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Lillebaby EuroTote: A New, Multi-Functional Baby Carrier
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Lillebaby has recently introduced The EuroTote, which is a 5-in-1 Moses-style baby carrier. It blends Scandinavian design with American Functionality. The versatile design provides the function of 5 products all in one system: ergonomic Moses carrier, bunting bag, stroller bag, play mat, and a travel bed.
The first option for this carrier is a Moses baby carrier. We have to admit we were curious about this baby carrier that we thought resembled carrying our baby in an open duffle bag, but once we used it, we were in love. Yes, you carry your baby like you carry a duffle bag, except, this is not a duffle bag, but a beautiful, ergonomic carrier. The EuroTote actually allows you to transport your baby horizontally, which experts believe is the ideal way because it protects baby's fragile neck and back and provides for safer breathing. Since the baby is lying flat on her back, it also allows the baby to face mom while being carried, keeping her close and calm.
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Since the EuroTote completely surrounds the baby, it provides a calming, swaddling effect that keeps baby snug and warm. And unlike the jerky motion of carrying an infant car seat, we found the lightweight EuroTote had a soothing motion when carried against our bodies. Our baby testers really enjoyed the ride because they were snuggled up and warm, close to and could see mom, and loved the gentle motion. We weren't expecting this, but we found it even helped to calm to the fussiest of babies.
The Moses carrier is meant to be used with babies under 25 lbs. We found that even with the heavier babies (one of our testers was 19 lbs at 5 months), it was easy to carry. Unlike awkward infant car seat carriers that we lug around, this lightweight Moses carrier was a welcome change. Empty, an infant car seat carrier is 10+ pounds. The EuroTote is made completely of fabric and a support board and weighs less than 2 pounds. And the EuroTote allowed us to keep the weight of our baby on our shoulder, instead of looped onto our elbow as we have done with the car seat so many times. We have all suffered from neck, back, elbow and wrist pain from lugging those heavy baskets of plastic. The EuroTote is like a miracle in comparison!
One of our favorite features of the EuroTote carrier is that it fits perfectly into the bassinets of the higher end strollers. This allows your baby to be comfy warm in their bassinet in the winter while enabling mom to easily pick her up to carry her inside without ever having to un-bundle her.
There are two interchangeable covers that zip off easily to allow the EuroTote Moses carrier option to be used year-round. There is a winter/warming top that resembles a mini, super soft comforter. Also, included is a summer/mesh top that is a soft and breathable mesh blanket to keep baby cool and comfortable on hot days and in warmer climates. Even with the mesh top, since the inside of the carrier is still cotton fleece, we wouldn't recommend using it outdoors on the hottest days.
The second usage option is a bunting bag for a convertible car seat. Now, as a Child Passenger Safety Technician, it's my responsibility to remind you that after-market products are not approved by the National Child Passenger Safety Board to be added to car seats. Actually, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends against adding anything to a car seat that didn't come with it and would come between the seat, the child and the straps in any way. Blankets are fine when placed completely over a buckled in child, but shouldn't be added underneath them. (The reason is car seats aren't tested with extras, and any extra padding could cause dangerous slack in the safety straps in an accident).
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That said, the EuroTote fits easily into most convertible car seats. There are Velcro openings in the back that allow the car seat restraint belts to easily feed through. It didn't take much time to get the EuroTote complete with baby strapped in into the convertible car seat. Once in the car seat, the baby was snug as a bug without the need for a coat or additional blankets. We even liked that the bunting bag goes around their head for extra warmth. To distinguish it from the traditional bunting bags, the EuroTote allows you to un-strap the baby and take the entire carrier out of the car seat easily to be used as the on-the-go Moses carrier, or soft travel system. Note: the Eurotote does not fit into an infant car seat.
The third use option is a bunting bag for a stroller. Now, we LOVE this feature. The Eurotote easily fit into every stroller we tried. Since it will keep the child bundled, this option would mostly be used in the winter or on a chilly day. It's a one-size-fits-all bunting bag that we found fit our 3-year-olds easily.
The fourth product option is a play mat. Since we will have this carrier along with us when we go out, it's nice to have the option to open it up to create an instant, soft play mat. The play blanket option is wonderful when you need a clean, sanitary place to set your baby. The material is so cushy that you can set the play blanket down on any type of hard surface and your baby will still be comfortable.
The fifth and final use for the EuroTote is as a travel bed. By laying out the carrier flat like a play mat and attaching the warming top, it can be used as a bed. Even though the blanket part is zipped to the mat, we still wouldn't leave the baby unattended using this option. Since babies are recommended to sleep on a rather hard surface, the EuroTote might be too cushy for a bed for smaller children. Use your best judgment, but the option is there.
The EuroTote comes in four delicious, different colors with hilarious names: Red Haute Mama - red with cream lining; Luck of the Stylish - green with cream lining; Essential Black Tote (With a Silver Lining) - black with silver lining; and Cocoa Couture - chocolate with light blue lining. The EuroTote has a polyester outer lining with a super, soft, luxurious cotton flannel inside and is completely machine-washable (hooray!).
As a carrier, you can use the EuroTote year-round, but the bunting bag options make this a winter-dream-come-true for chilly climate babies. With the beautiful color options, the multiple product uses, the long life span (birth to 3 years!) and the fact that our babies love it, the EuroTote has quickly become a favorite of these cold weather mamas! We highly recommend it, no matter where you live!
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