OK, This Hip-Saving Baby Carrier Is Actually A *Seat* For Your Kids & It's Genius

At any given moment of the day, I am doing two things — some kind of task like unloading the dishwasher or brushing my teeth or working, and holding one of my children. It's been like this since my oldest was born, and it's a multi-tasking experience every parent knows. But now that I have a preschooler and a baby, my hips are even more achy and tired of hoisting a child up so I can get all the things done. Enter TushBaby, a baby carrier unlike any other — it's basically a seat on your hip for your child, and it's going to change the way you tote your littles around.

If you've ever pictured your hip and waist like a shelf for your child's butt, hi. Same. But there's actually no shelf there, and it's why your hips and back are screaming out in pain. TushBaby is a supportive ergonomic seat approved by both pediatricians and chiropractors that will help you carry your baby around and ease up on your bod. It's a strapless baby carrier that's simply buckled and velcroed around your waist, offering a memory foam-lined seat for your baby to rest their tush on as you carry them around. The weight is evenly distributed across your body, and because it's good for kids up to 44 pounds, you can use it for your big kids, too.

The best part? There's no strapping your kid into any carrier or seat. You just wrap the TushBaby around your waist, pick up your little one, and plop them right down. I love using mine when my kids are just being clingy, but I need to walk around and do things. I've used it to run out to the mailbox, to take phone calls, and to enjoy a hot cup of coffee at the patio door. It's super easy to click on, and when your kid's ready to actually use their legs, you can take it off quickly, too. And at just $79, it's a great price for an investment piece you'll use for your child's littlest years.

I'm imagining it this summer at my nephews' baseball games, walking around our downtown area to get an ice cream, and even at Disney World in the fall when our kids need a boost to see the parades and shows. (The pockets on the TushBaby are going to be especially helpful then.) It's small enough to just tuck into the basket of a stroller, and it's so easy to adjust, my husband and I can pass it back and forth with no issue. (I love, love, love my standard baby carriers, but man is it a pain to fix all the straps for my husband and then fix them back to my needs.)

I don't know about anybody else, but whether I'm carrying my 4-year-old or a baby, there's one thing I know for sure — neither one of them are going to help me carry them. My 4-year-old has been toted around on my hip for as long as she can remember, and she still lets her legs dangle like dead weight as I try to go up our stairs like I'm climbing Mt. Everest. It's uncomfortable for both of us, it's hard, and I can feel my back and hips officially giving up the fight. The TushBaby alleviates that pain, and with just one arm around her to keep her supported, I'm able to feel a little more free to move. (Which really means I just have another arm to keep doing that other task I was working on before my kid insisted on being held.) Bonus: it makes her feel a bit like she's in her own parade, and anything that makes my life a little easier and her feel a little more special? Totally worth it. (My back and hips think so, too.)