Customer Reviews

Playtex Deluxe Hip Hammock Baby Carrier Color: Black

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

We bought the Deluxe Hip Hammock when they first came out. I chose the deluxe over the regular hip hammock because I liked the fabric much better. The regular has fleece fabric which I do not like. The deluxe is less fuzzy. The deluxe also comes with a cell phone pocket and a washing bag, but I don't really use those much. If you like fleece or live somewhere that doesn't get too hot, then you could save a considerable amount of money by getting the regular version.

The first one that we had was part of the recall. I contacted Playtex by e-mail and they sent me a bag to return it and then they sent me a new Deluxe Hip Hammock. The whole process only took a couple of weeks.

The Hip Hammock has worked pretty well for us. My son is very active and will not sit in shopping carts or strollers. So I needed a way to carry him while I am shopping and still be able to push a cart. When we bought it he weighed around 20 pounds and we could carry him for quite a while. We carried him all over Disney World in it when he was 16 months old. However, now that he weighs more than 25 pounds the amount of time that I can comfortably carry him has gotten considerably shorter. Even though the carrier may put some of the weight on your waist there is still some pressure on your shoulder. It does not put the weight on your hip in the same way that just carrying a baby on your hip does. Pulling the strap tighter puts more of the weight on your hips, but if you pull it too tight the shoulder strap rests on your neck which gets really uncomfortable really quick. So, I have learned to make sure that the strap is loose enough to stay on my shoulder. (Not too loose though). The strap has a generous pad, but I think that it would be improved by making the strap wider, perhaps enough to cup the shoulder. Also, the pad has a tendency to twist around the wrong way.

It is really easy to put on and take off. It takes less than a minute and I have no problem doing it by myself. Make sure you read the safety information. When not in use it rolls into a little bundle with the help of the button and loop. It is small enough to fit in a large diaper bag. I have always used small diaper bags, so I usually used the key clip to clip it to something.

Overall it has proved really useful and I think worth the money. I am looking forward to getting even more use out of it with my next child. Just don't expect it to make your child weightless. It does still put some strain on your shoulder. And don't expect it to be usefull all the way to 35 pounds.

I originally have the classic Baby Bjorn carrier but did not like it too much since it caused major shoulder & back strain- my daughter was only 9 lbs. at the time. I wanted to get something that I could easily put her in & still go about my day here in NYC (Brooklyn, actually. My daughter is now 3 1/2 months at around 15 lbs. ( yes, she's growing fast!)She's been able to hold her head upright since she was 10 weeks old. I took her to the park this afternoon & basically walked a good mile or so with her in it- plus we went to the supermarket, as well. What a difference! Usually it gets pretty tough manuevering her stroller through tons of people & narrow aisles- this did the trick without all that shoulder & back strain. I onlt gave it 4 stars because like the previous poster mentioned it does have a tendency to dig into your neck after a while, so that needs to be addressed. But all in all, it works well- now I can take her on public transportation without hauling her big infant travel system- that's a big plus here in NYC.

The item is way overpriced at 59.99 (just a patch of fabric with a couple of nylon straps, and absolutely no structure, stability or style. I didn't get the cheaper "non-deluxe" model because it has thick fleece that would get too warm. (And shouldn't the thick fleece one be the more expensive one anyway?) Unless I missed the french fries, they have some nerve calling this thing a Deluxe anything. The cell phone holder is dopey. It attaches to the waist belt with velcro and droops and looks \feels lame, so I don't use it. Playtex, keep your 29 cent mesh laundry bag and useless cell phone holder and put a reasonable price on this mediocre product. Oh yeah, and what's with the tacky dangling straps - front and back? I bought this because my son, at 9 1/2 months was 24 pounds and had outgrown the Baby Bjorn (25lb max anyway). The Hip Hammock claims it's good up to 35 lbs, but I think that's for mothers with cast iron necks and wrought iron collar bones. Carrying my 24 pound son in it is immediately annoying and then painful -- and I'm no weakling. I've tried every which way and every tension. This is probably only good for people with smaller babies, which defeats the whole purpose. I'm returning mine and will use the money to buy the neck brace I now need because of it.

