[dropcap]A[/dropcap]bout that Tula I purchased a few months ago, here’s my full review on it. Since writing my initial impressions blog post on the crazy obsessive, hoarding Tula culture and purchasing one of their baby carriers to give it a try myself, I’ve been asked by a few genuinely interested moms to follow-up and actually share my thoughts on using it.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, or if you don’t know what a Tula baby carrier is read this first: The Incredible & Disturbing Mommy Cult of Tula.

Before I begin, this review is NOT a sponsored review of the Tula Baby Carrier. I have no affiliation with, nor will I profit monetarily from writing this review. The opinions expressed in this review are my very own.

What is it?

Tula is a brand of baby carriers and wraps made using canvas and/or colorful European textiles. They are ergonomic carriers and come in two sizes, standard and toddler, both of which can be worn to carry babies and toddlers in the front and back, and can hold between 15–45 lbs and 25–50 pounds, respectively.

Okay, in plain mama-to-mama speak: Tula’s are the ‘it carriers’ of the baby-wearing world. Mamas are cookoo over these things.

How Much Is it?

I purchased a standard canvas Tula with an embroidered black star on the front panel for $180.00.

So What Do I Think About it?

I wear it everyday. My baby loves it. You see me, you see my three girls, and you see the freakin’ Tula either around my waist or with baby inside. It’s a great baby carrier. It is my right mommy hand. My poor stroller is feeling abandoned as a result of the Tula. End of Story.

But, if you know me and that’s not really the end of the story. I’m all about the details and anecdotes. So let’s dig into this a little bit, shall we?

Arrival and Use of the Tula

[dropcap]I[/dropcap] was pretty excited to receive my Tula in the mail. It took almost a month from ordering to doorstep. When it finally arrived I didn’t open it right away. I just put the box aside and let it sit for a day or so. (This was purely for blogging reasons. I wanted to make sure I had enough time and good light to capture it all via photos.)

I wasn’t in a big rush to use it because my baby was still pretty small and I had purchased it for when she hit the 4.5-5 month mark. So my husband tried it out first and wore my two-year old in it for a few weeks every morning when she woke up. It was adorable. She loved snuggling up next to her daddy in the mornings while he wore the carrier. That was a big win. So yeah, my husband wore it before I did.

My husband didn’t want to like the Tula. In fact, he flat out said he didn’t like it at first and would often compare it to the old carrier we used for our first two kiddos. But, I pointed out to him that the Baby Bjorn wasn’t actually that great in terms of use, design, and practicality of nursing.  He agreed. The big thing about the Tula for him is the neck buckle, which he found pretty difficult to clip.

Can you guess what won him over? My two year-old asking him to wear her in the Tula every morning. He just couldn’t resist a sweet, doe-eyed, angel-face, two-year old still waking up, stumbling out of her room in silence, and sweetly asking, “Can I get in the Tu-wa?” Sweetest. Moment. Ever!

As for my first time wearing it, it wasn’t all sweet and cuddly. It was more out of practicality. I was headed to the Waikiki Aquarium, and I didn’t want to take a stroller. I decided to just go for it and take the Tula and three kids in tow instead, no backup stroller. It went well. I was hooked after that day.

Here’s What I Like About It

1. I can nurse baby in that thing like nobody’s business, because really, it is nobody’s business. People have no idea she is nursing and I hardly every use the hood while nursing.

2. It is so comfortable. It doesn’t strain my back or pull me forward. Weight is evenly distributed.

3. Super light-weight. My baby feels super secure.

4. Doesn’t make a lot of noise.  Thus it’s great for transitioning.

5. Very versatile, I could wear that thing all day. Sometimes, I even wear it when I’m teaching Fit4mom Stroller Strides  classes. My sweet baby just falls to sleep in it 🙂 A sista can even PLANK in the Tula. Heck yeah!

6. It is super cute.

7. I love the wide seat. It is much more comfortable for baby, I can tell it makes a huge difference.

Here’s what I don’t like about it

1. There is some bunching around the waist belt. Not sure why.

2. Gets dirty easily.

3. My husband doesn’t like the neck buckle. It’s kind of hard for him to do himself. It’s fine for me though.

4. I still don’t like the obsessive and hoarding culture surrounding it. My advice is to purchase one and bypass all of the other stuff.

5. The front waist pocket doesn’t really work. They should re-think the placement of that, perhaps consider moving it to the left side or something. I’ve tried placing keys and spare change in their, but due to the bunching, the pocket comes open. Good idea, poor execution. Would love to use the pocket more, but I don’t trust it to really keep my things secure.

In Summary

Is it overrated or awesome? Hands down AWESOME. I’m a fan of the Tula baby carrier. I can nurse my baby in it easily. My baby is happy being worn in a Tula and I feel good wearing her in one.

I understand why some families purchase more than one. I wear my Tula so much that it has become really dirty and I’m so busy that I hardly ever have the time to wash and let it air dry. I finally washed it for the first time last week. Didn’t take that long to dry, especially not in this Hawaii heat. Looks great- so it held up great in the wash.

If you’re in the market for a new baby carrier, definitely consider purchasing a Tula. There are plenty on the market, but Tula has a cult following for a reason, it’s a freakin’ good carrier.

Where to Purchase in Hawaii

Hawaii Ohana, I have some good news and some good news. The good news is, you no longer have to wait to purchase a Tula online, there’s a retailer here on the island! The other good news is, you can check out their offerings online and they even have an awesome Hiking With Keiki Group! (Check them out and tell them Takara sent you!)

Hiking With Keiki

Hiking With Keiki FB Group

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