it when I need to bend over -- he spreads his arms like wings and swings from my chest.

The carrier is fairly comfortable, although I do have to fiddle with the straps in order to get a good fit each time I don it. I am not totally pleased with the range of adjustability, especially on those straps that surround the infant -- they don't tighten as much as I would like, and when I am particularly mobile or assume odd positions, I worry that Liam will be dislodged ... but it hasn't ever actually happened.

I've been using the Infantino for about 3 months -- since he was a week or two old -- and there are no visible signs of wear and tear (unless you count the drool stains, which I don't -- they wash out).

I generally do not use the carrier for more than an hour or so a day; if you intend to use one more frequently, it might be worth looking at some other brands and finding one that fits more perfectly. My mate prefers a sling, which we recently acquired.