The hip hammock is a great carrier for us. We have a 3 yr. old and an 8 month old (she weighs approx. 18 pounds). We just went on a trip and it was great to have for the airport. I was able to carry my 8 month old in the hip hammock and push my 3 yr. old in a stroller at the same time, while my husband carried the bags. It's also nice to use around the house. I can just put my little girl in the hip hammock while I play outside with my son. She feels involved with whatever we are doing!! I'm not sure I will be able to carry her around for long periods of time when she gets heavier. She's at a good weight for it now. Just like most other carriers, it still is tiring after periods of time.

The hip hammock comes in very handy while shopping with a restless or tired toddler who just wants to be held. My son will fall asleep or at least rest quietly while I shop when he's in this carrier. My initial tendency was to pull the shoulder strap tightly to make him sit up higher on my hip, but the strap was digging into my neck and was very uncomfortable. If you loosen the strap a little, it's more comfortable, but it does get a little irritating after long amounts of time. Still it's worth the little bit of discomfort on my part to be able to take care of shopping and errands without my son fussing to be held while I'm trying to push a shopping cart.

i wanted this carrier for so long, and when I got it I didn't have to wait to long to see how painful is on my shoulders, the pad and the shoulder strap keep twisting all the time even when is already on; and for some reason the weight doesn't goes to your hip, a try it for a month , I try it tight and loose..and always is your shoulder and neck the ones that suffer...
A terrible bad product. Finally I made myself the "MAYA SLING", it work perfect ! nothing bulky, easy to wear and to carry, no straps, 100% padded,I used with both of my babies 13 months and 30 month. It is very comfortable and simply. sometimes tecnology doesn't do better than simple and old fashioned... The hip hammock stay somewhere in a box...

I was very hesitant at first to purchase this item but am very glad I did! It works effortlessly, unlike sling-type carriers. Once your child is of a certain age/size (my daughter is 7 mos.) they only want to be carried on your hip and this is the answer! While my sling carrier does work as a hip-carrier I found it to be too bulky and didn't feel very secure for my petite girl! This is very secure and comfortable, even for long walks. I plan on using it a ton! I was also concerned about the recall and so I called the company and they assured me that the carriers online/in stores now are improved and explained to me the improvements and why the product was recalled in the first place. I recommend you do this also if you have concerns. I almost didn't buy the product because I was worried about the recall, but I am sincerely glad I did!! It is as good as the claims and better!

I was so excited when I bought this carrier that I try it on the next day. But after using it for a mere 15 minutes, my shoulder hurts. I attributed the pain to my old shoulder problem and decided to have my husband try it. He tried it and developed pain on his shoulder as well (after 30 mins). He is stronger than me and our baby is about 20 lbs. My husband said he would rather just carry our baby with his own hands than using this product. Perhaps this carrier is only suitable for smaller babies or for someone that has really strong shoulder and neck. I am returning this and will be looking for a better carrier. Hopefully it won't be as pricy as this.

When my son was 4 months old we had to take him out of his infant carrier and put him in a convertible car seat. He is a very big boy. This therefore caused problems when I had to go shopping. I could no longer just stick the infant carrier in the shopping cart and he was unable to sit on his own in a grocery cart. I bought this and it was a life saver. I could just wear the hip hammock with him close to me and we could go about our shopping. He seemed to really enjoy it and like to be close to me.

My husband and myself wanted to buy a toddler carrier of some kind since our daughter seemed to hate the stroller. We had a Snugli and that worked great until she hit the 15 LB mark. Then our backs started to kill us. We went back to the stroller which she tries to get out of in about 10 minutes or so. We went to babies r us and bought the delux hip hammock in black. We went to the mall to try it out. After about 30 minutes my neck and shoulder started to ache. My husband tried to readadjust the straps thinking that was the issue. I could not take 10 more minutes before i asked him to try it. As all of this is going on, our daughter is as happy as can be in this thing. She was sucking her thumb and content with everything. My husband put it on and he too started to have aches after 30 minutes. We took it back for a refund. We are still out in the market for a carrier that doesn't hurt as we like to go to the zoo a lot in the summer. We the parents did not like the design but i can tell you our kid was happy and that is why we gave this review three stars.